WCF4: What's new?

1. WCF4: What's new? Christian Weyer thinktecturechristian.weyer@thinktecture.com Session Code: INT302 Level 200

2. and Christian Weyer • Support & consulting for Windows and .NET software developers and architects (we are based in Germany) • Developer coaching and mentoring • Architecture consulting and prototyping • Architecture and code reviews • Applicationoptimization, troubleshooting, debugging • Focus on distributed applications, service orientation, workflows, cloud computing, interoperability, security, end-to-end solutions • Windows Server, WCF, WF, MSMQ, .NET Services, Windows Azure • http://www.thinktecture.com • christian.weyer@thinktecture.com

3. Agenda • Config & Hosting • Discovery • Routing • REST • This & that • Not in Scope: Workflow Services

4. Theme: "Help! WCF4 to the rescue…!?" • 4 major topics • What is not so good in WCF 3.x? • What could WCF4 do better? • Show it to me!

5. Help! WCF4 to the rescue… "My service config files look more complicated than my service code!"

6. Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/liboni/2061335442 • WCF4Simplified Configuration

7. New Feature #1:Config & Hosting • No need for <service> tag to configure a service • Configuration of default bindings and behaviors • Re-usable system-provided endpoint configurations, aka standard endpoints • Support for .svc-less activation

8. Config & Hosting: Default Endpoints • Simplifiedconfigurationfordefaultscenarios ServiceHost serviceHost = new ServiceHost(typeof(HelloService),new Uri("http://localhost:7777/Services/Hello"), new Uri("net.tcp://localhost:7778/Services/Hello"));serviceHost.Open();Console.WriteLine("WCF Service isrunning.");Console.WriteLine("Press <ENTER> toterminateservice.");Console.ReadLine();serviceHost.Close(); … <configuration></configuration> 8

9. Config & Hosting: Default Endpoints • Default endpoint behavior only kicks in when service has not been configured with any endpoints • Call host.AddDefaultEndpoints() to add set of default endpoints

10. Config & Hosting: Default Bindings Definestandardsettingsfordefaultbindings <system.serviceModel>    <bindings>      <basicHttpBinding><bindingmaxReceivedMessageSize="9999999">          <readerQuotasmaxArrayLength="9999999"/>        </binding>      </basicHttpBinding>          </bindings>  </system.serviceModel> No nameattribute 10

11. Config & Hosting: Default Behaviors Definestandardsettingsforbehaviors   <system.serviceModel>     <behaviors>      <serviceBehaviors><behavior>          <serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="true"/>        </behavior>      </serviceBehaviors>    </behaviors>       </system.serviceModel> No nameattribute 11

12. Config & Hosting: Protocol Mappings Can redefinedefaultprotocolmappingsforbindingsfor global use Pre-configureddefaultbindings <protocolMapping>  <addscheme="http" binding="basicHttpBinding"/>  <addscheme="net.tcp" binding="netTcpBinding"/>  <addscheme="net.pipe" binding="netNamedPipeBinding"/>  <addscheme="net.msmq" binding="netMsmqBinding"/></protocolMapping> 12

13. Config & Hosting: Protocol Mappings Add orreplaceyourownprotocolmappingconfiguration <protocolMapping>  <clearscheme="http" /><addscheme="http" binding="customBinding"bindingConfiguration="binaryHttp" /></protocolMapping><bindings> <customBinding>    <bindingname="binaryHttp">      <binaryMessageEncoding/>      <httpTransport/>    </binding>  </customBinding></bindings> 13

14. Config & Hosting: Standard Endpoints • Reusable pre-configured system endpoints • endpoints in WCF have many moving parts (address, binding, contract, behaviors) • in some cases some of these parts are constrained • most common with infrastructure or system endpoints where the contract is fixed and provided externally to the service • Specify a standard endpoint by using kind attribute <system.serviceModel>    <services>        <servicename="HelloService"><endpointkind="udpDiscoveryEndpoint" />        </service>    </services>    …</system.serviceModel> 14

15. .svc-lessActivation • No longer need to have a physical .svc file for each service • specify activation path in web.config <system.serviceModel>    <serviceHostingEnvironment>            <serviceActivations>        <addrelativeAddress="/Hello.svc" service="HelloService"/>      </serviceActivations>    </serviceHostingEnvironment>    <services>      <servicename="HelloService">        <endpointbinding="webHttpBinding"contract="IHelloService" />              </service>    </services>[...] 15

16. Help! WCF4 to the rescue… "I need to provide one single endpoint to my clients, but support multiple services (in multiple versions)!"

