One method of load balancing is to permanently assign certain users to certain servers running the same application. Because these assignments to not change with conditions on the network or other factors, this method is called static load balancing.
DCOM-based applications can be easily configured to use specific servers by changing a registry entry. Custom configuration tools can use the Win32 remote registry functions to change these settings on each client. With Windows NT 5.0, DCOM will use the extended directory service for implementing a distributed class store, which will make it possible to centralize these configuration changes.
With Windows NT 4.0, applications can use some simple techniques to achieve the same results. A basic approach is to store the server name in some well-known central location, such as a database or a small file. The client component simply retrieves the server name whenever it needs to connect to the server. Changing the database or the file contents changes all clients or arbitrary groups of clients simultaneously.
A much more flexible approach uses a dedicated referral component. This component resides on a well-known server machine. Client components connect first to this component, requesting a reference to the service they require. The referral component can use DCOM's security mechanisms to identify the requesting user and choose the server depending on who is making the request. Instead of just returning the name of the server, the referral component can actually establish a connection to this server and return it directly to the client. DCOM then transparently connects the client directly to the server; and the referral component gets completely out of the way. It is even possible to completely hide this mechanism from the client by implementing a custom class-factory in the referral component. For more details, see the "DCOM Architecture" White Paper.
As user demand grows, administrators can change the components to transparently choose different servers for different users. Client components remain entirely unchanged, and the application can migrate from a model whose administration is decentralized to a centrally administered approach. DCOM's location independence and support for efficient referral make this kind of design flexibility possible.