Windows Azure Essentials V3

Windows Azure Essentials

Michele Leroux Bustamante

Michele Leroux Bustamante

Managing Partner, CofounderSolliance (solliance.net)

CofounderSnapboard (snapboard.com)

Microsoft Regional Director Microsoft MVP

Author, SpeakerPluralsight courses on the way!Blog: michelebusta.com

michelebusta@solliance.net

@michelebusta

Windows Azure FeaturesCompute

VirtualNetwork

TrafficManager

CDN

Storage

Queues

Storage

Tables

Storage

Blobs

SQL Database

SQL Data Sync

SQL Reporting

HDInsight (Hadoop)

Caching Recovery Services

Windows Azure Active Directory

Access Control

Media Services

Service Bus

Notification Topic

Notification Hub

Store

Web Site Cloud Service

Virtual Machine

ApplicationServices

Marketplace

DataServices

Networking

1. Choosing a compute model2. Scale out design and DNS3. Sending email4. Which queue should you use?5. Content and blob storage6. A few points about data7. Logs – your best friend8. Monitoring and alerts – your other best friend9. Backup, everything

Essential Tips

Choosing a compute model

Tip #1

IaaSVirtual Machines

Virtual Machine Provisioning

Choose a VMChoose a VM

Generate

Provision

Select your VHDSelect your VHD

Upload

Provision

• Migrate existing apps without changes

• Complex software deployment, easier with full control over VM

• Prefer IaaS and have staff for IT operations support

• SQL Server over SQL DB– VERY common choice

Why choose a VM?

PaaSCloud Services & Web Sites

Once upon a time…

There were only cloud services

…and life was simple.

Then along came web sites

…but it was just for blogs and cute little web sites, right?

Core Feature Comparison

Cloud Services Web SitesWIF 3.5 Required ✔ .NET 4.5

SSL ✔

Dedicated IP ✔

Performance Counters ✔ WHO CARES?

Auto-scale ✔

Global Assembly Cache ✔ WHO CARES?

Distributed Cache ✔

Custom Software ✔ Nuget (LIMITED)

VM Scale Out Control ✔

Web Site Drivers

• Some web site specialties:– Sites based on built-in Azure templates such

as blogs, wikis, and CMS sites

– MySQL database alternative

• In reality, many will default to web sites first unless there is a cloud service driver

Cloud Service Drivers

Cloud Services Web SitesControl over IIS Settings

?

Dynamic DNS ?

Internal Endpoints

Asynchronous Workers

Network

RDP ?

Non-HTTP Protocols

Control over OS UpdatesCertificate store access ?

Some Personal Preferences

Cloud Services Web SitesStaging, SWAP Rollback

Headless Deployment Single File Updates

Proprietary deployment Familiar deployment

Resource path changes Standard paths

If cloud services needed, deploy all cloud services

Hybrid web sites and cloud services

Built in diagnostics, tracing

Mix of logs, tracing tools

Darned Customers

Scale out design and DNS

Tip #2

What’s Your Application Architecture?

Storage Queue

SB Queue

BlobStorage

SQL AzureSQL Azure

OR

• VM allocations are– Security and isolation boundary– Domain or subdomain boundary– Scale-out boundary

• Save costs early on– Start with a single VM– Small instance

• Scale up and out as needed– Distribute load to separate VM as needed– Increase VM size as needed

VM Allocation Goals

Subscription BRegion East Asia

Subscription ARegion East Asia

Web Sites VM AllocationWeb Site Project

StandardWeb Site

Web Site Project

Standard Web

Site

Web Site Project

Standard Web

Site

Web Site Project

Standard Web

Site

VM $$$Subscription A

Region US West

VM $$$

VM $$$

Cloud Services VM AllocationCloud

Project

Service Definition

Service Config

Role

Site

EntryPoint

Endpoint

VM

VDir

App

$$$

Single Role / Site

bustacloud.com

Single Role / Multiple Site

bustacloud.com api.bustacloud.com

Single Role/ Multiple Site/ Worker

bustacloud.com api.bustacloud.com

Scaling Out to Multiple Roles

bustacloud.com api.bustacloud.com

Equivalent on Web Sites?

