book

Cloud Computing with the Windows® Azure™ Platform

Name: Cloud Computing with the Windows® Azure™ Platform
Author: Roger Jennings
ISBN: 9780470506387

by Roger Jennings

October 2009

Intermediate to advanced

418 pages

10h 37m

English

Wrox

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Copyright
About the Author
Credits
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Who This Book Is ForWhat This Book CoversHow This Book Is StructuredPart I: Introducing the Windows Azure PlatformPart II: Taking Advantage of Cloud Services in the EnterprisePart III: Tackling Advanced Azure Service TechniquesPart IV: Working with SQL Azure Services (Online Only)ConventionsSource Code and Online ChaptersErrataP2p.wrox.com
I. Introducing the Windows Azure Platform
1. Surveying the Role of Cloud Computing
1.1. Why Migrate Applications and Services to the Cloud?1.2. Cloud Computing's Ancestry1.2.1. Diskless Workstations and Thin Clients1.2.2. Web TV and Its Clones or Descendants1.2.3. Netbook Clients1.2.4. Application Service Providers and Software as a Service1.2.5. Web Hosting Services1.3. Cloud Computing and Everything as a Service1.4. Cloud Computing Ontologies1.5. Cloud Computing Concerns1.6. Summary
2. Understanding Windows Azure Platform Architecture
2.1. The Windows Azure Developer Portal2.2. Creating and Running Projects in the Azure Development Platform2.2.1. Installing Windows Azure SDK and Tools for Visual Studio2.2.2. Installing and Building the Windows Azure SDK Sample Applications2.2.3. The Development Fabric2.2.4. Development Storage2.2.4.1. Azure Service Definition and Service Configuration Files2.2.4.2. Azure Table Services2.2.4.3. Azure Blob Services2.2.4.4. Azure Queue Services2.3. Using Azure Application Templates for Visual Studio 20082.3.1. Web Cloud Services and Client Wrapper Class Libraries2.4. Taking Advantage of Auxiliary Cloud Services2.4.1. .NET Services2.4.1.1. Access Control Services2.4.1.2. Service Bus2.4.1.3. Workflow Services2.4.2. SQL Azure2.4.2.1. SQL Data Services and SQL Azure Database (SADB)2.4.2.2. Obtaining an SADB v1 Private CTP Account2.5. Deploying Applications and Services to the Azure Cloud2.5.1. Azure Storage Services2.5.2. Publishing Projects to the Azure Services Developer Portal2.5.3. Publishing the Project to the Cloud Fabric2.6. Summary
3. Analyzing the Windows Azure Operating System
3.1. A Quick Tour of the Windows Azure OS3.2. The Lifecycle of a Windows Azure Service3.2.1. Creating the Host VM and the First Guest VM on a Physical Server3.2.2. Adding Guest VMs to a Host VM3.2.3. Maintaining Role Instance Health3.2.4. Upgrading Service Software and Windows Azure3.3. Securing and Isolating Services and Data3.3.1. Reliance on Cloud-Computing Vendors' Security Claims3.3.2. Isolating Private Data of Multiple Tenants3.4. Assuring Fabric Controller Availability3.5. Virtualizing Windows Servers for Azure3.5.1. Deploying the Azure Hypervisor in Non-Microsoft Data Centers3.6. Summary
4. Scaling Azure Table and Blob Storage
4.1. Creating Storage Accounts4.1.1. Create the First Storage Account with a Hosted Service Token4.1.2. Create an Additional Storage Account with a Hosted Service Token4.2. Using or Wrapping the Azure Storage Services' REST APIs4.2.1. Using Fiddler2 to Display HTTP Request and Response Headers and Content4.2.2. C# Wrappers for RESTful Storage and Authentication Operations4.3. Understanding Azure Table Storage4.3.1. Creating a New Table If the Table Doesn't Exist with Code4.3.2. Creating a New Table If the Table Doesn't Exist with the HTTP POST Method4.3.3. Adding Entities to a Table4.3.3.1. Adding New Entities with Code4.3.3.2. Adding a New Entity with the HTTP POST Method and AtomPub Body4.3.3.3. Taking Advantage of Entity Group Transactions4.3.4. Querying for a Specific Entity or Entities4.3.4.1. Querying for Pages of Entities with Code4.3.4.2. Querying for the Second Page of 12 Entities with the HTTP GET Method4.3.4.3. Querying for the First Eight Customer Entities Located in the USA4.3.5. Updating Entities by Replacing Their Property Values4.3.5.1. Updating Entities with Code4.3.5.2. Updating Entities with the HTTP MERGE Method4.3.6. Deleting Entities4.4. Storing and Retrieving Blobs4.4.1. Blob Content Types4.4.2. The StorageClient Class Library's Blob Storage and REST Blob Storage Classes4.4.3. Obtaining a File from Windows Live SkyDrive and Uploading It to Azure Blob Storage with Code4.4.3.1. Persisting Log Blobs to Containers4.4.3.2. Viewing Content and Log Blobs with Utilities4.4.4. Downloading a Blob File from SkyDrive with the HTTP GET Method4.4.5. Uploading a Blob to Azure Storage Services in 1MB Blocks4.4.6. Downloading a Selected Blob4.4.6.1. Opening a Selected Blob in a Browser or Dialog with Code4.4.6.2. Displaying a Selected Bitmap Blob in a Browser with a GET Request4.4.7. Deleting a Specified Blob4.4.7.1. Deleting a Blob Selected in a GridView Control with Code4.4.7.2. Deleting a Blob Selected in a GridView Control with an HTTP DELETE Request4.4.8. Taking Advantage of New Copy Blob and Get Blob List Methods4.4.9. Late Changes to Azure Blobs4.5. Summary

