Azure Storage - Which tool should I choose to manage my Azure Storage?

One of the first thing you need when you start doing Azure projects is a tool to manage the Azure storage. But so many are available… And they all look good!  In this post, I will try to answer to the question: Which tool should I choose to manage my Azure Storage?  Feel free to add comments or suggestions, I’m always open to better idea.

Azure Storage Explorer
The first one I try was the Azure Storage Explorer. You can easily find it (you probably already know it) on Codeplex.com.
The look of this application is gorgeous and the tool it self is very powerful.  You can manage the queues, the tables, the blob storage.  And more recently to project was update to add blob security features. And this tool is completely free.
The only weak point I found, was that the application was freezing when I try too upload many (+1000) images in a blog storage.

Cloudberry Explorer

Another I try was Cloudberry. It look like a ftp tool and only manage the blob storage, but I found it to be the more efficient.  The tool ask you for a registration, but the registration is free.  It never freeze event when I shoot him thousand of images.
The only con is that it doesn't support queues and tables.

AzureXplorer

Finally I also try AzureXplorer. This tool cost only 50$ (a free fully functional 30-days evaluation is also available) and is completely integrated to Visual Studio (that a great thing when you are a .Net developer).  It can manage queues, tables and blob storages.
The problem was when (yes again) upload a lot of images the full Visual Studio was lock.  So I was unable to work… but other wise very nice.

And the winner is…

And the winner is all of them. I think that if your doing a lot of upload in the blob storage the CloudBerry is must.  Otherwise, depending if you are using Visual Studio or if you want to go with a free open source project both AzureXplorer or Azure Storage Explorer are a excellent choice.

Again, this is not the absolute truth, this is base on my experience.  So please, if you know a good tool to manage Azure Storage add a comment.

~ Franky

References:

• Azure Storage - http://azurestorageexplorer.codeplex.com/
• Azure Storage Explorer 4.0.0.9 Refresh with Blob Security Features - http://davidpallmann.blogspot.com/2011/04/azure-storage-explorer-4009-refresh.html
• Cloudberry Explorer - http://cloudberrylab.com/?page=explorer-azure
• AzureXplorer - http://clumsyleaf.com/products/azurexplorer

Reading Notes #9 (Lecture de la semaine)

Back from vacation, a lot of reading to catch-up.

• A cloud batch execution tool - Very interesting. In some of my past lives this could saved me hours of pain. Here's the documentation and here a video demo.
• Four 4 tips for developing Windows Services more efficiently  - Good simple tips to be more efficient developing services... and it can be applicable to all dev.
• When It Comes to Cloud, First Things First – Strategy and Training – Nice post published during the last #AzureWednesday…  Also Don’t mist the next episode of Manager Tech Talk, September 8, 2011.
• Various Options to Manage Session State in Windows Azure – Describe the different way to maintain session in the cloud. Also you can try the  Universal Providers presented in a previous post: The Magic Provider (also call Universal Providers)
• Welcome to Windows Azure’s Silver Lining – The first post of a new blog that need to be follow, especially if you’re not .net developer.
• Windows Azure Web Role and ACSv2 Application Exception - New version mean sometime new "features" (read bug). To understand one of them read this post. A workaround are also presented.
• Interface Attributes != Class Attributes – Nice and clear explanation of some difference between interface and class; or should i say base class.
• The Power of the Default (MSDN Mag) - You thick you know what should be a default value on an application... This post is for you.
• Hire and Pay a Designer and Be Happy - A short story... and a great new look.
• How to Speed up Windows Azure Deployments - Quick tips to make more enjoyable your dev. time with azure.
• Using ELMAH in Windows Azure with Table Storage – Show a simple way to use a great tool. With a Nuget implementation.
• Searching Windows Azure Storage with Lucene.Net (MSDN Mag) – Great article, this will be useful someday.

- A nice .NET version of the open source Lucene search and indexing library, which you’ll find at incubator.apache.org/lucene.net

- Tom Laird-McConnell created a fantastic library for using Windows Azure Storage with Lucene.Net; you’ll find it at code.msdn.microsoft.com/AzureDirectory.

• Playing with the new Windows Azure Storage Analytics Features - Great intro to the tool. The azure analytics feature is really nice. I will come back on this one for sure.

The analytics documentation as well as the storage team’s blog posts on logging and metrics have more details

• Announcing Windows Azure Storage Analytics - Another good post about the azure storage analytics.
• Deploying the Windows Azure ASP.NET MVC 3 Web Role – A lot of goods links and good advices. Watch the cloud cover episode 54 show for other detail.
• Announcing the August 2011 Release of the Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 - Great new I was waiting for that one!
• 7 Chrome Tips Developers & Designers May Not Know - Wow I think I was knowing my chrome browser. How could I be that foolish? I really like the un-minify feature...  Web developer be aware you MUST read this post. Also a cheatsheet link is available.

