How to Badge yourself as an MCTS in '70-513: TS: Windows Communication Foundation Development with Microsoft® .NET Framework 4.0' ???

Hello Friends,

I am happy to inform you all that I am one step closer to Microsoft Certified Professional Developer. Recently, I passed the exam 70-513: TS: Windows Communication Foundation Development with Microsoft® .NET Framework 4.0. In this post, I will be giving you some idea how you can prepare for this exam and perform well in it.

I have answered some of the common questions of MCTS exams in my previous post, How to crack 70 515. Please do refer the same for questions such as,
1. Why should I become certified? 

2. How many questions do I get in the exam?
3. What is the passing percentage?
4. What type of an exam is it? (Adaptive/Linear) 
5. What is the exam fee? 
6. How to schedule, reschedule, cancel, or confirm the exam?

And couple of more questions which I thought you should be aware of.

What is the exam's retake policy? 
In the event that you fail your first attempt at passing the 70-513 exam, Microsoft's retake policy is:

• Retake vouchers can only be used to retake the same exam that was failed.
• All vouchers must be used prior to their expiration dates, without exception.
• Retake vouchers must be used within 30 days of the initial failed exam.
• There is no waiting period for retaking a failed MCTS exam.

What is the validity of the certification? 
Microsoft Certified Professional Developer has no expiration. The certification holder is certified for life unless the vendor changes their policy. Click here for more information.

What is the MCTS 70-513 exam?

The Microsoft's 70-513-CSHARP certification is an industry recognized certificate. The certification is proof of a person's proficiency across a spectrum of skills for developing applications using Windows Communication Foundation and the .NET Framework 4. 
Questions that contain code will be presented in either VB or C#. Candidates can select one of these languages when they start the exam. Concepts for both the languages are same. Exam is more intended to test the concepts of WCF, rather than language specifics.

Prerequisites for the 70-513-C# exam: While there are no official prerequisites as such, but Microsoft has not released any Training Kit for the preparation, so it is strongly recommended that one should have a minimum of one to two years of experience in developing services using Windows Communication Foundation .NET Framework 3.5 and .NET 4.0. 

Microsoft has specified more than thirty objectives for the 70-513-CSHARP exam, which are grouped under six topics and will be discussed shortly. Following are some important areas in which an individual should possess good knowledge before taking the exam.

Preparation:  

As there is no Microsoft's Training Kit available for 70 513, it's a bit difficult to prepare. All you could rely on is MSDN.
But one good thing about 70 513 is almost 60% similar to 70 503 (Windows Communication Foundation Development with Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5) and Microsoft has provided the study material for it. You can read it first and then study the rest of the topics from MSDN.

MSDN is one standout source that one can have access to. So, I recommend everyone to study it in detail, without missing out on any of the concepts.

Following are the six sections and their MSDN links. 

Create services (20%)

• Create service and operation contracts

• One-way, duplex, and request reply
  • One-Way
  • How to: Access WCF Services with One-Way and Request-Reply Contracts
  • Duplex
• Create and specify fault contracts
  • Specifying and Handling Faults in Contracts and Services
• Configuration-based contracts
  • Configuring Services Using Configuration Files
• Expose service metadata
  • Publishing Metadata
  • How to: Publish Metadata for a Service Using a Configuration File
  • How to: Publish Metadata for a Service Using Code
• Select serialization (for example data contract serializer versus XML serializer)
  • Serialization and Deserialization
  • DataContractSerializer
  • XmlObjectSerializer

• Create data contracts
• Manage Known Types:
  • Data Contract Known Types
  • MSDN Magazine: Data Contract Inheritance - Known Types and 
• Control data serialization:
  • Data Transfer and Serialization
  • Specifying Data Transfer in Service Contracts
  • Using Data Contracts
  • Data Contract Serializer
• Using required and order attributes on data members
  • DataMemberAttribute
  • Order
  • IsRequired
• Implementing versioning and using IExtensibleDataObject:
  •  IExtensibleDataObject Interface (System.Runtime.Serialization)
• POCOs:
  • Walkthrough: Serialize POCO Proxies with WCF
  • EF4, Poco with WCF Data Service
  • Using Entity Framework POCOs in WCF Services
• Create message contracts
• Body and Header Elements
  • SOAP Tutorial
  • SOAP Header Element
  • SOAP Body Element
  • How to add a custom header to every WCF calls? – Stack Overflow
  • IClientMessageInspector Interface
• Using Required and Order Attributes on Members
  • DataMemberAttribute
  • Order
  • IsRequired
• Implement generic message handling
• Creating a Catch-All Contract
  • IErrorHandler Interface
• Reading and Writing Messages
  • Using the Message Class
• Working with Properties
  • Using the Message Class
  • Properties
• Working with Headers
  • Using the Message Class
  • Headers
• Implement RESTful services
• Accessing HTTP Context
  • HttpContext.Current in WCF
  • HttpContext Class (System.Web)
• WebGet/WebInvoke, UriTemplates
  • WebGetAttribute Class (System.ServiceModel.Web)
  • WebInvokeAttribute Class (System.ServiceModel.Web)
  • UriTemplate Class (System)
  • WebGetAttribute.UriTemplate Property (System.ServiceModel.Web)
• JSON/POX
  • WebGetAttribute Class (System.ServiceModel.Web)
  • WebInvokeAttribute Class (System.ServiceModel.Web)
  • WebMessageFormat Enumeration
• Create and configure a Routing service
• Routing
• Routing Introduction
• Routing Service
• Routing Contracts
• Message Filters
• Routing Scenarios
• Create and configure a Discovery service
• Overview
  • WCF Discovery
  • Foundations – Discover a New WCF with Discovery
• Configuring Ad Hoc and Managed Modes
  • WCF Discovery Overview
• Discovery Scopes
  • Discovery Find and FindCriteria
  • Foundations – Discover a New WCF with Discovery
• Service Announcements
  • Announcement and discovery
  • WCF Discovery Overview
  • WCF Discovery Object Model

