Create certificate for - Windows Azure Service Management API - Authentication

Technorati Tags: Windows Azure,Azure,Storage,Cerebrata,Utilities,X509,certificate

I was tried to access my Azure Hosted service”, using Windows Azure Service Management API. This just released (september 2009) API, currently doing authentication using

From MSDN,

Any valid X.509 v3 certificate can be used for authentication. You can use a self-signed certificate or one signed by a certificate authority.

To access our “Azure Hosted service” using “Azure Service Management API”, we need to upload our Certificate certificate file (*.cer) to the Azure Portal. [this kind of authentication may be changed by Microsoft, since this API is now in earlier version]

Some Useful links about “creating Certificate file”:

• Using MakeCert.exe : from msdn link

• Using IIS to generate a X509 certificate : from Eric Nelson’s msdn blog link

- -

Azure Hosted Service Manger Tool

Currently Cerebrata company, is in process of creating WPF based tool which uses this API. Once screenshot of this tool for view.

I will update about this application in later post.

..

Azure Platform New contest (for INDIA alone)

 

Microsoft's Azure new contest (for INDIA alone)

http://www.thecloudapp.com

- ASP.NET & PHP apps

- Context for professionals (as well as) Students

- Time line: 19-Aug (to) 16-Oct

Update: Last date for registration is extended to Oct-30

Earlier, first Microsoft conducted the international contest for Azure applications. Me and my friends participated with application called Jaiho. That time haven’t selected. I will participate in this India Contest also. (had to think about good, simple application)

Links – September 2009

Last updated Date: 13-Sep-2009

General:

• Web Form Validation: Best Practices and Tutorials: Details about implementing data  validation for the web applications  here , (know from igorshare)
  
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Azure Contest – Jaiho application

Around one and half month back, I came to know about in NewCloudApp() developer challenge. It was a contest for creating Windows Azure based web application (or) service. I participated in that same [In 'international category'] with hearty support from my friend Ashok. Created a application called "Jaiho" and hosted here.

Now the contest is completed, congrats to the winners. My application is not selected, however thanks to all who tried the Jaiho application and voted for this.

About application "Jaiho" application:

Initially we planned to implement  many functionalities for this website as like “big social networking website” like Facebook, Orkut.

Due to time limit, and laziness only few functions were implemented while hosted for contest.

Currently following functionalities are in this application,

• User can create an account newly  (by new username, password)  (OR)
• User can also create account by other web 2.0 website’s username password (OpenID / OAuth based User Authentication)
• Anyone can do “Search operation” by “myBing” section [it is using Bing search engine’s API]
• After creating account, user can store any files into this website (internally storing the data in Azure Blob storage)
• Currently all uploaded files accessible to public (will be changed, based on user choice)

 

I missed to post the details about “Jaiho” in this blog. Here below the excerpt of the mail which I sent to friends to promote this app for voting. Please Note: this below image is also hosted in cloud (by my account in Jaiho application). (i.e) image URL is:

http://jaihostorage.blob.core.windows.net/iammuruga-pics/Jaiho-newCloudApp-Contest-Promote-mail.jpg

 

More information about Azure Platform can be viewed here

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Update (05-Nov-2009):

Recently got notice from Microsoft, as I have to shift all my application/storage data to anther “region”, and previous data will get deleted. Excerpt of that notice is as follows:

“You are receiving this mail because you have an application or storage account in Windows Azure in the “USA - Northwest” region.  Windows Azure production applications and storage will no longer be supported in the ‘USA-Northwest’ region.  We will be deleting all Windows Azure applications and storage accounts in the “USA - Northwest” region on November 3rd.”

So, currently this basic application is down

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Links – August 2009

I would like ScottGu’s Link series posts. Based on that inspiration, Here I am starting Link posts, for some new Links I came across as useful. Note: I will update this post, within this month
Last updated Date: 04-Aug-2009

Azure Platform:

• Azure Pricing Model: Pricing Model for Microsoft Azure is released. Details can be viewed in Windows Azure blog (or) in Azure Platform website
  
  
• GZip Compression for Azure Blob storage: Windows Azure currently doesn't compressing uncompressed data on the fly. Here is how to do manually.
  
