WebService design question

[PT Exorcist]

I am going to make a program that allows me to control a remote computer in my other house. I first though of making a server/client program using windows sockets but after starting it i discovered it would be just too much pain in the ass. After that I had the idea of doing it using Web Services. That seems good but I have a few points back:

- I tested WebServices once and found that you couldn't pass arrays through it as the kind of serialization it uses doesn't allow them. My question is: Is there any other way of passing arrays? I could before sending them pass them to binary serialization too.

- The idea would be that in the Web Service side i could access ftp and access it's files. But i want to enter the FTP, STAY, download, close etc always using the same session. But how to accomplish this? Every time i access for ex the Web Service function ConnectFTP() it will connect and in the end will close it right? I'd have to have another application that had to be always working besides the WebService.

Any ideias of any of the points?

[PT Exorcist]

bump

[Edneeis]

You could use remoting probably but its going to be a lot of work. Why not just setup a private ftp on that computer? OR Terminal Server in or something. OR if you are running Windows XP Pro you can leave it on but not logged in and still connect to it like Terminal Server.

[PT Exorcist]

Originally posted by Edneeis
You could use remoting probably but its going to be a lot of work. Why not just setup a private ftp on that computer? OR Terminal Server in or something. OR if you are running Windows XP Pro you can leave it on but not logged in and still connect to it like Terminal Server.

What is remoting?
What do you mean by private ftp on that computer? I want to download FROM there to ANOTHER ftp, it's not this computer ftp lol
And what's Terminal Server?

[hellswraith]

Terminal Server is exactly what you are looking for, or the built in remote desktop in XP (if both have xp).

I use Terminial Server all the time to vpn into client machines to install software, update their SQL Server, etc. It basically allows you to log into the computer and use it like it was local.

[PT Exorcist]

Both computers have XP, how could i do that? I would want that whenever the other computer was initialized I was informed(I can create a prog that does that, it's easy).
The thing is: that computer will be ocasionally used by my father to access the internet, and during that time I'd like to have access to it without boring him(I dont want him to have to open programs etc)
How should I setup everything?

[hellswraith]

On a XP machine, go to start->Help & Support. Search for 'remote desktop'.

You will then need to do the rest of the work.

If that doesn't fit your needs after you read about it, then you need to look into terminal services...which is slightly more complicated. Again, search for it.