1. Diagnostics and Service Management
In this module-
Learn how to find out what is going on
Do something about it

2. How do you do diagnostics today
How do you do diagnostics today? How do you manage your applications and services today?

3. Challenges with diagnostics in the cloud
Many instances
They move around
Massive amount of data
Can’t remote desktop in
No remote tools

4. The Diag engine brings all of the sources together for you.
MonAgentHost.exe is started automatically by default.
Listener wired up in app/web.config
Need to define a storage account connection string

5. How does it work (in a nutshell)?
Role Instance
Role Instance Starts
Diagnostic Monitor Starts**
Monitor is configured
Imperatively at Start time
Remotely any time
Monitor buffers data locally
User can set a quota (FIFO)
User initiates transfer to storage
Scheduled or On Demand
Role
Diagnostic Monitor
Local directory storage

6. Sources: Data Source Default Destination Trace Logs Enabled
Azure Table
Diagnostic Infrastructure Logs
IIS Logs
Blob
Performance Counters
Disabled
Windows Event Logs
IIS Failed Request Logs
Crash Dumps
Arbitrary Files

7. The Escape Hatch
Allows you to collect any file that is in a defined directory
Can be used for:
Collecting custom audit files
Any source of data
Usage data for billing

8. Loading the Diagnostic Agent
The agent is loaded as an Azure module in the ServiceDefinition.csdef
The module expects a connection string named:
A production connection string must be HTTPS.

9. Write to Trace Output

10. Common Patterns Get Config Make a change to the config
From default
Current running
Make a change to the config
Start the Diag agent with new config

11. Changing Config Can change from within the instance
Affects only that instance
Then start the agent immediately
Can change from outside for all roles
Change the central file
Agent notices a change and reloads
Affects all instances of that role

12. Local directory storage
Remote Configuration
Poll Interval
Role
Role Instance
Diagnostic Monitor
Local directory storage

13. Get the Current Configuration
First create a cloud storage account that points to the storage account used for diag data
Call createroleisntancediagnosticmanager off of that, passing in the isntance info
Then call getcurrentconfiguration

14. Make changes to the config
Create a perfcounter config object
Add the counter specifier
Change the sample rate
Add the config object to the datasources collection
Adjust the scheduled transfer period

15. Commit the change
Then commit the change by passing in the config object from above

16. Sample Results

17. Log Filters Does not filter data collected
Only filters what is transferred
transferOptions.LogLevelFilter = LogLevel.Error;

18. Visualizing the data
Cerebrata’s Azure Diagnostics Manager

19. Visualizing the data

20. Visualizing the data
Configuring counters remotely…

21. Schedule Transfers Each source is assigned its own schedule
Data is transferred at the right time
Set interval to 0 to disable transfer

22. On Demand Transfers Handy for responding to events
Handled like an external config change
Requests are handled asynchronously
Returns a request id when submitted
Can report success to a queue

23. Service Management API
Allows us to do almost anything the portal can do
Limitations
No billing data
Creating a subscription
Creating a storage or compute service
Cannot deploy management certificates
Free
Don’t be stupid – may get throttled

24. API Authentication
All API calls must be signed with a registered administrative certificate
X509 certificates are used
You can register up to five certificates
You can revoke at any time
Can be self signed
Upload .cer through portal

25. Deploying Services Delete/Create Deployment Visual Studio does this.
VIP will change
Service Model Updates don’t matter
VIP Swap
Bring up another environment in Staging and swap
Only Input Endpoints (external ports) matter
In-Place Upgrade
Rolling upgrade across roles
Most restrictive on changes (no size, endpoints, roles, etc.)
Web Deploy*

26. Configuring VS2010

27. Deployment Environments
Two Environments to choose from
Nearly Identical…
<servicename>.cloudapp.net
<deploymentID>.cloudapp.net
VIP Swap between them

28. If the cube is Gray,
You’re OK.
If the cube is Blue,
a bill is due.
Even when you ‘suspend’ your service, you will still be charged. Suspend only disables inbound traffic. The code is actually still running.

