Invalid Binary Format

I so much need your help here.

I have a simple application ... and its going to get big :) if I figure out the .NET remoting part.
It just wont work.

Its based on configuration files. I use VS 2005 - .NET 2.0 - IIS 6.0 to host the remoting objects and a simple Form GUI to test. I use binary format.

thats the code :

web.config - server :

<system.runtime.remoting>
    <application>
      <service>
        <wellknown mode="SingleCall" objectUri="Mail.rem" type="RemotingServer.MailManager, RemotingServer" />
      </service>
      <channels>
        <channel ref="http">
          <serverProviders>
            <formatter ref="binary" typeFilterLevel="Full" />
          </serverProviders>
        </channel>
      </channels>
    </application>
</system.runtime.remoting>

client - app.config

<system.runtime.remoting>
    <application name="clientUI">
      <client url="http://xxxxxxxx:8000/RemoteIIS/Mail.rem" type="RemotingServer.MailManager, RemotingServer">
      </client>
      <channels>
        <channel ref="http">
          <clientProviders>
            <formatter ref="binary"/>
          </clientProviders>
          <serverProviders>
            <formatter ref="binary" typeFilterLevel="Full"/>
          </serverProviders>
        </channel>
      </channels>
    </application>

and thats is the code of my client (an onlick handler) :

Try

Dim configFilePath As String = System.IO.Path.Combine(System.Environment.CurrentDirectory, "ClientUI.exe.config")

RemotingConfiguration.Configure(configFilePath, False)

'1.
'Dim service As RemotingServer.Mailmanager = New RemotingServer.Mailmanager()

'2.
'Dim service As RemotingServer.Mailmanager = CType(Activator.GetObject(GetType(RemotingServer.Mailmanager), "http://pdsintranet:8000/RemoteIIS/Mail.rem"), RemotingServer.Mailmanager)

'3.
Dim o As Object = RemotingServices.Connect(GetType(RemotingServer.Mailmanager), "http://pdsintranet:8000/RemoteIIS/Mail.rem")
Dim service As RemotingServer.Mailmanager = CType(o, RemotingServer.Mailmanager)

Debug.Print(RemotingServices.IsTransparentProxy(service))
Debug.Print(service.getCompName())

'Me.Mail1.Merge(service.GetEmails())

Catch eX As Exception

Debug.Write(eX.StackTrace())

End Try

if i try to get the Mailmanager object by the 1st way : i get the local copy!!!
with the 2nd and 3rd ways i get the following error :

System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationException: The input stream is not a valid binary format. The starting contents (in bytes) are: 53-79-73-74-.....

I would really appreciate your help.

Thanks in advance

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Invalid Binary Format

Ntompson
I am getting the same error. My client config looks exactly as yours does, but I still get the error. Anything else I need to do
alypeely
Did that work for you If not please, it would be great if you could provide us more of the exception bytes.
Chris Anderson
Well check what I ve done so far...

this is part of the server web.config

<system.runtime.remoting>
  <application>
   <channels>
    <channel ref="http" priority="100">
     <formatter ref="binary"/>
    </channel>
   </channels>
   <service>
    <wellknown mode="Singleton" objectUri="CustomerFacade.rem" type="ComasFacade.CustomerFacade , ComasFacade"/>
   </service>
   <service>
    <wellknown mode="Singleton" objectUri="UserFacade.rem" type="ComasFacade.UserFacade, ComasFacade"/>
   </service>
   <service>
    <wellknown mode="Singleton" objectUri="GeneralFacade.rem" type="ComasFacade.GeneralFacade, ComasFacade"/>
   </service>
  </application>
</system.runtime.remoting>

This is part of the client app.config

<system.runtime.remoting>
      <application>
        <channels>
          <channel ref="http" useDefaultCredentials="true" useAuthenticatedConnectionSharing="true">
            <clientProviders>
              <formatter ref="binary" />
            </clientProviders>
          </channel>
        </channels>
      </application>
</system.runtime.remoting>

and this is part of the client code

Dim cFacade As ComasFacade.I_CustomerFacade = CType(Activator.GetObject(GetType(ComasFacade.I_CustomerFacade), "http://xxxxx:xxxx/RemoteIIS/CustomerFacade.rem"), ComasFacade.I_CustomerFacade)

where I_CustomerFacade is the interface implemented. So that the client needs to know the interface only and not the actual class.

By the way you can see I dont use wellknown types in my client config.

I hope it helps.
Martin Hart Turner
Hi stratos

Try this on client (It's works for me just fine) :

-<configuration>

- <system.runtime.remoting>

- <application>

- <channels>

- <channel ref="http">

- <clientProviders>

<formatter ref="binary" />

</clientProviders>

</channel>

</channels>

- <client>

<wellknown type="RemotingServer.MailManager,RemotingServer" url="http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8000/RemoteIIS/Mail.rem" />

</client>

</application>

</system.runtime.remoting>

</configuration>
Ray Myers
Exactly! Great. Thank you for your help.
DarkCat

hi ,

you get this message because you have an error in your server side application.

iis reports errors as text message thus your client can not parse it. ( because of binary formatter)

change the formatter from binary to soap in client config file like this :

<clientProviders>
<formatter ref="soap"/>
</clientProviders>

now you will get correct error message .and try to correct it.

Aidin.T
Invalid Binary Format

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