Abstract: A distributed component system in which component object model (COM) clients can create components at run-time without knowledge of the specific names or capabilities of the network nodes servicing that creation is desirable. The components in the system are distributed among a client node and its server nodes. The system includes a client augmentation module to intercept and process client activation requests, and server augmentation modules monitoring activation requests from the client node. The server augmentation modules allow the client node to create remote components on the available server nodes without monitoring a detailed state of the network.