HOWTO: Use Windows 95 or Windows 98 as a DCOM Server

ID: Q165101

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 5.0

SUMMARY

To use a Windows 95 or Windows 98 computer as a Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) server, you need to configure the computer to run DCOM applications. Using a Windows 95 or Windows 98 computer as a DCOM server will not provide the same features as a Windows NT 4.0 computer. Performance and security will be more limited. Additionally, you will have to perform some steps manually that are provided automatically by Windows NT. For instance, you will probably want to add shortcuts to the server components in your startup group and you will need to run RPCSS.EXE before you will be able to access the server component.

Because you need to have the server component running before trying to use the client, you need some mechanism to keep the server running. The easiest way to do this is to have a blank form in the server. You may set the visible property of the form to "False."

MORE INFORMATION

DCOM was designed to run on Windows NT 4.0 Server and Workstation. DCOM is also intrinsic Windows 98. To configure a Windows 95 computer for use as a DCOM server, download DCOM95.EXE and DCM95CFG.EXE available from the OLE Development section of the Microsoft Web Site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/oledev

DCOM95.EXE is also available on the Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 CD-ROM (Enterprise, Professional and Standard editions) in the \Pro\Tools\DCOM95 directory.

After downloading and saving DCOM95.EXE, do the following: NOTE: If you are setting up a Windows 98 DCOM Server, skip step 4.

1. Double-click DCOM95.EXE and proceed through the installation of DCOM95.

   This process requires you to reboot your system upon completion.

   NOTE: If you intend to install DCM95CFG.EXE at the same time, you can
   forgo rebooting your computer until the completion of DCM95CFG.EXE
   installation.

2. Double-click DCM95CFG.EXE. This will install the DCOMCNFG.EXE utility

   that allows you to configure a DCOM server component. This requires you
   to reboot your system upon completion.

3. Change the key below in the Windows 95 registry:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE\EnableRemoteConnect

   to the following:

   Y

   NOTE: Failure to set this key results in the following error on the
   client:

   "Run-time error '429': ActiveX component can't create object"

4. Run DCOMCNFG on the Windows 95 or Windows 98 Server. Select the server

   component and click the "Properties" button. Select the "Location" tab
   and ensure that the "Run application on this computer" check box is
   selected.

   Select the "Security" tab. Select either "Use default access
   Permissions" or "Use custom access permissions." If you opt to use
   custom permissions, click the Edit button.

   Use the "Add Access Permissions" dialog box to grant or deny access to
   users of the server component. Click OK to close the "Add Access
   Permissions" dialog box. Click OK again to close the "Access
   Permissions" dialog box. Then click Apply to put your access permissions
   into effect. If you do not set custom access permissions, your server
   component will use the default access permissions for the computer.
   Default access permissions are set from the "Distributed COM
   Configuration Properties" dialog box. Select the tab labeled "Default
   Security" to set access permissions as described above.

   NOTE: Failure to set the access permissions will result in the
   following error on the client:

   "Run-time error '70': Permission denied"

5. NOTE: This step is not required with DCOM95 version 1.1 or later.

   
   While it is not necessary to place a shortcut to RPCSS.EXE (found in
   your Windows\System folder) into your startup group, it is advisable
   because RPCSS.EXE needs to be running on the server before clients can
   connect.

   NOTE: Failure to run RPCSS.EXE before attempting to connect to it will
   result in the following error on the client:

   "Run-time error '-2147023174 (800706ba)': Automation error"

   This error message decodes to "The RPC server is unavailable."

6. Place a shortcut to the server component you want to automate through

   DCOM into the startup group. Again, this is not necessary, but because
   the server component must be running before a client can access it,
   this is a good technique to ensure the component is always running.

   NOTE: Failure to run the server component results in the following
   error on the client:

   "Run-time error '429': ActiveX component can't create object"

REFERENCES

DCOM for Windows 95 release notes, located at:

http://www.microsoft.com/oledev

Additional query words: rpcss kbAutomation kbDCOM kbVBp500 kbVBp kbDSupport kbdss

Keywords          :  
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: May 6, 1999