.Net Framework 3.0 FAQ

.Net Framework 3.0, WPF, WCF, WF, XAML Interview FAQ


What is .Net Framework 3.0



The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly WinFX), is the new managed code programming model for Windows.

It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with four new technologies: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), and Windows CardSpace (WCS, formerly "InfoCard").

Use the .NET Framework 3.0 today to build applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, the ability to support a wide range of business processes, and an easier way to manage your personal information online. Now the same great WinFX technology you know and love has a new name that identifies it for exactly what it is – the next version of Microsoft’s development framework. This change does not affect the release schedule of the .NET Framework 3.0 or the technologies included as a part of the package.


Why is the .NET Framework 3.0 a major version number of the .NET Framework if it uses the .NET Framework 2.0 runtime and compiler?
The new technologies delivered in the .NET Framework 3.0, including WCF, WF, WPF, and CardSpace, offer tremendous functionality and innovation, and we wanted to signal that with a major release number.


Which version of the Common Language Runtime (CLR) does the .NET Framework 3.0 use?
The .NET Framework 3.0 uses the 2.0 version of the CLR. With this release, the overall developer platform version has been decoupled from the core CLR engine version. We expect the lower level components of the .NET Framework such as the engine to change less than higher level APIs, and this decoupling helps retain customers' investments in the technology.


Will the name change be reflected in any of the existing .NET Framework 2.0 APIs, assemblies, or namespaces?
There will be no changes to any of the existing .NET Framework 2.0 APIs, assemblies, or namespaces. The applications that you've built on .NET Framework 2.0 will continue to run on the .NET Framework 3.0 just as they have before.


How does the .NET Framework 3.0 relate to the .NET Framework 2.0?
The .NET Framework 3.0 is an additive release to the .NET Framework 2.0. The .NET Framework 3.0 adds four new technologies to the .NET Framework 2.0: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and Windows CardSpace. There are no changes to the version of the .NET Framework 2.0 components included in the .NET Framework 3.0. This means that the millions of developers who use .NET today can use the skills they already have to start building .NET Framework 3.0 applications. It also means that applications that run on the .NET Framework 2.0 today will continue to run on the .NET Framework 3.0.


What happens to the WinFX technologies?
The WinFX technologies will now be released under the name .NET Framework 3.0. There are no changes to the WinFX technologies or ship schedule — the same technologies you're familiar with now simply have a new name.


What is the .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly WinFX)?
The .NET Framework 3.0 is Microsoft's managed code programming model. It is a superset of the .NET Framework 2.0, combining .NET Framework 2.0 components with new technologies for building applications that have visually stunning user experiences, seamless and secure communication, and the ability to model a range of business processes. In addition to the .NET Framework 2.0, it includes Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and Windows CardSpace.


System Requirements for Installing .NET Framework 3.0
Processor
Minimum: 400 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor
Recommended: 1 gigahertz (GHz) Pentium processor

Operating System
.NET Framework 3.0 can be installed on any of the following systems:
Microsoft Windows 2003 Server Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows XP SP2
Windows Vista *

*Windows Vista comes with .NET Framework 3.0. There is no separate installation package required. The standalone .NET Framework 3.0 packages are not supported on Vista.

RAM
Minimum: 96 megabytes (MB)
Recommended:256 MB

Hard Disk
Up to 500 MB of available space may be required.
CD or DVD Drive Not required.

Display Minimum: 800 x 600, 256 colors
Recommended:1024 x 768 high color, 32-bit

Mouse Not required


What Improvements does WCF offers over its earlier counterparts?
A lot of communication approaches exist in the .NET Framework 2.0 such as ASP.NET Web Services, .NET Remoting, System.Messaging supporting queued messaging through MSMQ, Web Services Enhancements (WSE) - an extension to ASP.NET Web Services that supports WS-Security etc. However, instead of requiring developers to use a different technology with a different application programming interface for each kind of communication, WCF provides a common approach and API.


What are WCF features and what communication problems it solves?
WCF provides strong support for interoperable communication through SOAP. This includes support for several specifications, including WS-Security, WS-ReliableMessaging, and WS-AtomicTransaction. WCF doesn't itself require SOAP, so other approaches can also be used, including optimized binary protocol and queued messaging using MSMQ. WCF also takes an explicit service-oriented approach to communication, and loosens some of the tight couplings that can exist in distributed object systems, making interaction less error-prone and easier to change. Thus, WCF addresses a range of communication problems for applications. Three of its most important aspects that clearly stand out are:

Unification of Microsoft's communication technologies.
Support for cross-vendor interoperability, including reliability, security, and transactions.
Rich support for service orientation development.


What contemporary computing problems WCS solves?
WCS provides an entirely new approach to managing digital identities. It helps people keep track of their digital identities as distinct information cards. If a Web site accepts WCS logins, users attempting to log in to that site will see a WCS selection. By choosing a card, users also choose a digital identity that will be used to access this site. Rather than remembering a plethora of usernames and passwords, users need only recognize the card they wish to use. The identities represented by these cards are created by one or more identity providers. These identities will typically use stronger cryptographic mechanisms to allow users to prove their identity. With this provider, users can create their own identities that don't rely on passwords for authentication.


What contemporary computing problems WPF solves?
User interfaces needs to display video, run animations, use 2/3D graphics, and work with different document formats. So far, all of these aspects of the user interface have been provided in different ways on Windows. For example, a developer needs to use Windows Forms to build a Windows GUI, or HTML/ASPX/Applets/JavaScript etc. to build a web interface, Windows Media Player or software such as Adobe's Flash Player for displaying video etc. The challenge for developers is to build a coherent user interface for different kinds of clients using diverse technologies isn't a simple job.