bustacloud.com api.bustacloud.com

Sending email

Tip #3

• Most applications require some form of email communication– Email confirmations– User notifications– Administrator alerts– Content delivery

Sending Email

• Local testing– Use System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient– Use Smtp4Dev to work offline

• Live testing and production– Always use a third party relay service– SendGrid gives 25,000 FREE tx/month– Sendy, AuthSmtp, Jango are alternatives

Implementation

• Make it configurable– Interface-based, provider swap– Disable sending to real customers in test– Gmail tip:

youraccount+suffix@gmail.com

• Queue all email– Though mail is async, it can fail to send,

users don’t need to know it failed– Never lose an email

Design Recommendations

Which queue should you use?

Tip #4

Queue ComparisonService Bus Queues Storage Queues

Unlimited message lifetime

7 days expiry

Max 64K message size Max 256K message size

Max 5GB total storage Max 100TB total storageDuplicate detection

Order guarantees

Dead letter queue

Storage metrics

Purge capability

Long polling Manual back-off polling

Content and blob storage

Tip #5

• Blob Storage is the standard now– Scales across instances– Replicated – Map domain to storage account– CDN benefits– Security and shared links

Storing Content

Blob Storage Security

Service

Public Blob Access

createupdatedelete

read

Service

Public Container

Access

createupdatedeleteread

list

Service

Private Container

createupdatedeleteread

list

list

Service

Private Container

readaccessfor limited timewithsharedaccesskey

sharedaccesspolicy

BrowserBrowser Client

Shared AccessSignature (SAS)

>1 hour requiresauthenticationheader in request(no browser)

• Store content in blobs in lieu of drives• Set metadata explicitly for best results• Secure access accordingly

– From JavaScript can lease a shared key– No need to embed keys in the JS file

• Always chunk blobs for best performance

Blob Storage Recommendations

A few points about data

Tip #6

• Entity Framework 4 and earlier, issues with timeouts with SQL DB– http://blogs.msdn.com/b/appfabriccat/ar

chive/2010/12/11/sql-azure-and-entity-framework-connection-fault-handling.aspx

• Entity Framework 5+ has better reliency– Should still look at this framework

SQL DB / Entity Framework Tip

Don’t Drink the KoolaidnoSQLnoSQL

HadoopHadoop

Big DataBig

Data

• noSQL is great, but requires planning– Start relational and figure your model out

first– Get an expert involved if you need noSQL

• BigData is not for everyone– In many cases it is not needed

• Get an expert, like: Lynn Langit– www.contagiouscuriosity.com

Don’t Drink the Koolaid

Logs – your best friend

Tip #7

• Have configurable logging levels• Provide a way to quickly adjust levels• Make it dead easy for developers to

log• Provide an interface-based model for

changing environments / tools• KNOW where to get your logs!

Logging Recommendations

Logging Tools

Cloud Services Web SitesAzure Diagnostics / ETW✔ Log4NET

✔ ELMAH

✔ Glimpse

✔ SLAB / ETW

Monitoring and alerts – your other best friend

Tip #8

• Monitor from outside– Ping– Scripted web tests

• Monitor health from inside (agent install)– CPU usage– Memory usage– Disk IO and space

Monitoring Recommendations

• Azure Ping, Azure Watch• Stackify• NewRelic• App Dynamics ($$$)

Monitoring Tools

Backup, everything

Tip #9

• Daily or before features updates• Asynchronous backup to blob storage• BACPAC export/import from portal• Can use RedGate tools to schedule

and manage, or write some code to do it

Database Backups

• Tools make it too easy to delete items and blow away important customer data

• Backup daily or before feature updates

• Use asynchronous backup to another storage account

• Automate with power shell

Blob Storage Backups

Clean up or pay $$$

ONE LAST TIP

Thank you!

@michelebusta

michelebusta.com

linkedin.com/in/michelebusta

Michele Leroux Bustamante

http://snapboardalpha.cloudapp.net/michelebusta* MOVING TO snapboard.com/michelebusta NOV13