#Azure Action – Weekly Newsletter– 24th October 2011

Local Overview :

 

• BizSpark ramps up as Australia is announced 2nd-best world economy in which to start-up a business according to World Bank study

Readiness & Resources:

Windows Azure:

General

• PowerBuilder and Windows Azure by Jim O'Neil
• Cloud Artwork
• Running Memcached on Windows Azure for PHP

Storage

• Retrieving partition key range in Windows Azure Table Storage
• Calling the Windows Azure Storage API Asynchronously

SQL Azure:

• PASS Summit: SQL Azure Reporting Services Preview and Management Portal Walkthrough – Part 3
•                      

AppFabric:

• Office 365 & Azure AppFabric – Part 1

MarketPlace:

• Translation for free for three months
•           

Watch:

• Cloud Cover - Christian Liensberger talks about data in the Marketplace                    

Case Study:

• Software Developer in China Switches to Windows Azure for 30 Percent More Revenue.

Tools:

• Clerity Update Will Migrate Mainframe Apps to Azure Cloud
• Free WindowsAzure resource-monitoring utility AzurePing from Paraleap
•  MAP 6.5 Beta Now Available!

Guidance:

Walkthrough:

• Publish Azure Project using Windows Azure SDK 1.5 Publish Setting wizard
• Real World: Simulating Load on a Windows Azure Application                    

Architecture:

• How to integrate a BizTalk Server application with Service Bus Queues and Topics
• Windows Azure: Startup task or OnStart(), which to choose?

Book:

• “The Developer’s Guide to AppFabric" now released

In the news:

General:

• A two month free trial of Fujitsu’s Australian based cloud computing platforms
• Gartner- Private clouds are a last resort Cloud Computing
• UK gov invites bids for public sector cloud
• Cloud computing to drive IT spending

      

Microsoft:

• Microsoft updates Intune to patch cloud pitch

Previously trial users were getting 2GB of Azure cloud

• Microsoft delivers developer preview of Roslyn compiler as a service
• Microsoft Q1 Earnings Meet Expectations but Vague on Cloud
• Topical? New Zealand Rugby Union Picks BPOS

Windows Azure:

• Platform:
  • Announcing Improved In-place Updates for Windows Azure
  • Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone (V1.3.1)
• Other
  • Have a question? Try Windows Azure Live Chat

•                    

Events:

Local:

• Sydney Windows Azure User Group meeting on 2nd Nov
• MSFT Switched ON – LightSwitch and Azure around AU
  • CANBERRA – 25 Oct
• Learn Powershell through a series of virtual workshops in November

Webinar:

• Taking PowerBuilder to the Cloud (with Microsoft Azure) Accenture Case Study

Community:

Social:

• Become a Facebook fan
• Add yourself to the Azure Australia Twitter list
• Keep up to date with our monthly CloudCast
• Mailing list for OzAzure

Don’t forget the Windows Azure Feature Voting

User groups:

• Sydney (Conor Brady)
• Melbourne (coming soon)
• Brisbane (in planning – talk to Steve Nagy)
• Auckland (Ryan Crawcour)

Questions

Q:

Can I move a mainframe application to Windows Azure?

A:

Yes. Like most application its possible but it would be wise to consider the overall architecture and what parts of Azure you are going to use for what benefit.

There are third party tools out there such as

• Micro Focus (Micro Focus Visual COBOL for Azure) RECORDING
• Alchemy Solution NeoKicks
• Clerity Update

And partners who specialise. For example:

• Fujitsu NetCOBOL for .NET V4.2, which is a COBOL compiler and runtime environment for moving mainframe applications over to Windows and now Azure clouds.