A primary goal of WPF is to address this challenge! By offering a consistent platform for these entire user interface aspects, WPF makes life simpler for developers. By providing a common foundation for desktop clients and browser clients, WPF makes it easier to build applications.


What is XAML ?
WPF relies on the eXtensible Application Markup Language (XAML). An XML-based language, XAML allows specifying a user interface declaratively rather than in code. This makes it much easier for user interface design tools like MS Expression Blend to generate and work with an interface specification based on the visual representation created by a designer. Designers will be able to use such tools to create the look of an interface and then have a XAML definition of that interface generated for them. The developer imports this definition into Visual Studio, then creates the logic the interface requires.


What is XBAP?
XAML browser application (XBAP) can be used to create a remote client that runs inside a Web browser. Built on the same foundation as a stand-alone WPF application, an XBAP allows presenting the same style of user interface within a downloadable browser application. The best part is that the same code can potentially be used for both kinds of applications, which means that developers no longer need different skill sets for desktop and browser clients. The downloaded XBAP from the Internet runs in a secure sandbox (like Java applets), and thus it limits what the downloaded application can do.


What is a service contract ( In WCF) ?
In every service oriented architecture, services share schemas and contracts, not classes and types. What this means is that you don't share class definitions neither any implementation details about your service to consumers.

Everything your consumer has to know is your service interface, and how to talk to it. In order to know this, both parts (service and consumer) have to share something that is called a Contract.

In WCF, there are 3 kinds of contracts: Service Contract, Data Contract and Message Contract.

A Service Contract describes what the service can do. It defines some properties about the service, and a set of actions called Operation Contracts. Operation Contracts are equivalent to web methods in ASMX technology


In terms of WCF, What is a message?
A message is a self-contained unit of data that may consist of several parts, including a body and headers.


In terms of WCF, What is a service?
A service is a construct that exposes one or more endpoints, with each endpoint exposing one or more service operations.


In terms of WCF, What is an endpoint?
An endpoint is a construct at which messages are sent or received (or both). It comprises a location (an address) that defines where messages can be sent, a specification of the communication mechanism (a binding) that described how messages should be sent, and a definition for a set of messages that can be sent or received (or both) at that location (a service contract) that describes what message can be sent.

An WCF service is exposed to the world as a collection of endpoints.


In terms of WCF, What is an application endpoint?
An endpoint exposed by the application and that corresponds to a service contract implemented by the application.


In terms of WCF, What is an infrastructure endpoint?
An endpoint that is exposed by the infrastructure to facilitate functionality that is needed or provided by the service that does not relate to a service contract. For example, a service might have an infrastructure endpoint that provides metadata information.


In terms of WCF, What is an address?
An address specifies the location where messages are received. It is specified as a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). The schema part of the URI names the transport mechanism to be used to reach the address, such as "HTTP" and "TCP", and the hierarchical part of the URI contains a unique location whose format is dependent on the transport mechanism.


In terms of WCF, What is binding?
A binding defines how an endpoint communicates to the world. It is constructed of a set of components called binding elements that "stack" one on top of the other to create the communication infrastructure. At the very least, a binding defines the transport (such as HTTP or TCP) and the encoding being used (such as text or binary). A binding can contain binding elements that specify details like the security mechanisms used to secure messages, or the message pattern used by an endpoint.


What is an operation contract?
An operation contract defines the parameters and return type of an operation. When creating an interface that defines the service contract, you signify an operation contract by applying the OperationContractAttribute attribute to each method definition that is part of the contract. The operations can be modeled as taking a single message and returning a single message, or as taking a set of types and returning a type. In the latter case, the system will determine the format for the messages that need to be exchanged for that operation.


What is a message contract?
A message contact describes the format of a message. For example, it declares whether message elements should go in headers versus the body, what level of security should be applied to what elements of the message, and so on.


What is a fault contract?
A fault contract can be associated with a service operation to denote errors that can be returned to the caller. An operation can have zero or more faults associated with it. These errors are SOAP faults that are modeled as exceptions in the programming model.


In Terms of WCF, what do you understand by metadata of a service
The metadata of a service describes the characteristics of the service that an external entity needs to understand to communicate with the service. Metadata can be consumed by the Service Model Metadata Utility Tool ( Svcutil.exe) to generate a WCF client and accompanying configuration that a client application can use to interact with the service.

The metadata exposed by the service includes XML schema documents, which define the data contract of the service, and WSDL documents, which describe the methods of the service.


What is password fatigue?
As the use of internet increases, as increases the danger of online identity theft, fraud, and privacy. Users must track a growing number of accounts and passwords. This burden results in "password fatigue," and that results in less secure practices, such as reusing the same account names and passwords at many sites.


What are activities in WWF?
Activities are the elemental unit of a workflow. They are added to a workflow programmatically in a manner similar to adding XML DOM child nodes to a root node. When all the activities in a given flow path are finished running, the workflow instance is completed.

An activity can perform a single action, such as writing a value to a database, or it can be a composite activity and consist of a set of activities. Activities have two types of behavior: runtime and design time. The runtime behavior specifies the actions upon execution. The design time behavior controls the appearance of the activity and its interaction while being displayed within the designer.


Related Links

• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0
• Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)
• Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)
• Learn More on .Net Framework 3.0
• Share Point Interview FAQ
• .Net Framework FAQ
• Ado.net FAQ
• Configuration Files FAQ in .Net
• OOPs Concept in .Net