The document discusses Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform. It provides an overview of key Azure concepts like scalability, flexible pricing models, and global datacenter infrastructure. It also describes Azure services like compute, storage, SQL databases, and AppFabric that help developers build and scale applications in the cloud. Commercial pricing information is included to show how Azure offers flexible consumption-based pricing based on actual usage.
Join us for a deep dive into Windows Azure. We’ll start with a developer-focused overview of this brave new platform and the cloud computing services that can be used either together or independently to build amazing applications. As the day unfolds, we’ll explore data storage, SQL Azure™, and the basics of deployment with Windows Azure. Register today for these free, live sessions in your local area.
The Windows Azure platform is a fairly feature rich environment. You can run your web applications there. You can run your data processing applications (services) there. But you don’t have to run your entire application there. You can run part of your application in “the cloud”, and part of your application on premise – giving you the best of both worlds. But why would you not put everything in the cloud? Perhaps you don’t need the massive computing power Windows Azure provides, but you would like a cheap an easily accessible data store. Maybe your application just isn’t ready, yet, to be run in the cloud. Whatever the reason, in this session you will learn the basics for creating a hybrid application which leverages various features of Windows Azure. You will see how to leverage Windows Azure’s rich features and APIs to extend your application to new heights.
Cloud for Developers: Azure vs. Google App Engine vs. Amazon vs. AppHarborSvetlin Nakov
Software Development for the Public Cloud Platforms: Windows Azure vs. Google App Engine vs. Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs AppHarbor.
In this talk the speaker will compare the most widely used public PaaS clouds (Azure, GAE and AWS) from the software developer’s perspective.
A parallel between Azure, GAE, AWS and few other clouds (like AppHarbor, Heroku, Cloudfoundry and AppForce) will be made based on several criteria: architecture, pricing, storage services (non-relational databases, relational databases in the cloud and blob/file storage), business-tier services (like queues, notifications, email, CDN, etc.), supported languages, platforms and frameworks and front-end technologies.
A live demo will be made to compare the way we build and deploy a multi-tiered application in Azure, Amazon and GAE and how to implement its back-end (using a cloud database), business tier (based on REST services) and front-end (based on HTML5).
The speaker Svetlin Nakov (http://www.nakov.com) is well-known software development expert and trainer, a head of the Telerik Software Academy and a main organizer of the Cloud Development course (http://clouddevcourse.telerik.com).
Building Cloud-Native Applications with Microsoft Windows AzureBill Wilder
Cloud computing is here to stay, and it is never too soon to begin understanding the impact it will have on application architecture. In this talk we will discuss the two most significant architectural mind-shifts, discussing the key patterns changes generally and seeing how these new cloud patterns map naturally into specific programming practices in Windows Azure. Specifically this relates to (a) Azure Roles and Queues and how to combine them using cloud-friendly design
patterns, and (b) the combination of relational data and non-relational data, how to decide among them, and how to combine them. The goal is for mere mortals to build highly reliable applications that scale economically. The concepts discussed in this talk are relevant for developers and architects building systems for the cloud today, or who want to be prepared to move to the cloud in the future.
This talk was delivered by Bill Wilder at the Vermont Code Camp 2 on 11-Sept-2010.
For our next ArcReady, we will explore a topic on everyone’s mind: Cloud computing. Several industry companies have announced cloud computing services . In October 2008 at the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft announced the next phase of our Software + Services vision: the Azure Services Platform. The Azure Services Platforms provides a wide range of internet services that can be consumed from both on premises environments or the internet.
Session 1: Cloud Services
In our first session we will explore the current state of cloud services. We will then look at how applications should be architected for the cloud and explore a reference application deployed on Windows Azure. We will also look at the services that can be built for on premise application, using .NET Services. We will also address some of the concerns that enterprises have about cloud services, such as regulatory and compliance issues.
Session 2: The Azure Platform
In our second session we will take a slightly different look at cloud based services by exploring Live Mesh and Live Services. Live Mesh is a data synchronization client that has a rich API to build applications on. Live services are a collection of APIs that can be used to create rich applications for your customers. Live Services are based on internet standard protocols and data formats.
Join us for a deep dive into Windows Azure. We’ll start with a developer-focused overview of this brave new platform and the cloud computing services that can be used either together or independently to build amazing applications. As the day unfolds, we’ll explore data storage, SQL Azure™, and the basics of deployment with Windows Azure. Register today for these free, live sessions in your local area.
