How to publish and subscribe to Message class messages using WCF - wcf

Question

I have a small WCF pub/sup service running, and remote clients subscribe and send messages (tried will all sorts of complex objects) and that works fine. All interfaces reflect(ed) the type of object being used. Switching to another object type requires that the interfaces be adjusted to accommodate that object type. All subscribers get a copy of the message.
Now I am trying to do the same thing, but with Message class messages. Client creates a new message and encapsulates its object in the message, and sends it to the (remote) service, where it is received properly (inspected the object). However, when the server replies by resending (callback) the message back to the originating client, the client receives the following message:
“The server did not provide a meaningful reply; this might be caused by a contract mismatch, a premature session shutdown or an internal server error.”
Sequence of events (Client):
Client creates Message,
(DuplexChannelFactory)AddMessage,
-Catch above error
Sequence of events (Server):
Service host receives message,
Message inspected (copy and recreate),
Perform callback,
No errors.
Switching back to a basic, or user defined, type and all problems go away. I have been struggling with this for a week now and not closer to any solution. Tried manipulating headers, recreating the message, switching to Message Contracts, and trying to interpret the contents of the trace logs etc. Hope I will find some answers here.
Primary code used (stripped of most of the error handling):
Client interfaces:
namespace WCFSQL
{
public class ClientInterfaces
{
[ServiceContract(Namespace = "WCFServer", Name = "CallBacks")]
public interface IMessageCallback
{
[OperationContract(Name = "OnMessageAdded", Action = "WCFServer/IMessageCallback/OnMessageAdded", IsOneWay = true)]
void OnMessageAdded(Message SQLMessage, DateTime timestamp);
}
[ServiceContract(Namespace = "WCFServer", CallbackContract = typeof(IMessageCallback))]
public interface IMessage
{
[OperationContract(Name = "AddMessage", Action = "WCFServer/IMessage/AddMessage")]
void AddMessage(Message SQLMessage);
[OperationContract(Name = "Subscribe", Action = "WCFServer/IMessage/Subscribe")]
bool Subscribe();
[OperationContract(Name = "Unsubscribe", Action = "WCFServer/IMessage/Unsubscribe")]
bool Unsubscribe();
}
}
}
Server interfaces:
namespace WCFSQL
{
public class ServerInterfaces
{
[ServiceContract(Namespace = "WCFServer")]
public interface IMessageCallback
{
[OperationContract(Name = "OnMessageAdded", Action = "WCFServer/IMessageCallback/OnMessageAdded", IsOneWay = true)]
void OnMessageAdded(Message SQLMessage, DateTime timestamp);
}
[ServiceContract(Namespace = "WCFServer", CallbackContract = typeof(IMessageCallback), SessionMode = SessionMode.Required)]
public interface IMessage
{
[OperationContract(Name = "AddMessage", Action = "WCFServer/IMessage/AddMessage")]
void AddMessage(Message SQLMessage);
[OperationContract(Name = "Subscribe", Action = "WCFServer/IMessage/Subscribe")]
bool Subscribe();
[OperationContract(Name = "Unsubscribe", Action = "WCFServer/IMessage/Unsubscribe")]
bool Unsubscribe();
}
}
}
Message creation:
// client proxy instance created and opened before
public static bool WCFSqlLogger(string Program, WCFSQLErrorLogMessage SQLErrorMessage, WCFSqlClientProxy client)
{
MessageVersion ver = MessageVersion.CreateVersion(EnvelopeVersion.Soap12, AddressingVersion.WSAddressing10);
