Today we released a simplified version of the Windows Azure SDK, with a number of new features, a HPC Scheduler SDK  and finally a Windows Azure Platform Training Kit which aligns with the new changes.

The major updates are as follows

  • Streamlined publishing: This allows you to configure all aspects of deployments, such as Remote Desktop (RDP), without ever leaving Visual Studio.
  • Multiple profiles: Your publish settings, build config, and cloud config choices will be stored in one or more publish profile MSBuild files.
  • Team Build: The Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio 2010 now offer MSBuild command-line support to package your application and pass in properties.
  • In-Place Updates: Visual Studio now allows you to make improved in-place updates to deployed services in Windows Azure.
  • Enhanced Publishing Wizard: Overhaul of publishing experience to sign-in, configure the deployment, and review the summary of changes
  • Automatic Credential Management Configuration: No longer need to manually create or manage a cert
  • Multiple Subscription Deployment Management: Makes it easier to use multiple Windows Azure subscriptions by selecting the subscription you want to use when publishing within Visual Studio.
  • Hosted Service Creation: Create new hosted services within Visual Studio, without having to visit the Windows Azure Portal.
  • Storage Accounts: Create and configure appropriate storage accounts within Visual Studio (no longer need to do this manually)
  • Remote Desktop Workflow: Enable by clicking a checkbox and providing a username/password – no need to create or upload a cert
  • Deployment Configurations: Manage multiple deployment environment configurations
  • Azure Activity Log: More information about the publish and virtual machine initialization status

 

The Windows Azure HPC Scheduler also allows for job scheduling and resource management, web-based job submission, parallel runtimes with support for MPI applications and WCF services and persistent state management of job queue and resource configuration.

 

For more details, please download the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit to get the details which now includes an option through Web Installer to make the download easier.