Service Station, by Aaron Skonnard

Dutch DevDays 2009

Aaron Skonnard — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:04:18 GMT

I had a great time speaking last week at DevDays 2009 in Den Haag (The Hague), along with Fritz, Keith, and Matt. It was my first time in The Netherlands and I absolutely loved it there. The first thing I noticed when leaving the train station was the massive number of bicycles. There are actually more bicycles in The Netherlands than people. Most folks own at least 2-3 and they use them.

In fact, check out this shot I took at the Amsterdam central train station (yes, those are all bikes on the multi-layer platform):

We spent most of the week in The Hague by the sea, but got to spend Friday evening and all day Saturday sight-seeing in Amsterdam.

Then one of our old Dutch friends, Henk de Koning, picked us up for a drive and he took us to a neat little fishing town called Volendam where we had an excellent seafood dinner right by the water.

Now I actually understand the difference between The Netherlands, Holland, and why they call themselves Dutch. ;-) The conference organizers were fantastic and the attendees were very engaging, bright, and interesting to talk to…always makes for a fun week.

For those who attended the conference, here are the demos from my various presentations last week:

Recent Pluralsight On-Demand! library updates

Aaron Skonnard — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:54:40 GMT

Over the past several weeks, we’ve published several significant updates to the Pluralsight On-Demand! library. I figured a blog post summarizing these updates would be helpful to our subscribers. So here it goes…

We updated the ASP.NET MVC Fundamentals course by Scott Allen with two new modules, including ASP.NET MVC Models and a detailed look at using Ajax with ASP.NET MVC.
We published the new Agile Team Practice Fundamentals course by David Starr – the first three modules include Agile and Why It works, Agile Requirements and Estimation, and Scrum.
We published four modules in the new SQL Server Fundamentals course by Dan Sullivan, including T-SQL and the CLR, T-SQL and the CLR II, CTE’s and Ranking, and Hierarchies.

We’ve also added a lot of free training content in the past few weeks:

We added a free .NET/C# Tutorial by Keith Brown to the online library – it contains nearly 4 hrs of introductory training. Just register on our site to gain access.
We’ve added another dozen screencasts or so to our free screencast library on topics ranging from the new WCF REST Starter Kit, WF, and client-side data binding in ASP.NET Ajax 4.0.

While this is great content, I’m even more excited by what’s in the plan for the next several months…stay tuned! Please let us know if there are specific things you’d like to see...

WebSphere loves Windows, enough said

Aaron Skonnard — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:54:49 GMT

Recently, Greg Leake (Senior Director Developer Platform at Microsoft) performed a series of IBM written benchmarks. The results of the benchmarks demonstrate a significant cost savings of running WebSphere on Windows on HP Blades as opposed to running the same workload on IBM's Power 570 hardware. This savings is not only significant but the overall performance in terms of transactional throughput was significantly better than on the Power system. In addition, the tests show the ability to scale the overall system in a granular fashion. The net findings of these tests is that an organization has the possibility to run their WebSphere application workloads on Windows on Intel based hardware for markedly lower costs with improved performance as compared to Power systems. You can find an overview of the work at http://www.websphereloveswindows.com/.

For more in-depth information on the studies, check out http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/mainframe/whoknew/, as well as the information found on MSDN around the .NET StockTrader Sample Application. And you can find Greg Leake’s blog here.

Whitepaper: WCF LOB Adapter SDK and the BizTalk Adapter Pack

Aaron Skonnard — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:04:49 GMT

A while back Matt Milner and I coauthored a whitepaper on the new WCF LOB Adapter SDK and the BizTalk Adapter Pack. It was published on microsoft.com a few weeks ago but I guess I missed it. You can download the paper from here. Here’s a brief overview:

When building applications today, it’s hard to consider building something that doesn’t involve connectivity of some sort. Applications require business data and logic that is distributed across several applications or servers. Unfortunately, not all systems provide the same interface to their data and business logic which ultimately forces developers to figure out how to talk to each of those systems. Connecting to a system doesn’t just involve opening up a port on a network address either; we have to work with different message formats, varying security mechanisms, and in many cases custom libraries that rely on proprietary mechanisms. In the end, it’s common for developers to struggle with learning a variety of different programming interfaces, communication protocols, and messaging semantics.

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) promises to change all of that. WCF provides a unified programming model for building distributed applications using the .NET Framework. WCF was designed to provide a single unified programming model for writing either clients or services while also providing a flexible framework for different styles of communication on the wire. This approach allows developers to focus on writing code in their business domain rather than on learning new networking interfaces or object models. The code you write with WCF always looks the same but you can configure your apps to use different transport protocols like TCP, HTTP, and MSMQ; different message encodings like XML, MTOM, and binary; and varied security options including certificates, passwords, and security tokens.

The goals addressed by WCF are also very similar to the integration goals of Microsoft® BizTalk® Server. Ultimately BizTalk Server is primarily focused on providing an easy-to-manage model for connecting disparate, heterogeneous systems using a variety of different protocols, message formats and security mechanisms without requiring much, if any, code. This whitepaper discusses how the worlds of WCF and BizTalk Server 2006 are fully converging through the WCF LOB Adapter SDK and the BizTalk Adapter Pack.

