Microsoft.com Web Services

The Microsoft.com Web Service is an XML Web service that will enable you to integrate information and services from MSDN, Technet, other Microsoft.com sites, and Microsoft Support. As a way to test the new architecture, we present version 1.0 of the Microsoft.com Web Service, which allows you to integrate information about the Microsoft.com top downloads. Future releases will build on this architecture to provide access to a broader variety of Microsoft content and services.   

Get Your Developer's Token to Access the Microsoft.com Web Service
You will need a developer's token to access the Microsoft.com Web Service. After you read and accept the Terms of Use and provide a strong password, you will be issued a token. The developer's token and password are used to authenticate you to the Web service using a WS-Security SOAP header. Because this version of the service is intended for internal testing and evaluation purposes, your developer's token will expire 120 days after it is issued.   

Check the Status of Your Developer's Token
The number of requests per second that you may send to the Microsoft.com Web Service using your token and password is limited to 10. If you exceed this limit, your access to the service will be temporarily suspended.   

Download and Install the Microsoft.com Web Service SDK
The Microsoft.com Web Service SDK provides Help text that integrates with Visual Studio Help. The Help text includes the following topics:

• Introducing the Microsoft.com Web Service
• Microsoft.com Web Service requirements
• Getting assistance
• Developing with the Microsoft.com Web service
• Sample code

1. After you have installed the SDK, open Visual Studio .NET.
2. On the Help menu, click Contents.

Make sure that (no filter) is displayed in the Filtered by: drop-down list in the Contents window.
3. To see the contents of the SDK Help text, click Microsoft.com Web Service SDK, Version 1.0.

Join the Microsoft.com Web Service Community
Take part in a newsgroup to discuss issues regarding the Microsoft.com Web Service.