  

Silverlight:

• WCF authentication in Silverlight: Mike Taulty's interesting post about “Silverlight could do WCF authentication using TransportWithMessageCredential security” is here
  
  
• .NET RIA Services White paper [July 2009]: Microsoft .NET RIA Services July 2009 Preview can be downloaded from here.  

• Out of Browser Feature: Silverlight’s new feature Links: Link1, Link2 (and) Link3  
  

 

 

.. ..

Few bits about Cloud Computing & Microsoft Azure Platform

Cloud Computing  &  few bits about Microsoft Azure Platform,

Cloud Computing

[From wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing )]

Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet.

Leading companies offering Cloud Computing services, including:

• Amazon
• Google
• Microsoft

Amazon

• Amazon EC2 (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud)  - web hosting service http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/
• Amazon S3 (Amazon Simple Storage Service)  - providing storage in internet http://aws.amazon.com/s3/
• and many services like it... ...

Google

Google App Engine  - http://code.google.com/appengine/docs/whatisgoogleappengine.html

Allows to host application written in  Python  & Java

Microsoft

Azure services platform. Windows Azure - http://www.microsoft.com/azure/windowsazure.mspx

Allows to host application written in ASP.NET  & PHP

Java applications can also utilize “.NET services” by separate SDK

We can create, test and debug the applications using Visual Studio

 

Windows Azure Service Platform

Windows Azure is the cloud services operating system that provides various functionality for Cloud Computing. It serves as the development, service hosting, and service management environment for the Azure Services Platform. Windows Azure provides on-demand compute & storage services on the Internet in Microsoft data centers.

It provides various services including,

• .NET Services
• Azure Storage Services
• Live Services
• SQL Data Services.

Azure Storage Services

• Windows Azure Tables
• Windows Azure Blob
• Windows Azure Queue

Windows Azure "Tables"
- Used for "DBMS like" functionality. provides scalable, durable structured storage in the form of tables. The tables contain entities, and the entities contain properties.  support ACID transactions. It can be accessed as "REST programming approach" via "ADO.NET Data Services".

Windows Azure "Blob"
- Used for "storing Binary data" (ex, Photos, Videos any any type of files). 

Windows Azure "Queue"
- provides reliable storage and delivery of messages for an application.

 

 

Microsoft .NET Services

- set of developer-oriented services that provide key building blocks "for communication among applications".

[Much like the .NET Framework, for the Cloud computing].

• Access Control Service
• Service Bus

Access Control Service
- The Access Control Service is a cloud-based "Security Token Service (STS)". It provides way for standards-based identity checking.

Service Bus
- provides the familiar Enterprise Service Bus application pattern.

 

 

Live Services

- is a set of building blocks for handling "user data and application resources". Live Services includes Mesh technologies for synchronizing user data and extending Web applications across multiple devices.

 

… … … … … … … …

… … … … … … … …

(more will be in later post)

Article Published – ADO.NET Data Services

 

Few months before, I was checking about ADO.NET data services. Same I pointed out in my old post. I had put some initial notes in document for further view, and just forwarded that as a article to publish in ‘Chirp’ [in-house magazine in current employer] before 3 months.

This month publication, having that article.

I shared that here (in SkyDrive) for download, or you may view & download from below ‘docstoc’ upload.

If you find any flaw, please let me know in comments.

ADO.NET Data Services (aka Astoria) - Intro - Get more Business Documents

Google wave, excellent

 

I viewed day-2 keynote, 'Google Wave' session presented on "Google I/O conference ". 

"Google Wave" excellent..  http://wave.google.com/

Google Wave is a new online communication and collaboration tool

 

Just signed up for Google Wave. And requested for Sand box access.

mmm.. waiting for their response.

Microsoft New Search Engine : Bing

 

www.bing.com

Microsoft just announced it’s new search engine ‘Bing’

Press pass can be viewed here

Unicode and Character Sets - Basis

I have read an great technical article by Joel Spolsky. Actually it was written on year 2003 [October 08, 2003]. But read today.

ok, coming to point. That article is about basis of “Unicode Char sets”

title and URL,

The Absolute Minimum Every Software Developer Absolutely, Positively Must Know About Unicode and Character Sets (No Excuses!)

