Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is the easiest way to produce and consume Web services on the Microsoft platform. With the new .NET 3.5, WCF has been extensively revamped--and Visual Studio 2008 gives developers powerful new tools for utilizing it. Essential Windows Communication Foundation shows developers exactly how to make the most of WCF with .NET 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008.

Drawing on extensive experience working with early adopters, three Microsoft insiders systematically answer the questions developers ask about the new version of WCF. The authors approach each topic as a set of problems to solve--and present best practices, tips, and tricks for solving those problems. Throughout, you'll find detailed explanations, solutions for the "pain points" of WCF development, and an extensive collection of reusable code examples. Coverage includes

• Using WCF contracts to define complex structures and interfaces
• Understanding WCF's channel stacks and channel model architecture
• Configuring the WCF communication stack to use only the protocols you need
• Using standard and custom service behaviors to manage concurrency, instances, transactions, and more
• Serializing data from .NET types to XML Infosets and representing Infosets "on the wire"
• Hosting WCF services via IIS, managed .NET applications, and Windows Activation Services
• WCF security, in depth: authentication; transport and message-level security; and Internet and intranet scenarios
• Improving reliability: exception handling, diagnostics, and more
• Workflow services: new integration points between WCF 3.5 and Windows Workflow Foundation
• Building client-to-client, peer network-based applications
• Utilizing WCF for non-SOAP Web services: AJAX and JSON examples and new .NET 3.5 hosting classes

Steve Resnick and Richard Crane are architects at the Microsoft Technology Center in Boston, and Chris Bowen is a Developer Evangelist there. All three specialize in helping Microsoft's enterprise customers improve their technical agility by applying WCF and related technologies. Resnick has specialized in Internet technologies and distributed computing at Microsoft since 1995. A frequent speaker at Microsoft events, he has shared the stage with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Crane has more than 15 years of experience in senior software development roles. He now specializes in large-scale Web sites, distributed computing, transactional systems, and performance analysis. Bowen has held senior development positions at Monster.com and Staples and is co-author of Professional Visual Studio 2005 Team System.