The Windows Azure platform is a fairly feature rich environment. You can run your web applications there. You can run your data processing applications (services) there. But you don’t have to run your entire application there. You can run part of your application in “the cloud”, and part of your application on premise – giving you the best of both worlds. But why would you not put everything in the cloud? Perhaps you don’t need the massive computing power Windows Azure provides, but you would like a cheap an easily accessible data store. Maybe your application just isn’t ready, yet, to be run in the cloud. Whatever the reason, in this session you will learn the basics for creating a hybrid application which leverages various features of Windows Azure. You will see how to leverage Windows Azure’s rich features and APIs to extend your application to new heights.
Cloud for Developers: Azure vs. Google App Engine vs. Amazon vs. AppHarborSvetlin Nakov
Software Development for the Public Cloud Platforms: Windows Azure vs. Google App Engine vs. Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs AppHarbor.
In this talk the speaker will compare the most widely used public PaaS clouds (Azure, GAE and AWS) from the software developer’s perspective.
A parallel between Azure, GAE, AWS and few other clouds (like AppHarbor, Heroku, Cloudfoundry and AppForce) will be made based on several criteria: architecture, pricing, storage services (non-relational databases, relational databases in the cloud and blob/file storage), business-tier services (like queues, notifications, email, CDN, etc.), supported languages, platforms and frameworks and front-end technologies.
A live demo will be made to compare the way we build and deploy a multi-tiered application in Azure, Amazon and GAE and how to implement its back-end (using a cloud database), business tier (based on REST services) and front-end (based on HTML5).
The speaker Svetlin Nakov (http://www.nakov.com) is well-known software development expert and trainer, a head of the Telerik Software Academy and a main organizer of the Cloud Development course (http://clouddevcourse.telerik.com).
Building Cloud-Native Applications with Microsoft Windows AzureBill Wilder
Cloud computing is here to stay, and it is never too soon to begin understanding the impact it will have on application architecture. In this talk we will discuss the two most significant architectural mind-shifts, discussing the key patterns changes generally and seeing how these new cloud patterns map naturally into specific programming practices in Windows Azure. Specifically this relates to (a) Azure Roles and Queues and how to combine them using cloud-friendly design
patterns, and (b) the combination of relational data and non-relational data, how to decide among them, and how to combine them. The goal is for mere mortals to build highly reliable applications that scale economically. The concepts discussed in this talk are relevant for developers and architects building systems for the cloud today, or who want to be prepared to move to the cloud in the future.
This talk was delivered by Bill Wilder at the Vermont Code Camp 2 on 11-Sept-2010.
For our next ArcReady, we will explore a topic on everyone’s mind: Cloud computing. Several industry companies have announced cloud computing services . In October 2008 at the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft announced the next phase of our Software + Services vision: the Azure Services Platform. The Azure Services Platforms provides a wide range of internet services that can be consumed from both on premises environments or the internet.
Session 1: Cloud Services
In our first session we will explore the current state of cloud services. We will then look at how applications should be architected for the cloud and explore a reference application deployed on Windows Azure. We will also look at the services that can be built for on premise application, using .NET Services. We will also address some of the concerns that enterprises have about cloud services, such as regulatory and compliance issues.
Session 2: The Azure Platform
In our second session we will take a slightly different look at cloud based services by exploring Live Mesh and Live Services. Live Mesh is a data synchronization client that has a rich API to build applications on. Live services are a collection of APIs that can be used to create rich applications for your customers. Live Services are based on internet standard protocols and data formats.
AZUG.BE - Azure User Group Belgium - First public meetingMaarten Balliauw
- What is AZUG? Who is who?
- An overview of the Azure platform
- .NET Services
- Enterprise reasons to adopt the cloud
- Getting started with Azure
- Open discussion
Solving enterprise challenges through scale out storage & big compute finalAvere Systems
Google Cloud Platform, Avere Systems, and Cycle Computing experts will share best practices for advancing solutions to big challenges faced by enterprises with growing compute and storage needs. In this “best practices” webinar, you’ll hear how these companies are working to improve results that drive businesses forward through scalability, performance, and ease of management.
The slides were from a webinar presented January 24, 2017. The audience learned:
- How enterprises are using Google Cloud Platform to gain compute and storage capacity on-demand
- Best practices for efficient use of cloud compute and storage resources
- Overcoming the need for file systems within a hybrid cloud environment
- Understand how to eliminate latency between cloud and data center architectures
- Learn how to best manage simulation, analytics, and big data workloads in dynamic environments
- Look at market dynamics drawing companies to new storage models over the next several years
Presenters communicated a foundation to build infrastructure to support ongoing demand growth.
