# Thursday, December 22, 2005
MTOM error: The request failed with HTTP status 415: Unsupported media type
Thursday, December 22, 2005 4:13:34 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) ( Asp.Net )
I'm new to MTOM, and i encountered this error while developing a WSE 3.0 application with .net. 
The request failed with HTTP status 415: Unsupported media type

Explanation 1 - Basic Configuration Error

After a lot of digging around and comparing my code with the MTOM sample bundled with WSE3, i found out it was because i was missing a setting called "soapServerProtocolFactory" in my web.config, shown below.  I didn't think i needed to have a Protocol Factory (whatever that is!), but apparently I do. It works fine now that i added that section.

This is what my web.config looks like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="microsoft.web.services3" type="Microsoft.Web.Services3.Configuration.WebServicesConfiguration, Microsoft.Web.Services3, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />
  </configSections>
  <appSettings>
    <add key="UploadPath" value="Upload" />
  </appSettings>
  <system.web>
    <webServices>
      <soapServerProtocolFactory type="Microsoft.Web.Services3.WseProtocolFactory, Microsoft.Web.Services3, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />
      <soapExtensionImporterTypes>
        <add type="Microsoft.Web.Services3.Description.WseExtensionImporter, Microsoft.Web.Services3, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />
      </soapExtensionImporterTypes>
    </webServices>
    <compilation>
      <assemblies>
        <add assembly="Microsoft.Web.Services3, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31BF3856AD364E35" />
      </assemblies>
    </compilation>
  </system.web>
  <microsoft.web.services3>
    <messaging>
      <mtom serverMode="optional" />
    </messaging>
  </microsoft.web.services3>
</configuration>
My app.config for the Windows Client looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="microsoft.web.services3" type="Microsoft.Web.Services3.Configuration.WebServicesConfiguration, Microsoft.Web.Services3, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />
    <sectionGroup name="applicationSettings" type="System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsGroup, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089">
      <section name="UploadWinClient.Properties.Settings" type="System.Configuration.ClientSettingsSection, System, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" requirePermission="false" />
    </sectionGroup>
  </configSections>
  <microsoft.web.services3>
    <messaging>
      <mtom clientMode="On" />
    </messaging>
  </microsoft.web.services3>
  <applicationSettings>
    <UploadWinClient.Properties.Settings>
      <setting name="UploadWinClient_MTOM_WebService_MTOM" serializeAs="String">
        <value>http://localhost:1423/UploadWebClient/MTOM.asmx</value>
      </setting>
    </UploadWinClient.Properties.Settings>
  </applicationSettings>
</configuration>

Explanation 2 - Strange Behaviour with Web Service instances...

if you're configuration is already correct, then the following may be of interest.  i came across this error in a winforms application, that has a class library with an MTOM web service in it.  my code had something like this:
myClassLibrary.WebService = this.WebService;
i was doing this because i had an instance of the web service in the win form, authenticated with a cookie in its CookieContainer property, and i wanted to replace the web service that the class library was using with the one from my win-form.  however this caused the 415 error to appear sporadically all over the place.  the fix was to just replace the CookieContainer instead of the entire web service instance.  like so:
myClassLibrary.WebService.CookieContainer = this.WebService.CookieContainer;

now i get no errors.  weird huh?
Comments [6] | | # 
Tuesday, February 07, 2006 4:48:31 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Thanks for the post! I'm also just getting started with WSE 3.0 and MTOM currently, and I ran into the HTTP 415 issue. A Google search for "MTOM HTTP 415" brought me here, and I was able to quickly fix the problem!

For reference, instead of editing your web.config directly, in Visual Studio 2005, you can right-click your web service project in Solution Explorer, select "WSE Settings 3.0...", then on the dialog that appears, on the General tab, check the "Enable Microsoft Web Services Enhancement Soap Protocol Factory".
Jon Schneider
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:53:26 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Hi Tim,

I also ran into this, but I only have it with one person connecting to my webservice, do you maybe know why only one client will have this issue. I take it that it should be a app.config issue on the client side.

thanks, MK
Mario Kielblock
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:41:15 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Hi All,

I've been getting the HTTP Status 415 with my MTOM.
The "Explaination 1" change was already in place.

I have my MTOM in a class library as described in "Explaination 2" but I believe I am already passing in the Cookie Container as follows:

[code]
private bool AuthenticateWebService()
{
// send a HTTP web request to the login.aspx page, using the querystring to pass in username and password
string postData = String.Format("?Username={0}&Password={1}", this.txtUsername.Text, this.txtPassword.Text);
string url = this.fileTransferDownload1.WebService.Url.Replace("MTOM.asmx", "") + "Login.aspx" + postData; // get the path of the login page, assuming it is in the same folder as the web service
HttpWebRequest req = HttpWebRequest.Create(url) as HttpWebRequest;
req.CookieContainer = new CookieContainer();
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse) req.GetResponse();

// copy the cookie container to the web services
this.fileTransferDownload1.WebService.CookieContainer = req.CookieContainer;

return (response.Cookies.Count > 0); // true if the server sent an auth cookie, i.e. authenticated successfully
}
[/code]
Chris Walsh
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:49:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
PS: Could changing web.config on the web service from:

<messaging>
<mtom serverMode="Always" />
</messaging>

to:

<messaging>
<mtom serverMode="optional" />
</messaging>

This is the only other difference that I can see between your web.config and mine.
Chris Walsh
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:52:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Hi Chris,
I would suggest consuming a basic "HelloWorld" web service first and get that working, this will help troubleshoot any server config issues you may have.
Then once that is working you can turn on forms authentication on the server and try authenticating the win forms client.
Good luck
Tim
tim
Friday, March 05, 2010 6:00:09 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Just to mention that I had this problem in version 2 (which I am stuck with) and I had to add the following:

<soapExtensionTypes>
<add type="Microsoft.Web.Services2.WebServicesExtension, Microsoft.Web.Services2, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35"
priority="1" group="0" />
</soapExtensionTypes>
</webServices>

</system.web>
</configuration>
Jamie Kitson
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