Platform SDK: Transaction Server

Understanding MTS Transaction States

[This product will work only on Windows NT 4.0 versions and earlier. For Windows 2000 and later, see COM+ (Component Services).]

To manage transactions, you must understand the different transaction states and their implications for the MTS package that you are administering. Transaction states are represented by the following icons in the Large Icon view of the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MS DTC) Transaction List window:

Icon	Description
	Active The transaction has been started
	Aborting The transaction is aborting. MS DTC is notifying all participants that the transaction must abort. It is not possible to change the transaction outcome at this point.
	Aborted The transaction has aborted. All participants have been notified. Once a transaction has aborted, it is immediately removed from the list of transactions in the MS DTC Transactions window. It is not possible to change the transaction outcome at this point.
	Preparing The client application has issued a commit request. MS DTC is collecting prepare responses from all participants.
	Prepared All participants have responded yes to prepare.
	In Doubt The transaction is prepared, is coordinated by a different MS DTC, and the coordinating MS DTC is inaccessible. The system administrator can force the transaction to commit or abort by right-clicking in the Transactions window and choosing the Resolve/Commit or Resolve/Abort command. Once an outcome is forced, the transaction is designated as forced commit or forced abort. Caution Do not manually force an in-doubt transaction until you have read the Resolving MTS Transactions topic.
	Forced Commit The administrator forced the in-doubt transaction to commit (see the Resolving MTS Transactions topic).
	Forced Abort The administrator forced the in-doubt transaction to abort (see the Resolving MTS Transactions topic).
	Committing The transaction has prepared successfully and MS DTC is notifying participants that the transaction has been committed. MS DTC does not end the transaction until all participants have acknowledged receiving (and logging) the commit request. It is not possible to change the transaction outcome at this point.
	Cannot Notify Aborted MS DTC has notified all connected participants that the transaction has aborted. The only participants not notified are those that are currently inaccessible. This transaction state occurs when MS DTC must inform any resource manager (such as an IBM LU 6.2 system) that a transaction has aborted but is unable to do so because the connection to the IBM system is down. The system administrator can force MS DTC to forget the transaction by right-clicking in the Transactions window and choosing the Resolve/Forget command. Caution Do not manually forget a transaction until you have read the Resolving MTS Transactions topic.
	Cannot Notify Committed MS DTC has notified all connected participants that the transaction has committed. The only participants not notified are those that are currently inaccessible. The system administrator can force MS DTC to forget the transaction by right-clicking in the Transactions window and choosing the Resolve/Forget command. Caution Do not manually forget a transaction until you have read the Resolving MTS Transactions topic.
	Committed The transaction has committed and all participants have been notified. Once a transaction commits, it is immediately removed from the list of transactions in the MS DTC Transactions window. It is not possible to change the transaction outcome at this point.