Message Out = Message.CreateMessage(ver, "WCFServer/IMessage/AddMessage", SQLErrorMessage);
if (!client.SendMessage(Out))
{
Console.WriteLine("Client Main: Unable to send");
return false;
}
return true;
}
Client proxy:
[ServiceBehavior(InstanceContextMode = InstanceContextMode.Single, IncludeExceptionDetailInFaults = true)]
[CallbackBehavior(IncludeExceptionDetailInFaults = true, ConcurrencyMode = ConcurrencyMode.Single, UseSynchronizationContext = false)]
public class WCFSqlClientProxy : ClientInterfaces.IMessageCallback, IDisposable
{
public ClientInterfaces.IMessage pipeProxy = null;
DuplexChannelFactory<ClientInterfaces.IMessage> pipeFactory;
public bool Connect()
{
NetTcpBinding newBinding = new NetTcpBinding(SecurityMode.TransportWithMessageCredential);// NetTcpBinding newBinding = new NetTcpBinding(SecurityMode.Transport)
newBinding.Security.Message.ClientCredentialType = MessageCredentialType.Certificate;
EndpointAddress newEndpoint = new EndpointAddress(new Uri("net.tcp://host:8000/ISubscribe"), EndpointIdentity.CreateDnsIdentity("Domain"));
pipeFactory = new DuplexChannelFactory<ClientInterfaces.IMessage>(new InstanceContext(this), newBinding, newEndpoint);
pipeFactory.Credentials.Peer.PeerAuthentication.CertificateValidationMode = X509CertificateValidationMode.PeerOrChainTrust;
pipeFactory.Credentials.ServiceCertificate.Authentication.RevocationMode = X509RevocationMode.NoCheck;
pipeFactory.Credentials.ClientCertificate.SetCertificate(StoreLocation.LocalMachine, StoreName.TrustedPeople, X509FindType.FindByThumbprint, "somestring");
try
{
pipeProxy = pipeFactory.CreateChannel();
pipeProxy.Subscribe();
return true;
}
catch (Exception e)
{
Console.WriteLine("Error opening: {0}", e.Message);
return false;
}
}
public void Close()
{
pipeProxy.Unsubscribe();
}
public bool SendMessage(Message SQLMessage)
{
try
{
Console.WriteLine("Proxy Sending:");
pipeProxy.AddMessage(SQLMessage); // This is where the eror occurs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
return true;
}
catch (Exception e)
{
Console.WriteLine("Client Proxy: Error sending: {0}", e.Message);
}
return false;
}
public void OnMessageAdded(Message SQLMessage, DateTime timestamp)
{
WCFSQLErrorLogMessage message = SQLMessage.GetBody<WCFSQLErrorLogMessage>();
Console.WriteLine(message.LogProgram + ": " + timestamp.ToString("hh:mm:ss"));
}
public void Dispose()
{
Console.WriteLine("Dispose: Unsubscribe");
pipeProxy.Unsubscribe();
}
}
Service:
namespace WCFSQL
{
[ServiceBehavior(InstanceContextMode = InstanceContextMode.Single, IncludeExceptionDetailInFaults = true)]
[CallbackBehavior(IncludeExceptionDetailInFaults = true, ConcurrencyMode = ConcurrencyMode.Single, UseSynchronizationContext = false)] // or ConcurrencyMode.Reentrant
public class WCFSqlServerProxy : ServerInterfaces.IMessage
{
private static List<ServerInterfaces.IMessageCallback> subscribers = new List<ServerInterfaces.IMessageCallback>();
private static Uri target;
private static ServiceHost serviceHost;
public WCFSqlServerProxy(Uri Target) // Singleton
{
target = Target;
}
public bool Connect()
{
serviceHost = new ServiceHost(typeof(WCFSqlServerProxy), target);
NetTcpBinding newBinding = new NetTcpBinding(SecurityMode.TransportWithMessageCredential);
newBinding.Security.Transport.ClientCredentialType = TcpClientCredentialType.Certificate;
newBinding.Security.Message.ClientCredentialType = MessageCredentialType.Certificate;
serviceHost.Credentials.ClientCertificate.Authentication.RevocationMode = X509RevocationMode.NoCheck; // Non-domain members cannot follow the chain?
