Can a WebService execute a LONG process?

[Garrek]

I need to expose a WebService that, when called, will execute a very
long process. It's possible the process can take two to six hours to
execute.

What I need to know is, how can I have a client tell the WebService to
start, the client 'disconnect' and the WebService continue to run
without cancelling due to a timeout or whatever reason it might have to
die off.

Thanks

 

[Jos]

I need to expose a WebService that, when called, will execute a very
long process. It's possible the process can take two to six hours to
execute.

What I need to know is, how can I have a client tell the WebService to
start, the client 'disconnect' and the WebService continue to run
without cancelling due to a timeout or whatever reason it might have to
die off.

It is possible to call a web service asynchronously.
Look here for instance for an explanation:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnservice/html/service09032002.asp

In your case, you'll also need to (seriously) increase the time out limit on
the server.