Virtual Machine RoleVersion: 1.0 DescriptionWindows Azure Virtual Machine Roles allow you to run a customized instance of Windows Server 2008 R2 in Windows Azure, making it easier to move applications to the cloud. In this hands-on lab, you will explore Virtual Machine roles and you will learn how to create custom OS images that you deploy to Windows Azure. OverviewThe majority of the time Web and Worker roles configured with startup tasks are a better solution than the VM Role. The VM Role gives users freedom to control the operating system image. With this control comes the loss of automated consistent OS servicing. The developer is responsible for making sure that the OS image is up to date through the creation of difference disks. OS servicing increases the cost of development, testing and maintenance. What a VM Role Cannot Do The VM Role shares the same programming model and network limitations of the Web and Worker roles. One of the key tenets of the Windows Azure programming model is that the hosted service (application) behaves correctly when any instance of a role fails. This means that programs must be stateless so that data is not lost when a role fails. Applications such as SharePoint, SQL Server, Small Business Server, and Terminal Server are stateful applications that are not supported in the VM Role. The lack of UDP traffic means that a Domain Controller (Active Directory) will not work in a VM Role. What a VM Role Can Do The VM Role is a perfect fit for the following scenarios:
In these cases, a startup task will not work, thus the only solution is to use a VM Role. In this hands-on lab, you will explore Virtual Machine roles and you will learn how to create custom OS images that you deploy to Windows Azure. ObjectivesIn this hands-on lab, you will learn how to:
PrerequisitesThe following is required to complete this hands-on lab:
Note: This hands-on lab requires a high-speed Internet connection to upload VM image files to your Windows Azure subscription. Note: Important: Currently, access to VM Role is available through an invite-only beta program. Unless you have enrolled in this program, you will not be able to complete this hands-on lab. ExercisesThis hands-on lab includes the following exercises:
Estimated time to complete this lab: 90 minutes. Note: This hands-on lab involves certain procedures, for example, uploading VM image files to Windows Azure, that could potentially be time consuming. The estimate reflects the time required to complete each step that requires your active involvement and not the overall time required to complete every task. Note: When you first start Visual Studio, you must select one of the predefined settings collections. Every predefined collection is designed to match a particular development style and determines window layouts, editor behavior, IntelliSense code snippets, and dialog box options. The procedures in this lab describe the actions necessary to accomplish a given task in Visual Studio when using the General Development Settings collection. If you choose a different settings collection for your development environment, there may be differences in these procedures that you need to take into account. | Downloads Download The Offline Training Kit Contents
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