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Unicode.html

 

just tiny bit from that article,

Some people are under the misconception that Unicode is simply a 16-bit code where each character takes 16 bits and therefore there are 65,536 possible characters. This is not, actually, correct.

 

Lengthy article but worth reading.  Make you free to read this.

TechEd India 2009 Top Architect Contest

 

Microsoft announced “TechEd India 2009 Top Architect Contest”

Brief Notes:

1) Understand the problem statement from  http://virtualtechdays.com/toparchitect/problem_statement.aspx

2) Think of a solution and put it down in a presentation with an audio explanation.

3) Submit your details and the idea at http://virtualtechdays.com/toparchitect/SubmitEntry.aspx

Get to present to Live audience at Tech Ed

Contest Rules are here

End date: 11:59 PM IST on 26-April-2009   Hurry Up.

MSDN Library : Lightweight & Low bandwidth Version

 

As all we know, MSDN is a great resource, having huge details.

Meanwhile probably most of us may felt as ‘it is loading for a long time’ for some times.

Try out, Low Bandwidth MSDN

Normal current version: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.xml.xmlnode.aspx

Low band version: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.xml.xmlnode(loband).aspx

Really it is simpler and faster.

 

It seems, it is available from several months ago.  :-(

Please have a view on Hanselman’s post for more details.

..

Window 7 beta OS : Chennai Event

 

Chennai .NET user group (India > Tamil Nadu State > Chennai City), is conducting “one-day workshop about Windows 7 OS”.

Free OS installation can also avail to the attendees.

Please Read the announcement here 

For quick view read below

“

Windows 7 Day
Saturday, 18th April 2009
Energize your day with Windows 7

• Walk in with your laptops and get them powered with Windows 7
• Participate in the parallel sessions running
• Even if you are not carrying your laptops, feel free to attend sessions
• Get the boot camp feel
• Getting hands on at the venue, provides you more exposure to learning with your peers

Windows 7 Beta is currently the hot topic in the Community and here is your chance to cash in on the buzz!

On Saturday, 18th April, India will wake up to 7 concurrent User Group events on Windows 7! Here is where a Community member / IT Professional can avail of exclusive in-depth content on managing Windows 7 – a one-day workshop to gear up on all the necessary skills to get started on Windows 7 efficiently. And that’s not all – a Community member can walk in with his machine and get it loaded with Windows 7 right there.

The system requirement to install the Windows 7 Beta should meet these minimum hardware recommendations:

• 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• 16 GB of available disk space
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (in order to enable Aero theme)
• DVD-R/W Drive or machine that supports booting from USB

Please obtain your own Product Key by the following steps:

1. Open your web browser and enter http://technet.microsoft.com/

2. Sign In using your Live ID

3. If your system is 32-Bit compatible, enter the following URL in the same browser: https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/productkeys/win7-32/enus/default.aspx

4. If your system is 64-Bit compatible, enter the following URL in the same browser: https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/productkeys/win7-64/enus/default.aspx

Here you also have an opportunity of learning through the sessions and also with the systems powered by the operating system, they have the easy option of learn the functionality, explore more, understand the simple / difficulties during installation (compatibility etc...), various methods of installation.

To register for the event please visit : http://www.chennaiitpro.net/Articles/Windows-7/Windows-7-Day---Energize-your-day-with-Windows-7.aspx

Please do forward this to all your friends for them to get the benefit as well.

Regards,  Chennai .Net User Group Lead

”

Microsoft Virtual Techdays 2009

 

24 hours – Online Event (yes it is first ever 24 hours event)  on April-01

Its online. Its free

If interested, do register here

As we know, already lot of domestic or international events done. But we might missed some of the sessions due to work place restriction, that day’s work / time zone.

But hope this new event will be a new kind.. and will be trendsetter.

will be covering all time zones.