II. Taking Advantage of Cloud Services in the Enterprise
5. Minimizing Risk When Moving to Azure Cloud Services
5.1. Bypassing Barriers to Cloud Computing5.1.1. Maximizing Data Availability and Minimizing Security Risks5.1.2. An IT-Related Risk Definition5.1.3. NIST's Idea for Federal Cloud Computing Standards5.1.4. Potential Cloud Computing Deployment by the Department of Defense5.1.5. Gaining and Auditing Regulatory Compliance5.1.5.1. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act5.1.5.2. Sarbanes-Oxley Act5.1.5.3. Health Information Technology and HIPAA5.1.5.4. Payment Card Industry-Data Security Standard (PCC-DSS)5.1.5.4.1. PCI's Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)5.1.5.4.2. PCI's Prioritized Approach Framework5.1.5.5. California Senate Bill 13865.1.5.6. Massachusetts' and Nevada's Data Privacy Laws5.2. Implementing Secure Sockets Layer Transmission Encryption for Web Roles5.2.1. Enabling TLS for Azure Data Services5.2.2. Creating a Self-Signed Certificate for the Development Fabric5.2.3. Exporting and Importing the Issuer to the Trusted Root Certificate Authorities List5.2.4. Creating a Test Root Certificate Authority and Using It to Sign a Test Certificate5.3. Encrypting Personal Information in Azure Storage Services5.3.1. Encrypting and Decrypting Strings with AES5.3.1.1. Encrypting Plaintext to Ciphertext5.3.1.2. Decrypting Ciphertext to Plaintext5.3.1.3. Orchestrating Encryption and Decryption in a TableStorageEntity Instance5.3.1.4. Analyzing Encryption's Performance Hit5.3.1.5. Comparing Client-Side Encryption with SQL Server's Column-Based Server Encryption5.3.1.6. Understanding SQL Server 2008's Transparent Data Encryption5.4. Auditing Conformance to Regulatory and Industry Standards5.4.1. Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 (SAS 70)5.4.2. The ISO/IEC 27001:2005 Standard5.4.3. Azure's SAS 70 and ISO/IEC 27001:2005 Audits and Certifications5.4.4. Service-Level Agreements and Business Interruption Risk5.5. Summary
6. Authenticating and Authorizing Service Users
6.1. Taking Advantage of ASP.NET Membership Services6.1.1. ASP.NET Login Controls6.1.2. User Role and Profile Management6.2. Adapting ASP.NET Authentication and Role Management to Windows Azure Web Roles6.2.1. Running the Windows Azure SDK's AspProvidersDemo Service Locally6.2.2. Working with the AspProvidersDemoDB Database6.2.3. Exploring Azure-Specific Membership Elements and Attributes in the Web.config File6.2.3.1. Membership Section6.2.3.2. Role Manager, Profile, and Session State Sections6.2.3.3. Optional Data Services and Default Settings in Web.Config6.2.3.4. Data Services and Default Settings in ServiceConfiguration.cscfg6.3. Analyzing the AspProviders Library's Classes6.3.1. The TableStorageMembershipProvider Class6.3.2. The TableStorageRoleProvider Class6.3.3. The TableStorageProfileProvider Class6.3.4. The TableStorageSessionProvider Class6.4. Moving the AspProvidersDemo's Data Source to the Cloud6.5. Integrating Membership Services with an Azure Service6.5.1. Copying and Integrating Membership-Related Files6.5.2. Customizing the AzureTableTestHarness Project's Default.aspx Page6.6. Authenticating Users with Windows Live ID6.6.1. Downloading and Installing the WLID Web Authentication SDK 1.26.6.2. Installing the Windows Live Tools for Visual Studio6.6.2.1. IDLoginStatus Control6.6.2.2. IDLoginView Control6.6.3. Creating and Testing the Initial LiveIDSampleCloudService6.6.3.1. Creating the New Cloud Service and Web Role6.6.3.2. Copying Code from the WebAuth Sample6.6.3.3. Registering the webauth_handler Page's ReturnURL in the Development Fabric6.6.3.4. Securing a Hosted Project in the Azure Production Fabric6.7. Summary
7. Optimizing the Scalability and Performance of Azure Tables
