New OLE Features and Enhancements in WinNT 4.0 Service Pack 2

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0

SUMMARY

The following new features and enhancements have been made in Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 Service Pack 2:

• DLL Surrogates
• IAccessControl/CoInitializeSecurity
• Using RPC with WinSock Proxy

DLL Surrogates

Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2 now provides the functionality to incorporate DLL servers that can be loaded into surrogate EXE processes. This combines the ease of writing DLL servers with the benefits of executable implementation. COM provides default surrogate processes, or you can write a custom surrogate if you have special needs. The DLL server, in a surrogate process, offers the benefit of:

• Fault isolation and the ability to service multiple clients simultaneously.
• In a distributed environment, a DLL server implementation could be used to service remote clients.
• It could permit clients to protect themselves from untrusted server code, while allowing access to the services the DLL server provides.
• Running a DLL server in a surrogate provides the DLL with the surrogate's security.

IAccessControl/CoInitializeSecurity

IAccessControl and CoInitializeSecurity are two new features written into Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2. IAccessControl is an interface to control access to objects and their properties. The methods used by the IAccessControl interface help you manage access to objects and their properties and to get information about access permissions.

CoInitializeSecurity registers security and sets the default security values. For legacy applications, COM automatically calls CoInitializeSecurity with values from the registry. You can use CoInitializeSecurity in conjunction with IAccessControl. The CoInitializeSecurity function takes the pointer to IAccessControl.

Using RPC With WinSock Proxy

Another new feature is the recent release of Microsoft(r) Internet Access Server that includes WinSock Proxy, an enhanced version of Windows Sockets API, version 1.1.

WinSock Proxy lets a Windows Sockets application, running on a private network client, behave as if it were directly connected to a remote Internet server application. Actually, the Microsoft Proxy Server is the host for this connection. This means that all application-level communications are channeled through a single secured computer; the gateway computer running Microsoft Proxy Server.

To use RPC with WinSock Proxy, you need to edit the system registry on each computer.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

2. From the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window, go to the following key:

         Software\Microsoft\Rpc
   

3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value.

4. Add the following:

         Value Name : UseWinsockForIP
         Data Type  : REG_DWORD
         Data       : 1
   
   

5. Click OK.

6. Quit Registry Editor.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on these enhancements, refer to the Windows NT Service Pack 2 Online Help.