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Windows Azure SQL Server 2012 VM Connectivity Lab

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This lab demonstrates the ability to easily deploy and manage a VM in Windows Azure. Here, this VM happens to be a SQL Server 2012 which makes it more interesting by walking through the process to configure and remotely maintain a SQL Server 2012 instance running in a Windows Azure VM. This is however not intended to be a SQL lab and SQL Server experience is helpful but not required for completing the following tasks:

  1. Deploy a Windows Azure VM with SQL Server 2012 instance.
  2. Configure database connectivity of the SQL Server 2012 instance.
  3. Remotely connect to and maintain a database in the SQL Server 2012 instance.

 

Conceptual Model

Placing a SQL database in the cloud and maintaining it remotely is a straightforward concept. Similar to connecting to an on-premise SQL database, a database client configures a connection string and connects to a target database which in this case is a SQL Server 2012 instance running in a Windows Azure VM in the cloud. Regardless where a SQL instance runs much of the sys admin routine is much the same by configuring firewall rules, setting authentication methods, creating SQL users, etc. The following depicts the conceptual model.

A step-by-step, screen-by-screen lab guide as shown detailing the process and steps to deploy, configure, and test database connectivity is available for download.

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Step-by-Step, Screen-by-Screen Instructions

Get this Lab Guide for a TweetHere I am making this lab guide available as a download in pdf.  This is a lab that I believe will accelerate many of us to better understand cloud computing and Windows Azure. Either you are a system admin or a DBA, go through this lab will connect many dots for you. If nothing else, use this lab as a self-study material for Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2012 and update your skill set.

At the same time, I also want to ask all to help sharing this resource broadly across the IT community. So other fellow IT pros can also benefit from it. Click the button to post a short tweet about this document, and you'll automatically receive a direct link to download this lab guide immediately afterwards. I hope you will find the document helpful. If you prefer not to share it with a tweet, email me from this post and I will understand and direct you to download the document.  

Resources

To do this lab, you will need to have a Windows Azure subscription for deploying VMs. If not already, this is a good opportunity to start and learn Windows Azure. You can sign up and use Windows Azure 90-day free trial at https://aka.ms/90 to do the lab. A screencast as a supplement to the lab guide is available at https://aka.ms/AzureVMSQL.

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