You can use the Component Services snap-in to install COM+ server applications.

Important

You cannot install a COM+ server application on computers running operating systems earlier than Windows 2000. A server application requires a platform that supports Component Services.

The minimum configuration for an application is one in which security is not required. If security is required for the application, use the Component Services snap-in to set process-level security, or add users to predefined roles after the application has been installed. For more information about how to configure security for your application see COM+ Security (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=66688).

Important

If you want to allow unauthenticated network users to run a COM+ application, the application roles must include the Anonymous user. In Windows Vista, by default the Anonymous user is not included in the Everyone group. You can add the role of ANONYMOUS LOGON in the COM+ Application Install Wizard when you install or create a new application.

Membership in Administrators, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review the details in "Additional considerations" in this topic.

Installing COM+ server applications

To install a COM+ server application using the Component Services snap-in

  1. Open Component Services.

  2. In the console tree, locate the COM+ Applications folder that is associated with the computer on which you want to install the application.

  3. Right-click the COM+ Applications folder, point to New, and then click Application.

  4. In the COM+ Application Install Wizard, click Next.

  5. On the Install or Create a New Application page, click Install pre-built application(s).

  6. In the Install from application file dialog box, browse to and select the .msi file for the application that you are installing, and then click Open.

  7. In the Select Application Files dialog box, click Add to browse for any additional applications that you want to install, and then click Next.

  8. On the Set Application Identity page, click the application identity, and then click Next.

    Note

    The default selection is Interactive user. The interactive user is the user who is logged on to the Windows account for the computer that runs the application. To select a different user, click This user, and then enter details for a specific user or group.

  9. On the Application Installation Options page, specify the directory in which to install the COM+ application, and then click Next.

    The application's component files are copied from the .msi file to the installation directory. The default installation directory is:

       %Program Files%\COMPlus Applications\appid

    You can either accept the default directory or click Specific directory and then search for another location.

    Note

    To perform this procedure, the application identity that is specified in previous step must have at least Read access to the installation directory, and the person performing the installation must have Write access to the installation directory.

  10. Click Finish. The Component Services console tree now shows the new application. If you install multiple applications, the options that you choose in step 9 apply to all the applications.

Additional considerations

  • Component Services is no longer in Administrative Tools. To open Component Services, click Start. In the search box, type dcomcnfg, and then press ENTER.

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrator role on the target computer's system application. In the default configuration, only local computer administrators are assigned to this role. For more information, see Set Administrative Security.

You can also install a COM+ application by dragging an application file from Windows Explorer to the details pane of the Component Services snap-in while the COM+ Applications folder of a computer is open.

To install a COM+ server application using Windows Explorer

  1. On the computer on which you want to install the COM+ application, use Windows Explorer to locate the server application file (.msi). The file can reside locally or on a network shared resource.

  2. Double-click the server application file. You can also right-click the file name, and then click Install. Microsoft Windows Installer automatically installs the server application on the target computer.

Additional considerations

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrator role on the target computer's system application. In the default configuration, only local computer administrators are assigned to this role. For more information, see Set Administrative Security.

To install a COM+ server application using a command line

  • At the command prompt, type the following, and then press ENTER:

    msiexec -i [<property overrides>] <application name>.msi

    Value Description

    property overrides

    In addition to the standard Windows Installer property overrides, you can specify the following option to change the installation directory for the COM+ application from the default to the specified directory:

    TARGETDIR = <target installation directory>

    application name

    The name of the application to be installed.

Additional considerations

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrator role on the target computer's system application. In the default configuration, only local computer administrators are assigned to this role. For more information, see Set Administrative Security.

Additional references

  • Create a New COM+ Application
  • Install COM+ Application Proxies