This document summarizes a webinar about moving Windows to the cloud. It discusses: - Key differences between Windows in the cloud vs on-premises like dynamic IP addresses, ephemeral instances, and bringing your own licenses. - Challenges of Windows in the cloud like inconsistent images, inflexible pre-installed software, and lack of automation. - How RightScale addresses these with consistent "RightImages", scriptable and versioned "ServerTemplates", and automation of deployments using "RightLink". - A demonstration of automating user creation across servers using RightLink tags and remote execution. - Next steps involve scripting application installation, enabling existing Windows images with Right

1. Moving Windows
to the Cloud
March 10, 2011
Watch the video of this webinar
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2. Your Panel Today
Presenting:
 Rafael H. Saavedra, Vice President of Engineering, RightScale
 Raphael Simon, Sr. Software Architect, RightScale
 Chris Horne, Director, Product Marketing, RightScale
Q&A Line:
 John Newton, Account Manager, RightScale
 Alex Pop, Tech Support Lead, RightScale
Please use the questions window to ask questions any time!
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3. Agenda
 Windows in the Cloud vs Datacenter
 Challenges with Windows in the Cloud
 Consistent Windows Images - RightImages
 Scripting Windows Servers - ServerTemplates
 Orchestrating Windows Deployments - RightLink
 Demonstration
 How to Get Started
Please use the questions window to ask questions any time!
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4. What’s Different in the Cloud vs. DataCenter
• Windows Licensing
• You don't bring your own Windows licenses to the Cloud. You use
those of AWS, RAX, etc. and the license is included in the hourly rate.
• Dynamic IP Addresses
• All servers have a private IP address and a public one NATed. The
private one is not sticky when the server is stopped or relaunched.
• Preserve Data outside Ephemeral Instances
• Servers are now ephemeral (and disposable). Information stored in
databases, application code, static content, session data, etc. should
be stored in volumes (~EBS) and file stores (~S3, Cloudfiles, Gluster).
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5. What’s Different in the Cloud vs. DataCenter
• Storage Backed Servers
• Storage backed servers are installed on a persistent volume and can
be stopped and restarted. When stopped you just pay for storage.
Snapshot the volume to back it up.
• Cloud Servers should be Scripted and Automated
• A cloud paradigm shift is to replace thick, opaque images with
transparent, automated, built-to-order servers. Less MMC and more
appcmd or Powershell. GUI interactive installed apps can be pre-
bundled but at the cost of flexibility.
• Some legacy apps with special hardware requirements
sometimes don't translate well
• e.g. USB licensing dongles
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6. Server Provisioning in the Cloud
• Request an instance
• Server instance and volume is provisioned
• Server image is copied onto the volume and launched
• Sysprep runs to customize the instance
• With RightScale, RightLink agent installs applications and
configures server for role within deployment
• Server is available and can be accessed via RDP or console
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7. Challenges with Windows in the Cloud
• Image configurations vary widely (inconsistent)
• They do not follow best practices
• They use root partition for everything
• They pre-install all required software (inflexible)
• Bake in license
• Custom configuration
• Long development iterations
• There’s no consistent automation (manual)
• Trust relationships are hard-coded
• Ad-hoc, manual orchestration
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8. Challenges with Windows in the Cloud
• Image configurations vary widely (inconsistent)
• They do not follow best practices
• They use root partition for everything
• They pre-install all required software (inflexible)
• Bake in license
• Custom configuration
• Long development iterations
• There’s no consistent automation (manual)
• Trust relationships are hard-coded
• Ad-hoc, manual orchestration
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9. MultiCloud Windows RightImages
• Use consistent settings
• Across regions and clouds
• Firewall and file sharing settings are consistent
• SQL Server, ASP.NET, etc. installations are consistent
• Follow best practices
• Use a bigger root partition (80GB)
• Use volumes for database files
• Are a work in progress. Continuously improving.
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10. MultiCloud Windows RightImages
MultiCloud images address:
• 2003 / 2008 Server (x2)
• 32 bit / 64 bit (x2)
• Bare / IIS / SQL Server Std (x3)
• Cloud (x5)
~ 60 images for AWS alone
Use RightLink installer to
RightScale enable
pre-existing Windows images
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11. Challenges with Windows in the Cloud
• Image configurations vary widely (inconsistent)
• They do not follow best practices
• They use root partition for everything
• They pre-install all required software (inflexible)
• Bake in license
• Custom configuration
• Long development iterations
• There’s no consistent automation (manual)
• Trust relationships are hard-coded
• Ad-hoc, manual orchestration
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12. ServerTemplates are Built-to-Order Servers
Modular – Portable – Reproducible
Application
Applications
• Cloud independent App Libraries
SQL Server/ASP.NET…
Networking Cloud Portability
• Standard configuration
Storage volumes
RightImages & OS
Multi-Cloud Images
• Standard image “API” Virtual machine
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13. A Closer Look at ServerTemplates
• Starts with a multicloud image
• Defines base software
• Adds:
• Boot, operational and
decommission RightScripts
and /or recipes for configuration
• Alerts definitions for automation
• ServerTemplates are versioned
• Reproduce exact configuration
• ServerTemplates can be
published/imported
• Sharing / reuse
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14. VM Images vs. RightScale ServerTemplates
Virtual Machine Images RightScale ServerTemplates
• Big & opaque • Modular & flexible
• Complex to reproduce • Reproducible & maintainable
• Static • Dynamic & agile
• Not cloud-portable • Multi-cloud enabled
 Not cloud-agile  Dynamic configuration
 Slow workflow  Dev-like workflow
VMs and Standard ServerTemplates
Cloud Images are like Playlists
are like burned CDs
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15. When to Install - On Boot vs Pre-Bake
Install on boot for: Bake into image for:
• Dynamic installation • Faster startups
• Easier maintenance • Attended installers
• Licensing
 Whenever you can  When you have no choice
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16. Monitoring and Alerts
• Monitoring of CPU, memory
and disk space available
• Create monitoring scripts to
monitor custom data
• Written in a ruby DSL
• Can leverage WMI
• Use monitored data to create Alerts
• Can use elaborate rules to define alerting conditions
• Alert escalations can send emails, reboot server, relaunch
server, run a RightScript or recipe, vote array grow and vote
array shrink
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17. Windows in the Cloud with RightScale
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18. Windows Server Configuration with
RightScripts and / or Chef
• Windows servers can be configured using RightScripts and/or Chef recipes
• RightScripts on Windows are written in PowerShell
• Straight PowerShell with full access to Windows subsystems
• Easy to setup but can become hard to maintain over time
• Chef recipes are written using a simple language focused around managing
resources.
• Resources represent a software or OS resource that needs to be configured e.g. a file, a
service, IIS etc.
• Chef provides an extra layer of abstraction on top of PowerShell
• Comes with many predefined resources; custom resources can be implemented on top
of PowerShell
• Example Chef Recipe to upload a file to S3:
aws_s3 "upload to s3" do
access_key_id node[:aws][:access_key_id]
secret_access_key node[:aws][:secret_access_key]
s3_bucket node[:s3][:bucket]
file_path node[:s3][:file_path]
action :put
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end

