How to: Run an Extension In-Process and Out-of-Process

When you add an extension to a management agent or to the metaverse, you can configure the extension to run in-process or out-of-process. Running the extension in-process means that the extension is loaded directly into the Forefront Identity Manager Synchronization Service (FIM Synchronization Service) server process. Running an extension in-process is more efficient than running it out-of-process. If the extension suffers a failure, however, the FIM Synchronization Service server can stop functioning correctly or even stop functioning altogether.

Running an extension out-of-process means that the failure of the extension does not affect the FIM Synchronization Service server. Application speed and resource availability, however, are both decreased. Debugging an extension that is run out-of-process is very difficult because the process that loads the extension is running only when required and not continuously.

We recommend that you test and debug extensions while in-process. When you have tested and debugged the extension, you can configure it to run out-of-process.

The following illustration shows the out-of-process setting for a management agent extension. To open this window, follow these steps in FIM Synchronization Service.

To change the out-of-process setting for a management agent extension

1. On the Synchronization Service Manager toolbar, click MA Designer.

2. Click the appropriate management agent.

3. In the Actions list, click Properties to open the Properties window.

4. In the Management Agent Designer pane of the Properties window, click Configure Extensions.

If you select the Run this rules extension in a separate process check box, the extension runs out-of-process. If the Run this rules extension in a separate process check box is cleared, the extension runs in-process.

The following dialog box contains the out-of-process setting for the metaverse extension. To open this dialog box, in the FIM Synchronization Service application, click Tools, and then click Configure Extensions. If the Run this rules extension in a separate process check box is selected, the extension runs out-of-process. If the Run this rules extension in a separate process check box is not selected, the extension runs in-process.

See Also

Concepts

Testing and Debugging Rules Extensions
Creating Rules Extensions
Using Forefront Identity Manager Synchronization Service