Copyright Solidsoft 2011 Architect & Business Decision- Maker’s guide to Windows Azure Azure EAI Case Study Charles Young

Copyright Solidsoft 2011

Architect & Business Decision-Maker’s guide to Windows Azure

Azure EAI Case StudyCharles Young


• Business Problem & Solution Overview• Warts and Wart Cream• Reflections• Questions

Agenda


Accreditations• Worldwide Microsoft Partner Award

– Winner in 2007, 2011; runner up in 2009, 2010• Microsoft Azure Circle Partner• Microsoft AzDPS provider• Microsoft Partner Advisory Councils• Worldwide SMS&P Partner• Microsoft Smart Teaming Partner• Trusted advisors to Application Platform team


Enterprise Application Integration• Why?

– Protect existing investments• ‘Stovepipe’ packaged applications• Data silos• Custom applications and services

– Automating business processes• Driving efficiency and cost saving

– Increasing Business agility• Reducing time-to-market

– Implementing an enterprise architecture• Evolving service-orientation• Better run-time governance


Enterprise Application Integration• Challenges…

– Adaptation– Mediation– Routing– Orchestration– Reliability– Scalability– Security


• Manual system for requesting and assigning guards at client premises

• Email and telephone based

• Delays encountered in processing

• Mistakes made in handling

• Automated system• Seamless

communication between multiple systems

• Cloud based integration

For Customer• Integrated solution• Reduced errors and

delays• Always availableWith Cloud• No license costs• Inbuilt resilience• Vastly reduced on-

going costs

“We work in a highly sensitive and often challenging environment where our ability to deliver security services on time and in accordance with customers’ requirements

requires an IT infrastructure that is equally reliable, secure and robust.” Steven Miles, Head of IT at G4S Secure Solutions


Azure Aspects• Built on Azure SDK v1.4• Compute nodes

– 3 worker roles– 1 web role

• Azure Storage– Queues, Tables and Blob


Solution Design


Azure Usage• 6000 compute hours (per Month)• 1M storage transactions (per Month)• 38Gb storage usage• Live since June 2011


Benefits of Azure• Fast build and delivery

– Rich infrastructure– ‘Low ceremony’ packaging & deployment

• Significant cost savings– No expensive licensing and capital expenditure costs– Savings of 30% of infrastructure costs

• Scalability and elasticity• Reliability, resilience and disaster recovery


Warts and Wart Cream• Monitoring and Auto-Scaling

– AzureWatch from Paraleap


Warts and Wart Cream• Watching message queue counts

– Azure Storage Explorer (CodePlex)


Warts and Wart Cream• Diagnosing Issues

– Cerebrata Azure Diagnostics Manager


Warts and Wart Cream• Managing endpoint connectivity

– Each endpoint has separate role• Additional cost with little benefit

– Managing on-premise maintenance. – Configuration


Warts and Wart Cream• Reliable messaging

– Used additional storage to implement ordered and exactly-once delivery

– Service Bus queues provide• Ordered delivery• De-duplication• Atomicity (peek & lock)

• Message Brokerage– Rudimentary approach– Service Bus

• Topics and subscriptions with rules & filters


Warts and Wart Cream

• Enable RDP Access to Role Instances– Helps to diagnose configuration issues –

particularly for web roles


Reflections• Service Bus - Better basis for integration

– Dynamic message brokerage– Enables hybrid scenarios– Better support for reliable messaging

• but…– ‘raw’ capabilities – requires coding– E.g…

• subscription management• throttling control• etc…


Reflections - Adaptation• Where?

– On-premises vs. off-premises• NEVER assume no on-premises footprint

• How?– SOA façades– Forthcoming ‘Service Bus Connect’

• WCF LoB Adapter Kit– Azure Connect


Reflections - Mediation

• Where?– WCF service model (behaviours)– Worker roles

• How?– Today – role your own– Tomorrow

• XML Bridges• Service Bus Transforms


Reflections - Orchestration

• Where?– WF services – WF workflows in worker roles– No built-in integration with service bus

• How?– Today – role your own– Tomorrow – Better approaches ‘promised’


Reflections – Monitoring & Management

• Limited capabilities of Azure Portal• Monitoring system health

– SCOM integration• Managing systems

– Endpoints– Subscriptions

• Failed Message handling– Resume– Fix & Resubmit


Reflections – Other Issues

• Solid security infrastructure– Federated / SSO

• Rudimentary service directory• No rules engine / framework• Building hybrid solutions

– Don’t forget BizTalk Server!


Questions?

Documents

Copyright Solidsoft 2011 Architect & Business Decision- Maker’s guide to Windows Azure Azure EAI Case Study Charles Young