In this session, we cover how to leverage Docker for Windows and the Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) as an effective solution for migrating legacy .NET applications to the cloud. We use Microsoft Visual Studio to demonstrate how to containerize a legacy .NET app including the Docker build and deployment process. We also cover how to deploy the container to Amazon ECS using the Amazon EC2 Container Registry (Amazon ECR) service to host the Docker image.

1. © 2018, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Containerize Legacy .NET
Framework Web Apps for Cloud
Migration
Nicki Klein
Sr. Technical Evangelist
Amazon Web Services
Brian Lewis
Solutions Architect
Amazon Web Services
W I N 3 0 5

2. © 2018, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
The basics: Why containers for legacy .NET apps?
Containerize a legacy ASP.NET app
Deploying a .NET app
container to Amazon
ECS
Hypervisor
Status:on
Connections Connections Connections
Network Up/NetworkDown
Amazon
ECS
AZ1 AZ2
Private Subnet
Public Subnet
Internet
Gateway
Private Subnet
Public Subnet
NAT
GATEWAY
NAT
GATEWAY
ALB
Amazon ECS Cluster
What we will cover

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Microsoft .NET history

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Recent AWS .NET related announcements
• .NET Developer Center (aws.amazon.com/net)—7/2
• .NET Core 2.1 on Amazon Linux and Ubuntu—7/13
• .NET Core 2.1 on AWS Lambda—7/19
• .NET Global Tools—9/10
• PowerShell for Lambda—9/11
• .NET CDK – 9/13

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Windows deployment modes

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• Smallest base layer available for Windows
• Only 64-bit applications
• No graphical applications
• Optimized for .NET Core applications
• Windows PowerShell not included by default
(as of Windows Server version 1709)
• Only PowerShell Core is available
microsoft/nanoserver

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• Minimal installation of Windows Server
2016
• Windows PowerShell
• Full .NET support
• No Widows Shell Desktop
• Great for migrating existing Windows
applications to containers
microsoft/windowsservercore

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.NET 4.x requires Server Core
Server 2016 version 1803 – Server Core:
•1.58GB, download size, 30% reduction from Windows Server, version 1709
•3.61GB, on disk size, 20% reduction from Windows Server, version 1709
Server version Size on disk
Server 2016 – Server Core ~ 8 Gig
Serve 2016 version 1709 – Server Core ~4.5 Gig
Server 2016 version 1803 - Server Core: ~ 3.6 Gig

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Why containers for legacy .NET apps?
Operating system
utilization
Deployment /
runtime consistency
Scaling

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Why containers for legacy .NET apps?
Decrease the OS
count from
12 to 4 (66%)
Windows Server 2016
App Files
Bins/Libs
Processes
Windows Kernel
Host Mode
System
Processess
Container Mgmt
SVCHost
Session Mngr
LSASS
w3wp.exe
Container #1
App Files
Bins/Libs
Processes
Container #2
Windows Server 2016
App Files
Bins/Libs
Processes:
Windows Kernel
Host Mode
System
Processess
Container Mgmt
SVCHost
Session Mngr
LSASS
w3wp.exe
Container #1
App Files
Bins/Libs
Container #2
w3wp.exe
Processes:
w3wp.exe
Operating system
utilization CPU: 67% Memory: 85%
CPU: 72% Memory: 78%
CPU: 63% Memory: 81%
CPU: 59% Memory: 80%
Statu s: on
Connection sConn ect io nsConn ect ions
Network Up /Network Do wn
Hypervisor
Guest OS Guest OSGuest OS
App #1 App #2 App #3
Statu s: on
Connection sConn ect io nsConn ect ions
Network Up /Network Do wn
Hypervisor
Guest OS Guest OSGuest OS
App #1 App #2 App #3
Statu s: on
Connection sConn ect io nsConn ect ions
Network Up /Network Do wn
Hypervisor
Guest OS Guest OSGuest OS
App #1 App #2 App #3
Statu s: on
Connection sConn ect io nsConn ect ions
Network Up /Network Do wn
Hypervisor
Guest OS Guest OSGuest OS
App #1 App #2 App #3

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Deployment / runtime consistency
Dev
Windows 10
App #1
Windows Server 2016
Hypervisor
Statu s: on
Connection sConn ect io nsConn ect ions
Network Up /Network Do wn
App #1
Windows Server 2016
Hypervisor
Statu s: on
Connection sConn ect io nsConn ect ions
Network Up /Network Do wn
App #1
Test Prod
Why containers for legacy .NET apps?

