On 26 Nov 2001, at 7:15, bshaw wrote:

> I'm using the free version of Zone Alarm. I get an alert message
> that says:
>
> Do you want to allow Distributed COM Services to act as a server?
>
> The filename is RPCSS.EXE   Version 4.71.2900
>
> Under More Information Available it says: This program is asking
> for server rights!
>
> Can someone tell me what this program is and if I should give it
> server rights?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Barbara Shaw
> [log in to unmask]

  RPC is "Remote Procedure Call".  It's one of the mechanisms used by
applications on one machine (a client) to request that some code be
executed on another machine (the server).  RPCSS.EXE is the file
within Windows that receives RPC requests over the network and
arranges for them to be handled.

  If you are on a LAN, it may be useful and even important to have
your machine receive and respond to RPC requests, and so you
should/must allow this.
  If, on the other hand, you are connecting directly to the Internet,
then accepting RPC requests would be a terrible security risk, and
should NOT be allowed.

  Zone Alarm doesn't know what your situtaion is, so it cannot make
this choice for you.

David Gillett

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