Once you have a component or set of components intended for use in MTS, the first
step is to create a package. This is done through the MTS Explorer, a Microsoft Message Console
snap-in available whenever you install MTS from the Option Pack (see Figure 15.10). All features
of the MTS Explorer are available both locally and remotely. This is especially handy if your
development machine is different from the machine that is running MTS.
The MTS Explorer is available in the Start Menu by opening Programs\Windows
NT 4.0 Option Pack\Transaction Server\ Transaction Server Explorer. After MTS is installed, the
MMC will have an entry for Microsoft Transaction Server directly off the Console Root in the
left pane. After you expand the Microsoft Transaction Server folder, the list of MTS servers available
for administration is in the Computers folder. By default no remote servers are listed. Local
MTS configuration can be performed through the My Computer item, a child of the Computers folder.
FIGURE 15.10 All administrative actions related to MTS are performed through the MTS
Explorer.
If you expand the local computer or any remote computer listed in the MTS Explorer,
you get a list of the primary administrative areas of a given MTS installation.
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Packages Installed. All actions related to MTS packages for the
select computer are performed here.
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Remote Components. Here you can specify components to run on remote
computers.
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Trace Messages. This item allows you to view messages generated
by the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC).
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Transaction List. This displays individual transactions currently
in process and information about them.
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Transaction Statistics. Both statistics about current transactions
and past transactions are displayed here. This window can be used to answer performance
related questions.
The focus of this chapter is on packages. For more information about the other
items in the MTS Explorer, see the Microsoft Transaction Server Administrator’s Guide,
part of the online help in Transaction Server.
By double-clicking on the Packages Installed folder, the list of currently installed
packages appears below in the left pane as well as in the right pane of the Explorer. The list
of packages on a default MTS installation will depend on which Option Pack components were
installed. Minimally, the list will always include the System and the Utilities packages that are
both MTS system related packages. As previously discussed, the System package includes components
used internally within MTS while the Utilities package includes components that allow your
client to use some of the more complicated transactional features of MTS.
Creating a new package from the MTS Explorer can be done in one of two ways:
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An empty package can be created. You will be required to add components at a later time.
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A prebuilt package can be created. This is an existing MTS package that already has components that have been exported.
Adding a pre-built package will also add the files and registry entries associated with the components.
After you are finished developing components intended for use on an MTS machine, you will most likely start with an empty package.
To create an empty package on MTS, you must execute the following steps:
STEP BY STEP
15.5 Creating an Empty Package on MTS
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From the MTS Explorer, make sure the computer that you are using is listed
in the left pane and that its icon is expanded.
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Click on the Packages Installed folder. From the Action menu, select New and
then select Package. Alternatively, while Packages Installed folder is selected,
you can rightclick on it, select New, and select Package. A third way to do this
is click on the New Object button on the toolbar.
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The Package Wizard is activated. Notice that you now can choose between creating
an empty package or installing a prebuilt package (see Figure 15.11).
FIGURE 15.11 The Package Wizard can be used to import existing packages or
create new ones.
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Click on the button next to Create an empty package. The wizard will prompt
you to enter a name for the package.
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Enter a name for the package and click Next.
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The next dialog box is Set Package Identity. This allows you to define the
security context for which the package will run. Further explanation of this concept
will be covered in Chapter 15. Leave the default option, Interactive User, selected
and click Finish.