29. Worried about leaving something running?
Download the Grey Box Application
GreyBox.CodePlex.com
Open source, originally written by Strategic Data Systems and Mike Wood
Reminds you if you have apps running, and helps you stop them
Avoids overrun of MSDN allocation

30. Grey Box

31. MOCP will notify you
MOCP will send an to the Live ID of the subscriber when compute reaches:
75%
100%
125%
Only works for committed hours, not for pay as you grow hours

32. VIP Swap Upgrades Swap Virtual IPs between the two slots
Production becomes Staging
Staging becomes Production
Instances are not affected
DNS and LB remains intact
Happens very fast
Can only use when the service model hasn’t changed

33. VIP Swap Deployment VM VM VM VM Prod Prod Deployment Stage Stage VM VM
Web Role
Worker Role VM VM VM VM
Load Balancer:
Prod
Prod
Deployment
Stage
Stage
Web Role
Worker Role VM VM VM VM

34. In-Place Upgrades Rolling upgrades are IT Nirvana
Difficult to do in traditional IT
Leverages Upgrade Domains
Service model must be identical (ie. No new roles, no changes in .csdef, etc.)
For Each Upgrade Domain
Stop instances
Update
Start instances

35. In Place Upgrade #1 #2 #1 #2 Rack Rack VM VM Prod VM VM VM VM VM VM
Web Role
Web Role
Load Balancer: #1 VM VM
Prod #2 VM VM
Worker Role
Worker Role #1 VM VM #2 VM VM

36. Fault and Upgrade Domains
Fault Domains
Represent groups of resources anticipated to fail together
i.e. Same rack, same server
Fabric spreads instances across fault domains
Default of 2
Upgrade Domains
Represents groups of resources that will be upgraded together
Specified by upgradeDomainCount in ServiceDefinition
Default of 5
Fabric splits Upgrade Domains across Fault Domains and Across Roles

37. Upgrade Domains Defined in .csdef Instances evenly distributed
Isolated Hardware
Isolated Hardware
Isolated Hardware
Fault Domain 1
Fault Domain 2
Fault Domain 3
Upgrade
Domain 1
Role A
Instance 1
Role B
Instance 2
Role C
Instance 3
Upgrade
Domain 2
Role B
Instance 1
Role C
Instance 2
Role A
Instance 3
Upgrade
Domain 3
Role C
Instance 1
Role A
Instance 2
Role B
Instance 3

38. How? Can be done via portal or the management API
Upgrade Mode: Automatic or Manual
Manual waits for human intervention to confirm upgrade is ok before proceeding

39. Changing Configuration
Change any setting in .cscfg
Change the number of instances running
Three approaches:
Edit on portal
Upload new file in portal
Upload new file with management API
By default, changing the number of instances does not affect running instances. Any other config restarts the instances.

40. Deployment and Management Tools
Visual Studio*
CSManage.exe
Windows Azure MMC
Windows Azure Service Management (WASM) cmdlets
3rd Party tools

41. Windows Azure Service Management Cmdlets
Set of PowerShell cmdlets
Wraps Management REST API and Diagnostics API
Enables building of sophisticated deployment scripts
Works with rest of .NET CLR

42. Windows Azure MMC
MMC Snapin providing graphical view of services, diagnostics, and storage
Built on top of WASM Cmdlets
Plugin-based, extensible
Remotely configure diagnostics
Download and view diagnostics

43. Monitoring Windows Azure Diagnostics
Windows Azure Monitoring MP for SCOM
Available as RC now!
Monitors Health, Scales, and more

44. Autoscaling Azure does not autoscale Azure gives you the tools
What is ‘busy’ for your app is different than someone else
Azure gives you the tools
Not an easy problem to crack
Define inputs
Define rules to determine busy or stagnant state
Make adjustments
Don’t run amok, put a human in somewhere

46. Deploying Applications in Windows Azure
Lab Exercises
Deploying via the Management Portal
Deployment via PowerShell
Deployment via Visual Studio
Securing Azure with SSL*
Labs Location
C:\WAPTK\Labs\WindowsAzureDeploymentVS2010