Windows Azure Disk Partition Preservation - Quick post that show what append with disk partitions from PaaS stateless VM when different events append in a nice table view.
Online Data Storage: Is it okay to Move to the Cloud? - Nice post that should be share and re-post to reach the maximum of people. Backing up the cloud is easy and safe. But off course it's not THE solution, but part of the solution.
Website Pricing, Shared or Reserved (Tyler Doerksen) - Short post that explain very clearly the difference between the Windows Azure Website options.
BlogEngine.NET and Windows Azure Web Sites - Good news, BlogEngine.Net is finally available in the Windows Azure Website gallery and configured to not be using a SQL database.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3G/Wi-Fi Review (Scott Hanselman) - I like sooo much my Kindle. With is keyboard so I can take my notes. When I read about the Paperwhite I thought it was perfect. But since my use of this device is very similar to Scott... I will pass.
What’s the benefit of the cloud? - Quick opinion post about what the "real" benefit of the cloud and I agree.... but I still think that you can save money, gain speed and stability.
[…]"When my sock drawer is perfectly folded, sorted and lined up, I know that I am out of control in my life." […]
Picture This (Simon) - Great application available on all mobile device and desktop.
Brain Droppings - A lot of funny thoughts that make my morning...
9 Things You Wish Job Candidates Knew (Jeff Haden) - Great tips to be prepare at you’re next interview. This post gives useful information to be reading winning a job, a contract, a fun project, etc.
Drunk on Cloud Kool-Aid? Time To Sober Up (Justin Moore) - It's never all white or all black. This post put some gray in the picture of what will be the cloud in five years.
Keeping your options open in a cloud solution (Buck Woody) - One thing that is great about Windows Azure is that you can use anything with it. Not only Microsoft language or application, not event only Azure services.
A First Look at SQL Server Data Tools - Include in the new visual studio 2012, and downloadable for 2008 and 2010, this amazing tool is a must for all developer. And it's free! .[video]
Windows 8 Shortcut Keys (John Evdemon) - Since I'm just starting to use Windows 8 this post is clearly useful.
3 Easy Exercises to Boost Your Creativity (2012| Comment Nadia Goodman| September 26) - I will not go that far, but the main goal is there. If you want be create the next Instagram, you must train your creativity.
This week a little bit less of notes since I went to the Windows Azure Global Summit at Seattle, where I met many interesting persons. A lot of amazing things are coming for Windows Azure... but this is for another post!
[…] Read this getting started tutorial to walkthrough how you can build (in less than 5 minutes) a simple Windows 8 “To-do List” app that is cloud enabled using Windows Azure Mobile Services. Or watch this video of me showing how to do it step by step.[…]
Deploying Azure Websites with Git(Tyler) - Nice tutorial that how easy it is to manage our website with the new Github integration into the Windows Azure portal.
Logging Using Azure Table Storage (Michael R Duffy) - I'm use to see more logging solution using the Windows Azure storage with blob than with table. But it makes sense since now storage is so cheap. Great post.
How to migrate your TFS Repository to GitHub - Nice, simple and quick tutorial to start using git and in the meantime try Chocolately. (a kind of NuGet but for Windows instead of Visual Studio)
ScottGu's Blog - Good promo, no obligation, no credit card, good product... until the September 18.
[…]Read this getting started tutorial to walkthrough how you can build (in less than 5 minutes) a simple Windows 8 “To-do List” app that is cloud enabled using Windows Azure Mobile Services. Or watch this video of me showing how to do it step by step.[…]
Your resume vs. your LinkedIn profile (Thomas Wolff) - Nice advice about how we should use LinkedIn with our resume. They should complement each other not be the same.
[This week, the image is provided by Marc Gagné @marc_gagne, a Windows Azure Ninja.] Cloud
Amazon AWS is the Cloud (for now anyway) (Ofir Nachmani) - It is true, Amazon web services is a strong well establish cloud provider. And big players like Google and Microsoft will force it to always improve the quality of their services.
Cloud Fundamentals Video Series (Alfred Thompson) – Wow! 25 good reasons to bookmarks this posts... if you want to get started on Windows Azure.
To TechDays 2012 and Beyond (Jonathan Rozenblit) - A lot of possibilities to learn more great Windows technology are coming, here is a sneak peak.
Connecting to the Cloud–Part 1 (Tyler Doerksen) - Nice post that explains at high level two ways to connect the cloud with a on premise solution: data synchronisation and application layer.
Connecting to the Cloud-Part 2 (Tyler Doerksen) - In this second post learn more about two other way to connect Azure with both on-premise or another cloud provider (like amazon or Rackspace): machine to machine and network layer.
Traffic Technique 6: Backlinks (Darren Rowse) - Today's website/blog are prettier than in the past with all the bling-bling. So the to increase the traffic you need to play in subtlety. A good series to learn more on those basic rules.
WebMatrix 2 is Released! + New Windows Azure Features (blogs.msdn.com) - WebMatrix is a great tool now with this new version it's even belter! From Windows Azure Portal you can download your web site edit it and republish it in few clicks... that only one thing among the things WebMatrix can do to simplify our lives.
