A port defines an individual endpoint by specifying a single address
for a binding. The port contains a 'binding' attribute that references a binding
and an address element that provides a specification for the endpoint.
Services are used to group sets of related ports together. Ports
within a service have the following relationship:
- None of the ports communicate with each other (for example, the output
of one port is not the input of another).
- If a service has several ports that share a port type, but employ different
bindings or addresses, the ports are alternatives. Each port provides semantically
equivalent behavior (within the transport and message format limitations imposed
by each binding).
- You can determine a service's port types by examining its ports. Using
this information a user can determine if a given machine supports all the
operations needed to complete a given task.
To add a port to a service, follow these steps:
- In the Design view, right-click the service you want to add a port
to, then click Add Port. To select the new port, click the port in
the service object.
- In the Properties view, click the General pane. In the Name field,
type the name of the port. The name of the port should provide
it with a unique name amongst all the ports defined within the service.
- A Binding defines the message format and protocol details
for operations and messages defined by a particular port type. You
can create a new binding for your port, re-use an existing one, or import
one. Refer to the related tasks for more details.
- In the Address field, type the address of the port.
- Type any information about the port you want the user to read in
the Documentation pane.
- To manage extensions, click the Extensibility pane. You
can either add, sort, or remove extensions.
Tip: You can also create a port using the Outline view
by right-clicking your service under the Services folder and clicking Add
Port. Your port (regardless of which view you create it in) will appear
in both the Design view and the Outline view.