How to Isolate a DLL Into a Separate Process By Using Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS)

When you troubleshoot with Internet Information Server (IIS), it is a common practice to isolate Web applications by running them in a separate memory space, which is referred to as Out-of-Process (OOP). However, if a component is used on multiple ASP pages, and in multiple Web applications, it can be difficult to isolate the module (DLL) that contains the object from the rest of the Web site. Then you must isolate a COM DLL into a separate process to determine if it contributes to problems that affect Web server performance. Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) 2.0, in the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack (NTOP), provides the ability to isolate a COM DLL into a separate process.

The steps that follow provide a procedure that you can use to isolate a DLL. After you isolate the DLL, any processes that use the isolated DLL make RPC calls to the Mtx.exe process that contains the isolated DLL, rather than loading the DLL within its own process space.

How to Isolate a COM DLL in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0

1. On the Taskbar, click Start, point to Programs, point to Windows NT Option Pack, point to Microsoft Internet Information Server, and then click Internet Service Manager.
2. Expand the Microsoft Transaction Server folder, expand Computers, expand My Computer, and then select the Packages Installed folder.
3. Create a new Package. Right-click the Packages Installed, and then select New | Package.
4. Click Create an empty package.
5. Assign a Name to the package (that is, the same name as the COM DLL). Do not use any periods in the name.
6. Click Next.
7. Set the Security Context required by the DLL by:
   • Selecting either the Interactive (Logged on) user.
     
     -or-
     
     
   • Specify the credentials to impersonate This user.
   
   
   
8. Click Next.
9. Click Finish.
10. Expand the new Package, right-click the Components folder, and then add the DLL to the new Package.
11. Click New | Component.
12. Click Install new component(s).
13. Click Add files....
14. Browse to the folder that contains the DLL to isolate.
15. Select the DLL to isolate.
16. Click Open.NOTE: The isolated DLL must be a COM DLL. Otherwise, this error message occurs:
    "One or more files do not contain components or type libraries. These files can not be installed"
17. Click Finish.
18. Reset the IISADMIN service to ensure that the DLL was not in use by the InetInfo.exe process. To do this, from a command prompt type: net stop iisadmin /y
    net start w3svc

After the isolated DLL is invoked you should see your new component spinning.

REFERENCES

For more information about configuring MTS Applications, see the Platform SDK Web site at: For additional information about isolating a COM DLL in Windows 2000 using Component Services, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: