Working with Dapr in WSL2 Remote VSCode and Ubuntu 20.04 distro
Dapr is a portable, event-driven runtime that makes it easy for any developer to build resilient, stateless and stateful applications that run on the cloud and edge and embraces the diversity of languages and developer frameworks.
Developer language SDKs and frameworks
To make using Dapr more natural for different languages, it also includes language specific SDKs for Go, Java, JavaScript, .NET and Python. These SDKs expose the functionality in the Dapr building blocks, such as saving state, publishing an event or creating an actor, through a typed, language API rather than calling the http/gRPC API. This enables you to write a combination of stateless and stateful functions and actors all in the language of their choice. And because these SDKs share the Dapr runtime, you get cross-language actor and functions support.
I’m using Windows Insider Build version 21277-RS with Docker for Windows Edge and Visual Studio Code.
Docker for Windows Edge Version Running.
Because Docker for Windows Edge support WSL2 Engine and Visual Studio Code too, brought me to an idea to build dapr into Ubuntu 20.04 WSL Distro on my Windows Insiders 21277 RS version on my Surface Book 3. There for you must activate the WSL2 integration with my default WSL distro Ubuntu-20.04.
Dapr init ( in the Ubuntu-20.04 WSL2 Linux distro )
Here you find the Dapr dev environment installation types for Dapr init, I did the standalone version. Dapr makes then the following containers :
Dapr Containers.
Then we have the following running :
Dapr Dashboard
Zipkin
Zipkin is a distributed tracing system. It helps gather timing data needed to troubleshoot latency problems in service architectures. Features include both the collection and lookup of this data.
Zipkin Traces
Dapr Dashboard
Now we have Dapr running in the WSL2 Ubuntu-20.04 distro, you can use Visual Studio Code on Windows Insiders using Remote WSL and work with your favourite dapr SDK like the list above 😉
From here you can work with your dapr application.
In this guide dapr is running with Docker containers, but you can also install it on Kubernetes or K8s, AKS, Azure any where, see this overview :
Dapr with Kubenetes Containers.
Dapr Overview.
Important Note : Dapr is still in preview and not ready yet for production. But as a developer, DevOps, AzOps, you can start with it and Build and Test your own microservices and Container apps ! Hope you are having fun with it too 😉
It’s a year full of misery with the Covid-19 virus around the world. People who lose their loved one, It’s a very sad time for all of us! Microsoft technologies are still going on strong with new features in Azure Cloud Services but also supporting the people who are working in the healthcare, data analytics, Microsoft Teams for Collaboration and much more. But what I want to say to all HealthCare people over the world : THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO 👍
I have deep respect for you all !
Community, Microsoft Product Teams, MVP Lead, WIndows Insiders, I wish you and your family happy holidays and a Healthy 2021 with lot of Success! 🎄😍
Azure Stack HCI is a Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) cluster solution that hosts virtualized Windows and Linux workloads and their storage in a hybrid on-premises environment. Azure hybrid services enhance the cluster with capabilities such as cloud-based monitoring, Site Recovery, and VM backups, as well as a central view of all of your Azure Stack HCI deployments in the Azure portal. You can manage the cluster with your existing tools including Windows Admin Center, System Center, and PowerShell.
Azure Stack HCI, version 20H2 is a new operating system now in Public Preview and available for download. It’s intended for on-premises clusters running virtualized workloads, with hybrid-cloud connections built-in. As such, Azure Stack HCI is delivered as an Azure service and billed on an Azure subscription. Azure Stack HCI also now includes the ability to host the Azure Kubernetes Service; for details, see Azure Kubernetes Service on Azure Stack HCI.
Get Started with Azure Stack HCI and Windows Admin Center
Windows Admin Center is a locally deployed, browser-based app for managing Azure Stack HCI. The simplest way to install Windows Admin Center is on a local management PC (desktop mode), although you can also install it on a server (service mode).
If you install Windows Admin Center on a server, tasks that require CredSSP, such as cluster creation and installing updates and extensions, require using an account that’s a member of the Gateway Administrators group on the Windows Admin Center server. For more information, see the first two sections of Configure User Access Control and Permissions.
Before you begin, you have to know that Azure Stack HCI is still in Preview and not for Production usage ready. But I’m installing it in my MVPLAB for testing purpose only and learn all the New Features.
What’s New in Azure Stack HCI
Clusters running Azure Stack HCI, version 20H2 have the following new features as compared to Windows Server 2019-based solutions:
New capabilities in Windows Admin Center: With the ability to create and update hyper-converged clusters via an intuitive UI, Azure Stack HCI is easier than ever to use.
Stretched clusters for automatic failover: Multi-site clustering with Storage Replica replication and automatic VM failover provides native disaster recovery and business continuity to clusters that use Storage Spaces Direct.
Affinity and anti-affinity rules: These can be used similarly to how Azure uses Availability Zones to keep VMs and storage together or apart in clusters with multiple fault domains, such as stretched clusters.
Azure portal integration: The Azure portal experience for Azure Stack HCI is designed to view all of your Azure Stack HCI clusters across the globe, with new features in development.
GPU acceleration for high-performance workloads: AI/ML applications can benefit from boosting performance with GPUs.
BitLocker encryption: You can now use BitLocker to encrypt the contents of data volumes on Azure Stack HCI, helping government and other customers stay compliant with standards such as FIPS 140-2 and HIPAA.
Improved Storage Spaces Direct volume repair speed: Repair volumes quickly and seamlessly.
In the Following Step-by-Step guide we install Azure Stack HCI Cluster with Windows Admin Center.
Click on Add and then Create New Server Cluster.
Choose for Azure Stack HCI.
Here you can also choose for both Azure Stack HCI nodes are in the same Site or you have more Azure Stack HCI Nodes in Two Sites for disaster Recovery and Business Continuity.
In my MVPLAB I have all Azure Stack HCI nodes in One Site. More information about Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Stretching Clusters can be found here.
This is what I like about Windows Admin Center, supporting you in all steps and choices for making an Azure Stack HCI Cluster with Storage Spaces Direct.
Specify your administrator Account and password and add the Azure Stack HCI Node Servers
Add the Nodes to the Domain.
Install Required Features on the Azure Stack HCI Node Servers
Install Updates on the Azure Stack HCI Node Servers
Here you get options from your hardware vendor
I don’t get this because it’s virtual.
Restart the Azure Stack HCI Node Servers and Click Next Networking
Networking adapters are UP and Running.
When you have Enough Nics in your Azure Stack HCI Node Server, you can choose here for a Teamed Management NIC.
I choose for a single management NIC. Plan your Azure Stack HCI Node network
Configure your Production and Storage network
Here you can configure different Switches for your workloads. Windows Admin Center will work with Software Defined Networking (SDN) I Skipped this in my MVPLAB.
Before creating the Azure Stack HCI Cluster, we have to Validate the Cluster first.
When the Cluster Validation is done, you can download the Cluster Validation report.
Here we give the Cluster a Name and a static IP.
Click Create Cluster.
Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Cluster is created 😉
Click Next for Storage.
Click Next
I Got some small disks Click Next.
Storage is validated and suitable for Storage Spaces Direct.
Storage Spaces Direct is enabled on your Azure Stack HCI Cluster.
Click Next for SDN
Here you can configure the Network Controller for the Azure Stack HCI Cluster
Done your Azure Stack HCI Cluster is made 🙂
Here we have the Dashboard in Windows Admin Center of my Azure Stack HCI Cluster
Management of your Azure Stack HCI Cluster
Managing your Azure Stack HCI Cluster with Windows Admin Center is important, because I have connected WAC with my Azure Subscription I can use Azure Monitor.
From here the Cluster is also connected with my Analytics workspace of Azure Monitor.
Azure Stack HCI Cluster Nodes connected with Azure Monitor.
With Windows Admin Center you can manage the Azure Stack HCI updates with Cluster Aware Updating (CAU) without any downtime for your workloads.
Start Cluster Aware Updating
Click on Install
One Azure Stack HCI Node is waiting and the other is Installing.
Now the other Azure Stack HCI Node is Installing the Update.
Updates Succeeded on both Azure Stack HCI Nodes.
Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Cluster is Running
Create your Virtual Machine on Azure Stack HCI Cluster.
Conclusion
Windows Admin Center supports you all the way for making your Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Cluster in easy steps deployment wizard. Of course you can make also your own PowerShell deployment scripts when you have to make more Azure Stack HCI Clusters for different platforms like Deploying virtual machines or AKS Kubernetes Clusters for Container Applications or a SQL environment. Here you find more information about PowerShell commands
After deploying Azure Stack HCI Clusters with your own PowerShell Script, you can add the Cluster into Windows Admin Center for IT Management.
The Installation time of the Cluster is really fast. I hope this will give you more inside information about the Preview of Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Cluster and Windows Admin Center better Together!
Next Step is AKS Kubernetes on Azure Stack HCI 😉
People, Process, and Technology to continually provide value to customers.
