Database Reference
In-Depth Information
10.3.3.5 Authentication
For the implementation of authentication to access an application, ACS is the tool that can be used
to accomplish the task. ACS provides authentication service to control the access to the applica-
tion and service. With ACS, the web application and web service can easily authenticate users and
manage users' permissions. By providing the authentication service, it saves application develop-
ers' time and efort. If needed, the authentication system can be integrated with an enterprise's
authentication or a third-party authentication system such as Windows Live ID and Google ID.
he third-party authentication service can be conigured in ACS so that ACS trusts the security
tokens issued by the third party.
he integration with other authentication systems can be implemented in the application. For
example, developers can use IAuthorizationFilter included in Visual Studio to deine the methods
that are required for user authorization. hey can also make use of the Microsoft Active Directory
Federation security token service for user authentication. he Active Directory Federation secu-
rity token service is a component provided by the Windows Server 2008 operating system. It can
authenticate a user to multiple web applications with web single-sign-on (SSO) technologies. he
service allows users to securely access applications running on the cloud from virtually everywhere.
During the development of an application, the developer can use the FederatedPassiveSignIn con-
trol to redirect users to a federated security token service and to process security tokens issued by
that service. To use the third-party authentication system, the application redirects the authentica-
tion request to the third-party authentication provider.
10.3.4 Windows Azure Application Deployment
After an application is tested and debugged on a local computer, it is ready to be deployed to
Windows Azure. To prepare the deployment, the properties of the application need to be reconig-
ured so that it is suitable for running on Windows Azure.
Te s t i n g
: he deployment process starts with testing. Tools such as Windows Azure Diagnostics
and Microsoft IntelliTrace can be used for testing. With IntelliTrace, developers can test role
instances. his tool provides extensive debugging information about the test. he information
includes the key code execution and environment data collected during the execution of the
application. For cloud-based applications, the testing should focus on the consistencies such as
deadlock on a database when it is accessed by multiple roles. Identifying the performance bottle-
neck is another common testing task. Security is another area that should be tested thoroughly.
When migrating a database from SQL Server on a local computer to SQL Database on Windows
Azure, make sure not to use SQL Server features that are not supported by SQL Database.
Packaging Application
: Before an application can be deployed to Windows Azure, it needs to
be packaged into a .cspkg ile. hen, the .cspkg ile is uploaded to Windows Azure along with the
service coniguration ile. here are three ways to package an application: using the Visual Studio
user interface, using the CSPack Command-Line tool, and running the MSBuild command in the
Microsoft Visual Studio command prompt.
If Visual Studio is installed on your local computer, you will be able to package an application
by using the packaging tool found on the menu. Once the application is packaged, you can then
upload the packaged ile to Windows Azure.
When you install the Windows Azure SDK, the CSPack tool is installed by default. With
CSPack, the application developer can package the application in the command prompt. he appli-
cation package, which is used to run the application as a cloud service, includes the application
