CODEWITHSUNDEEP
.netwcfweb-serviceswindows-services
hancock
hancock

Reputation: 81

How to automatically start a C# WebService?

I have written a C# WebService. The problem is that after I publish it to IIS it won't automatically start unless any of its methods is called. This is very frustrating because this WebService has to continuously do some background work immediately after it starts (its constructor executes). If IIS is restarted, the WebService will just sit idly until one of its methods is called. Is there a way to overcome this and force the WebService to execute its constructor immediately after it is published or IIS restarted?

Upvotes: 8

Views: 9474

Answers (9)

yrleu
yrleu

Reputation: 11

IIS 7.5 supports this requirement by an extension, Application Initialization Module for IIS 7.5, http://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/application-initialization.

IIS 8.0 has built-in support: http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-application-initialization.

Upvotes: 1

jujusharp
jujusharp

Reputation: 576

Actually, you can run a Thread or a job automatically in "Global.asax.cs". E.g. 

 public System.Threading.Thread schedulerThread = null;
 protected void Application_Start(Object sender, EventArgs e)
  {
    schedulerThread = new System.Threading.Thread(YourLoopBackgroudMethodHere);
    schedulerThread.Start();
  }
And Don't forget to close the thread when your site application end.

protected void Application_End(Object sender, EventArgs e)
  {
    if (null != schedulerThread)
    {
      schedulerThread.Abort();
    }
  }

Upvotes: 1

TomTom
TomTom

Reputation: 62157

And I do not agree. There are good reasons to make sure that a web service is started with the computer - to allow it to start filling it's caches and / or to simlpy avoid the slow first execution.

The IIS team is with me on that. This is why they developped soemthing for that:

http://www.iis.net/expand/ApplicationWarmUp

This module can make sure a website is "warm" (as in: started) when IIS starts.

Upvotes: -1

Jonas Høgh
Jonas Høgh

Reputation: 10884

I agree with the others, you should use a windows service. If you're using WCF, you can easily host your web service inside a windows service and get the best of both worlds. See this msdn article for a tutorial.

Upvotes: 1

Michael Stum
Michael Stum

Reputation: 181044

Apart from the (correct) remark that you should use a Windows Service for stuff that needs to run in the background: Can you use the Application_Start Event in the global.asax?

Upvotes: 1

Brij
Brij

Reputation: 6122

You need to create windows service. Here are the steps to create windows service for scheduled task.

Upvotes: 1

Axarydax
Axarydax

Reputation: 16623

I don't think a web service is meant to do some background work continuously - it's there to serve requests for its methods.

Upvotes: 3

leppie
leppie

Reputation: 117320

If you need it to run all the time, your design is flawed. Create a windows service instead.

Upvotes: 4

Ashish Gupta
Ashish Gupta

Reputation: 15139

If It has to continuously do some background work immediately after it starts why not implement this in a Windows service? I think you can write a WCF service which will be hosted in the Windows service. That way clients can still call your service, the service can do its background work and wont be dependent on IIS as the host window service will run on its own process.

Upvotes: 10

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