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How to install MSDTC?

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1. About this guide

First of all is not how to “Install” as the title says, but more like how to configure it, and if is needed uninstall

and re-install it. So, in this guide we will talk how you should setup properly the Microsoft Distributed

Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC). But before we do that is good to know few basics about it, even though

we will not discuss here the subject on when or why you should use MSDTC in your application. Is also

good to understand at least some basics of “what and why” about MSDTC so that when asked you don’t

look like a dummy 😊

Note: if you are an expert I.T Administrator you may want to adjust some of the settings you will read here,

to minimize your exposure in not secure networks but that’s on your own judgment.

2. What is MSDTC and why should I care?

MSDTC is an acronym for Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator. As the name says, MSDTC is a

Windows service providing transaction infrastructure for distributed systems. In this case, a transaction

means a general way of structuring the interactions between autonomous agents in a distributed system.

In other words, transaction processing is a software technology that makes distributed computing reliable.

You can see a transaction as a unit of work in which a series of operations occur. The transaction is

providing protection in the case when one or more of these operations fail at any point in time. By using

transactions, you can vastly simplify the error recovery for your system.

This service is a component of modern versions of Microsoft Windows that is responsible for coordinating

transactions that span multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and file systems.

MSDTC is included in Windows 2000 and later operating systems.

MSDTC performs the transaction coordination role for components, usually with COM and .NET

architectures. In MSDTC terminology, the director is called the “transaction manager”.

3. Install / Uninstall MSTDC and why you have network errors

Technically by default, the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) service is installed with

Windows 2000 or later. It cannot be uninstalled through Add/Remove Programs or features. If you need to

re-Install it because you think you have configured it properly but is not running as you would except, the

only way is by PowerShell and then with a specific command. We will talk about this later on the “Known




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Issues / Q & A” section at the end of this guide. Most of the times the installation of MSDTC is fine, but not

it’s configuration!

It is installed by default and configured for local access only. MSDTC must be configured for remote

access so that instances on two separate servers can contact each other…and that’s why you are probably

here reading this guide now! You are getting various errors in your application from MSDTC about “network

access” or “not been detected” or similar messages.

This is because you have probably your application (FrontEnd) installed in one system, and the database

(usually MS-SQL) that is trying to communicate in another system, and this application is using

TransactionScope functions that automatically detect that your database in not in the same system and

tries to communicate with the other one but it fails because of the wrong MSDTC default configurations.

4. Configure MSDTC to work in a network environment

a. Make sure whatever steps you do in this guide you are logged in as an Administrator group user

or even better the system root Administrator account.

b. start RUN (⊞ Win + R) from your system and type dcomcnfg and then click OK





c. This will open the “Component Services” window. Locate as shown in the screenshot below the

Distributed Transaction Coordinator and the “Local DTC”.

d. Right click on the “Local DTC” and select Properties





e. Go to the Tab Security and enable everything you see in this picture, and click OK.

f. When asked if you are sure and that the service must restart for these changes to take effect

select Yes. (optional you may with to see the tabs of logging and Tracing to help you in further

debugging or watching your app how it works).

g. Now we need to allow the MSDTC to go through Windows Firewall (if you use other firewall

software or very aggressive antiviruse make sure you add the same applications and port, we will

demonstrate here to those protection software exception list as well). We need to do that for both

the application service and the port is using to communicate between systems. (If you are again

using any special software or hardware you need to allow those yourself based on your equipment.)





h. Go to windows control panel and locate the firewall, then enter the Firewall option and locate the

“Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall”

i. Locate and Enable in All Network types the “Distributed Transaction Coordinator”, and click OK

at the bottom to save the changes.





j. then go back in the main Firewall screen, locate and click the “Advanced settings”.

k. When the Advanced Firewall opens select from the left the InBound Rules and right click select

“New Rule…”





l. From the new Inbound Rule Wizard we need to select Port, and click Next.

m. Select TCP, and type the MSDTC port which is 135 and go to Next step.





n. Select Allow the connection.

o. Select all Network types, just to be safe that it will on any network type! This is where you may do

adjustments based on your risk assessment.





p. Give it a name and click Finish

q. Now go back to step 12 and repeat the same Firewall Wizard steps but for Outbound Rules, to

allow the port 135 in all network types for TCP/IP.

r. Now go back to Step 1 and repeat all the steps for all the computers you are using in the network

that you have the software and the database where you have issues. So if is in 2 systems

do it in both systems, and you should be fine.





5. Known Issues / Q & A

Q: The “My Computer” from step 3 has a Red Down arrow what should I do?

A: Your Com+ Component is not enabled or has a conflict with another service. Try to right click Properties

on the “My computer” and check if the following screen is the same with “Enable Distributed COM on this

computer”. Click ok and restart your computer. If the problem persists maybe you have a system with Dolby

Atmos service running that is been known to cause a conflict. Located in your services and disable it and

restart your computer.





Q: I think I don’t even have MSDTC installed in my system or it has been corrupted, how can I install

it again?

A: Run PowerShell as Administrator and type the following commands if you wish to uninstall and then re

install the msDTC. You must always restart your system after that actions.

Uninstall-Dtc (when asked if you are sure type Y or A)

Install-Dtc (don’t expect any messages on installation if is ok you will see nothing if there is an error

you will get red messages)



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