This document discusses setting up SharePoint 2013 on Windows Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). It covers the key Windows Azure IaaS components like virtual machines, storage, and networking. It also discusses best practices for architecting SharePoint for the cloud environment, including security, high availability, SQL Server scaling, and monitoring. The document concludes with tips, tricks, and additional resources for deploying SharePoint on Windows Azure IaaS.
4. Windows Azure Infrastructure as a Service
More than just a datacenter!
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Cloud Computing
• On-demand self-service
• Broad network access
• Resource pooling
• Rapid elasticity
• Measured Service
16. Security
Standalone Domain
Least-privilege accounts
Authentication
Design
Plan your Azure Virtual Network topology
Plan for your HA requirements
Architecting SP 2013 for Windows Azure IaaS
10.0.0.4 10.0.0.5
10.0.1.4 10.0.1.5
10.0.2.4 10.0.2.5
10.0.3.4 10.0.3.5
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17. SQL
How are you going to scale out?
Plan for SQL support on Azure
Multiple Data disks
Named instance, non-standard ports
Alias, Alias, Alias!
Architecting SP 2013 for Windows Azure IaaS
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18. SharePoint
Consider using a dedicated Cache Host
Consider using a dedicated Search Indexer
Your SharePoint HA is only as good as your SQL / AD HA
Use Scripts - http://autospinstaller.codeplex.com/
Alias, Alias, Alias!
Architecting SP 2013 for Windows Azure IaaS
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19. Commonly Forgotten…
Monitoring
Backups
Disaster Recovery
Windows Updates, Cumulative Updates, etc
Architecting SP 2013 for Windows Azure IaaS
10.0.3.4 10.0.3.5 Cold
Standby
Cold
Standby
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22. Planning
Planning is key!
Logical subnets
Logical server names
Start small (Medium) Scale up
Test first
Software Support in Azure: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2721672
SQL Support in Azure: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=956893
Tips & Tricks
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23. Blogs
Scott Guthrie - http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu
Windows Azure - http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure
Timothy Khouri - http://tk.azurewebsites.net
Other
MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure
Technet: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg605186.aspx
Azure Management Portal: http://manage.windowsazure.com
More Resources
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25. Join our local users groups
Toronto SharePoint Users Group
http://www.meetup.com/TorontoSPUG/
Toronto SharePoint Business Users Group
http://www.meetup.com/TSPBUG/
Hinweis der Redaktion
Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction
Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction
These are all tied together using what’s called an AFFINITY GROUP.:: Basically, an affinity group tells the Azure fabric that everything in it should be as close as possible in a datacenter: The same container, the same rack, etcVirtual Machines in IaaS are made up of several building blocks:Virtual Machine / Compute Instance:: This is the actual VM and the resourcesStorage::: At the basic level, this is an OS disk on a Windows Azure Storage Account.:: You should add data disks for additional resources (storage space, and I/O)Virtual Network:: Allow communications between VMs, or a VPN back to your on-premises networkEndPoints:: Allow connectivity to & from the outside world, or Load Balancing
Sizes are fairly straightforward::: These double as you go up: 2 small = 1 medium, 2 medium = 1 large, etc:: Additional sizes for high-memory systems:: 20 Cores per subscription by default
Earlier I mentioned something called an AFFINITY GROUP, which groups components as close as possible to each other in the Physical DatacenterAvailability Sets are similar, but ensures components are in different Fault & Upgrade Domains. This is so where there are updates to the Azure Fabric (i.e. like there is on July 8th), or if a physical component fails, you can get higher availability (99.95%)
VHDs:Two types of disks::: OS:: DataReplication – 3x Local Redundant, 3x Geo-RedundantInside your Azure Subscription you can create one or more storage accountsLimited to 20 Storage Accounts Per SubscriptionEach Storage Account gives you ~5,000 IOPs Each Storage Account contains three types of storage:BlobsTablesQueuesFor IaaS you don’t really need to know the differenceVHDs are stored in Blobs
Allows communication between VMsDiscuss:SubnettingIPs, DNS, Gateway assigned via DHCP, 100 year lease as long as the VM is on
Allows communication between VMsDiscuss:SubnettingIPs, DNS, Gateway assigned via DHCP, 100 year lease as long as the VM is on
EndPointsAllow connectivity from the outside world to either a single VM, or multiple VMs (Load Balancing)Note: This is not application aware
Security:What do I mean by this?How is your SharePoint farm going to be configured? Is it in a new, non-trusted Active Directory domain, or is it in a domain that comes from the Azure VPN?Always – ALWAYS, use the SharePoint Best-Practice of Least-Privilege accountsUse different, strong passwords for each of these.How are uses going to authenticate?DesignHow is your Virtual Network going to be set up? Lots of subnets (Logical separation) or one subnet?DNS handled internally, or by a public provider? If they’re in a domain hosted in Azure, use AD DNSHigh AvailabillityPlan your Availability Sets FIRST! Separate Cloud Service for each TierYou can’t add a VM to an existing Availability Set AFTER it’s created – Planning is key
SQLHow are you going to scale out? Plan for this – you can’t have a SQL Cluster, so if you use the same SQL server for everything (or same SQL Alias) you have to Dismount and Mount databases to scale SQL outSQL Support – I’ll give you a link to the KB article on this, but plan for what’s support in SQL for Windows AzureMultiple Data disks are key to high performance. Use multiple disks with striping – put your TempDBs and TempDB logs on separate disks, backup to Azure BLOB directly or on another diskSecurity for SQL, use a Named Instance with a non-standard port (that’s not dymanic)ALIAS ALIASALIAS
Some things you can do to leverage your Azure resourcesUse a dedicated Cache Host instead of the AppFabric Cache Cluster. Put this on a high-memory server, and you’ll see better performance than having it split across multiple low-resource VMsSame with your Search Indexer – With FAST built in, SP 2013 Search is a beast. Put it on an A6/A7 VM and it’ll perform a lot better.SharePoint HA – What are the benefits of having multiple WFEs or App servers if you can’t have a SQL Cluster? Look at alternatives – SQL AlwaysOn, combined with SCOM & SC Service Manager and you can “Ghetto-rig” an automated SQL AlwaysOn Failover
Some things that are commonly missed or after-thoughts with AzureHow are you going to monitor your systems? SCOM on premises with certificates, or a dedicated SCOM server in Azure?Backups – You can use SQL to backup to Azure Blob storage, but what about your SP backups? PowerShell these into Azure Blob as wellDisaster Recovery – Have a cold-standby / warm-standby farm in another datacenter (not a sister datacenter), and restore your content?Windows Updates – Usually controlled by WSUS on-prem, but what about Azure? How are you going to test these, deploy, etc?Cumulative Updates – If this is an externally facing SharePoint Farm, recommend the latest SharePoint CU / Security Updates on all servers