1.4 Component Object Model (COM) and .NET | Microsoft .NET: Jumpstart for Systems Administrators and Developers (Communications (Digital Press))

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COM components can be accessed from the .NET Framework by using a run-time-callable wrapper, or RCW. This will take the COM interfaces and turn them into .NET Framework-compatible interfaces. Any OLE automation interface can have the RCW generated automatically from a type library. If the application has non-OLE automation interfaces, it is possible to map the types exposed in the COM interface across to the .NET Framework manually.

.NET Framework components also can be used from a COM program. Managed types built within the framework can be configured, usually automatically, so that they can be accessed by a COM application. As you would expect, though, there are some .NET Framework features that are outside the scope of COM applications, and if you intend to have a .NET Framework application accessed from a COM application, it is probably best to decide this up front and then design out features that are inaccessible.

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