RadControls for ASP.NET AJAX on Azure (Part 1)

Those of you paying attention to “conference news” are probably aware of Microsoft’s entrance in to the cloud computing space via their platform code-named “Windows Azure.”  This version of “Windows in the cloud” essentially makes it possible to easily build and deploy .NET web applications to Microsoft’s hosted cloud infrastructure. The benefits of deploying your application to the cloud are (potentially) many, but I am going to assume you are already aware of the key “selling points” (such as scalability, scalability, and…oh yeah, scalability).

TELERIK IS CLOUD READY

I’m pleased to report that Telerik is “Cloud Ready.” This is a bit of a funny statement to make, but it is true. The humor is rooted in the fact that there is really nothing special about being “cloud ready.” You can use the exact same RadControls for ASP.NET AJAX that you know and love today to build applications for the cloud. In fact, the process for building your web applications is so familiar, it hardly needs any introduction. Deployment is a little different, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to rapidly build cloud applications with Telerik’s RadControls and have them running happily on the cloud with very little trouble.

HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?

Like I said, the process is very, very familiar if you’ve ever developed a web application in Visual Studio, but just to make sure there is no confusion, here’s what you need to do:

1. Install the Azure SDK and VS Tools (in other words, get your environment setup)
2. In Visual Studio, navigate to File > New Project… > Cloud Service > Web Cloud Service and create a new project
3. Once the project is created, you’ll see a web project with a Default.aspx. Edit this like you “normally” would with  an ASP.NET project, including dragging and dropping RadControls on the page.
4. Once you’re ready to test your site on the “Cloud Fabric,” simply press F5 and the Azure Tools for VS will automatically spin-up the local developer fabric (that simulates the cloud on your dev PC) and run your web app.
5. Rinse and repeat until you’re happy with your site.
6. Once happy, you’re ready to deploy to the “real” cloud fabric (more on this in the future)

And that’s really all there is to it. In the near future, I’ll be composing some videos for Telerik TV showing you the RadControls running on Azure, but I wanted you to know you can start your tests today without any trouble. Unless…

WINDOWS 7 GOTCHA

If you’re like me, you’re exited about Windows 7 and you’re running it as your full-time OS. Unfortunately, Windows 7 currently has a bug that prevents Azure from working properly on your dev PC. Your solution? You only have two choices at this point in time:

• Wait for the next build of Windows 7 (which will likely ship at TechEd next month), OR
• Do your Azure development on a Windows Vista or Server 2008 VPC

It’s unfortunate that these two Microsoft beta/CTP tools don’t yet get along, but I suppose pre-release software can’t be perfect. Fortunately, your RadControls are ready to go, so give ‘em a try and enjoy developing applications for the cloud! Watch for more updates, demos, and videos soon.