My First Windows Azure Application in the Cloud
http://zxguestbook.cloudapp.net/
After receiving my Windows Azure and Services tokens, I couldn't wait to try my first Windows Azure application in the cloud. I picked the Guest Book application from Azure Services Training Kit - February Update because it looks rather simple. To test the application locally, I had to fix one reference at two locations by adding a Storage Client application from Windows Azure SDK v1.0 release (it is likely located at C:\Program Files\Windows Azure SDK\v1.0\samples.zip). To test the application in the cloud, I made a few changes in the configuraiton file, as documented in the MSDN white paper, "Deploying a Service on Windows Azure". Note: if you try to deploy the application directly to the Azure portal, the application will fail because it will be using your local storage rather the storage service in the cloud. I had to go through a few trial and errors, and each time the process took a while. But at the end the application worked as expected, and moving the application for staging to production takes no time. Try it now and leave a nice message to all my guests.
My next step is to try and test the Azure Services, and create my own application... To view some advanced Azure applications, visit Windows Azure Gallery at http://gallery.cloudapp.net/
If you are interested to receive your Windows Azure and Services tokens, create an account at www.azure.com and don't forget to make a request at Windows Azure Connect Site.