I hope those of you working with WCF, BizTalk, and BizTalk adapters find this paper helpful.

Speaking at Microsoft DevDays 09 in Hague, The Netherlands

Aaron Skonnard — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:44:07 GMT

I will be speaking at Microsoft DevDays 09 in Hague on May 27-29. You can read more about the show here.

I will be delivering a pre-conference workshop on the Azure Services Platform, and I’ll be presenting several individual sessions on WCF/WF 4.0, .NET Services, “Dublin”, and the WCF REST Starter Kit. Hope to see you there!

If you find me at the conference, I’ll give you a substantial discount card for a Pluralsight On-Demand! subscription.

Service Virtualization with the Managed Services Engine (MSE)

Aaron Skonnard — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:32:50 GMT

My latest MSDN Magazine article entitled SOA Simplified: Service Virtualization with the Managed Services Engine hit the Web towards the end of last week. It focuses on simplifying large-scale SOA ecosystems by leveraging the concept of service virtualization as an abstraction for managing services over time. Microsoft Services provides a technical solution for implementing service virtualization called the Managed Services Engine (MSE). This article introduces the concepts of service virtualization and shows you how to get started with the MSE today. Hope you enjoy it.

You can download the MSE bits from CodePlex along with some installation guides, documentation, and some helpful screencast videos that illustrate exactly how to get started. Definitely worth checking out.

WCF: Champ vs. the Contender

Aaron Skonnard — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:59:05 GMT

Microsoft just shipped the final episode in their three-round WCF marketing campaign found at http://www.microsoft.com/net/wcf/champ/. It’s actually pretty entertaining while highlighting the key value propositions of WCF as a communication framework. Here’s the blurb from the site:

Let’s get it on! We are engaged in a battle that pits the “old way” of creating web services versus the “new way.” In the video series, two fighters go toe-to-toe, or rather keyboard-to-keyboard to highlight the benefits of using Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) to build robust web services. Take a tour of what WCF has to offer by exploring the pillars below. You may find yourself saying,“Finish Him!”

In addition to the 3 videos (one per round), this site also provides some categorized links to some valuable WCF learning resources. If you’re considering WCF in the near future, it’s definitely worth a look.

Speaking on Windows Azure at VSLive! Las Vegas in June

Aaron Skonnard — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:49:56 GMT

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I’ll be speaking at VSLive! Las Vegas on June 10-11 on Windows Azure and Dublin. Join me at the Venetian where I’ll be doing a general overview session on cloud computing and Windows Azure on 6/10 in the morning, followed by a breakout session on the Windows Application Server extensions code-named “Dublin”. Then on Thurs 6/11 I’ll be doing a full-day workshop on programming the Azure Services Platform including Windows Azure, .NET Services, SQL Services and Live Services. Here’s my breakdown for the show:

Windows Azure: A New Era of Cloud Computing, 8:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m., Wednesday, June 10
Codename “Dublin”: Windows Application Server, 10:00 a.m.–11:15 a.m., Wednesday, June 10
Workshop: A Day of Windows Azure, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.,Thursday, June 11

SPECIAL PRICING: Any blog reader who registers using this code (S9V19) will receive the all-access Passport Package for just $1,295, a savings of $400.00 off the standard price of $1,695. Just click here to get started.

You can follow this VSLive on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VSLive.

Hosting WCF Services on Windows Azure

Aaron Skonnard — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:32:30 GMT

Microsoft recently posted a set of samples that show how to host WCF services as well as Silverlight clients in the Windows Azure fabric. They highlight some of the known issues and workarounds and will help you get started if you’re interested in WCF + Azure.

You can find them on MSDN here. Kudos Yavor!

Shy Cohen joins Pluralsight

Aaron Skonnard — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:44:42 GMT

We’re excited to announce that Shy Cohen has joined Pluralsight as an instructor/author. He comes to us directly from Microsoft where he worked as a Senior Program Manager in the Connected Systems division. At Pluralsight, he’ll be focusing his efforts in the areas of SOA and cloud computing building courses on architecture and design, but he’ll also share his talents and expertise with our customers in the areas of WCF and “Oslo”. Shy has a passion for teaching and engaging with customers to help them better apply technology to improve their business. As a Microsoft MVP (in the area of solution architecture), Shy brings the total number of MVP’s at Pluralsight up to 13.

The first course Shy will be working on for Pluralsight is called SOA and Cloud Computing Fundamentals. You can read more about Shy on his profile page on pluralsight.com. You can also follow him in real-time on Twitter at http://twitter.com/shycohen.

We’re excited to have him. Welcome Shy!

Article on .NET Services in MSDN Magazine

Aaron Skonnard — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:09:30 GMT

My latest article on .NET Services is available in the April 2009 issue of MSDN Magazine. It’s called CLOUD COMPUTING: Building Distributed Applications with .NET Services. Enjoy.