The Hanselminutes Podcast - Very nice, I cannot wait to try the update database feature with the code first...
Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged (Scott Edinger) - Nice post that explain how today with all the alternative we have to communicate that the distance is not a factor anymore. In business at least...
Shifting Blog From WordPress to Bloggers (gotchacode.blogspot.in) - I did the same choice for mostly the same reason few years ago. But now that you can host Wordpress in Windows Azure... maybe ;)
ScottGu's Blog - Great! This new service is awesome. Learn more in this post or follow the references to go dipper.
[…]Read this getting started tutorial to walkthrough how you can build (in less than 5 minutes) a simple Windows 8 “Todo List” app that is cloud enabled using Windows Azure Mobile Services. Or watch this video of me showing how to do it step by step. […]
Amazon AWS is the Cloud (for now anyway) - It is true that Amazon web services is a strong well establish cloud provider. And big players like Google and Microsoft will force them to always improve the quality of their services.
Fault-tolerance in Windows Azure SQL Database (Himanshu Singh) - Really nice article that explain the fault-tolerance, why it is needed, how it is done (replication, redundancy, detection, etc.).
Do you know your PaaS from your IaaS? (Marc Gagné) - Nice post that differences the PaaS, SaaS and IaaS of Windows and also talk about the Azure DevCamp that is coming to Montreal at beginning of September.
SQL Azure – Disaster Recovery (Iain Hunter) - This is a mandatory post to read. The solution expose in this post is so simple to do. Everyone who use Windows Azure database should do it.
Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Refactor Your Code - Good post. Everyone should agree with those ideas of good code. More often, the problem come from determining how much effort and time to get it done that way.
Three cool things to try with your old netbook - Good idea that I also try with my Asus EeePC 701. The Ubuntu Netbook is also a really good option, you will be able to watch all the movies you want, have access to your Wi-Fi network and browse Internet.
Your words are wasted (Scott Hanselman) - Nice post that nails the idea where all developer should have a blog, blog more and doing it on their own controlled domain.
Scrum in 5 Minutes - Really nice post that describe very clearly the basic concepts and roles involve in Agile. It also suggests a book for more detailed explanations and a tool AgileSonic that looks gorgeous. A post to read.
“The problem is that writing code is much more like Finding a Cure for Cancer than Building a Brick Wall.”
Be More Productive. Take Time Off. (JASON FRIED) - That a nice idea! This post is about a company that try uncommon thing to boost productivity, and it works more than expected!
Ahhhhhhhhh! That was great! I was in vacation enjoying family time.
I read two no-technical books
Catching Fire – The Hunger Games book 2 (Suzanne Collins) – Great book!
Confessions of a Freelance Penmonkey (Chuck Wendig) – In this book you will found a lot of the really good post about writers… The style is different I and liked it!
And of course I have some reading notes that I didn’t publish before I went to vacation:
Multi-provider PaaSes - what exactly do they offer? - Great post where the author is sharing is toughs about the cloud. Putting your code in the cloud doesn’t make it elastic or invulnerable... you need to do it to make it append.
Introduction to Windows Azure Startup Tasks - Simple tutorial that is the perfect starting point for any one that knows the base of Azure. Nice catch for the "feature" in VS with batch scripts.
Windows Azure and Office 365 (Scott Gu) - Great post that pass through all the new features in Office365 and SharePoint.
Fault-tolerance in Windows Azure SQL Database (Tony Petrossian) - Really nice article that explain the fault-tolerance, why it is needed, how it is done (replication, redundancy, detection, etc.).
Marketing yourself as a programmer (Patrick Wyatt) - Being able to sale yourself as a good programmer is important to find a new job but also to progress and be happy at your current job.
Productivity vs. Guilt and Self-Loathing (Scott Hanselman) - This is a good post that need reflection. I could add that if you want to change something, do it progressively. Don’t try to wake up 3 hours earlier in one night...
One of the questions that clients often ask is: What tools could be used for Windows Azure development. Everyone knows that you need a web browser and a code editor (ex: Visual Studio), but what else? So, I decided to do a serie of posts to present them. This second post is about the Auto-scaling Application Block or WASABi for friends.
This serie is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all tools. Some other excellent tools are surely available. If you think I have forgotten one or want me to talk about one, let me know. I will be more than happy to adding it to the list.
To achieve elasticity until now, you needed to do it manually through the Azure management portal or writing your own code using the REST API. Using Wasabi, you just need to define some rules and the application will scale automatically: It can use a schedule or can be triggered by metrics, for example running fewer instances at night or adding extra instances if the CPUs are used at more than 80%.
The auto-scaling application block can be hosted either in a Windows Azure role or in an on-premises application. The auto-scaling application is typically hosted in a separate application from the target application that you want to scale.