WCF Links, Web Casts, Notes

 

WCF – Webcast Links

Latest WCF Screen casts in MSDN

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/content/en-us/msft/netframework/wcf/Screencasts

 

MIKE TAULTY'S BLOG [Slightly out of date, but clearly explaining the concepts – MUST to See]

http://mtaulty.com/CommunityServer/blogs/mike_taultys_blog/archive/2006/09/13/8875.aspx

 

Nicholas Allen's Indigo Blog [year 2006 web casts]

http://blogs.msdn.com/drnick/archive/2006/05/31/611195.aspx

 

WCF (Indigo) – Some Important Blog Links

 

"Service Station", by Aaron Skonnard   (WCF Trainer, MVP) important Blog for WCF

http://www.pluralsight.com/community/blogs/aaron/default.aspx

 

Wenlong's Blog (Microsoft WCF Team)

http://blogs.msdn.com/wenlong/default.aspx

 

SOWMY SRINIVASAN'S BLOG  (Microsoft WCF Team)

- He is posting rarely, but extreme quality discussion will be.

http://blogs.msdn.com/sowmy/default.aspx

 

Nicholas Allen's Indigo Blog  (Microsoft WCF Team)

http://blogs.msdn.com/drnick/default.aspx

WCF – Some Important Article/Discussions Links

Message Contract (vs.) Data Contract : Discussion
http://www.codeplex.com/servicefactory/Thread/View.aspx?ThreadId=21927

 

WCF Service : ASP.NET compatibility mode
http://blogs.msdn.com/wenlong/archive/2006/01/23/516041.aspx

 

Must Check
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb332338.aspx

 

WCF instancing mode default (ServiceBehaviorAttribute.InstanceContextMode)
http://blogs.msdn.com/edpinto/archive/2006/10/16/wcf-instancing-mode-default-is-instancecontextmode-persession.aspx

http://www.pluralsight.com/community/blogs/keith/archive/2006/10/13/40522.aspx

And I attached my brief notes here.

MCTS 70-503 Exam (WCF)

 

Update: I added links to useful blogs and articles in new post, click here

Last Saturday 21-Mar-2009, I attended WCF 3.5 Certification (MCTS 70-503) exam, and cleared.

 

I did my initial two MCTS exams in 2007. After that, I was sayinng a long time about getting further certifications, but went only in words for long time.

 

Started preparation on 70-529 (.NET 2.0 - Distributed Application Development) after long time. As you know that was too delayed work. Because Microsoft has already released WCF, a new unified connected systems technology.

So continued with WCF.

Thanks to all who supported, and special thanks to Ashok.

I will update about some important links to WCF, in later post.

Dangerous Programming Mistakes

>> Just recently I did the #1 mistake

>> Please have a time to view this list

Top 25 Most Dangerous Programming Mistakes

1. Improper Input Validation

Ensure that your input is valid. If you're expecting a number, it shouldn't contain letters. Nor should the price of a new car be allowed to be a dollar. Incorrect input validation can lead to vulnerabilities when attackers can modify their inputs in unexpected ways. Many of today's most common vulnerabilities can be eliminated, or at least reduced, with strict input validation.

2. Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output

Insufficient output encoding is at the root of most injection-based attacks. An attacker can modify the commands that you intend to send to other components, possibly leading to a complete compromise of your application - not to mention exposing the other components to exploits that the attacker would not be able to launch directly. When your program generates outputs to other components in the form of structured messages such as queries or requests, be sure to separate control information and metadata from the actual data.

…
…

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001210.html

HTML Table

Just drawn HTML table with rowspan & colspan

   1: <table border="1">

   2:  

   3: <tr> <td rowspan=2> ab </td>

   4:      <td colspan=2> cd </td>

   5: </tr>

   6: <tr> <td> ef </td>

   7:      <td rowspan=2> gh </td>

   8: </tr>

   9: <tr> <td colspan=2> ik </td>

  10: </tr> 

  11: </table>

ab	cd
	ef	gh
ik

Fiddler : HTTP Traffic Debugger Proxy

While studying the basis of “ADO.NET Data Services”, I came to know about an excellent tool called “Fiddler”.

• HTTP Web Debugger Proxy
• Logs all the HTTP Traffic
• so able to view all HTTP communication, in may formats (as RAW format, as XML.. and may more options).

really useful, if you haven’t used yet, consider this. Here it is :http://www.fiddlertool.com/

Info about “Fiddler” in MSDN:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb250446.aspx

Earlier while starting with .NET 2.0 XML web services, I was struggled to trace SOAP messages communication. I don’t heard about this that time. Fortunately now no problem about that. :-)

Photos : Some from Oochappan’s Collection

 

Today I had a chance to view collections by ‘Oochappan’. Friend Shobin told about his collection and gave a link to this great place. Thanks shobin.