7.1. Assigning Primary Key Values to Entities7.1.1. Choosing Partition Keys7.1.2. Adding Row Keys7.2. Handling Associated Entities7.3. Taking Advantage of Entity Group Transactions7.4. Uploading Table Data7.4.1. Comparing Code for Uploading Data to Individual or Heterogeneous Tables7.4.2. Comparing Performance of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Table Operations7.5. Displaying Data from Heterogeneous Tables in Grids7.5.1. Displaying Parent Entities7.5.2. Displaying Child Entities7.6. Summary
8. Messaging with Azure Queues
8.1. Creating and Processing Azure Queues and Messages8.1.1. Listing a Storage Account's Queues8.1.2. Issuing HTTP/REST Requests at the Queue Level8.1.2.1. Create a Queue with a Specified Storage Account8.1.2.2. Delete the Specified Queue and Its Contents Permanently8.1.2.3. Set or Update the User-Defined Metadata for the Queue8.1.3. Working with HTTP/REST at the Message Level8.1.3.1. Add a Message to the Queue8.1.3.2. Get the Approximate Number of Messages in the Queue8.1.3.3. Get a Message from the Queue8.1.3.4. Peek at a Message in the Queue8.1.3.5. Delete a Message from the Queue8.1.3.6. Clearing All Messages from the Queue8.2. Enhancing the Thumbnails.sln Sample Solution8.2.1. Understanding the Interaction Between WebRoles and WorkerRoles8.2.1.1. Thumbnail_WebRole Methods and Event Handlers8.2.1.2. Thumbnail_WorkerRole Methods and Event Handlers8.2.2. Analyzing Network Traffic Implications of Polling for Blob Updates8.2.2.1. Calculating Cloud Data Egress and Ingress Costs8.2.2.2. Testing the Effect of Disabling ViewState for the GridView8.2.3. Moving to Client-Side Detection of Added Thumbnail Images8.2.4. Enabling Thumbnail Deletion8.3. Summary
III. Tackling Advanced Azure Services Techniques
9. Authenticating Users with .NET Access Control Services
9.1. Creating a .NET Services Solution9.2. Installing the .NET Services SDK, and Other Tools9.2.1.9.2.1.1. .NET Services SDK9.2.1.2. Azure Management Tools (Optional)9.2.1.3. Azure Services Training Kit (Optional)9.2.1.4. Microsoft "Geneva" Beta 2 (Verify Compatibility Before Installing)9.3. Creating CardSpace Credentials at FederatedIdentity.net9.3.1. Exploring the HTTP Request and Response Messages of the CardSpace Information Card9.3.2. Standardizing Information Card Terminology9.4. Using a Managed CardSpace Credential with ACS9.4.1. Setting Up FederatedIdentity.net for Use with the oakleaf-acs Solution9.4.1.1. Configuring FederatedIdentity.net as a Recognized Token Issuer9.4.1.2. Setting Up Claims Transformation Rules9.4.1.3. Registering with FederatedIdentity.net as a Relying Party9.4.2. Verifying the Managed CardSpace Card(s) with the EchoService9.5. Summary
10. Interconnecting Services with the .NET Service Bus
10.1. Creating a .NET Services Solution and Installing Prerequisites10.2. Relaying Messages with SB10.3. Analyzing the .NET Services SDK's EchoSample Solution10.3.1. Inspecting the Service Project's EchoContract.cs, EchoService.cs, and Program.cs Files10.3.2. Verifying the Service User's Credentials with Code in Program.cs10.3.3. Consuming the EchoSample Solution's Service10.3.4. Making Services Publicly Discoverable10.4. Using the Configuration File to Specify WSHttpRelayBinding10.4.1. Associating a Self-Issued Card Space Identity Card with the Current Solution10.4.2. Correcting the Autogenerated Scope for the Solution10.4.3. Specifying Binding Details in App.config10.5. Summary
11. Exploring .NET Service Bus Queues and Routers
11.1. Persisting Messages in Service Bus Queues11.1.1. Creating SBQs with the QueueManagementClient Class11.1.2. Test-Driving the HttpQueueSample Solution11.1.3. Spelunking the HttpQueueSample Solution's Code11.2. Delivering Messages with Service Bus Routers11.3. Summary
IV. Working with SQL Azure Services (Online Only)
