Using WCF HttpBindings on a LAN

Question

We have a WCF-based client server that operates over a LAN. We've been getting along ok by using the NetTcpBinding, chosen because we couldn't get either HttpBinding to work between hosts. (Within a single host works fine, but is not useful for the production environment.)

We're now back at the point where we want to explore using either BasicHttpBinding or WsHttpBinding, but we simply can't see the server from the client: even putting in the path to the endpoint into IE fails to see the server.

Is there something simple we've overlooked? We're not specifying any security settings (or anything else, for that matter). Should we be doing so (e.g. explicitly setting security settings to None)?

UPDATE: specifying BasicHttpSecurityMode.None has no effect on the (lack of) visibility of the service on another machine.

Answer 1

Why would you want to go back to HTTP on a LAN?? On a corporate LAN behind a corporate firewall, netTcp is definitely the best, the fastest, the most versatile binding there is - I would definitely stick with it.

Unless you're having some issues with it - yes? What are they?? Not sure if the HTTP bindings won't have those, too......

If you insist on using http bindings - how are you hosting your WCF service?? Does the service expose any http endpoints right now? You need to post the server-side config for us!!

And yes - if you want to turn off all security, explicitly specify it. With WCF, always be specific. The basicHttpBinding uses "no securit" by default, but wsHttpBinding will default to using built-in Windows security - which is good as long as your clients and the machine hosting your service are all in the same corporate LAN with access to the corporate Active Directory.