Various scenarios are available to help you manage the auto-scaling by dynamically changing instance counts or performing application throttling of web/worker roles. The rules can auto scale based on timetables or metrics collected from the application and/or Windows Azure. You can even use notifications to preview any scaling operations before they take place and you can also use some PowerShell cmdlets to manage the autoscaler. You can constrain the auto scaling by:
Setting the instance counts upper and lower bounds
Preventing fast oscillations in the number of role instances with the stabilizer
For this demo we will use a simple Hello word application and scale it with a rule via a console application based on time.
Step 1: Put the app in Azure
To get started an Azure application is needed. Don’t forget to assign a certificate since the console application will need it.
You can then publish the application on the cloud.
Step 2: Adding the scaling application
Now create a console application and name it AutoScalingConsole. Add the WASABi package by executing: Install-Package EnterpriseLibrary.WindowsAzure.Autoscaling.
It should run without error and your Solution should look like this.
Step 3: Add and configure the rules
Add a new file call Rules.xml and set the property Copy to Output Directory: Copy always. Copy-paste this xml into the rules file.
It contains two rules: A default one that is always active, defining minimum and maximum instance counts of 1, and a second one used for scaling. The variable “Is rank” with a value of one means that it can be overridden by other constraint rules with a higher rank. . Naturally, if that rule is applied, there will be only a single instance of the role.
The second rule is named peaktime. This rule has the same target, a higher rank, a minimum value of two, a maximum value of four. Also a timetable makes the rule active for 20 minutes, starting at 10 minutes from the current time.
Step 4: Define the service model
You will now add a new xml file called services.xml and set the property Copy to Output Directory: Copy always. Copy-paste this xml into the services file.
Replace [yoursubscriptionname] with the name of your Windows Azure subscription and [yoursubscriptionid] with your Windows Azure subscription ID.
Replace [yourmanagementcertificatethumbprint] with your Windows Azure management certificate thumbprint.
Replace [yourhostedservicednsprefix] with the URL prefix of your Windows Azure hosted service.
Replace [yourstorageaccountname] with your Windows Azure storage account name and [yourstorageaccountkey] with your Windows Azure storage account primary access key.
Step 5: Configure the Auto-scaling Application Block
Right-click on the App.config file in Solution Explorer, add one if needed, then click Edit Configuration File. In the Blocks menu, click Add Autoscaling Settings. Now set the rules.xml and services.xml as sources for Rules Store and Service Information Store. Via the File menu, Save then Exit.
To by able to track evolution of the the testing let’s add some logging. In Visual Studio, double-click on the App.config file to open it in the editor. Then add this system.diagnostics at the end of the file:
You can now run the console application and observe how the auto-scaling rules work with the Azure application. Check the Output window in Visual Studio that logs which rules are being matched.
Conclusion
Using Wasabi makes your application elastic but doesn’t make your application scalable you must therefore design for scalability. If you have any comments, suggestions or experiences to share, feel free to let me know by adding a comment, by e-mail or by the contact page.
ASP.NET Web API and Azure Blob Storage (Yao) - Super tutorial that show step by step how to manage your Azure Blob Storage by code, by doing a nice helper class.
Exterminating Common jQuery Bugs (Elijah Manor) - Wow what a great video. It goes through all most frequent mistake we make, explain why it doesn't works and fix it. Take a look at the tool he is using. An open source (soon) presentation framework. Very nice!
3 Interview Questions That Reveal Everything (Jeff Haden) - Nice post. I like the questions it's true that you should learn a lot from them even if the candidate is not "verbose".
Architecting with AWS – Before You Go (Jeremiah Peschka) - Nice post about an architect training on AWS. The equivalent also exists for Azure... even if this post didn't talk about it.
What's New? - Wow the perfect monster machine to run those NoSQL databases...
All Things Distributed (Werner Vogel) - Nice post about the new high performance EC2 of AWS. All about the specs and features of this new instance type.
What Exactly Is GitHub Anyway? (Klint Finley) - Excellent post that demystify all unknown about GitHub. Nice work! A post that you should definitely read.
Azure CDN – with AzureCdn.Me and MVC3 (Iain Hunter) - Nice post and great tool. The AzureCdn.Me even has a NuGet package... This tool will simplify so much your work with the Azure content delivery network (CDN).
Advanced queries with Lucene.NET (codewrecks.com) - Lucene.NET is the best option to do full text search in Azure. This great post explains how to perform advanced queries.
Entity Framework and Open Source(Scott Gu) - I'm really happy to see that the Entity Framework is now completely open source and on CodePlex. Learn a bit more about version 5 and even 6.
ASP.NET Web API and Azure Blob Storage (Yao - MSFT) - Super tutorial that show step by step how to manage your Azure Blob Storage by code, by doing a nice helper class.
The Patient Knows What’s Wrong with Him - Nice thoughts, we shouldn't expect the solution from the user... only partial information. The analogy with the doctor is a really good idea, I’m sure I will reuse it someday...
[…]And the user exclaimed with a snarl and a taunt, “It’s just what I asked for, but not what I want!” That was 30 years ago, and I doubt the poem was new then.[…]
Cloud 
David Pallmann Demonstrates azureQuery (Channel 9)
Catching Fire
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