Windows Azure - Uma Plataforma para o Desenvolvimento de AplicaçõesComunidade NetPonto
A plataforma Windows Azure abre espaço a desenvimento de aplicações utilizando o novo paradigma: "A Nuvem". Aplicações escaláveis, redundantes, e mais próximas do utilizador final. Isto tudo utilizando como base os conhecimentos que já tem e o novo Visual Studio 2010.
The Windows Azure Platform is an internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers that provides an operating system and a set of developer services that can be used individually or together. The Azure platform can be used to build new applications to run from the cloud or enhance existing applications with cloud-based capabilities. The open and extensible nature of Azure’s architecture gives developers the choice to build web applications, applications running on connected devices, PCs, servers, or hybrid solutions offering the best of online and on-premises.
In this session, Wade Wegner will focus on two scenarios – new application development and the migration of existing applications. While walking through demos, Wade will discuss concepts such as application authentication and authorization, data synchronization between the cloud and on-premises databases, application integration, delegation of identity, and operations and management. Particular emphasis will be placed on the migration of existing internal applications to Windows Azure, securing applications through claims-based authentication and passive federation with Geneva Server, using relational databases in the cloud with SQL Azure, and the migration of data to the cloud through tools like SSIS.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Let's dive deeper into the world of ODC! Ricardo Alves (OutSystems) will join us to tell all about the new Data Fabric. After that, Sezen de Bruijn (OutSystems) will get into the details on how to best design a sturdy architecture within ODC.
1. Understanding Azure David Gristwood Application Architect, Microsoft blogs.msdn.com/david_gristwood @ScroffTheBad
2. Why a Cloud Platform? Reduce capital & operations costs Simplify application deployment & management Simplify scaling to internet scale Cost effectively handle peak loads Focus on new functionality & not infrastructure
24. Windows Azure Platform Availability 2010 Northern Europe North Central USA 2010 2010 Eastern Asia Western Europe South Central USA 2010 Southeast Asia
25. Delivering an Efficient & Sustainable Cloud Microsoft has run Online Servicessince 1994 1st MSFT datacentre built in 1989 Running Online Services 24x7x365 MSN launched beta in 1994/public in 1995 Global service delivery to 59 markets/36 languages ∙ 30B Live ID authentications/month ∙ 2B Bing queries/month ∙ 10B MSN page views/month ∙ 240B Messenger messages/month Global Infrastructure to Run Your Services World Wide Quincy, WA: Approx 500K sq ft, hydro-powered San Antonio, TX: Approx 475K sq ft, recyclable water Chicago, IL: Approx 700K sq ft, water economization Dublin, Ireland: Approx 303+K sq ft, air economization
26. Chicago Datacentre – Scalable, Sustainable One of world’s largest datacentres using containers, on-line on July 2009 Cost $500 million, 700k sq ft facility (approx 16 football fields) 30 MegaWatts today, 60 MW for future use ISO 27001:2005 Accreditation SAS 70 Type I and II Attestations 40 ft containers with 1800-2500 servers Density of 10 times amount of compute in equivalent space in traditional datacentres Optimizes efficiency, reduces wastes and carbon footprint Delivers an average PUE of 1.22 Plug-and-play infrastructure = Rapid Deployment
57. Lights-Out Service Management Create services at the developer portal Manage services programmatically using the Service Management API Use in combination with diagnostics API to build a feedback loop
58. Service Upgrade Models In-place rolling upgrade Role instances are spread over update domains Roles are updated one update domain at a time Service remains available during upgrade Real-time hot swap Swap service endpoints of old/new version Enables complex architectural changes Planned downtime Stop and replace service with new version
59. Windows Azure Diagnostics 36 Cloud is much harder than single server Dynamic environment, no local access Azure Diagnostics built for monitoring & data collection Focus on what to collect and when Designed for Azure Based on standard APIs Traces, logs, crash dumps, IIS logs, perfcounters, ETW, etc Upload to Azure storage as required Logging & Diagnostics
60. Azure Content Delivery Network Better performance and user experience by caching Azure blobs at strategically placed locations 18 locations globally (United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America) and growing Content Delivery Network Edge Location Edge Location pic1.jpg Edge Location Windows Azure Blob Service pic1.jpg
63. SQL Azure vs SQL Server Similarities Scalable, reliable, robust, SQL Server technology foundation Same SQL Server core database service Same TDS access Differences Supports subset of SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Limited to 1Gb or 10Gb database Different pricing model No Reporting Services, Analysis Services, etc
65. Common Scenarios Unknown lifetime systems, favouring "pay as you go" Good database management required Non or low confidential data Reference data, esp with Sync Framework Neutral "man in the middle" requirements Physical ownership of data not essential