17. Source: http://ciscorouting.com/routing_engine.jpg • WCF4RoutingService

18. New Feature #2: Routing • Intermediate Routing Pattern is a well understood pattern in enterprise architecture • just one service entry point with a universal contract • route incoming messages to the appropriate business services • use it to determine path of a message within a system • there can be a cascade of routers each responsible for different aspects of routing messages • WCF 4 now provides a SOAP-based RoutingService • routes, tables, and filters configurable

19. Routing: Sample Architecture Service A Binding/protocol Y Binding/protocol X Router Service Consumer Service B Tables Filters Service C config Binding/protocol Z

20. Routing Host RoutingService in any WCF host Useroutingtablesandfilterstoconfigureroutingrules <client>      <endpoint name="HelloService" address="http://..." binding="basicHttpBinding" contract="*" /></client> <routing> <filters> <filter name="MatchAllFilter" filterType="MatchAll" /> </filters> <filterTables> <filterTablename="mainRoutingTable"> <addfilterName="MatchAllFilter" endpointName="HelloService" /> </filterTable> </routingTables> </routing> 20

21. Help! WCF4 to the rescue… "ABC?My client applications should just know about the contract, nothing more!"

22. Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/97705796@N00/3577907718 • WCF4Discovery

23. New Feature #3 :Discovery • WS-Discovery as standard discovery mechanism • e.g. printer can use WS-Discovery to announce presence on a network • can be discovered by different applications that require printing documents • Windows Vista's (and up) contact location feature • WCF services can be made discoverable • on a local subnet ad-hoc (using WS-Discovery over UDP) • on larger managed networks (using WS-Discovery proxy) • WCF clients can discover services on a local subnet or a larger managed networks

24. Discovery: Ad-Hoc Service config: <system.serviceModel>      <services>        <servicename="HelloService"behaviorConfiguration="serviceBehavior">          <host>            <baseAddresses>              <addbaseAddress="http://localhost:7777/Services/Hello"/>            </baseAddresses>          </host>          <endpointbinding="basicHttpBinding"contract="IHelloService" />          <endpointname="udpDiscovery" kind="udpDiscoveryEndpoint"/>        </service>      </services>      <behaviors>        <serviceBehaviors>          <behaviorname="serviceBehavior">            <serviceDiscovery />          </behavior>        </serviceBehaviors>              </behaviors></system.serviceModel> 24

25. Discovery: Ad-Hoc Client code: DiscoveryClientdiscoveryClient = newDiscoveryClient("udpDiscoveryEndpoint");FindCriteriafindCriteria = newFindCriteria(typeof(IHelloService));FindResponsefindResponse = discoveryClient.Find(findCriteria);if (findResponse.Endpoints.Count > 0){EndpointAddressaddress = findResponse.Endpoints[0].Address; ChannelFactory<IHelloServiceChannel> factory = newChannelFactory<IHelloServiceChannel>(newBasicHttpBinding(), address);IHelloServiceChannelclient = newfactory.CreateChannel();client.SayIt("Hellofrom WCF4!");client.Close();factory.Close();} 25

26. Discovery: Probes & Announcements Discovery Client Discovery Client Probe Announcements (Hello / Goodbye) Service A Service B Service A Service B

27. Discovery: Announcements Service config: UseAnnouncementService API on consumingsidetosubscribetoevents Can usethisapproachtobuildservice-orientedpeersolutions <behaviors>    <serviceBehaviors>       <behaviorname="serviceBehavior">          <serviceDiscovery>            <announcementEndpoints>              <endpointname="udpAnnouncement" kind="udpAnnouncementEndpoint"/>            </announcementEndpoints>          </serviceDiscovery>       </behavior>    </serviceBehaviors>      </behaviors> 27