serviceHost.Credentials.ServiceCertificate.SetCertificate(StoreLocation.LocalMachine, StoreName.TrustedPeople, X509FindType.FindByThumbprint, "somestring");
serviceHost.Credentials.ClientCertificate.Authentication.CertificateValidationMode = X509CertificateValidationMode.PeerOrChainTrust;
serviceHost.AddServiceEndpoint(typeof(ServerInterfaces.IMessage), newBinding, "ISubscribe");
return true;
}
public bool Open()
{
serviceHost.Open();
return true;
}
public bool Close()
{
serviceHost.Close();
return true;
}
public bool Subscribe()
{
try
{
ServerInterfaces.IMessageCallback callback = OperationContext.Current.GetCallbackChannel<ServerInterfaces.IMessageCallback>();
if (!subscribers.Contains(callback))
{
subscribers.Add(callback);
return true;
}
else
{
return false;
}
}
catch (Exception e)
{
return false;
}
}
public bool Unsubscribe()
{
try
{
ServerInterfaces.IMessageCallback callback = OperationContext.Current.GetCallbackChannel<ServerInterfaces.IMessageCallback>();
if (subscribers.Contains(callback))
{
subscribers.Remove(callback);
return true;
}
return false;
}
catch (Exception e)
{
Console.WriteLine("WCFSqlServerProxy: Unsubscribe - Unsubscribe error {0}", e);
return false;
}
}
private string GetData()
{
MessageProperties messageProperties = ((OperationContext)OperationContext.Current).IncomingMessageProperties;
RemoteEndpointMessageProperty endpointProperty = messageProperties[RemoteEndpointMessageProperty.Name] as RemoteEndpointMessageProperty;
string computerName = null;
try
{
string[] computer_name = Dns.GetHostEntry(endpointProperty.Address).HostName.Split(new Char[] { '.' });
computerName = computer_name[0].ToString();
}
catch (Exception e)
{
computerName = "NOTFOUND";
Console.WriteLine("WCFSqlServerProxy: Hostname error: {0}", e);
}
return string.Format("{0} - {1}:{2}", computerName, endpointProperty.Address, endpointProperty.Port);
}
public void AddMessage(Message SQLMessage) //Go through the list of connections and call their callback funciton
{
subscribers.ForEach(delegate(ServerInterfaces.IMessageCallback callback)
{
if (((ICommunicationObject)callback).State == CommunicationState.Opened)
{
MessageVersion ver = MessageVersion.CreateVersion(EnvelopeVersion.Soap12, AddressingVersion.WSAddressing10);
MessageBuffer buffer = SQLMessage.CreateBufferedCopy(4096);
Message msgCopy = buffer.CreateMessage();
//System.Xml.XmlDictionaryReader xrdr = msgCopy.GetReaderAtBodyContents();
WCFSQLErrorLogMessage p = msgCopy.GetBody<WCFSQLErrorLogMessage>();
SQLMessage = buffer.CreateMessage();
buffer.Close();
Message In = Message.CreateMessage(ver, "WCFServer/IMessage/AddMessage", p); // Tried recreating messsage, with same results
//Console.WriteLine("Message: Header To: {0}", In.Headers.To);
//Console.WriteLine("Message: Header From: {0}", In.Headers.From);
//Console.WriteLine("Message: Header Action: {0}", In.Headers.Action);
//Console.WriteLine("Message: Header ReplyTo: {0}", In.Headers.ReplyTo);
//Console.WriteLine("Message: IsFault: {0}", In.IsFault);
//Console.WriteLine("Message: Properties {0}", In.Properties);
//Console.WriteLine("Message: State {0}", In.State);
//Console.WriteLine("Message: Type {0}", In.GetType());
//Console.WriteLine("Proxy Sending: Copy created");
//Console.WriteLine("Remote: {0}, Hash: {1}", GetData(), callback.GetHashCode());
callback.OnMessageAdded(SQLMessage, DateTime.Now); // This should echo the message back with a timeslot.
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("WCFSqlServerProxy:addmessage connected state: {0}", ((ICommunicationObject)callback).State == CommunicationState.Opened);
subscribers.Remove(callback);
}
});
}
}

Answer 1

I just got an answer to my question from Tanvir Huda, on the microsoft WCF forum.
"Using the Message Class in Operations
You can use the Message class as an input parameter of an operation, the return value of an operation, or both. If Message is used anywhere in an operation, the following restrictions apply:
•The operation cannot have anyoutorrefparameters.
•There cannot be more than oneinputparameter. If the parameter is present, it must be either Message or a message contract type.
•The return type must be either void,Message, or a message contract type."
I cannot beleive I missed that; must have read it at least three times, but never applied those rules to the callback. The callback in my interfaces described, do have a return type of void, but it has a Message and a DateTime parameter.
After removing the DateTime parameter, the callback did (try) to re-serialize the original Message, but failed because of on invalid action (action was still set for the AddMessage, while now it should be OnMessageAdded). After changing the action on the callback to Action="*" it workt perfectly. A (maybe annoying) detail it that i do not really require a Message type on the callback, but I was very frustrated that I did not get it to work