Why does WP8 scheduled task load the actual app DLL? - windows-phone-8

Question

Not sure if anyone else is experiencing this, but whenever I debug my scheduled task in visual studio, I find that the scheduled task host loads the parent app DLL. I see it in the output window. I have no reference to it nor am I using any resources in it.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: DefaultDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\mscorlib.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.Windows.RuntimeHost.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.Windows.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.Net.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.Xml.ni.dll'.
// This is the actual app DLL!!
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\Data\Programs\{79787132-3A86-445F-BDD5-206D298D732F}\Install\MyWP8App.DLL'. Symbols loaded.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\Microsoft.Phone.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\Microsoft.Phone.Interop.ni.dll'.
// This is the scheduled task DLL (as expected)
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\Data\Programs\{79787132-3A86-445F-BDD5-206D298D732F}\Install\MyWP8ScheduledTask.DLL'. Symbols loaded.
// This is the portable DLL for shared logic (as expected)
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\Data\Programs\{79787132-3A86-445F-BDD5-206D298D732F}\Install\MyWP8App.Shared.DLL'. Symbols loaded.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.Threading.Tasks.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.Core.ni.dll'.
'HeadlessHost.exe' (CLR C:\windows\system32\coreclr.dll: Silverlight AppDomain): Loaded 'C:\windows\system32\System.Runtime.Serialization.ni.dll'.
Why does this happen? When the scheduled task starts, my memory usage is already at 4.4MB!

Answer 1

My guess is that it is being loaded to find the reference to the appropriate DLL that is the actual scheduled task.
Note that when profiling memory under the debugger, the debugger will add ~3MB to the memory that is used by the process. Because of this you can't accurately profile memory usage under the debugger. Also note that the memory limit is not enforced under the debugger so this isn't a realistic test.
The important thing is to only profile and concern yourself with memory issues when not under the debugger. Yes this makes it slightly more awkward to track but is a realistic test.
Unless you are having real issue which you can explicitly put down to this I wouldn't worry.