I have a client/server application that communicates with .Net remoting. I need my clients to be able to find the server(s) on the network without requiring client-side configuration.
As far as I know, there is no support for discovery in remoting. I am prepared to implement a UDP solution where the clients will be able to find the servers via broadcast messages.
I want to hear the collective SO wisdom before I go ahead. Is this the best way? Any other suggestions?
I've looked at both SSDP and UPnP for this type of functionality, but I'd recommend going with a custom UDP multicast solution. Basically, multicast is very similar to a broadcast, but only machines that have joined the multicast group (i.e. requested the broadcast) are contacted.
IMHO, SSDP and UPnP and bloated and overly complicated for resource discovery... but hey, it's a standard. ;)