Microsoft Push Notification Service
 Overview of the MPNS architecture. | |
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Target platform(s) | Windows Phone 8 |
| Programming language(s) | C# |
| Status | Active |
| License | Closed-source |
| Website | dev |
Microsoft Push Notification Service (commonly referred to as MPNS) is a mobile service developed by Microsoft. It allows for developers to send push data from servers to Windows Phone applications. The MPNS is natively supported on applications that target the Windows Phone 8 Operating System. Microsoft announced the Windows Notification Service for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 in 2011, effectively replacing the MPNS with this service.[1] The MPNS can be used on Windows Phone 8 applications that are migrated to a Microsoft Silverlight to target Windows Phone 8.1 and was already using the MPNS before the upgrade.[2]
Technical details
The MPNS allows developers to send toast notifications, as well as update the tile image and flip notification text on the application's Windows Metro start screen tile. This is accomplished by developers by sending POST messages to MPNS servers.[3]
The MPNS consists of servers and internal interfaces that maintain and store Channel URI Identifiers and device information, authenticate POST requests received from developer servers, and enqueue and deliver requested data to mobile devices.[4] When an application registers for data and notifications, it receives a unique Channel URI Identifiers from the MPNS network. This identifier is used by the application developer's third-party server to reference the device that the particular data delivery request will sent to. After the mobile device receives its Channel URI Identifier, it is then sent to the developer's server to be stored. When a server sends a POST message to the MPNS network for data delivery, the Channel URI Identifier is included within the message payload, along with the data to deliver, and any parameter options specified. The MPNS network will authenticate the identifier, and enqueue the data for delivery to the mobile device.[5]
References
- ^ Harris, Nick (September 14, 2011). "ANNOUNCING the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows 8". Microsoft. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Choosing MPNS or WNS for a Windows Phone Silverlight 8.1 app". Microsoft. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Sending push notifications for Windows Phone 8". Microsoft. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Understanding Microsoft Push Notifications for Windows Phones". Microsoft. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Understanding How Microsoft Push Notification Works – Part 2". Microsoft. Retrieved November 4, 2015.