Based on Microsoft's COM technology, OPC servers can share data with remote client applications using DCOM (Distributed COM). DCOM allows you to use a single OPC server to provide data to client applications running both locally and on remote machines. DDE is not without its own means of allowing remote access. All of the DDE formats supported by LinkMaster can also be accessed remotely using what is known as NETDDE. NETDDE allows a remote DDE client application to use the machine name of a remote DDE server when specifying a DDE link. LinkMaster has been designed to allow both of these methods of remote server access. In terms of OPC connections, LinkMaster will properly configure your DCOM settings to allow remote OPC clients to access and browse LinkMaster. For DDE clients, LinkMaster will automatically start NETDDE services and register all of the required DDE shares, allowing remote DDE clients access to device data. Establishing DDE share names can be a time consuming process for the application, therefore, by default, NETDDE services are not enabled in LinkMaster.