Is it possible to use Azure shared cache service from load-balanced IaaS VMs? Does it exists at all? I can't seem to find caching service in management portal.
You should also take a look at the Windows Azure Cache Service (Preview) that has just been launched. It supports distributed caching from IaaS VMs. Read more here to find out if you need this.
If you're using IaaS with Windows Server, you may want to explore using Server AppFabric Caching. This gives you dedicated resources, co-hosted in your Azure VM's at a lower latency and without the quota's imposed by the shared caching service.
Related
I would like some clarification on whether Azure VM's are strictly IaaS or can be PaaS depending on the amount responsibilities the creator/user has.
I've seen multiple different website saying VM are ONLY IaaS since you require an operating system, and others saying VM can be PaaS if a specific OS is specified on creation.
Any insight the community can provide will be very helpful, Thanks!
A VM is generally considered Infrastructure-as-a-Service, as you retain responsibility for patching and managing the Virtual Machine Operating System.
And even though there are Marketplace VM offerings that are completely pre-configured and even auto-updating, the responsibility for maintaining those solutions after deployment is the main way IaaS and PaaS are distinguished.
At the end of the day IaaS and PaaS are not precise technical terms. You can have PaaS services that require significant configuration and ongoing maintenance, and IaaS services that are completely managed.
VM's are IAAS (Infrastructure as a service) because on a VM you can manage what operation system runs and what software is installed.
On a PAAS you only manage the software or application that runs in the cloud. (Like app services)
It's both.
Like IaaS, PaaS includes infrastructure—servers, storage, and networking—but also middleware, development tools, business intelligence (BI) services, database management systems, and more. PaaS is designed to support the complete web application lifecycle: building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-paas/
I've just been through Microsoft's AZ900 training at it states:
Azure Virtual Machines (VM) are software emulations
of physical computers.
Includes virtual processor, memory, storage, and
networking.
IaaS offering that provides total control and
customization.
example Az900 test questions:
VM with installed SQL is PaaS
appears to times
VM with instlled sql server is Iaas - one time
DNS is IaaS according to MS diagram: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/94214iF8738A37E3E44F77
But VM with DNS server installed is PaaS
Also encountered that VM with installed storage is PaaS.
Very confusing,
My Cloud Service (hosted in USEast) is pretty sluggish when used by customers who are not US based. I am looking for some quick win, that do not include deploying to multiple regions.
A quick google returned a document instructing I could Optimize network throughput for Azure virtual machines by using Accelerated Networking.
I would like to enable this option on my Cloud Service VMs, however I am not sure this is even possible as I do not really control the VMs, the network, or even the NICs.
Has anyone successfully enabled Accelerated Networking for their Cloud Service?
Yes it's possible.
Accelerated Networking (or Dynamic Network Acceleration) is essentially a CDN without the caching. It can be pointed at any web service, and it will provide the benefits of the Azure Network for all requests, not just requests suitable for caching.
Simply set the CDN origin to the Cloud Service's endpoint url.
I would like to run Virtual Machines as Worker Role inside an Azure App Service Environment. I think I've tried and read everything. Is this scenario supported at all?
The short answer is no. Azure VM's, worker roles (cloud services), and App Services are three different hosting offerings.
Virtual Machines are an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution. Think of it as your own server in the cloud. It is the most most flexible option. However, you are responsible for managing and patching it.
Cloud Services are a Platform as as Service (PaaS). Your concerns are limited to building and deploying your application. Microsoft manages updating the underlying VM.
App Services are a higher level of PaaS. Specifically, you can think of Web Apps (formerly Web Sites) as a hosted IIS. You have the least amount of control compared to the other platform offerings, but it is the easiest way to get started.
I would suggest trying to run your application first in an App Service, then moving to a cloud service if you need more control, and finally to a VM when even more flexibility is required.
More information:
http://robertgreiner.com/2014/03/windows-azure-iaas-paas-saas-overview
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/hanuk/archive/2013/12/03/which-windows-azure-cloud-architecture-paas-or-iaas.aspx
We're just starting out with Microsoft Azure, and I'm reading through the Azure infrastructure services implementation guidelines (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/virtual-machines-infrastructure-services-implementation-guidelines/). The document talks about Cloud Resources and Cloud Services, but I've found myself confused by the difference between these - (and couldn't find anything much when trying to Google this!). Can someone please enlighten!
Thanks in Advance
Cloud Services are ways to combine a set of stateful virtual machines (or web/worker role instances, which are stateless virtual machines) into its own private network, sitting behind a public virtual IP address. The Cloud Service also provides optional load-balancing between the virtual machines). Cloud Services have been around since the beginning of Azure, and are considered part of the "classic" compute model. All classic virtual machines (whether stateful or stateless) live within a Cloud Service.
I don't know what you mean by Cloud Resources, but... Azure now has the Azure Resource Manager (ARM), which is a newer way to create virtual machines. There is no notion of a Cloud Service with ARM; the approach is to build out a set of resources (such as virtual machines, networks, NICs, IP addresses, etc) and dependencies, as a single managed set of resources.
The Azure site has documentation for classic Cloud Services here.
And documentation for ARM is here.
Azure service is simply a computing 'service' provided through the internet (cloud) than on-premises servers.
Docs:
Simply put, cloud computing is the delivery of computing
services—servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics,
intelligence and more—over the Internet (“the cloud”)...
Webopedia
A cloud service is any service made available to users on demand via
the Internet from a cloud computing provider's servers as opposed to
being provided from a company's own on-premises servers
Azure resource is an instance of the Cloud service(Or its components.) When you pay for a service and use it for something it becomes a 'resource' for you.
Docs
A manageable item that is available through Azure.
You can also see the difference on the Azure portal when you click 'Azure Services' (It lists what they can provide) and 'All Resources' (It lists what you already have)
Azure gives you services like Compute, Networking, Storage etc.
Within each service are resource types, such as Virtual Machine, Virtual Network, Storage Accounts etc
When you create a Virtual Machine, it is a Resource.
I wish to run a web server on Azure. My concern is whether Azure migrates virtual instances (VMs) between physical servers for performance optimization purposes and if so does it provide some kind of guarantees on the performance hit that migration incurs?
For VM performance and availability, you can use Availability Sets to be covered by the 99.95% SLA. This guarantee works due to the use of Fault Domains and Upgrade/Update Domains across physical machines spread across server racks.
More info here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/virtual-machines-manage-availability/
If you just want to run a web app without having to worry about the VM, you can also use Azure's PaaS offering (just endpoint access) instead of IaaS (full VM access).
More info here: http://azure.microsoft.com/services/app-service/web/
Hope that helps!