Information required for Microsoft Azure cloud hosting

Question

I am looking for hosting my application on Azure cloud server and would like to inform you that my application is in ASP.NET 3.5 with database on SQL Server 2008 R2.

Before we proceed further with Microsoft Azure cloud hosting, I would like to clarify some of my below mentioned queries:

Hosting:

1.        What are the plans of hosting along with pricing and server configuration.
2.        How many applications we can host.
3.        How much space we will get.
4.        Can we deploy and run some exe, which we developed for sending email.
5.        Currently we are using InProc session. What modification will be required by the application.
6.        Can we point our DNS to the application we host.
7.        We do development on our On-Premise environment, do we also get any staging/testing server along with production server.
8.        Does the usage of application on staging server is chargeable.
9.        How many instances we will be getting for one application
10.    Does environment automatically increase or decreases the instances in use as per increase or decrease in load.

SQL Azure:

1.        Which version of SQL Server we will get.
2.        Does SQL Azure is compatible with all the features and datatypes of SQL Server 2008 R2? If not then please let us know features and datatypes which are not supported by SQL Azure.
3.        What all SQL Server version’s database can be restored on SQL Azure.
4.        What will be the database size.
5.        Will the database will be in the same datacenter where our application reside.
6.        How many database we can create
7.        How we can take database backup, is there any control panel for that.
8.        How we can schedule database backups
9.        Can we restore our On-Premise database with the database bakup taken from SQL Azure.
10.    Can we connect database from our local machine with “SQL Server Management Studio”. 

Answer 1

Hi SanVerma,

Thanks for your posting!

From your description, I think firstly you need confirm which one host service could meet your target. I suggest you could refer to this page about Azure Websites, Cloud Services, and Virtual Machines comparison:

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/choose-web-site-cloud-service-vm/ 

The above link could answer your hosting questions 1,2,4.

Hosting:

>>3.How much space we will get.

It depends on your size:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/dn197896.aspx

>>5.       Currently we are using InProc session. What modification will be required by the application. You need use the Azure cache service or SQL Azure storage to store your session data, please see those blog:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/cie/archive/2013/05/17/session-state-management-in-windows-azure-web-roles.aspx

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/web-sites-dotnet-session-state-caching/

>>6       Can we point our DNS to the application we host. If you use Azure VM to host your application, you could use Azure Virtual Network to deploy your DNS server, Please see this page:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/azure/jj156088.aspx

>>       We do development on our On-Premise environment, do we also get any staging/testing server along with production server.

>>       Does the usage of application on staging server is chargeable.

Yes, you can do this. If you use Azure cloud service stage/production environment, You could be charged. If you use single VM to host your production and staging project, you could be charged the single VM.

>> How many instances we will be getting for one application

It depends on your requirement, If the quota is not enough, you could contact the Azure support to increase the quota.  >>Does environment automatically increase or decreases the instances in use as per increase or decrease in load.

Azure platform support the AutoScale. You can set the feature using code or portal.

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/cloud-services-dotnet-autoscaling-application-block/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh680945(v=pandp.50).aspx

SQL Azure: 

>> 1.Which version of SQL Server we will get.

Firstly, you need clarify the SQL Azure and sql server. SQL Azure is a data as a service. SQL server in VM is a VM which is installed sql server. If you wants to use SQL Server, I suggest you could refer to this pricing page:

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/?scenario=virtual-machines

>>    2. Does SQL Azure is compatible with all the features and datatypes of SQL Server 2008 R2? If not then please let us know features and datatypes which are not supported by SQL Azure.

>> 3.What all SQL Server version’s database can be restored on SQL Azure.

>>4.What will be the database size.

I recommend you refer to those post and blog about above 3 questions:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/996.comparison-of-sql-server-with-azure-sql-database.aspx http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3235164/what-is-the-difference-between-sql-azure-and-sql-server-2008

>>   5    Will the database will be in the same datacenter where our application reside.

You could select the region when you create DB/VM.

>>       How many database we can create

Please see this page about sql azure limits:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/ee336245.aspx

>>7,8

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/jj650016.aspx

>>9Yes, you can use the Import and export database feature:

How to: Use the Import and Export Service in Azure SQL Database.

>>10

Yes. http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/sql-database-manage-azure-ssms/

About how to use SQL Azure, you could refer to this page:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/ee336282.aspx

Hope it helps you.

Regards,

Will

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Answer 2

Hosting

1. You can simply use the web role for application hosting. You can add your existing application also to the cloud web role.

2. You can host any number of application. But you need to be aware of subscription and its benefits.

3. Space you need to select. Azure provides scaling feature so you can try the performance and then scale up if its not satisfactory

4. Exe you need to change to worker role. Worker role is same like windows service running in background. For communication between worker and web role you can use azure queue

5. In proc session will not work ideally. You need to have to use Sql session. If you have two web role instance (consider this same as the web farm) then central database is needed.

6. All sites will end in cloudapp.net but you can choose the prefix.

7. Azure emulator will be there with Azure SDK. So you can test in development enviornment before deploying it to cloud.

8. Staging is also chargeable. Advanatage of staging is to for testing. You can swap staging and production enviornment.

9. You can select instance you want for your application. Also you can use autoscaling which will scale applictation based upon performance rules you set.

10. Yes autoscaling needs to be used.

Sql Azure

1. Sql azure is different than normal sql database and has various limitation.

2. There are limitation but for normal database it will not be major issue.

3. You can migrate the sql database to sql azure there is assistant with sql server 2012. Not sure for lower version

4. Database size you can select

5. You need to select the database location

6. You can create as many database you want check subscription benefits and limitations.

7. There can be automation but it depends. Runbook has powershelll automation facitlity which can be used.

8. I think most questions are same related to migration. You can use your management studio to open the sql azure.

Answer 3

Agree to Will and Mahesh, adding my two cents

5 >> InProc sessions are not supported on azure by design, you need to use outproc or custom mode, you have choices to do it. Recommended way to manage sessions in azure is by using the managed cache service i.e. distributed sessions. Read more at - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/gg185668.aspx

9>> It depends on your user base, but You must have a minimum of two role instances to be eligible for the Azure SLA guarantees. Read more at - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh680945(v=pandp.50).aspx

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Bhushan | http://www.passionatetechie.blogspot.com | http://twitter.com/BhushanGawale