·         Host and configure services (18%)

• Create and configure endpoints
• Default and standard bindings
  • Configuring System-Provided Bindings
• Custom bindings created from standard binding elements
  • Custom Bindings
  • How to: Customize a System-Provided Binding
• Standard endpoints
  • Endpoint Creation Overview
  • Specifying an Endpoint Address
  • EndpointAddress Class
• Transports, including HTTP, TCP, named pipes, UDP, MSMQ code-based service configuration
  • Choosing a Transport
  • Transport: UDP
  • Service Endpoints and Queue Addressing
• Message encoding Choosing a Message Encoder
• Configure behaviors
• Apply service, endpoint, and operation behaviors in configuration and code
  • How to: Create a Service Endpoint in Code
  • WCF - The Code Project
• Implement self-hosting
• Configure and instantiate a service host
  • Custom Service Host
  • How to: Host a WCF Service in a Managed Application
• Implement web server hosting
• Configure IIS/WAS for WCF
  • How to: Host a WCF Service in IIS
  • How to: Host a WCF Service in WAS, 
• Deploy to IIS/WAS
  • Deploying an Internet Information Services-Hosted WCF Service
• File-less configuration
  • Using System.Web.Routing with Data Services (OData)
  • WCF Data Services and ServiceRoute
  • Fileless Activation of WCF Service in .NET 4.0
  • How to: Specify a Service Binding in Code
• Specify a ServiceHost : Hosting Services

·         Consume services (18%)

• Create a service proxy
• Use a proxy class or channel factory to create a proxy
  • How to: Create a Client
  • Manually Creating a Service Proxy for a WCF Service
• Create a proxy for an asynchronous communication
  • How to Call WCF Services Synchronously and Asynchronousl – Code Project
  • Asynchronous Communication in a WCF Service - CodeProject
  • How to: Call Service Operations Asynchronously
• Create a proxy for a duplex communication
  • How to: Build a Duplex Service for a Silverlight Client
  • How to: Create a Channel Factory and Use it to Create and Manage Channels 
• Configure client endpoints
• Standard bindings, custom bindings created from standard binding elements, configure behaviors
  • WCF Client Configuration
  • Configuring Client Behaviors
  • <bindings>
  • <behaviors>
  • <endpoint>
• Code-based and configuration-based bindings
  • Accessing Services Using a WCF Client
  • How to: Specify a Client Binding in Code
  • How to: Specify a Client Binding in Configuration
• Configure addresses
  • client
  • endpoint
• Invoke a service
• Invoke a service operation synchronously and asynchronously
  • WCF Client Overview
  • WCF Client Architecture
  • Accessing Services Using a WCF Client
  • How to: Call Service Operations Asynchronously
• Handle service faults
  • Sending and Receiving Faults
• Use the Message class
  • Message Class
• Manage the life cycle of the proxy (open channels, close channels, abort channels, handle faulted channels)
  • How to: Use the ChannelFactory
  • ChannelFactory(TChannel) Class
• Implement duplex communication
  • How to: Access Services with a Duplex Contract
• Consume RESTful services
• Access HTTP context, JSON/POX
  • Consuming a Json WebService from a C# or VB Application – CodeProject
  • How to consume REST services with WCF
• Implement service discovery
• Configure target scope
  • Foundations – Discover a New WCF with Discovery
• Monitor service announcements
  • Announcement and discovery

·         Secure services (17%)