Special in this gallery what I am wondering is lot of photos from My Tamil Nadu, My People, My India.

Great to see His photos..  we can able to feel colors..

Photos Links

Collection In pbase.com here

Collection In Flicker.com here

A huge number of shots are there.. some among them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at : ADO.NET Data Services

 

These days am looking in a new component in .NET Framework.
It is a new approach of "accessing the data".
It is "ADO.NET Data Services"

It is interesting, because we are going to access the data "as service".
Started to work with this.

Just here am sharing some introduction details what I got.

- Data as a Service
- Earlier code named as ‘Astoria’
- Part of .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
- REST based approach
- So, Best Suitable for Rich Interface Applications (like ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight)
- Accessible by all kinds of .NET Application

Main thing is, as in the client's view, we are going to access the data using URIs

Some URI examples:
http:// myserver / data.svc / Customers
By this we can get all customer details

http:// myserver / data.svc / Customers(‘userA’)
By this we can get only particular "userA" details

So, how it is working only with URI itself for Accessing the data.!!!?
Because, it is working with HTTP methods GET, POST, PUT and DELETE

As a learning workarounds, "ADO.NET Data Services" would be around the following

· ADO.NET Entity Framework

· ADO.NET Entity Data Model

· LINQ

· Web Services

· REST

· JSON

· ATOM Feed

Just working with this new approach, with sample applications.
We may interested with publically deployed any existing "ADO.NET Data services", one of the example  http://stevef.goes.com/northwindservice/NorthwindService.svc/

some useful links regarding this,

MSDN : Using ADO.NET Data Services
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc907912.aspx

MSDN : Overview of ADO.NET Data Services
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/cc956153.aspx

Astoria Team Blog
http://blogs.msdn.com/astoriateam/

NOTE: for developing application in this, minimum we need

• Visual Studio 2008 SP1
• .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

 

Hope soon I will update here with more details about this.

Windows Vista : My User Profile Corrupted

Currently am using Windows Vista SP1 with Updates.

Unfortunately, today morning my user profile got corrupted. [just before that, I was working with out problem and shut downed properly, but could in find the root for the cause].

While restarting, it was showing as “preparing your desktop” and then loaded a temporary profile :-(   Shows the below error message,

Your user profile was not loaded correctly! You have been logged on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Please see the event log for details or contact your administrator.

Fortunately, my “user directory” is not deleted for my turn, at least that content was saved.

Timely got resolution for this problem in “Microsoft Support Portal”

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947242

 

The excerpt of the solution

Log on to the system by using an administrative user account other than the user account that is experiencing the problem. Back up all data in the current user's profile folder if the profile folder still exists, and then delete the profile folder. By default, the profile resides in the following location: %SystemDrive%\Users\UserName Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.  Collapse this imageExpand this image If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue. Locate the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList Under the ProfileList subkey, delete the subkey that is named SID.bak. Note SID is a placeholder for the security identifier (SID) of the user account that is experiencing the problem. The SID.bak subkey should contain a ProfileImagePath registry entry that points to the original profile folder of the user account that is experiencing the problem. Exit Registry Editor. Log off the system. Log on to the system again. After you log on to the system, the profile folder is re-created.

2-GB Size Photo : showing nearly two million people

David Bergman did a wonderful Photo Using GigaPan

He made a bird’s-eye image showing nearly two million people who watched US President Obama’s inaugural address

Image Info:

Just  1474 megapixels  !!

Almost 2 GB in Size

Use controls to zoom and pan around the photo. (and also double click to zoom)

To See in Full Screen Click Here

.NET Application Profiling : ANTS Profiler

ANTS Profiler

Just I heard about one of the Profiling tool. It is very useful tool for

• - Record Each operation execution time (line-by-line measurements also)
• - Find Memory Usage of objects
• - Easy to find performance problems in source code
• - Highlighting I/O  Read & write operation
• - works with all kinds of .NET Apps
• - Points to particular Source Code
• - and many more…

 ANTS Profiler (Trial) Download Page

https://www.red-gate.com/dynamic/downloads/downloadform.aspx?download=antsprofiler

We can view the Code Caller Graph, and that can be customizable. For example,

 

Memory consumption and Memory Allocations also can be tracked.