Database Reference
In-Depth Information
each Web role of the application can have its own port number. Separating Web roles allows the
developer to manage each task independently.
To process the data used in an application, the storage service should be speciied in the design
phase. he design needs to decide whether to use SQL Database or to use Windows Azure Storage.
If SQL Database is used to support the application, the database should be designed as discussed in
the previous chapters. If Windows Azure Storage is used to support the application, the developer
needs to specify how Table Storage, Blob Storage, and Queue Storage will be used in the application.
During the design process, the developer should specify how to form PartitionKey and RowKey. he
design and implementation of Windows Azure Storage will be discussed in Chapter 11.
An application may be required to set up an authentication system for remote access. Diferent
permissions may be needed for diferent types of users. For example, a large enterprise may require
the authentication system be integrated with the company's on-premises authentication system.
A small company may use the authentication created with the application. Individual users may
want to use Windows Live ID. Before the application is created, the developer should address these
issues according to the user's requirements.
Since an application including its Web role, Worker role, and VM role will be replicated in
Windows Azure automatically, one does not have to put in a lot of efort on backup and restore.
In contrast, if customers require data transactions between Windows Azure and the on-premises
server, the developer needs to consider how data should be transferred and how to protect the data
during a transaction.
10.3.3.2 Windows Azure Application Development
To develop an application that is truly global and is able to deal with the immense peak demand,
it needs an IT infrastructure that is powerful enough to support such a peak demand. he cost for
this kind of IT infrastructure can be huge. It also requires an experienced team to manage such
an infrastructure.
he cloud platform provides an ideal environment to hold such applications. he applications
hosted by a cloud environment are truly global. he cloud provider is responsible for managing
and maintaining the IT infrastructure. he infrastructure built by a cloud provider is able to
scale up the resources to handle the peak demand. When the demand is low, the resources can be
released to lower the cost.
As shown in Figure 10.7, application developers can develop Windows Azure applications with
two approaches. hey can create applications on local computers irst. When an application is
developed with the Windows Azure emulators on a local computer, the application can be tested
with the Windows Azure SDK. After the application is tested, it can then be deployed to Windows
Azure. Once it is deployed, the application developer can manage the Windows Azure application
through the Windows Azure Management Portal. Application developers can also develop and
manage applications directly through the Windows Azure Management Portal.
10.3.3.3 Developing Applications on Local Computers
here are many application development software packages available. Visual Studio is one such
software available to develop applications on local computers. Visual Studio provides a cloud devel-
opment tool package, Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio. With this tool package, application
developers can build, debug, and deploy services and applications for the cloud. Windows Azure
Tools for Visual Studio can also help application developers to deploy applications to Windows