• Configure secure bindings
• Transport, message, mixed mode
  • Bindings and Security
  • WCF Security Modes - Govind’s WebLog – Site Home – MSDN Blogs
• Configure message security
• Specify protection levels on different message parts
  • Message Security in WCF
  • Securing Messages Using Message Security
• Implement authentication
• Microsoft ASP.NET Membership Provider, Custom Provider, Windows Integrated Security, certificates (X.509), Federated Authentication endpoint identity
  • Chapter 5: Authentication, Authorization, and Identities in WCF
  • Service Station: Authorization In WCF-Based Services
  • Federation
  • WCF Security in the Real World
• Configuring client credentials
  • How to: Create a Federated Client
  • Programming WCF Security
    1. Selecting a Credential Type
    2. How to: Set the Security Mode
    3. How to: Specify the Client Credential Type
    4. How to: Examine the Security Context
    5. How to: Set the Protection-level Property
    6. How to: Authenticate with a User Name and Password
• Custom Validator
  • How to: Use a Custom User Name and Password Validator
• Implement authorization
• Role-based, claim-based;
  • Service Station: Authorization In WCF-Based Services
• Configure role providers for endpoints
  • How to: Use Non-default Membership Provider for WCF Authentication Service
  • How to: Use the ASP.NET Role Provider with a Service
• Principal permission attribute
  • How to: Restrict Access with the PrincipalPermissionAttribute Class
  • PrincipalPermissionAttribute Class (System.Security.Permissions) 
• Implement impersonation
• Configuration and code
  • Delegation and Impersonation
  • Enabling Delegated Authentication
  • Chapter 6: Impersonation and Delegation in WCF
• Configure WCF-specific Internet Information Services (IIS) impersonation properties
  • Delegation and Impersonation
  • How to: Impersonate a Client on a Service
  • Chapter 6: Impersonation and Delegation in WCF
• Configure impersonation options
  • Chapter 6: Impersonation and Delegation in WCF
• Operation-based and service-based
  • Chapter 6: Impersonation and Delegation in WCF
  • Impersonation/Delegation
• Implement security auditing
• Use serviceSecurityAudit behavior, service audit, audit log
  • <serviceSecurityAudit>
  • How to: Audit and Log Security Events in WCF Calling from Windows Forms
  • How to: Audit Windows Communication Foundation Security Events

·         Manage the service instance life cycle (13%)

• Manage service instances
• Per call, per session, single, code and configuration
  • Three ways to do WCF instance management – CodeProject
• Activation and deactivation
  • How to: Install and Configure WCF Activation Components
  • How to: Host a WCF Service in WAS
• Durable services
  • Durable Instance Context
  • Orcas Durable Services
• Throttling
  • WCF Throttling - CodeProject
  • <serviceThrottling>
• Manage sessions
• Code and configuration
  • WCF Sessions - Brief Introduction – CodeProject
• Session management attributes
  • Using Sessions
  • WCF Sessions - Brief Introduction – CodeProject
• Throttling
  • WCF Sessions - Brief Introduction – CodeProject
• Reliable sessions
  • Reliable Sessions Overview
• Transport-level and application-level sessions
  • OSI model - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Using Sessions
• Invoke a callback contract
  • Contracts
  • WCF: Working with One-Way Calls, Callbacks, And Events
• Implement transactions
• Distributed transactions
  • Transaction Models
  • DTC Programmer’s Reference
• Queues
  • Queuing in WCF
• Transaction flow
  • Enabling Transaction Flow
• Configure transaction binding attributes
  • Enabling Transaction Flow
  • TransactionFlowBindingElement
• WS-AtomicTransaction (WS-AT)
  • Using WS-AtomicTransaction
  • Configuring WS-Atomic Transaction Support
• Transactional behavior attributes at the service and operation level
  • ServiceModel Transaction Attributes
• Use transactions in code
  • How to: Create a Transactional Service
• Manage concurrency
• Single, multiple, and reentrant concurrency modes
  • WCF Concurrency (Single, Multiple, and Reentrant) and Throttling – Code Plex
• SynchronizationContext and CallbackBehavior
  • SynchronizationContext Class
  • Foundations: Synchronization Contexts in WCF
  • CallbackBehavior
  • CallbackBehaviorAttribute Class (System.ServiceModel)
• Manage consistency between instances, sessions, transactions, and concurrency
• Possible combinations between instances, sessions, transactions, and concurrency (for example, instance mode single with concurrency mode multiple)
  • WCF: Instance Management Techniques For Developing WCF Apps

·         Monitor and troubleshoot distributed systems (13%)

• Configure message logging
• Configure message listeners, logging level, message filters
  • Message Logging
  • Message Flow Overview
  • Configuring Message Logging
• Configure logging known PII
  • Security Concerns for Message Logging
• Configure diagnostics
• WMI
  • Using Windows Management Instrumentation for Diagnostics
  • WMI Support in WCF - Pablo M. Cibraro (aka Cibrax)
• Performance counters
  • Performance Counters
    1. Operation Performance Counters
    2. Service Performance Counters
    3. Endpoint Performance Counters
• Event logging
  • Event Logging
• Debug client-service interactions
• Send server exception details to client
  • ServiceBehaviorAttribute.IncludeExceptionDetailInFaults Property
  • ServiceDebugBehavior.IncludeExceptionDetailInFaults Property
• End-to-end tracing
  • End-to-End Tracing
    • Activity
    • Transfer
    • Propagation
    • Trace Type Summary
• Interpret output from the trace viewer (single message and end-to-end)
  • Service Trace Viewer Tool (SvcTraceViewer.exe)

As MSDN is the only source for the exam, you are required to study all the concepts thoroughly. It would be a little confusing while going through the concepts for the first time, but, it will be very clear once you revise. 

Finally, I am providing some dumps, click here to download. I mentioned about Knowledge Buster website in my previous certification post. Here is the link for practicing 70 513.

Hope it helps! All the best.

Please do like it if you find it insightful.

Thanks,

Ram