Hi Rick,

>>>If I use DCOM doesn't every client have to register the server on thier local machine? Can registration be automatic? If it does require registration that sounds like a nightmare for maintenance.
>>
>>If you use CREATEOBJECTEX(), you can specify the server location without having to pre-register it. Look up CREATEOBJECTEX in the Docs -- it's all explained there.
>
>Sorry, but that's not true. The client must have a copy of at least the type library registered. Without that you can't access a remote component.

Is that true if you specify the CLSID and remote server name as the two parameters for CREATEOBJECTEX? (I'm not at a place where I can test it right now). The docs for CREATEOBJECTEX say:

If you include a CLSID, the COM object must be registered on the remote server you specify with cComputerName. If you include a PROGID, the COM object must be registered on both the your local computer and the remote computer you specify with cComputerName.

Attempting to use a PROGID without first registering the server on your local computer will generate the OLE error Code 0x800401f3, “Invalid Class String.”

>If anonymous clients are the goal a Web based approach should be adopted. Anything running over HTTP can be anonymous...

Agreed.