#Azure Action - Weekly Newsletter - 15th April 2011

Local Overview

Dream Up A Cool Windows Azure App And We'll Help Make It Happen (prizes possible too - enter by 22 May 2011)

Local legend and colleague  Shashank Pawar publishes  SQL Server as a Service/ SQL Server Private Cloud Offering

Readiness & Resources:

Reading:

• Windows Azure

Multi Entity Schema Tables in Windows Azure

Node.js, Ruby, and Python in Windows Azure

 

 

 

 

Introduction: Tim Buntel's  WebDU 2011 Presentation slides (Nice!)

• SQL Azure

MSDN Article: How to Connect to SQL Azure using PHP

Technet Wiki: SQL Azure Firewall

Watch:

• Architecting Scalable Counters with Windows Azure

Case Study:

• Polycom Chooses Windows Azure To Power its Cloud-Based Media Services

• Umbraco loves Windows Azure because it lets the user focus on the experience not the infrastructure

 

See also:

•  ACS Extensions for Umbraco - Part I: Setup
• Windows Azure Accelerator for Umbraco

Tools:

• Microsoft Platform Ready Test Tool - Windows Azure Edition

"testing Windows Azure and SQL Azure readiness "

• Speed up your Journey to the Cloud with the FullArmor CloudApp Studio (US)

"Migrate your existing applications to Windows Azure without writing any code"

• Windows Azure Migration Scanner

Fun:

• Rock Paper Azure  Crazy additive and good learning at the same time

Win prizes or compete in the open rounds

Guidance:

Walkthrough:

• Hosting a Silverlight Application Through the Windows Azure CDN 
• Things You Can Do with Windows Azure
• Authentication and Authorization with the Azure Access Control Service
• Adding Internet Identity Providers to your MVC web application using ACS and jQuery in 3 steps
• Establishing Remote Desktop to Windows Azure Instance - Part 1

Design:

• 5 Tips for Creating Cost Effective Windows Azure Applications

Book:

• GovCloud: Cloud Computing for the Business of Government

In the news:

General news:

• Cloud disrupts, creates channel opportunities
• Cloud is Secure Enough for the Pentagon. Why Not You?

Microsoft:

• Microsoft opens Office 365 beta floodgates to the world
• Microsoft to move its CRM and ERP wares to the Windows Azure cloud

Windows Azure:

• Windows Azure CDN for IIS Smooth Streaming
• Windows Azure Traffic Manager CTP is live. Read more here: Windows Azure Traffic Manager

The Traffic Manager supports various load balancing techniques for allocating traffic to hosted services.

• failover
• performance
• round robin

• Justin Smith on the Release of Access Control Service 2.0
• Windows Azure Benefits for MSDN: New and improved
• Windows Azure AppFabric Caching availability announced

Events:

Local:

• Readify have an Intro to Azure day in Sydney on 9 May - $165 gets you refreshments, lunch and 8 hours of Azure

Webinar:

• FREE WEBCAST May 13, 2011: Windows Azure Deep Dive on Windows Azure Data Storage and Compute Services

Community:

Mailing list for OzAzure

Like Azure?

• Become a fan: www.facebook.com/windowsazure (Azure Facebook Toolkit)
• Add yourself to my Azure Australia Twitter list
• Watch CloudCast - episode 3 coming soon
• Coming soon: Azure Meet up (lets go singular)

Check out the WW Partner Conference for winners of:

• Windows Azure Platform ISV Partner of the Year
• Windows Azure Platform SI Partner of the Year

Questions:

Q: Project Velocity and Windows Azure Cache - are they the same?

A: No, but they share some of the same "DNA" (More on Caching in Azure here)

Velocity was the code name for a distributed cache platform for in-memory caches spread across multiple systems. It is now incorporated as the caching element of Microsoft's AppFabric.
The Windows Server AppFabric is a free download I believe for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2
General landing page
Developer guide to caching

Want more answers? See the forums