[RESOLVED] running a wcf process inside a windows service.

Hi All,

My app started off as a standard web app, but becuase the client is really initiating a batch process that potentially may run for a long time, I pulled the long running process out and made it a WCF Service Library. However, it occured to me that the app would still suffer time out issues due to IIS recycling etc. SO to negate this I've attempted to write a windows service that wraps the WCF Process. I've followed many examples from the web on setting the Windows service up, but when I try to run the service it stops straight away.

In the Windows Service in the Default program.cs file, I've not made any changes to the default code.:

Code:

---

static void Main()
        {
            ServiceBase[] ServicesToRun;
            ServicesToRun = new ServiceBase[]
                        {
                                new IRSBorderauxService()
                        };
            ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun);
        }

---

I've made a reference to the WCF dll that was generated from the build of my WCF Project.

in the IRSBorderauxService I have made a reference to the service and declared a ServiceHost.

Code:

---

using wcfBorderauxIRSService;

namespace IRSBorderauxService
{
    public partial class IRSBorderauxService : ServiceBase
    {
        ServiceHost sHost;
        public IRSBorderauxService()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
        {
            sHost = new ServiceHost(typeof(wcfBorderauxIRSService.IRSService));
            sHost.Open();
                     
        }

        protected override void OnStop()
        {
            sHost.Close();
        }
    }
}

---

I have also created an App.config file based on the WCF projects app.config.
I have also introduced a project listener and against the ServiceInstaller have set the Start Type to Automatic and set the serviceName.

If I attempt to step the code, it gets to the last line of program.cs Main

Code:

---

ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun);

---

and error's with : Cannot start service from the command line or debugger. A Windows Service must first be installed (using installutil.exe)....

I Created a setup project in the solution and run the install, I can see the Machines Services from the control panel.

Can anybody tell me what I have missed.

Can you start the service from the services-control-panel?
How you configure the serivce, eg the endpoint, do you use a config file?

O and I think there are not many reasons to NOT host the service in the IIS, there are some valid cases but IIS handles much things for you.

THis is essentially my config file

Code:

---

        <system.serviceModel>
                <bindings>
                        <wsHttpBinding>
                                <binding name="WSHttpBinding_IRS" closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
                                  receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00" bypassProxyOnLocal="false"
                                  transactionFlow="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
                                  maxBufferPoolSize="524288" maxReceivedMessageSize="65536" messageEncoding="Text"
                                  textEncoding="utf-8" useDefaultWebProxy="true" allowCookies="false">
                                        <readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="8192" maxArrayLength="16384"
                                          maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
                                        <reliableSession ordered="true" inactivityTimeout="00:10:00"
                                          enabled="false" />
                                        <security mode="Message">
                                                <transport clientCredentialType="Windows" proxyCredentialType="None"
                                                  realm="" />
                                                <message clientCredentialType="Windows" negotiateServiceCredential="true"
                                                  algorithmSuite="Default" />
                                        </security>
                                </binding>
                        </wsHttpBinding>
                </bindings>
                <client>
                        <endpoint address="http://localhost:8730/Design_Time_Addresses/wcfBorderauxIRSService/Service1/"
                          binding="wsHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="WSHttpBinding_IRS"
                          contract="IRSBorderauxService.IRS" name="WSHttpBinding_IRS">
                                <identity>
                                        <dns value="localhost" />
                                </identity>
                        </endpoint>
                </client>
                <diagnostics>
                        <messageLogging logMalformedMessages="true" logMessagesAtTransportLevel="true" />
                </diagnostics>
                <serviceHostingEnvironment aspNetCompatibilityEnabled="false" />
                <services>
                        <service name="wcfBorderauxIRSService.IRSService">
                                <host>
                                        <baseAddresses>
                                                <add baseAddress="http://localhost:8730/Design_Time_Addresses/wcfBorderauxIRSService/Service1/" />
                                        </baseAddresses>
                                </host>
                                <endpoint address="" binding="wsHttpBinding"
                                  contract="wcfBorderauxIRSService.IRS">
                                        <identity>
                                                <dns value="localhost" />
                                        </identity>
                                </endpoint>
                                <endpoint address="mex" binding="mexHttpBinding"
                                  contract="IMetadataExchange" />

