Q. Do my servers and development machines have to be running 64 bit operating systems to use ML/64?

No. AspDotNetStorefront ML/64 takes full advantage of .NET's capability to be architecture independent. When running on a 32 bit platform, ML/64 will operate in 32-bit mode without ANY interaction from the user, and when deployed to a 64-bit environment, will automatically switch to 64-bit mode. No costly and time consuming upgrades are required whatsoever.

Q. What is the advantage of using a 64-bit architecture?

A. The advantages of using a 64 bit platform are twofold. First, larger servers with multiple fast, modern multi-core processors are no longer limited to 2GB of memory in an application pool. This allows your site to scale beyond what would be possible on a 32-bit server. Secondly, you are helping to ensure that your site remains compatible with technologies that cannot co-exist with 32 bit applications. Services like Microsoft Exchange and Sharepoint 64-bit editions can now theoretically be run on the same server as AspDotNetStorefront, saving time, expense, and management effort.

Q. Why are some gateways not supported in ML/64?

A. Certain legacy gateways require 32-bit only components to operate. When running in 64-bit mode, it is not possible to mix 32-bit and 64-bit components.

Q. Is there a performance benefit to using ML/64?

While individual operations will not execute faster in 64-bit mode, by enabling the site to use more memory you now have the option of using faster, more robust hardware without being limited by the maximum 2GB memory limit imposed on 32-bit application pools.