Azure SDK Release Notes (November 2010)

 

This document contains the release notes for the Azure SDK version 1.3 (November 2010).

Azure Guest OS Versions and SDK Compatibility

The Azure Guest OS is the operating system on which your service runs in the cloud. When you deploy a service to Azure, you must ensure that the version of the Azure Guest OS is compatible with the version of the SDK with which you developed it. For details, see Azure Guest OS Versions and SDK Compatibility Matrix.

Prerequisites for Installing and Using the Azure SDK

This section describes the software and configurations required to install and use the Azure SDK.

  1. Microsoft .NET Framework

  2. Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0

  3. Database Requirements for the Azure Storage Emulator

  4. Upgrading from a Previous Version of the SDK

Note

Before installing the SDK, you must exit any running versions of the Azure compute and storage emulators (previously known as the development fabric and development storage).

The SDK is available in a 64-bit version and a 32-bit version.

  • The 64-bit (x64) version of the SDK requires a 64-bit version of Windows 7, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or greater, or Windows Server 2008 SP2 or greater.

  • The 32-bit (x86) version of the SDK requires a 32-bit version of Windows 7, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or greater, or Windows Server 2008 SP2 or greater.

Note

The 32-bit version of the SDK cannot be installed on a 64-bit operating system; running the SDK under Microsoft Windows-32-bit-On-Windows-64-bit (WOW64) is not supported.

Microsoft .NET Framework

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is required to install and run the Azure SDK. Additionally, the Azure SDK now supports .NET Framework 4.0. Note that if you choose to install the .NET Framework 4.0, you must also install the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 if it is not already present on your computer.

If you are running the Azure development environment on an operating system prior to Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2, you must take one of the following actions before you can run a web role that targets the .NET Framework 4.0:

Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0

With Azure SDK 1.3, you must install IIS including the IIS Management Console. Depending on what kind of service you are going to build, you may need to enable different IIS 7.0 components. Follow the appropriate set of instructions below to configure these components for your operating system.

Installing IIS for Windows Server 2008

  1. Click Start, point to All Programs | Programs | Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.

  2. In Server Manager, under Roles Summary, verify that Web Server (IIS) appears in the list of available roles. If it does not, click Add Roles to install IIS.

  3. If you intend to develop ASP.NET applications, do the following:

    1. Under Roles Summary, click Web Server (IIS).

    2. In the Web Server (IIS) management window, click Add Role Services.

    3. In the Add Role Services dialog box, under Application Development, click ASP.NET, and then click Next to install.

  4. If you intend to use fastCGI:

    1. In the Web Server (IIS) management window, click Add Role Services.

    2. In the Add Role Services dialog, expand Web Server | Application Development, and then select Static CGI.

    3. Click the Next button to install.

Installing IIS for Windows 7/Windows Vista

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, click Programs and Features.

  3. In the Program and Features, click Turn Windows features on or off.

  4. To install IIS and the IIS Management Console, select Internet Information Services

    If you intend to develop ASP.NET applications, expand Internet Information Services | World Wide Web Services | Application Development Features, and then select ASP.NET.

  5. If you intend to use fastCGI, select CGI.

  6. Click OK to install IIS and the selected features.

Required QFE for FastCGI

To use FastCGI on IIS in the development environment on Windows Vista SP1, you must install the following QFE:

https://support.microsoft.com/kb/967131

This QFE is not required if you are running on Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, or Windows Server 2008.

IIS7 URL Rewrite Module

If you wish to use the IIS URL Rewrite module, you must install it and configure your rewrite rules. See URL Rewrite Module for more information.

Database Requirements for the Azure Storage Emulator

To run the services for the Microsoft Azure storage emulator, you must have an installation of either SQL Express 2005 or SQL Express 2008 or Microsoft SQL Server.

By default, the storage emulator runs against an instance of SQL Express. To configure it to run against a local instance of SQL Server instead, call the DSInit tool with the /sqlInstance parameter, passing in the name of the target SQL Server instance. Use the name of the SQL Server instance without the server qualifier (e.g., MSSQL instead of .\MSSQL) to refer to a named instance. Use "." to denote an unnamed or default instance of SQL Server.

You can call dsInit /sqlInstance at any time to configure the storage emulator to point to a different instance of SQL Server.

Upgrading from a Previous Version of the SDK

The following issue may be applicable if you are upgrading from a previous version of the SDK.

  1. To use the Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio with SDK 1.3, you must run an edition of Visual Studio 2010 or Visual Studio 2010 Express.

  2. The version of Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient.dll has changed from 1.0.0.0 to 1.1.0.0 to support new features and a change to how URL inputs are escaped. The change in behavior should not impact most applications. However, you need to update old project references to use the new assembly, and retest your application.

What's New

For information on new features in the Azure, see What's New in Azure.

Known Issues

For information on known issues in the Azure, see Known Issues in Azure Cloud Services.