Preface

Disclaimer

Although the author has attempted to provide an up-to-date and factually correct description of DCOM and its functionality in this book, features and functions may change over time, particularly as some of the functions described have only just been released and, as all developers are aware, the features of software products in particular can change very rapidly over time.

The author, therefore, cannot accept responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in this book and cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damages occasioned as a result of decisions made on the basis of this book. Although this is not an “official Microsoft textbook,” Microsoft staff have seen the basic notes for the book and agreed on its accuracy at the time of preparation.

This book covers the DCOM features provided as part of Windows NT 4. Although mention has been made of the Active Directory being provided in Windows NT 5, this book does not otherwise cover the features likely to be in Windows NT 5, such as distributed time, as at the time of writing it was unclear in many cases how they would be provided or whether in fact they would eventually be provided. If this book proves popular, an update will be considered once NT 5 has been released and is stable enough to discuss in detail.