~Franky

Lecture de la semaine # 8

• Introducing System.Web.Providers - ASP.NET Universal Providers for Session, Membership, Roles and User Profile on SQL Compact and SQL Azure - Nicely introduce the magic provider. See also my quick resume: The Magic Provider (also call Universal Providers)
• Windows Azure Storage Architecture Overview – All the info about the 3 layers; very complete post.
• Creating a Many To Many Mapping Using Code First - I like the EFCF to do my prototype and quick project. I'm sure that EF is good for other think but I use it in this purpose. Anyway, the many to many relation is a must... this post give a quick sample.
• Must have NuGet Packages for Windows Azure Development - Who many NuGet package about Azure do you think is available? How about 34? Surprise? This post is for you.
• Review: Open-source components used in learn.knockoutjs.com - The web site lear.knockoujs.com is a great tool. Here the creator explains how he did it and lists all the free stuff he uses.
• Announcing Entity Framework Migrations (Fantasy Version) - A dream about a wonderful alpha project… or a real one…
• Entity Framework Code First Migrations - Scott present the new release (in alpha) of EFCF migration. A nice post about the always nice EF products.
• AWS Summer Startups: Yottaa - Great start for Yottaa after winning the AWS challenge.

~Franky


del.icio.us Tags: Javascript,tools,Azure,Sql,EFCF,KnokOut,Migration

The Magic Provider (also call Universal Providers)

My first Azure project was the migration of an existing web site in the cloud.  “Piece of cake”, I think. I was not so far, but I got one little issue why the membership and the session state.
Back then the best solution was to use the AspProviders, a project in Microsoft Azure Samples.  The projet need to add to the solution and special SQL script, done by the Azure Team, need to be run to modify the AzureSQL database.  Once some tweaks to the config files were done, it was working.  Not bad, but it could be easier.
Today, thanks to the NuGet magic, we have the ASP.NET Universal Providers! With this package we only need to execute one command: Install-Package System.Web.Providers, and voilà! No more config files manipulations, no more SQL script to run, no more nothing.   Just install and run it.
It really works! 

Of course it’s still in alpha (version 0.1) but it’s all ready working nice.  For a more complete introduction I suggest you to read the great post that Scott Handselman wrote on is blog: Introducing System.Web.Providers - ASP.NET Universal Providers for Session, Membership, Roles and User Profile on SQL Compact and SQL Azure.

~ Franky

References:

• Asp.Net Universal Provider - http://nuget.org/List/Packages/System.Web.Providers
• Scott Handselman Bog - http://www.hanselman.com/blog/MakingAwesomeWeddingDocumentsUsingOpenTypeLigaturesAndStylisticSetsInMicrosoftWord2010AndGabriola.aspx
• Microsoft Azure Samples - http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsazure/

Lecture de la semaine #7

• Windows Azure Design Patterns, Part 1 (David Pallmann) - Très bon post. Les symboles sont beaux et clairs. Je vais les utiliser assurément. Reste plus qu’à attendre le volume 2 : The Windows Azure Handbook. (Suite à une mise à jour les icônes peuvent sont disponible ici).
• Microsoft CIO Tony Scott: How to Avoid “Cloud Paralysis” (CIO, Microsoft Tony Scott) – Cinq leçons apprise suite à une courte utilisation du « cloud computing ».
• The Microsoft Cloud Like You’ve Never Seen It Before – (vidéo) Ce vidéo parle des différentes itérations des Data Center de Microsoft. Très intéressant.
• The Guide to Creating Quality Technical Screencasts (hanselman.com) – Grâce à Scott j’ai quelque chose de bien à lire chaque semaine! De prime à bord les conseils semblent peut-être faciles, mais la simplicité est la clé… Et les valeurs par défaut aussi ;)
• Using MSBuild to deploy your AppFabric Application (Justin Beckwith) – Un article très complet avec beaucoup d’information. Un exemple à faire pour tout retenir.
• node.js running in a Windows Azure Worker Role – Je crois que Node.js à beaucoup de potentiel. J’ai aimé cette « expérience ». À suivre…
• OData Feed Fun Or There's no Atom/RSS Feed, but there is OData, so there IS an Atom feed – Modifier un flux RSS pour obtenir, ou garder, exactement ce que l’on veut… Ça, c’est une bonne idée!
• 25 Ways To Become A Better Writer – Oui, je sais, encore d’autres articles non techniques, mais ce « post » est très stimulant. Lisez, vous verrez!
• Chatty DM, Freelancer – Une série intéressante, un parcours tortueux pour « bien » finir… ça me fait penser à quelqu’un… ;)
• Part 1: Lessons from Academia
• Part 2: Lessons from Day Jobs
• Part 3: RPG Blogging, The Revelation
• Chatty DM, Freelancer, Part 4: The Pit and The Plan

~ Franky