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mmc.exe

Microsoft Management Console (MMC)

MMC Snap Ins

MMC Snap Ins are used for System configuration and administration.
An MMC Snap In is a COM Object
Snap-Ins are registered in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MMC\SnapIns and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\{CLSID}.
A Snap-In that is combined with an MMC is called a management saved console and has the .msc.
An example of a .msc is the SQL Server configuration manager (SQLServerManager….msc).

Relation to .msc files

.msc files are associated with mmc.exe 
C:\> assoc .msc
.msc=MSCFile

C:\> ftype MSCFile
MSCFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mmc.exe "%1" %*

See also

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Management Console
Configuring Windows
perfmon.exe

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