12. © 2018, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
RUN Add-WindowsFeature Web-server
RUN Add-WindowsFeature NET-Frame...
COPY myapp /myappfiles
1. Docker File 2. Docker Image 3. Docker Container
FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
RUN Add-WindowsFeature Web-server
RUN Add-WindowsFeature NET-Frame...
COPY myapp /myappfiles
1. Docker File 2. Docker Image
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
3. Docker Container
FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
RUN Add-WindowsFeature Web-server
RUN Add-WindowsFeature NET-Frame...
COPY myapp /myappfiles
1. Docker File 2. Docker Image
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
3. Docker Container
FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
RUN Add-WindowsFeature Web-server
RUN Add-WindowsFeature NET-Frame...
COPY myapp /myappfiles
1. Docker File 2. Docker Image
k58cxbh48fj490d 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
3. Docker Container
FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
RUN Add-WindowsFeature Web-server
RUN Add-WindowsFeature NET-Frame...
COPY myapp /myappfiles
1. Docker File 2. Docker Image
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490d 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
3. Docker Container
FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
RUN Add-WindowsFeature Web-server
RUN Add-WindowsFeature NET-Frame...
COPY myapp /myappfiles
1. Docker File 2. Docker Image
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490d 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
3. Docker Container
Read-Only
FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
RUN Add-WindowsFeature Web-server
RUN Add-WindowsFeature NET-Frame...
COPY myapp /myappfiles
1. Docker File 2. Docker Image
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490d 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
3. Docker Container
Read / Write Layer
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490d 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
Read-Only
Why containers for legacy .NET apps? Scaling

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Scaling
Read / Write Layer
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490d 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
Windows Server 2016
Read / Write Layer
Windows Server 2016
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
Read / Write Layer
Windows Server 2016
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
Read / Write Layer
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490d 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf9d 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
Read / Write Layer
Windows Server 2016
f954msx83nc85b 50 MB
k58cxbh48fj490 300 MB
akm34ks9dj5flf 500 MB
ds8fmdsf895nlks 7 GB
Read / Write Layer
Why containers for legacy .NET apps?

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Benefits of Windows containers
• Ease of movement (on-premises or in public cloud)
• Improve operating system utilization / density
• Development / deployment runtime consistency
• Deployment size and speed / use of base images
• Server boot times under 1 second

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What’s our sample .NET app?
• Sample app circa 2010
• ASP.NET MVC 1.0
• SQL Server Express LocalDB
https://github.com/kneekey23/NerdDinner
NerdDinner

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Demo:
Containerize a legacy
ASP.NET AppHypervisor
Status:on
Connections Connections Connections
Network Up/NetworkDown
Amazon
ECS

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Microsoft SQL Server in a container
Production SQL Server container images must be pulled from the Docker
Store
• docker pull microsoft/mssql-server-windows
• docker pull microsoft/mssql-server-linux:2017-latest
For persistent SQL data:
• Use data volume containers
• Store the database on a file share (SMB 3.2 suggested)
• Mount a host directory as data volume (Linux)

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Demo:
Containerizing
Microsoft SQL ServerHypervisor
Status:on
Connections Connections Connections
Network Up/NetworkDown
Amazon
ECS

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Steps to containerize the legacy .NET app

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Best practice:
When building your application, build it in a disposable container and
publishing in new containers. This will keep the size of your
production containers down and reduce the attack surface of the
containers.

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Windows containers
on your server
AZ1 AZ2
Private Subnet
Public Subnet
Internet
Gateway
Private Subnet
Public Subnet
NAT
GATEWAY
NAT
GATEWAY
ALB
Amazon ECS Cluster
Demo:

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Amazon ECS for Windows Server 2016
• Dec 5, 2017 – Windows Server containers for
production workloads!
• Amazon ECS-optimized Windows Server 2016
AMI
• Includes Docker 17.06 Enterprise Edition
• Amazon ECS agent now runs as a native Windows
service
• Windows containers memory and CPU limit(s)
enforcement
Windows Server on Amazon ECS:

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Amazon ECS for Windows Server 2016
• Reference architecture on GitHub
Step 1. Build Amazon ECS cluster
https://github.com/aws-
samples/ecs-refarch-
cloudformation-windows

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Amazon ECS for Windows Server 2016
Step 2. Create task definition

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Amazon ECS for Windows Server 2016
• Service name
• Number of tasks
• ELB
• IAM role
Step 3.
Create service & launch

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Amazon Elastic
Container
Service (Amazon
ECS)
AZ1 AZ2
Private Subnet
Public Subnet
Internet
Gateway
Private Subnet
Public Subnet
NAT
GATEWAY
NAT
GATEWAY
ALB
Amazon ECS Cluster
Demo:

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Amazon ECS

29. © 2018, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Next steps: After you migrate your app
Modernizing your .NET apps
• Rewriting the application is always the cleanest path
• Windows Containers offer another option
Use Docker to take a feature-driven approach to breaking up the monolithic
application, splitting the functionality across multiple containers and using Docker
for the plumbing. Use .NET Core to extend the application.

30. Thank you!
© 2018, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Code from demos:
https://github.com/kneekey23/NerdDinner
Nicki Klein – Technical Evangelist, @nicki_23
Brian Lewis – Solutions Architect