66. SQL Azure related projects Codename "Houston" Web management tooling SQL Server Management Studio 2008 R2 works today Codename "Dallas“ “Information as a service” Codename "Sydney“ Punch holes through firewalls to integrate cloud and on-premise databases SQL Azure Data Sync For Sync Framework
68. Information as a Service 45 Data or functionality that is “of value to many” – enabling applications, reports, BI analysis, etc… Examples include GIS/Spatial, traffic, movie show times, crime, real-estate sales, financial data, navigation, census data, reviews, etc… Various Classifications: Commercial: clean, supported, and regularly updated from ISVs and Content Providers Trusted Public Domain: clean, unsupported data from academia and governments (Census, FDA, …) Crowd Sourced: unreliable data in the public domain from anyone and everyone
74. “Infrastructure to help build and manage applications more easily” Windows Server AppFabric Caching capabilities (“Velocity”) Workflow + service hosting (“Dublin”) Windows Azure AppFabric (“.NET Services”) Service Bus Access Control
75. Service Bus 50 Exposing internal applications on the Internet isn’t easy Network address translation (NAT) and firewalls get in the way The Service Bus: Provides a cloud-based intermediary between clients and internal applications Provides a service registry that clients can use to find the services they need
77. Access Control 52 Different organizations identify users through many different techniques Applications can be faced with a confusing mess of security related code The Access Control Service: Implements a security token service (STS) in the cloud It accepts one token and issues another An administrator can define rules for how this claims transformation is done
80. Windows Azure Platform Consumption Prices Pay as you go and grow for only what you use when you use it Elastic, scalable, secure, & highly available automated service platform Highly available, scalable, and self managed distributed database service $9.99/month(up to 1 GB DB/month) Compute Web Edition Per service hour Per database/month $0.12/hour + Variable Instance Sizes Windows Azure platform AppFabric Service Bus & Access Control Scalable, automated, highly available services for secure connectivity Business Edition Storage Access Control Service Bus $99.99/month(up to 10 GB DB/month) $0.015/10k Message Operations Per GB stored & transactions Per database/month $0.015/10k Message Operations Per Message Operation Per Message Operation $0.15 GB/month $0.01/10K transactions Prices shown in USD only International prices are available
81. Windows Azure Instance Sizes Variable instance sizes to handle complex workloads of any size X Large Large Medium Small $0.96 $0.48 $0.24 $0.12 Per service hour Per service hour Per service hour Per service hour Unit of Compute Defined Equivalent compute capacity of a 1.6Ghz processor (on 64bit platform) X-Large Large Medium Small 8 x 1.6Ghz 4 x 1.6Ghz 2 x 1.6Ghz 1 x 1.6Ghz (high IO) (high IO) (high IO) (moderate IO) 14 GB memory 7.0 GB memory 3.5 GB memory 1.75 GB memory 2000 GB (instance storage) 1000 GB storage (instance storage) 500 GB storage (instance storage) 250 GB storage (instance storage)
82. Windows Azure Platform Data Transfer Priced per GB transferred/month (prices shown in USD) North America Region Asia Pacific Region Europe Region $0.10 GB Ingress $0.15 GB Egress $0.10 GB Ingress $0.15 GB Egress $0.30 GB Ingress $0.45 GB Egress N. Europe Sub-region N. Central – US Sub-region E. Asia Sub-region W. Europe Sub-region S. Central - US Sub-region S.E. Asia Sub-region No Charge For Off Peak Ingress Promotion (ends 6/30/10) On-board to Windows Azure platform at no charge Off peak times defined as: 10pm-6am Mon-Fri & from 10pm-Fri to 6am-Mon for weekends in each designated regional time zones below Europe WET = UTC North America PST = UTC-8 Asia Pacific SST = UTC+8
83. TCO Analyzer Tool Quickly determine “quantitative” value of using Windows Azure Platform services TCO of development and running Windows Azure Platform vs. traditional delivery channels Estimation “of” and conversion “to” on-premise solution to Windows Azure Platform services TCO tool available today http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/tco/
Slide objectives: Ensure that the audience understands our experience and investments in running and operating services.Speaking Points: IntroMicrosoft hasn’t been running services quite as long as we’ve been making software – but we have been in the business for a while and at huge scale. Just a few numbers from our consumer businessLive Search: 2.16B queries per month, 41 languagesMSN: 550M unique users, 10B+ page views per monthLive ID: 1B+ Authentications/dayMessenger: 8.2B messages/dayMicrosoft has rapidly expanded its data center operations since embarking on the Software + Services strategy in 2005, and willcontinue to do so for the foreseeable future. Initially the company focused on leased facilities. Now we design and build our own data centers. These will soon be the largest and most advanced such facilities in the world—the Northlake facility near Chicago, for instance, will cover more than 500,000 square feet and deliver significant gains in energy efficiency