Summary
There is limited support for COM+ in Application Streaming and Application Isolation Environments. Not all Component Object Model (COM) operations work within the isolated virtualized environment.
Background
The COM is a binary standard that enables software components to interoperate in a networked environment regardless of the language in which they were developed. Typically, COM/COM+ components are housed within dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) or executable (.exe) files. You can install them on the client or a remote computer. When used remotely, the call is made by a mechanism called Distributed COM (DCOM) that is based on Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). For more information on COM+, go to http://www.microsoft.com.
Q: What is supported?
A: Regular COM+ (in-proc and out-of-proc) is supported and isolated by default. It does not work outside of isolation. The process that implements the COM server is either the same process that is the client (in-proc), or a process that is launched to implement the COM server (out-of-proc). In the first case, the process is already in isolation. In the second, when it starts, it is placed in isolation. These are COM activities implemented through DLLs or through a separate .exe process with SvcHost as the system process that manages the interaction (for example, Microsoft Office).
Q: What is NOT supported?
A: COM+ activities backed up by DllHost.exe are not supported within the isolation environment. DllHost.exe runs as a Windows service called COM+ System Application. Any application that relies on a Windows service cannot be isolated.
For example, DCOM activities implemented across a network where the COM server and client are on different systems are not supported in the isolation environment.
