#Azure Action – Weekly Newsletter – 14th January 2011

Local Overview

Local specialists demonstrate and promote best practices:

• Catherine Eibner: Windows Azure Storage Available for QLD business affected by the floods
• Tom Hollander: Responding to topology changes

  Readiness & Resources

• Reading:
  • Debunking a couple of Azure Myths
  • OData Introduction: Demo Demo Overview in DOCX format
  • Implementing Windows Azure Diagnostics with SDK V1.3
  • How to inspect Azure package contents
  • Cost Architecting for Windows Azure
• Watching:
  • See the HD Windows Azure Jump Starts
  • Tune into the FREE Windows Azure Webinars
  • Migrating World Maps To Azure
• Case study:
  • LinkShare: Online Ad Firm Cuts Costs and Scales to Handle Peak Holiday Demand
  • Daimler: Auto Maker Uses Scalable Cloud Solution to Deliver Internet Services for Electric Car
  • MYOB: Using SQL Azure at scale [Video]
• Tools:
  • How to Survive with Windows PowerShell
  • Enable PowerShell Remoting on Windows Azure
• Walkthrough:
  • How To Publish an ASP.NET MVC 3 App to Windows Azure
• Fun:
  • The Code Project is hosting a contest asking developers to build an innovative cloud application on the Windows AzurePlatform utilizing DataMarket datasets
  • 10+ Beautiful Microsoft Windows Azure Wallpapers

In the news:

• General news:

  • Turning white clouds into black clouds: Cloud-driven hacking is now real

  • 10 reasons why the cloud is changing IT

• • Picking a Lane in Cloud Computing  - answers some questions around choice and strategy

From David Pallman’s upcoming book, The Azure Handbook, he addresses platform choice. Choice is good, right?

I like his approach as well as the way he discusses design for cloud:

• Microsoft

  • Microsoft powers up 'wallless' data center

    The data center is based entirely on pre-assembled computing modules designed to deliver greater scale and flexibility

  • Microsoft Survey Highlights the US Top "Cloud-Friendly" Cities

• Windows Azure specific news:

  • Windows Azure Compute Extra-Small VM Beta Now Available in the Cloud Essentials Pack and for Gen

Events:

Local:

• Windows Azure platform Acceleration Technical Training Tour – Sydney (February 2-3)
• Azure BizSpark Startup Camp - Melbourne 4th –6th February

Global:

• Global Knowledge to Host Live Microsoft Cloud Computing Webinar - 12 pm EST on Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Community:

• Like Azure? …become a fan: www.facebook.com/windowsazure (Azure Facebook Toolkit)
• Want answers. See the forums
• Coming in March – Azure Meetup – watch this newsletter for more information coming soon.

January/February community web cast boot camps

• 01/17: MSDN Webcast: Azure Boot Camp: Diving into BLOB Storage
• 01/24: MSDN Webcast: Azure Boot Camp: Diagnostics and Service Management
• 01/31: MSDN Webcast: Azure Boot Camp: SQL Azure
• 02/07: MSDN Webcast: Azure Boot Camp: Connecting with AppFabric
• 02/14: MSDN Webcast: Azure Boot Camp: Cloud Computing Scenarios

Guidance:

Some general guidance on SQL Azure this week:

• Cihan Biyikoglu published some guidance for SQL Azure and Federation thanks to a forum enquiry:
  • Building Scalable Database Solution with SQL Azure - Introducing Federation in SQL Azure
  • Intro to SQL Azure Federations: SQL Azure Federations Overview
  • How to scale out an app with SQL Azure Federations
  • Perfect scenarios and typical applications that highlight the power of SQL Azure Federations technology
• Sharding
  • Introduction to App design with Sharding and Horizontal Partitioning Technique:
  • Evaluation of Scale-up vs Scale-out: how to evaluate the scalability options?
  • Sharding with SQL Azure

Questions

This week some Q&A on the Azure VM Role (thanks to Buck Woody and his learning plan for Windows Azure Compute:

Q: What is the Azure Virtual Machine (VM) Role?

A: The Windows Azure VM Role is an Operating System-level mechanism for code deployment.

Q: Where can I find details about the VM Role in an Overview and in Detail? 

A: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg465398.aspx

Q: What is the proper use of the VM Role?

A: https://blogs.msdn.com/b/buckwoody/archive/2010/12/28/the-proper-use-of-the-vm-role-in-windows-azure.aspx