WCF, Little Intro

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a framework for building service-oriented applications. Using WCF, you can send data as asynchronous messages from one service endpoint to another. A service endpoint can be part of a continuously available service hosted by IIS, or it can be a service hosted in an application. An endpoint can be a client of a service that requests data from a service endpoint. The messages can be as simple as a single character or word sent as XML, or as complex as a stream of binary data.

1. With WCF we can send calls through HTTP, TCP, MSMQ, Named Pipes, Peer2Peer etc
2. We can use IIS, windows service(as network service), a terminal, a windows form application to HOST the business logic of the remote software. It means if we do not like IIS, nothing to worry. We can host the same business logic without IIS.
3. It can send data in either XML(SOAP) or Binary form(through TCP) which is faster and reliable and secure too.
4. It has built in authentication and authorization system which means that our roles Admin, reseller and Domain user will be recognized by control server software.
5. It can be used as legacy SOAP client for backward compatibility so that it can be used by third parties apps like Java, asp.net , flash and .NET framework Web Service Clients itself.
6. Its clients (Control Server) can CHANGE the HOST anytime, so that Server A, B and C has the same business logic but on demand we can change the HOST and communicate dynamically. (That was my major concern with old SOAP code and I ran for a solution)
7. A lots easier to use than other SOAP application styles, Microsoft has done a LOT in this field already.
8. Supports Synchronous and Asynchronous calls, i.e Call and wait or Call and forget and keep working on other tasks.

I downloaded a DVD from AppDev ( http://www.appdev.com/prodfamily.asp?catalog_name=AppDevCatalog&category_name=WCCProduct&cookie_test=1 ) and studied a book by orielly ( http://www.amazon.com/Programming-WCF-Services-Juval-Lowy/dp/0596521308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276883505&sr=1-1 ) which is the best rated book on the Amazon on the Topic of Windows communication foundation.

Reference on MSDN is
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms731082.aspx