12. Managing SQL Azure Accounts and Databases
12.1. Tracking SSDS's Migration to a Relational Database12.2. Reviewing Current SQL Azure Database Documentation and Resources12.3. Creating or Upgrading Windows Azure and SQL Azure Accounts12.4. Setting Up the Server Firewall12.5. Creating a User Database12.6. Testing Database Connectivity12.7. Connecting to SADB User Databases with SSMS 2008 R2 [Express]12.7.1. Configuring the Server Firewall12.7.2. Determining Server Usage12.8. Using the sqlcmd Utility with SADB12.9. Comparing SADB with SQL Server 2008 R2 Databases12.10. Summary
13. Exploiting SQL Azure Database's Relational Features
13.1. Creating and Populating SADB Databases13.1.1. Generating the Northwind Sample Database in SADB from the instnwind.sql Script13.1.1.1. Conforming instnwind.sql to SADB T-SQL DDL Limitations13.1.1.2. Updating IF EXISTS() Tests That Use sysobjects Arguments13.1.1.3. Running InstnwindFromNorthwind.sql in SSMS13.1.2. Generating the AdventureWorksLT (Lite) Database from the SQL Azure (December CTP) Sample13.1.3. Using SSIS to Populate a Local AdventureWorksLT2008 Database from SADB13.1.3.1. Installing Prerequisites for Moving Data Using SSIS13.1.3.2. Verifying Demo Prerequisites with the Configuration Wizard13.1.3.3. Creating a T-SQL Script with SSMS to Populate an SADB Database13.1.3.4. Using the Pre-Built AdventureWorksLT2008_Azure.sql Script to Populate an SQL Azure Database13.1.3.5. Designing the Package to Import Data from SQL Azure to On-Premises SQL Server Tables13.1.3.5.1. Create Connection Managers for the Local (Source) and SADB (Cloud) Databases13.1.3.5.2. Add and Test Execute SQL Tasks to Clear the Local SalesOrder and SalesHeader Tables13.1.3.5.3. Add and Test Data Flow Tasks to Import SalesOrder Data from an SADB to a Local Database Table13.1.4. Migrating Schemas and Data from the On-Premises AdventureWorksLT2008 Database to SQL Azure13.1.5. Using the Bulk Copy Process to Populate SADB Tables13.1.6. Populating Tables with the INSERT...BULK Command13.2. Sharding Tables to Overcome Database Size Limits13.3. Creating SADB Logins and Users, and Assigning Roles13.4. Summary

Content preview from Cloud Computing with the Windows® Azure™ Platform

Chapter 3. Analyzing the Windows Azure Operating System

Windows Azure is a "cloud layer" operating system that runs on thousands of Windows Server 2008 physical instances in Microsoft data centers. It's not required that you know how the Azure operating system (OS) works to develop and deploy applications or services to the Windows Azure Platform. However, a basic understanding of Windows Azure's architecture can aid you in designing complex applications that take advantage of OS features to achieve maximum performance, scalability, and security.

A Quick Tour of the Windows Azure OS

The data center's physical servers run an advanced, custom version of Microsoft's Hyper-V hypervisor technology that virtualizes the physical instances to deliver a clustered runtime fabric, called the Azure Fabric Controller (FC), which handles application/service deployment, load balancing, OS/data replication, and resource management. The FC deploys projects, adds instances automatically to meet demand, manages project software upgrades, and handles server failures to maintain project availability.

Note

Early Azure CTPs don't implement dynamic service instance management in response to changes in demand. You specify the number of instances in the ServiceConfiguration.cscfg file and then redeploy the modified file to the project in the Azure Service Portal.

The host virtual machine (host VM) controls access to the hardware of the physical server and supports multiple guest VMs in a multitenanted environment. ...

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