and environmental performance. Data CentersThis is a listing of just the new Microsoft-owned data centers. Designing and building these facilities ourselves allows Microsoft greater control over power efficiency and related environmental impacts. The list below is partial; Microsoft does not comment on exactly how many data centers are operating worldwide. Quincy, WA: Complete, approx 500K sq ft, 27MW, uses entirely hydro-electric powerSan Antonio, TX: Opening Fall 08, approx 475K sq ft, 27MW, uses recycled water for coolingChicago, IL: Opening Spring/Summer 09, approx 550K sq ft, up to 60MW when full, 1st floor up to 220 double-stacked containers, 2nd floor standard raised-floor data center space, will use outside air for coolingDublin, Ireland: Opening Summer 09, approx 570K sq ft, up to 27MW, will use outside air for coolingDes Moines, Iowa: Recently announced purchase of land in the Des Moines area with the intent to build a data centerInnovation:With the Chicago data center, the entire first floor will house containerstrucks will haul up to 200 containers into the building and back them into their slotsFacilities personnel will hook up Internet connections and power and cooling equipment; then each of the containers will be up and runningContainers provide: Energy efficiency, Cost, Deployment speedNotes:
The components of the Azure Services Platform can be used by local applications running on a variety of systems, including various flavors of Windows, mobile devices, and others. Those components include: Windows Azure: Provides a Windows-based environment for running applications and storing data on servers in Microsoft data centers. Microsoft .NET Services: Offers distributed infrastructure services to cloud-based and local applications. Microsoft SQL Services: Provides data services in the cloud based on SQL Server. Live Services: Through the Live Framework, provides access to data from Microsoft’s Live applications and others. The Live Framework also allows synchronizing this data across desktops and devices, finding and downloading applications, and more.
Windows Azure runs on a large number of machines, all located in Microsoft data centers and accessible via the Internet. A common Windows Azure fabric knits this plethora of processing power into a unified whole. Windows Azure compute and storage services are built on top of this fabric. The Windows Azure compute service is based, of course, on Windows. For the initial availability of this service, a Community Technology Preview (CTP) made public in the fall of 2008, Microsoft allowed Windows Azure to run only applications built on the .NET Framework. The company has announced plans to support unmanaged code as well, i.e., applications that aren’t built on the .NET Framework, on Windows Azure in 2009. In the CTP version of Windows Azure, developers can create .NET-based software such as ASP.NET applications and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services. To do this, they can use C# and other .NET languages, along with traditional development tools such as Visual Studio 2008. And while many developers are likely to use this initial version of Windows Azure to create Web applications, the platform also supports background processes that run independently—it’s not solely a Web platform. Both Windows Azure applications and on-premises applications can access the Windows Azure storage service, and both do it in the same way: using a RESTful approach. The underlying data store is not Microsoft SQL Server, however. In fact, Windows Azure storage isn’t a relational system, and its query language isn’t SQL. Because it’s primarily designed to support applications built on Windows Azure, it provides simpler, more scalable kinds of storage. Accordingly, it allows storing binary large objects (blobs), provides queues for communication between components of Windows Azure applications, and even offers a form of tables with a straightforward query language. Running applications and storing their data in the cloud can have clear benefits. Rather than buying, installing, and operating its own systems, for example, an organization can rely on a cloud provider to do this for them. Also, customers pay just for the computing and storage they use, rather than maintaining a large set of servers only for peak loads. And if they’re written correctly, applications can scale easily, taking advantage of the enormous data centers that cloud providers offer. Yet achieving these benefits requires effective management. In Windows Azure, each application has a configuration file. By changing the information in this file manually or programmatically, an application’s owner can control various aspects of its behavior, such as setting the number of instances that Windows Azure should run. The Windows Azure fabric monitors the application to maintain this desired state. To let its customers create, configure, and monitor applications, Windows Azure provides a browser-accessible portal. A customer provides a Windows Live ID, then chooses whether to create a hosting account for running applications, a storage account for storing data, or both. An application is free to charge its customers in any way it likes: subscriptions, per-use fees, or anything else. Windows Azure is a general platform that can be used in various scenarios.
