| Distributed Component Object Model or DCOM is a | | | | example, using DCOM, a News portal can access |
| proprietary technology of Microsoft used in | | | | different web servers across the world and make |
| communicating with software components in | | | | remote procedure calls (RFC) to get diversified |
| network based computers. DCOM is an extension of | | | | information simultaneously. |
| Microsoft’s COM technology and provides | | | | Microsoft provides DCOM interfaces for various |
| communication facilities for Microsoft’s COM+ | | | | Windows-based application services such as Microsoft |
| server architecture. In a custom software | | | | Active Directory (AD), Microsoft Message Queuing |
| development environment, COM can be used to | | | | (MSMQ), Windows Management and Instrumentation |
| create reusable software components and link | | | | (WMI) etc. |
| components to build a distributed software | | | | Software development companies prefer DCOM as it |
| application. DCOM to a greater extent succeeded in | | | | can make use of the network traffic and the |
| solving marshalling and garbage collection related | | | | network protocol without effecting network |
| issues using DCE/RPC (Distributed Computing | | | | parameters or other communication channels using |
| Environment/Remote Procedure Call). | | | | the network. Also, DCOM provides robust security to |
| COM provides APIs to create components, which can | | | | distributed applications without any security-related |
| integrate custom applications or diverse application | | | | coding or design in the component or the client. |
| can communicate with each other. Whereas, DCOM | | | | In terms of providing a set of distributed services, |
| helps COM objects in one computer to similar COM | | | | DCOM is equivalent to CORBA (Common Object |
| objects in another computer and accesses the | | | | Request Broker Architecture) which is used in |
| procedures used. In DCOM both remote and local | | | | non-Microsoft environments. However, the |
| objects are accessed in the same manner. | | | | implementation of newer distributed mechanisms for |
| Use of DCOM has many advantages in web-based | | | | communicating with different platforms over the |
| software development service. A single website can | | | | Internet has, in fact benefited the end users to a |
| communicate with different web servers (besides its | | | | greater extent. Moreover, DCOM can be ported to |
| own web server) at the same time and serve the | | | | other environments standards, such as the UNIX |
| requesting browser with different information. For | | | | platform as well. |