FIX: DCOM Application Fails with RPC_E

SYMPTOMS

A Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) method call may return the value RPC_E_DISCONNECTED, or error 0x80010108:

The object invoked has disconnected from its clients.

This error usually occurs when one of the following conditions is met:

The server process calls the CoDisconnectObject function.
The server process ends (terminates).
No network communication is possible between the client and server computer for six minutes or more.

If none of these conditions is true, and you receive the above-mentioned error message, the error may be the result of a vulnerability in the Remote Procedure Call Server Service (RPCSS).

CAUSE

This problem can occur when a single-threaded apartment (STA) does not properly process messages in one or more COM applications. An STA thread should always check the message queue and dispatch messages. For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

136885 INFO: OLE Threads Must Dispatch Messages

291837 INFO: Do Not Make Blocking Calls from an STA Component

RPCSS implements the DCOM garbage collection mechanism for all COM applications that run on the local computer. If a local COM application has an STA that is not processing messages, it can affect RPCSS in such a way that it does not properly perform garbage collection. As a result, a "bad" STA application can cause RPC_E_DISCONNECTED errors for any COM applications on the same computer.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

This fix is included with the fixes that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

295549 INFO: Post Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 COM+ Rollup Hotfix 11 Is Available

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to install Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: