List of the MS DTC issues that are fixed in Windows Server 2003 MS DTC Hotfix Rollup Package 16

This article lists the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MS DTC) issues that are resolved in Windows Server 2003 MS DTC Hotfix Rollup Package 16. Each hotfix rollup package contains all the hotfixes that were released in the previous Windows Server 2003 MS DTC hotfix rollup package.

Issues that are resolved in this hotfix rollup package

This hotfix rollup package resolves the following issues that were not previously documented in a Microsoft Knowledge Base article.

Issue 1

You encounter one of the following situations:

• In a Microsoft .NET Framework application, you use the TransactionScope class and then promote transactions to MS DTC. The application process is recycled frequently.
• In a Windows-based application, you use the ITransactionImportWhereabouts::GetWhereabouts method. The application process is recycled frequently.

In these situations, a memory leak occurs in the MS DTC process.

Note The ITransactionImportWhereabouts::GetWhereabouts method returns the location of the local MS DTC transaction manager.

Cause of issue 1

When the application process is recycled, the application is disconnected from MS DTC. Then, MS DTC cleans up the information about the application connection state. However, an internal connection state object is not deleted every time that the application is disconnected from MS DTC. This behavior occurs because of a reference counting mismatch in the MS DTC process. Therefore, the memory leak in the MS DTC process becomes larger every time that the application process is recycled and the application is disconnected from MS DTC.

Issue 2

After you apply the MS DTC hotfix rollup package on a Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer, you use the Windows Components Wizard in Control Panel to add or remove Windows components. Using the Windows Components Wizard for the first time causes MS DTC to be reinstalled. Additionally, the following configuration settings are deleted and then reset:

• MS DTC configuration settings
  
  Note These settings are located under the following registry key:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC
• Remote procedure call (RPC) TCP/IP port ranges settings
  
  Note These settings are located under the following registry key:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Rpc\Internet

Cause of issue 2

This issue occurs because the MS DTC hotfix rollup that updates MS DTC binaries does not update MS DTC version information in the registry. Because of this behavior, the Windows Components Wizard detects a mismatch between the original version and the updated version of the MS DTC binary. When the mismatch occurs, the Windows Components Wizard reinstalls MS DTC. Therefore, all DTC-related registry entries and RPC dynamic port range registry entries are reset.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

You must have Windows Server 2003 SP2 installed to apply this hotfix rollup package.

Restart requirement

You must restart the MS DTC service after you apply this hotfix rollup package.

Hotfix replacement information

The hotfixes that are provided in Windows Server 2003 MS DTC hotfix rollup packages are cumulative. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

For all supported x86-based versions of Windows Server 2003

For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003

For all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2003

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about MS DTC components, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site: For more information about the ITransactionImportWhereabouts::GetWhereabouts method, visit the following MSDN Web site:For more information about how to configure TCP/IP port ranges for DCOM protocols, visit the following MSDN Web site:For more information about the TransactionScope class, visit the following MSDN Web site: