Performance decreases when you use side-by-side (SxS) activation in a COM application on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 SP1

Consider the following scenario:

• You have a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or a later version of Windows Server 2003.
• You use side-by-side (SxS) activation in a COM application that is running on the computer.

In this scenario, the computer's performance decreases.

For example, assume that you have a large SxS manifest file on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 SP1. When you call the CoCreateInstance function on an SxS COM component, the loading time is much longer than on a computer that is running either Windows XP Service Pack 2 or the release version of Windows Server 2003.

This problem occurs because the caching mechanism that improves performance for the same SxS Activation Contexts (ACTCTX) was removed in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must have Windows Server 2003 SP1 or a later version of Windows Server 2003 installed.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, x86-based versions

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, Itanium architecture versions

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, x64-based versions

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, x86-based versions

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, Itanium architecture versions

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, x64-based versions

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about the SxS assemblies, visit the following Microsoft Web site:For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: