I presented this at a user group in Sweden, as a compilation discussion of practical customer experiences with WIndows Azure. The slides led the discussion. Enjoy.

1. Deep Thoughts
from the
Real World of Azure
Michele Leroux Bustamante
CIO, Solliance
Cofounder, Snapboard
michelebusta@solliance.net

2. Windows Azure Features
Compute
Virtual
Network
Traffic
Manager
CDN
Storage
Queues
Storage
Tables
Storage
Blobs
SQL
Database
SQL
Data Sync
SQL
Reporting
HDInsight
(Hadoop)
Caching Recovery
Services
Windows Azure
Active Directory
Media
Services
Service
Bus
Store
Web Site Cloud
Service
Virtual
Machine
Application
Services
Marketplace
Data
Services
Networking
Mobile
Services
BizTalk
Services

3. Azure Features
Compute
Web Site Cloud
Service
Virtual
Machine

5. IAAS
VIRTUAL MACHINES

6. Virtual Machine Provisioning
Choose a VM
Generate
Provision
Select your VHD
Upload
Provision

8. PAAS
CLOUD SERVICES & WEB SITES

9. WEB SITES

10. Deep Thoughts on Web Sites
• New portal
• Publishing process
• Setting overrides
• Log streaming
• SWAP (but…)

11. CLOUD SERVICES

12. Cloud Services Are…

13. Packaging & Deployment

14. VIP Swap

15. Deep Thoughts on Cloud Services
• Packaging settings outside of web.config
• Proper swap, separate VM
• Application insights agent
• Mostly for worker roles, reading queues,
async processing

16. Deep Thoughts on Worker Roles
• Set up configuration settings to shut
off processing
• Implement graceful shutdown

17. Azure Features
Storage
Tables
SQL
Database
SQL
Data Sync
SQL
Reporting
HDInsight
(Hadoop)
Data
Services

18. SQL DB and SQL Server
• SQL DB (formerly SQL Azure)
– 150GB limit
– No backup logs / replay
– IO performance
– Other SQL features
• SQL DB Premium
– 500GB limit
– 30 days of backups
– Restore on demand
• SQL Server on Azure VM
– Popular alternative
– 1TB limit (blob storage)

19. What do YOU want in a DB?
• No limits manage yourself
– SQL Server VM
• Managed and affordable
– SQL DB
• Managed and $$$
– MySQL / ClearDB cluster
– SQL DB Premium
– Other similar options for MySQL/SQL
Server outside of Azure

20. Deep Thoughts on Relational Data
• All platforms require retry mechanism
• Mind your connection pool settings
• Practice backup and restore
• Always use data masking to dev, test
• PII, encryption
• Review queries, profile, tune
• Use transactions for Pete’s sake

21. noSQL
• It’s either obvious…
– Very large quantities of data
– Easily compartmentalized data, key value lookup or document-centric
– Logs, audit trails, notifications, profile data from social networks,
associative information about users / “things” in the relational store
• Or, it requires planning…
– Could be large quantities
– Could require noSQL scale, parallel access performance
• Many people return to relational
• Can start relational and figure your model out first
• Or, combine the two

22. Understanding noSQL
• http://kkovacs.eu/cassandra-vs-
mongodb-vs-couchdb-vs-redis

23. Big Data/Map Reduce from 10K
Feet
Company B Company CCompany A
Aggregate
Data
(all Companies)
HD
Insight
Company A
Server
Company C
Company B
HD
Insight
(local)
HD
Insight
(local)
HD
Insight
(local)

24. Don’t Drink the Koolaid
noSQL
Hadoop
Big Data

25. Don’t Drink the Koolaid
• noSQL requires planning
• BigData is not for everyone
• Get an expert, like: Lynn Langit
– www.lynnlangit.com
– Youtube.com/socaldevgal
Shout Out!

26. Azure Features
Service
Bus
Application
Services
Storage
Queues
Data
Services

27. Service Bus as DMZ
Service Service Service
Web API Web API
Browser Browser
Rich
ClientsMVC /
JQuery AJAX
Service
Mobile
Clients
DMZ
Corporate
Domain
MVC
Site
Web
Forms
Site

28. Service Bus to Data On Premise /
Migration
Service
Client
Web
Application
Service Bus
Corporate
Domain
Windows Azure

29. Queues

30. Topics

31. Queue Comparison
Service 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 storage
Duplicate detection
Order guarantees
Dead letter queue
Storage metrics
Purge capability
Long polling Manual back-off polling

32. Queue Comparison
Service 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 storage
Duplicate detection
Order guarantees
Dead letter queue
Storage metrics
Purge capability
Long polling Manual back-off polling

33. Queue Comparison
Service Bus Queues Storage Queues

34. Deep Thoughts on Async Work
• Queues and worker roles
• Use error queues
• Monitor queues for expiring items
• Use service bus for parallel processing
• Use web jobs to kick off queue
processing

35. Azure Features
CDN
Storage
Blobs
Media
Services
Application
Services
Data
Services
Networking

36. Common Blob Storage Usage
• Web site content, javascript, css, images
• Logs (setting)
• App content
– Can separate by user for key isolation via Azure Explorer
• Media
– Can use with media services, encoding services
• Replace file storage
– Retain folder structure
– Request by path
• Very large files
– Set up chunking process for upload
– Use hash to check integrity

37. Blob Storage Integrity
Windows Azure
Storage
Blob Container
Service
validate
signature
Windows
Azure
MD5
Hash
+
MD5
Hash
+

38. Shared Access Signatures
Service
Public Blob
Access
create
update
delete
read
Service
Public
Container
Access
create
update
deleteread
list
Service
Private
Container
create
update
deleteread
list
list
Service
Private
Container
read
access
for
limited
time
with
shared
access
key
shared
access
policy
Browser Client
Shared Access
Signature (SAS)
>1 hour
requires
authentication
header in request
(no browser)

39. Deep Thoughts on Blobs
• Doh, protect your content!
• Separate containers for management
roles and delegation
• Write some reusable tools for saving,
chunking, shared access, reading,
writing to streams, etc.
• Backup, backup, backup (AZCopy)
• Snapshots, maybe

40. Azure Features
Azure
Active Directory
Access
Control
Application
Services

41. Single Sign On

42. Access Control
(THE OLD WAY)
Your App
Access
Control
Google
Yahoo!
Windows
Live
FaceBook
Browser
1 25
3
4

43. User Provisioning
Apps
Azure
Active
Directory
Browser
Apps
Apps
Apps
Apps
Apps

44. DirSync with AAD
Apps
Azure
Active
Directory
Browser
On Premise
AD
Apps
Apps
DirSync
Apps
Apps
Apps

45. Single Sign-On (sort of)

46. 46

47. Deep Thoughts on IAM
• Don’t write your own identity server
• Use one that can support social and
corporate identity
• Provide a smooth sign up/ registration
• Choose social login options carefully
• You are more secure with a service
• Have a back door for login (yep)

48. Deep Thoughts on Security
Audits
• Have separate security logs
• Log failed access
• Retain logs 1 yr min
• No production keys in open (encrypt)
• Encrypt PII in database
• Mask data to dev, test
• Explore every web threat
• Protect your content, APIs

49. WORST PASSWORDS
TOP 3 FOR 2013
123456
password
12345678

50. Deep Thoughts on Deployment
• Wouldn’t automated deployment /
upgrade be nice?
• Be very very careful
– Know the location of all parts prod, staging,
dev, and test
– Review configurations, again, and again
– Beware running jobs (workers)
• Pray
• Just kidding

53. 53

55. Deep Thoughts on Logs
• Is built in better?
• Know where your logs are (yep)
– WAD, table storage events, security
audits, IIS logs
• Table storage or blobs (csv)?
• Real time info
• Historical queries
• Logging can (should) evolve

57. Deep Thoughts on
Troubleshooting
• Log everything possible
• Use an agent if possible for monitoring
• Configure error alerts
• Use google analytics, really
• Be ready with real time queries

58. 58

59. 59

60. 60

62. Backup and Recovery
• Back up your data base, test recovery
• Back up blob storage nightly, keep a
rolling archive
• Know how to spin up a complete
architecture, in emergency
– State of code
– Data, storage
– Moving parts

63. Azure Features
Compute
Virtual
Network
Traffic
Manager
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
Store
Web Site Cloud
Service
Virtual
Machine
Application
Services
Marketplace
Data
Services
Networking
Mobile
Services

64. He taught Chuck Norris
martial arts

65. THANK YOU!