I want to implement a Web Service that will allow users to store arbitrary data in my home computer and execute arbitrary batch programs to manipulate said data. In order to keep things simple, so I will not deal with priority queues and concurrent processes yet. My process request queue will be a simple FIFO queue.
So, I know how to implement Web Services, and obviously I know how to implement a FIFO queue, but I do not know how to implement a system service that runs in the background, waiting for requests. Where could I find learning resources on how to develop a Windows service?
I already know Windows development using the Windows API, MFC and even some ATL/WTL. (I also know .NET, but I do not like it very much, because it gets in the way how I design programs.) But I would rather not have to deal with COM.
Since you’re developing a service on Windows and you want to use web services chances are that you will want to host your solution in IIS which is already the type of always-on, background application that you want. E.g. runs all the time regardless of login or UI.
If you use the .NET framework then your implementation will become especially easy due to all the project templates available in Visual Studio.
Here’s some CodeProject tutorials: