This course starts with an overview of Web services. You will learn how to define and access services using channels, bindings, messages, data contracts, operation contracts, and faults. You'll then discover the built in functionality of WCF, including instance management, concurrency, reliability, queues, transaction, and security.

Day 1
Architecture
In this module, you’ll learn what a service is and you’ll discover the benefits of the service architecture. You’ll learn the basics of services - endpoints, addresses, bindings, contract, hosting, and proxies.

Channels
In this module, you’ll discover the different protocol and transport channels available in WCF. You’ll also learn how to write your own channel. You will learn how to stack channels using built-in bindings or with your own custom binding.

Messages
In this module, you’ll learn how to program WCF messages. You’ll learn how to read and write the body and headers of messages. You'll learn how to handle large messages.

Serialization
In this module, you’ll learn how to use data contracts to automate serialization. You’ll learn about version compatibility and optional members. You’ll also learn how to specify the formatter, respond to serialization messages and serialize legacy types.

Day 2
Management and Diagnostics
In this module, you’ll learn the different techniques to monitor a service including WMI, ETW, tracing, logging and performance counter.

Contracts
In this module, you’ll explore the different types of contracts: Operation contracts, message contracts and untyped contracts. You’ll then learn about operations: request-reply operations, one way operations and callback.

Behaviors and Instance Management
In this module, you’ll learn how to manage instances on the service side. First, you’ll learn about the built-in modes: Per call, singleton, private and share objects. You’ll learn how to manage sessions – specify sessions for bindings as well as terminate sessions. You’ll also learn how to deactivate objects and write your own custom instance manager. Finally, you’ll learn how to use service throttling.

Custom Behaviors
While WCF provides the basic functionality out of the box, it's possible to customize the runtime by using behaviors. This module describes the different kinds of behaviors, how to apply them and how to write a custom behavior.

Day 3
Transactions
In this module, you’ll learn how to how to use transacted services using the WS-AtomicTransaction specification. This includes how to create a transaction, flow a transaction, vote on the transaction outcome as well as be notified of the transaction outcome.

Secure Communication
In this module, you’ll learn how to secure the communication between clients and services. You’ll learn when to use transport versus message security. You’ll learn how to secure a binding and specify level of protection. You’ll also learn the different security modes – user names, certification, windows and more.

Authorization
In this module, you’ll learn how to restrict access to unauthorized users. First, you’ll learn how to access the security context and discover the identity of the client. Then, you’ll discover how to use role based security and role providers. Finally, you’ll learn how to restrict access using authorization policies and operation requirements.

Day 4
Reliability and Queues
In this module, you’ll learn the benefit of queued components: scalability, reliability, load buffering and balancing. You’ll learn how sessions, transactions and security are handled when using queues. Finally, you’ll learn how to handle failures with poison messages and dead letter queues.

Peer to Peer
In this module, you'll learn how to write peer to peer applications. This module also explains to how write a custom resolver and how to secure peer to peer applications.

Interop
In this module, you’ll learn how to migrate to or interoperate with WCF. Examples include COM+, ASMX, remoting and WSE.

Pre-requisites:

Developers and architects with basic knowledge of C# 2.0, XML, and system programming.
Students should have taken Essential .NET 1.1: building applications and components with C# or have an equivalent level.

All courses take place in Hammersmith unless otherwise stated.