19. Published RightScale ServerTemplates
• Base ServerTemplate for Windows: RightScript based
ServerTemplate, includes monitoring and time zone setting
scripts
• Quick Start for Windows (Chef Alpha): Chef base
ServerTemplate with monitoring
• BlogEngine All-In-One (Chef Alpha): Installs the
BlogEngine web application on Windows 2003 or 2008
instance with monitoring enabled
• ASP.NET All-In-One Developer (Chef Alpha): Configures
an instance as a ASP.NET application server with IIS and
SQL Server Express on a single server.
• Additional ServerTemplates in development
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20. New SharePoint ServerTemplate
• Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 All in One
• Developed by RightScale partner, Pileus Inc.
• Designed to be used as a standalone SharePoint 2010
farm environment, generally for development or sandbox
purposes
• Paid template
Get Started
• Import the template
into your RightScale
account
© 2009 RightScale Inc — All rights reserved

21. Challenges with Windows in the Cloud
• Image configurations vary widely (inconsistent)
• They do not follow best practices
• They use root partition for everything
• They pre-install all required software (inflexible)
• Bake in license
• Custom configuration
• Long development iterations
• There’s no consistent automation (manual)
• Trust relationships are hard-coded
• Ad-hoc, manual orchestration
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22. Orchestrating Windows Deployments w/ RightLink
• Functions Tag RightScale
• Execute commands from RS store
• Query RightScale
• Locate related servers
• Open-source Agent
• Extensible RL RL RL RL
• Transparent Server 1 Server 2 Server A Server B
Production Development
• Secure
• Signed & encrypted AMQP transport
• Deployment scope
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23. Using Tags and Remote Execution for Orchestration
- IIS
App - v6
• RightLink enabled instances can Server
dynamically create, update and - IP: 10.10.2.45
delete associated tags
• They can also query other instances RightScale
by tag i.e. retrieve the list of IIS & v6 ?
instances together with all their tags - IIS
App Front - LB
that possess a given tag (or set of - v6
Server - IP: … End
tags)
• Finally instances can also request
than one or all instances located in RightScale
their deployment and associated
run register
with a given set of tags run a on LB - LB
RightScript or Chef recipe - iis
App - v6 Front
Server - ip: … End
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24. Leveraging RightLink to Automate Servers
via Chef or Command Line
• RightLink provides the following Chef resources
• Log: appends to local log and audits (audits are visible in the dashboard)
• RightLink tag: Add or remove tags from instance
• Remote recipe: Run recipes on remote instances (route by tag)
• Server collection: Query instances by tags
• RightLink-enabled images also include the following utilities
• rs_tag.cmd: Add or remove tags from instance
• rs_run_right_script.cmd: Run RightScript on local instance. Starting with
5.6 also run RightScripts on remote instances
• rs_run_recipe.cmd: Run recipes on local instance. Starting with 5.6 also
run recipes on remote instances
• rs_server_collection.cmd: Starting with 5.6 query instances by tags
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25. Automation Demo: Automatic User Creation
• Deployment with two servers
• Application Server: BlogEngine ASP.NET blog application (All in one,
includes both IIS and SQL Server express)
• Domain Controller: used for ASP.NET Windows based authentication
• Application server automatically configures domain controller on
boot to create user used by ASP.NET impersonation
• Domain Controller tags itself on boot
• Application server uses RightLink to run remote recipe on DC using tag
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26. Hands-on
Automatic User Creation
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27. Getting Started and Q&A
• 1) Script install of applications on ServerTemplate
• 2) RightLink enable existing Windows images
• Have a project and ready to get started?
• Contact us at sales@rightscale.com or (866) 720-0208
• Need to learn more?
• Cloud Webinars: www.RightScale.com/webinars
• Cloud White Papers: www.RightScale.com/whitepapers
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28. http://support.rightscale.com/12-Guides/Windows_User_Guide
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29. Thank You!
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30. Hands-On
Creating a Domain Controller ServerTemplate
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31. Windows Best Practices
• License keys registration
• Install software on boot: License key is an input that is used to generate
the answer file
• Bake software into image: Write Powershell script which registers key on
boot
• System updates management
• Updates disabled by default
• Cherry-pick updates, test, sysprep & bundle (use provided RightScript)
• Roll new image
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