Running MSBuild 4.0 and 3.5 Side by Side on Legacy CruiseControl.NET CI

This guide explains how to keep a legacy CruiseControl.NET environment building both older .NET projects and Visual Studio 2010-era projects. You will learn why builds fail after an upgrade, how to point CI to MSBuild 4.0, and how to retain MSBuild 3.5 jobs when both are still needed.

Originally published on 2010-03-09; fully revised and updated.

Source context: Running MSBuild 4.0 and MSBuild 3.5 on Continuous Integration.

Why builds fail after moving to Visual Studio 2010 projects

In the original scenario, teams upgraded code to Visual Studio 2010 RC. The CI server (CruiseControl.NET) still executed MSBuild 3.5 paths, so upgraded solutions failed. The practical fix is to make sure the CI machine has .NET Framework 4.0 and the Visual Studio 2010 MSBuild target files expected by those projects.

MSBuild 3.5 vs MSBuild 4.0 in this migration

Legacy remediation workflow

flowchart TD
    A[Commit includes VS2010 project files] --> B[CI checks out source]
    B --> C{DotNet 4 installed on CI server?}
    C -- No --> D[Install DotNet 4 and reboot]
    C -- Yes --> E[Copy v10.0 MSBuild targets]
    D --> E
    E --> F[Update ccnet msbuild executable path]
    F --> G[Run build with MSBuild 4]
    G --> H{Build succeeds?}
    H -- No --> I[Review paths and missing targets]
    H -- Yes --> J[Continue CI pipeline]

Step-by-step fix on CruiseControl.NET

1) Install .NET Framework 4.0 on the CI server

The original guidance requires installing .NET Framework 4.0 on the CI machine, preferably the full framework profile. After installation, restart the server (or at minimum restart build services) so the runtime and paths are fully available.

2) Copy Visual Studio v10.0 MSBuild targets

From a machine where Visual Studio 2010 RC is installed, copy the v10.0 folder under %ProgramFiles%\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio to the same location on the CI server.

Copy-Item -Path 'C:\Program Files\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0' -Destination 'C:\Program Files\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\' -RecurseCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

3) Update ccnet.config to invoke MSBuild 4.0

In the CruiseControl.NET project configuration, change the MSBuild executable from the 3.5 path to the 4.0 path.

<msbuild>
  <executable>C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild.exe</executable>
  <workingDirectory>C:\Build\MyApp</workingDirectory>
  <projectFile>MyApp.sln</projectFile>
</msbuild>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

4) Keep 3.5 and 4.0 builds side by side

If you still build older solutions, define separate CI projects (or tasks) so each one points at the correct MSBuild executable.

<!-- Legacy solution -->
<msbuild>
  <executable>C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\MSBuild.exe</executable>
  <projectFile>Legacy.sln</projectFile>
</msbuild>

<!-- VS2010 solution -->
<msbuild>
  <executable>C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild.exe</executable>
  <projectFile>Upgraded.sln</projectFile>
</msbuild>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

5) Verify executable resolution

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\MSBuild.exe /version
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild.exe /version

Common pitfalls on legacy CI servers

• Updating project files but forgetting to change the MSBuild executable path in ccnet.config.
• Installing only partial framework components and missing build-time dependencies.
• Copying target files to a different directory than the path expected by MSBuild imports.
• Using one global build definition for mixed legacy and upgraded solutions instead of separate tasks.
• Skipping service/server restart after framework installation, leaving agents in stale state.

Rajesh Kumar

I’m Rajesh Kumar, a DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, Cloud, and Platform Engineering expert passionate about sharing practical knowledge, real-world experiences, and industry best practices. I have worked at Cotocus and regularly write about technology, travel, investing, health, product reviews, and digital marketing through my various platforms.

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