Send Data to Desktop App

[Kenneth Keeley]

Hi,
I have been developing an application that will run on a server and will
sends messges to IT staff telling them of different events happening on our
systems. I would like to be able to also have it connected to our web based
Help Desk software so that when a user logs a job the IT staff can get a
message to tell them of the job. The server application deals with the
directing of the messages. It will be able to send messages via SMS or email
to staff away from there desks or via the client app for staff at there
desks. The Help Desk software is an internally built ASP.NET product. So I
am really on after a way for an ASP.NET Page to access my program. Can I use
something like Winsock to comminicate with my program or is ther a better
way.

Thanks for any Help
Kenneth

 

[John Timney \(MVP\)]

Why dont you just create a webservice in your help desk software that server
app can poll periodically for updates. Connecting to a webservice from a
winapp or console app like your server app likely is can be done a few lines
of code.

.......but yes, you could use a socket connection from an asp.net page to
talk to your server app - in that scenario your server app would be the
equivalent of chat server, accepting strings to do stuff and then
terminating the connection on reply and your asp.net app would be the chat
client.

Regards

John Timney (MVP)

 

[Kenneth Keeley]

Thanks for your response.

Why dont you just create a webservice in your help desk software that server
app can poll periodically for updates. Connecting to a webservice from a
winapp or console app like your server app likely is can be done a few lines
of code.

This is an option. One of the problems I see is that the server app would
have to keep polling the webservice. This would meean that depending on the
polling interval there would be a delay getting the messages out to the
clients and also when there are no new mesages to send the server app and
webservice are both using up server resources that could be better used
serving the other applications.

......but yes, you could use a socket connection from an asp.net page to
talk to your server app - in that scenario your server app would be the
equivalent of chat server, accepting strings to do stuff and then
terminating the connection on reply and your asp.net app would be the chat
client.

If I use this option at least no server resources are wasted polling for no
new messages. The new messages can aslo be sent more quickly. My only
question is, Does the code that I will need for the Asp.Net pages need to be
any different than the code I currently use to create my winsock connections
between my server and client apps. If so could you provide a same of the
code required for the ASP.Net pages.

Thanks for the Help.
Kenneth