                        </service>
                </services>
                <behaviors>
                        <serviceBehaviors>
                                <behavior>
                                        <!-- To avoid disclosing metadata information,
          set the value below to false and remove the metadata endpoint above before deployment -->
                                        <serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="True"/>
                                        <!-- To receive exception details in faults for debugging purposes,
          set the value below to true.  Set to false before deployment
          to avoid disclosing exception information -->
                                        <serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="False" />
                                </behavior>
                        </serviceBehaviors>
                </behaviors>
        </system.serviceModel>

---

From the services control panel it starts and stops straight away.

I can say that I'm confident that I have built the WCF Service correctly as when I test locally and invoke a method I can see the effect in my backend database.

Ok,

I've had some success, but not quite out of the woods yet :).

I have now proved that my WCF Service runs correctly when tested on it's own. I've now managed to host the WCF Service in a windows Service. When I go to Services via control panel I can see my service and I can Start the service without it stopping straight away (it will now stop when I tell it to stop).

So now with all that done. The final stage is to plug the windows service into my asp.net (4.0) application. When I installed the windows service, it installed to a directory in my C:\Program Files Directory. in my installed directory there is a dependency DLL for the wcfService called wcfBorderauxIRSService.dll there is an XML file calles IRSBorderauxService.exe and a windows program called IRSBorderauxService.

In My Web App I made a reference to the IRSBorderauxService (windows App). But I seem not to be able to get to any methods in it. So how do I use the windows service in my app.

Because I want to run the service outside IIS, I re-wrote the app.config file to use tcpIp.

Code:

---

                <bindings>
                        <netTcpBinding>
                                <binding name="NetWcfTcpBinding" receiveTimeout="24:00:00">
                                        <reliableSession ordered="false" inactivityTimeout="00:30:00"/>
                                </binding>
                        </netTcpBinding>
                </bindings>
                <services>
                        <service name="wcfBorderauxIRSService.IRSService" behaviorConfiguration="IRSBehaviour">
                                <host>
                                        <baseAddresses>
                                                <add baseAddress="net.tcp://localhost:9999/wcfBorderauxIRSService/Service1/"/>
                                        </baseAddresses>
                                </host>
                                <endpoint name ="NetTcpEndPoint"
                                                  address =""
                                                  binding ="netTcpBinding"
                                                  contract ="wcfBorderauxIRSService.IRS"
                                                  bindingConfiguration="NetWcfTcpBinding">
                                </endpoint>
                                <endpoint name="NetTcpMetadataPoint"
                                                  address="mex"
                                                  binding="mexTcpBinding"
                                                  contract="IMetadataExchange"/>
                                </service>
                </services>
                <behaviors>
                        <serviceBehaviors>
                                <behavior name="IRSBehaviour">
                                        <!-- To avoid disclosing metadata information,
          set the value below to false and remove the metadata endpoint above before deployment -->
                                        <serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="False"/>
                                        <!-- To receive exception details in faults for debugging purposes,
          set the value below to true.  Set to false before deployment
          to avoid disclosing exception information -->
                                        <serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="False" />
                                </behavior>
                        </serviceBehaviors>
                </behaviors>

---

Then in my client code I attempt to add a servvice reference:

Code:

---

net.tcp://localhost:9999/wcfBorderauxIRSService/Service1/

---

I recive the following error adding the reference:

Code:

---

Metadata contains a reference that cannot be resolved: 'net.tcp://localhost:9999/wcfBorderauxIRSService/Service1/'.
Could not connect to net.tcp://localhost:9999/wcfBorderauxIRSService/Service1/. The connection attempt lasted for a time span of 00:00:01.0169770. TCP error code 10061: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 127.0.0.1:9999.
No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 127.0.0.1:9999
If the service is defined in the current solution, try building the solution and adding the service reference again.

---

In my windows service, because I am using tcp I have set the account type of the serviceProcessInstaller to NetWorkService as opposed to LocalService that I had initially.