Deploying COM+ Applications
Once
you have
tested your COM+ application and configured all the COM+ services to
your liking, you need to install your application on a
customer/client machine. The Component Services Explorer can generate
a special file that captures all your application components and
settings. This file is a Windows Installer (MSI) file, identified by
the .msi file extension. Clicking on an MSI file
launches the Windows Installer and installs the application with all
its COM+ configuration parameters. There is a one-to-one relationship
between an application and an MSI file. Thus, if you have multiple
applications in your product, you must generate one MSI file for each
application.
To generate the MSI file, right-click on your application icon in the Component Services Explorer and select Export from the pop-up context menu. This action should bring up the Application Export Wizard. Click Next to go to the second wizard screen, where you are requested to enter the name and location for the application export file to be created (see Figure 1-13). Next, you should decide how to export the application: as a Server application or as an Application proxy (see Figure 1-13). Click Next and then click Finish on the next Wizard screen.

Figure 1-13. Exporting a COM+ application
Proxy COM+ Applications
The names Server application and Application proxy are confusing. A “Server ...