DevWeek 2009 – it’s a wrap

Aaron Skonnard — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:10:37 GMT

We just wrapped up another great year at DevWeek 2009 in London. It’s one of my favorite shows to attend each year because of the central location, the attendees, the great conference organizers (thanks Nick!), and the chance to hang out with good friends in one of the best cities in the world. Numerous Pluralsight instructors speak here each year – it’s something of a yearly retreat for us). You can check out some of the #devweek action on Twitter.

I did the keynote this year on cloud computing, and then I gave several breakout sessions on WCF, REST, ADO.NET Data Services, .NET 4.0, and Dublin. Here’s the code from my demos.

And here’s the new Pluralsight On-Demand! shirt that we gave away this week:

Time to head home now, and time to get back to recording the next few Pluralsight On-Demand! titles I’m working on. Next up – the Azure Services Platform.

Windows Azure Training Courses

Aaron Skonnard — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:32:24 GMT

We recently announced several new instructor-led training courses focused on the Azure Services Platform and cloud computing. We already have a few scheduled for May and June and we'll be scheduling more at various locations around the world over the next several months - check out our course schedule grid for more details. All of these courses will also become part of our Pluralsight On-Demand! library by mid-year.

Azure Services Fundamentals

A new platform is emerging that promises to usher in a wave of new opportunities by dramatically changing the way companies deal with IT and the software built on it. This platform ultimately makes it easier for the little guy to take innovative ideas to market through a "pay as you go" business model, avoiding many of the upfront costs and complexities of typical IT investments. This platform is what we commonly referred to as "the cloud" today.
This intense three-day course introduces you to the new world of cloud computing and how to build on the Azure Services Platform. We'll cover Windows Azure, .NET Services, SQL Services, and Live Services and you'll learn how to start building applications using each one through a series of hands-on labs. Along the way we'll discuss cloud computing tradeoffs and help you understand the constraints and limitations imposed by the cloud computing model offered by the Azure Services Platform today. [more...]
Azure Services Workshop (1-day)
This fast-paced workshop introduces you to the new world of cloud computing and how to build on the Azure Services Platform in a single day. We'll cover Windows Azure, .NET Services, SQL Services, and Live Services. During this workshop, you'll learn about the overall platform architecture, the purpose of each service offering, and most importantly, how to begin building Azure-based applications today. [more...]
SOA and Cloud Computing Fundamentals

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a set of principles and methodologies for building distributed systems. Cloud Computing is an emerging trend wherein processing power, data storage, and other resources are accessed as utilities over the Internet. This course provides an introduction to SOA and Cloud Computing for technology decision makers who want to learn what these symbiotic notions are, what they can do for their technology and business solutions, and how to successfully implement them. If you are currently employing or considering employing SOA or Cloud Computing in your solutions, this course is for you. [more...]

RESTful .NET Fundamentals

Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style for building services on the tried and true architecture of the World Wide Web. REST defines a set of useful constraints that if followed lead to loosely-coupled, extensible, and scalable services callable from the widest set of service clients. You'll learn how to build services that embrace HTTP, URIs, and standard formats like XML, RSS/ATOM, and JSON. This course will quickly immerse you in RESTful thinking and teach you how to apply it using several Microsoft technologies including WCF, ASP.NET MVC, and ADO.NET Data Services. [more...]

Azure Services Fundamentals is for developers & architects who want a deep-dive into the Azure Services Platform. It covers each area of the platform in detail and provides a series of hands-on labs to cement your understanding. The Azure Services Workshop is the condensed version of the same course, making it possible to get fast-paced exposure to the Azure Services Platform in a single day.

The SOA and Cloud Computing Fundamentals course is primarily designed for architects focused on designing distributed systems using SOA architectures and cloud computing technologies. And finally, RESTful .NET Fundamentals is for developers who need to solidify their understanding of REST principles and programming techniques -- a prerequisite for anyone moving towards the Azure Services Platform.

WCF REST Screencasts/Videos

Aaron Skonnard — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:59:41 GMT

Over the past several months, I've been posting numerous screencasts on the WCF 3.5 REST programming model, the WCF REST Starter Kit (both Preview 1 and Preview 2), and their various features. I thought it might be helpful to provide readers with a consolidated index at this point:

WCF 3.5 REST Screencasts

WCF REST Starter Kit Preview 1 Screencasts

WCF REST Starter Kit Preview 2 Screencasts

Screencast: Processing message content with HttpClient

Aaron Skonnard — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:53:36 GMT

I recently published a new screencast video on Processing message content with HttpClient. Check out this post for more background.

This screencast shows you how to process different types of messages that you might get back from RESTful services on the Web. It shows how to use XLinq, DataContractSerializer, and XmlSerializer, and it shows how to process XML, Atom, and JSON messages.

Check out our growing collection of free .NET screencasts and videos. You can subscribe to the Pluralsight feed to be notified when new screencasts are published. In addition, check out our growing library of Pluralsight On-Demand! training courses.