28. Help! WCF4 to the rescue… "Give me a little bit more REST-fulness in WCF!"

29. Source: http://www.annisonne.de/resources/bild18.jpg • WCF4REST Support

30. New Feature #4: Enhanced REST Support • Caching support in IIS/WAS • ASP.NET Routing integration • Dynamic content types • Helper methods for creating content • Improved exception support • JSONP support for AJAX Services • Automatically generated help page "

31. Dynamic Content • Dynamic content types are now supported • based on Content-Type and Accepts headers • WCF can automatically create response format • Developer can decide to opt-in manually • Helper methods for creating content • Available through WebOperationContext • public Message CreateAtom10Response(...); • public Message CreateJsonResponse<T>(...); • public Message CreateStreamResponse(...); • public Message CreateTextResponse(...); • public Message CreateXmlResponse(...); • public Message CreateXmlResponse<T>(...); "

32. JSONP for AJAX-enabled Services • JSON withPadding • convention used to invoke cross-domain scripts by generating script tags in the current document • result is returned in a specified callback function • <script src="http://...">can evaluate scripts from any domain • script retrieved by those tags is evaluated within a scope in which other functions may already be defined <system.serviceModel> <serviceHostingEnvironmentaspNetCompatibilityEnabled="true"/> <standardEndpoints> <webScriptEndpoint> <standardEndpointcrossDomainScriptAccessEnabled="true"/> </webScriptEndpoint> </standardEndpoints> </system.serviceModel> 32

33. This & That Small, but good things

34. Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25750231@N07/2943443607 • WCF4Miscellaneous

35. New Feature #X: This & that: Throttles • Controlling resource usage on the service side through throttling • .NET 3.5 SP1 (different settings before) • MaxConcurrentSessions: default is 10 • MaxConcurrentCalls: default is 16 • MaxConcurrentInstances: default is 26 • .NET 4.0 • MaxConcurrentSessions: default is 100 * processor count • MaxConcurrentCalls: default is 16 * processor count • MaxConcurrentInstances: default is MaxConcurrentSessions + MaxConcurrentCalls

36. This & that: Even More • Non-destructive queue receive • adds "peek / lock“ mechanism to WCF MSMQ channel • ETW tracing integration • Metadata • new behavior allowing to modify returned metadata XML to fix-up URLs based on incoming request's host header/port • WS-I Basic Profile 1.2 • supports WS-Addressing and MTOM • Compression • support for automatic response decompression over HTTP (e.g. with IIS) • DataContractSerializer enhancements • Numerous fixes

37. Resources • Christian Weyer‘sblogpostsfor WCF 4.0 Beta 1 • Simplified configuration – or: “Look ma: my config shrinks!” • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer/archive/2009/05/07/415326.aspx • .svc-less Activation – or: “Look ma: my [REST] URLs look good!” • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer/archive/2009/05/08/415327.aspx • Dynamic service and endpoint discovery – or: “Look ma: I just need the contract to talk to my service!” • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer/archive/2009/05/08/415329.aspx

38. Resources • Standard endpoints – or: “Look ma: streamlined infrastructure and system endpoints!” • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer/archive/2009/05/08/415330.aspx • Discovery announcements – or: “Look ma: I can see when my service goes online or offline!” • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer/archive/2009/05/08/415332.aspx • Routing Service – or: “Look ma: Just one service to talk to!” • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer/archive/2009/05/08/415335.aspx • Protocol bridging & fault tolerance with the Routing Service – or: “Look ma: Really just one service to talk to!” • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer/archive/2009/05/08/415341.aspx

39. Resources • Email Christian Weyer • christian.weyer@thinktecture.com • Weblog Christian Weyer • http://blogs.thinktecture.com/cweyer • thinktecture • http://www.thinktecture.com

40. Summary • WCF is still… WCF! • ABC is still there • No bigchanges, but furtherinvestmentintothefoundation • smallerstepsthancomparedtootherareas in .NET Framework, e.g. WF4 • Discovery canbeinterestingespeciallyforenterprisescenarios • Routing oftenneeded in morecomplexarchitectures • A bitmore REST-fulness

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