Using the Microsoft Transaction Server (COM+)

COM+ ( Microsoft Transaction Server) is designed to help users run business logic applications in a typical middle tier server.

See Features that can be used only with the primary installation on Windows for important information.

COM+ divides work up into activities, which are typically short independent chunks of business logic, such as transfer funds from account A to account B. COM+ relies heavily on object orientation and in particular on COM; loosely a COM+ activity is represented by a COM (business) object.

COM+ is an integrated part of the operating system.

COM+ provides three services to the business object administrator, removing much of the worry from the business object programmer:
  • Transaction management
  • Security
  • Resource pooling
You usually use COM+ with front-end code that is a COM client to the objects held within COM+, and back-end services such as a database, with IBM® MQ bridging between the COM+ business object and the back-end.

The front-end code can be a stand-alone program, or an Active Server Page (ASP) hosted by the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). The frontend code can be on the same computer as COM+ and its business objects, with connection through COM. Alternatively, the frontend code can be on a different computer, with connection through DCOM. You can use different clients to access the same COM+ business object in different situations.

The backend code can be on the same computer as COM+ and its business objects, or on a different computer with connection through any of the IBM MQ supported protocols.