Chapter 8: Setting Up Replication, Backup, and Disaster Recovery looks at a common scenario for using Azure for disaster recovery purposes. You should understand that this use case requires services and data to be replicated to Azure. This chapter looks at best practices and technologies for replicating various types of service, such as SQL Server, SharePoint, file services, and entire operating systems, to Azure. You will see what a failover would look like, and you'll learn about the possible implications. Using Azure as a backup target will also be explored, along with how to back up VMs running in Azure.
Chapter 9: Customizing Azure Templates and PowerShell Management dives into how to create your own Azure templates and key considerations that must be given focus if you want custom templates and existing VHDs to work in Azure. Capabilities for capturing existing Azure VMs and turning them into images are covered. PowerShell management is explored, along with the first steps to automation. The Azure VM Agent and its various capabilities are explained.
Chapter 10: Managing Hybrid Environments with System Center looks at architecting a hybrid environment. Here you will learn how to manage and monitor a true hybrid solution. The ability to move resources between on-premises and public cloud with custom code and with System Center is examined. How to perform bulk import and export operations for large-scale migrations is also covered. Advanced scenarios, such as a single provisioning service that automatically creates services on-premises or Azure based on the requirements of the VM request, are presented with a focus on a single experience for the end user.
Chapter 11: Completing Your Azure Environment dives into Azure services that, while not strictly Azure IaaS, provide benefits to a complete solution. You will be introduced to Azure Traffic Manager, Azure Web Sites, Azure Automation, Azure Scheduler, and more. Although IaaS is very powerful, the additional Azure capabilities covered in this chapter enable full-featured environments with the ultimate efficiency.
Chapter 12: What to Do Next brings everything together and looks at how to get started with Azure, how to plan your next steps, how to stay up-to-date in the rapidly changing world of Azure, and the importance of overall integration.
TIP Don't forget to download the companion Windows Store application, Mastering Azure IaaS, from www.savillte.ch/mstrazureapp.
The Mastering Series
The Mastering series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers with intermediate and advanced skills, in the form of top-notch training and development for those already working in their field and clear, serious education for those aspiring to become pros. Every Mastering book includes:
• Real-World Scenarios, ranging from case studies to interviews, that show how the tool, technique, or knowledge presented is applied in actual practice.
• Skill-based instruction, with chapters organized around real tasks rather than abstract concepts or subjects.
• Self-review test questions, so you can be certain you're equipped to do the job right.
How to Contact the Author
I welcome feedback from you about this book or about books you'd like to see from me in the future. You can reach me by writing to [email protected]. For more information about my work, visit my website at www.savilltech.com.
Sybex strives to keep you supplied with the latest tools and information you need for your work. Please check their website at www.sybex.com/go/masteringazure, where we'll post additional content and updates that supplement this book should the need arise.
Chapter 1
The Cloud and Microsoft Azure 101
This chapter focuses on changes that are impacting every organization’s thinking regarding infrastructure, datacenters, and ways to offer services. “As-a-Service” offerings – both on-premises and hosted by partners, and accessed over the Internet in the form of the public cloud – present new opportunities for organizations to operate.
Microsoft’s solution for many public cloud services is its Azure service, which offers hundreds of capabilities that are constantly being updated. This chapter will provide an overview of the Microsoft Azure solution stack before examining various types of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and how Azure services can be procured.
In this chapter, you will learn to
• Articulate the different types of “as-a-Service”
• Identify key scenarios where the public cloud provides the most optimal service
• Understand how to get started consuming Microsoft Azure services
Understanding the Cloud (or Why Everyone Should Play Titanfall)
When I talk to people about Azure or even the public cloud in general, where possible I start the conversation by playing Titanfall (www.titanfall.com), a game published by Electronic Arts. The game is primarily a first-person shooter, but in addition to running around as a normal person, you get to pilot these massive robots, known as Titans, that are great fun to fight in. Unlike many other games, it is exclusively online and requires a large infrastructure to support the many players. There are many reasons I try to play Titanfall when starting my cloud conversations:
• I need the practice, as my teenage son will attest.
• I can write off the console and game because I use it in a business scenario.
• I can present a perfect example of a use case for the public cloud.
Why is Titanfall a perfect example of a use case for the public cloud? That is something that will become clear later in this chapter, but in the meantime, I definitely recommend supporting the public cloud and specifically Azure by playing lots of Titanfall.
Introducing the Cloud
Every organization has some kind of IT infrastructure. It could be a server sitting under someone’s desk, geographically distributed datacenters the size of multiple football fields, or something in between. Within that infrastructure are a number of key fabric (physical infrastructure) elements:
Compute Capacity Compute capacity can be thought of in terms of the various servers in the datacenter, which consist of processors, memory, and other hardware (such as the motherboard, power supply, and so on). I will use the term compute throughout this book when referring to server capacity.
Storage A persistent method of storage for data – from the operating system (OS) and applications to pure data such as files and databases – must be provided. Storage can exist within a server or in external devices, such as a storage area network (SAN). SANs provide enterprise-level performance and capabilities, although newer storage architectures that leverage local storage, which in turn replicate data, are becoming more prevalent in datacenters.
Network These components connect the various elements of the datacenter and enable client devices to communicate with hosted services. Connectivity to other datacenters may also be part of the network design. Options such as dedicated fibre connections, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), and Internet connectivity via a DMZ are typical.
Datacenter Infrastructure An often overlooked but critical component of datacenters is the supporting infrastructure. Items such as uninterruptable power supplies (UPSs), air conditioning, the physical building, and even generators all have to be considered. Each consumes energy and impacts the efficiency of the datacenter as well as its power usage effectiveness (PUE), which provides a measure of how much energy a datacenter