While adopting DevOps practices automates and optimizes processes through technology, it all starts with the culture inside the organization—and the people who play a part in it. The challenge of cultivating a DevOps culture requires deep changes in the way people work and collaborate. But when organizations commit to a DevOps culture, they can create the environment for high-performing teams to develop.
My name is James van den Berg and I’m a MVP in Cloud and Datacenter Management on my DevOps journey as an IT Infrastructure Guy managing datacenters on-prem and in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. Today It’s not only a Virtual Machine or a Website to deploy for your customers, it’s much more then that like :
Time to market, deploy your solution fast without waiting on dependencies because you automated your process with a CI CD Pipeline.
Security and Monitoring to keep you in Controle.
Working together with different Teams who are each responsible for a part of the solution.
Now is the time. Join your global partner community for the Microsoft Inspire digital event experience. Register today and get ready to extend your partner network as we explore what’s coming in the year ahead and work together to find shared solutions for our customers. Join Microsoft Inspire 2020 Global Event on July 21-22 Now at no Cost!
You will be Inspired by Microsoft New Technologies and Innovations !
This Inside Azure Management E-Book is a Must Have for All Azure Cloud Administrators! It’s made by Great Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVP’s)
who are working always with Microsoft Azure Cloud Services.You can download this Awesome Inside Azure Management E-Book here.
With 30+ Community talks, learning sessions, and skill-building activities exploring Minecraft, MakeCode, Visual Studio, AI, Azure, and more, there is something here for every student and every level of experience!
Earlier I wrote a blogpost about Microsoft Azure Service Fabric Standalone Cluster for Dev testing. This was 5 – Node Azure Service Fabric Cluster locally installed, but now I like to have a bigger ASF Cluster on my
Windows Server 2019 for testing with Visual Studio.
Azure Service Fabric is a distributed systems platform that makes it easy to package, deploy, and manage scalable and reliable microservices and containers.
When you want to great your own Azure Service Fabric Cluster for Production, you have to prepare your self and making a plan before you build.
When you have your Azure Service Fabric Standalone Cluster running, you want to deploy your microservices, apps or containers on it and test your solution. In the following steps I deploy with Visual Studio a Web App to Azure Service Fabric Cluster Standalone version 7.1.409
Azure Resource Graph is a service in Azure that is designed to extend Azure Resource Management by providing efficient and performance resource exploration with the ability to query at scale across a given set of subscriptions so that you can effectively govern your environment. Azure Resource Graph enables full visibility into your environments by providing high performance and powerful query capability across all your resources.
From here you can experience the power of Azure Resource Graph by doing it yourself.
From here we are going further with Azure PowerShell and Azure Resource Graph in CloudShell.
Login to https://shell.azure.com
Type following command : Install-Module -Name Az.ResourceGraph
Type Y
Type the Following Command: Get-Command -Module ‘Az.ResourceGraph’ -CommandType ‘Cmdlet’
From here we can start with Search in Azure Resource Graph
The first step to understanding queries with Azure Resource Graph is a basic understanding of the Query Language. If you aren’t already familiar with Azure Data Explorer, it’s recommended to review the basics to understand how to compose requests for the resources you’re looking for.
Command: Search-AzGraph -Query “Resources | project name, location, type| where type =~ ‘Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines’ | order by name desc”
Command: Search-AzGraph -Query “Resources | where type =~ ‘Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines’ | project name, properties.storageProfile.osDisk.osType | top 15 by name desc”
Command: Search-AzGraph -Query “Resources | where type contains ‘publicIPAdresses’ and isnotempty(properties.ipAddress) | project properties.ipAddress | limit 100”
Handy to see your External IP Addresses in Azure 😉
Command: Search-AzGraph -Query “Resources | where tags.environment=~’internal’ | project name”
To find tour Tagged Resources in Azure.
Microsoft Azure Resource Graph Explorer in the Portal.
Here you can make your kusto queries and save them for Colleagues by sharing them.
Sharing your Kusto queries
Resources | where type =~ ‘microsoft.compute/virtualmachines’ | extend nics=array_length(properties.networkProfile.networkInterfaces) | mv-expand nic=properties.networkProfile.networkInterfaces | where nics == 1 or nic.properties.primary =~ ‘true’ or isempty(nic) | project vmId = id, vmName = name, vmSize=tostring(properties.hardwareProfile.vmSize), nicId = tostring(nic.id) | join kind=leftouter ( Resources | where type =~ ‘microsoft.network/networkinterfaces’ | extend ipConfigsCount=array_length(properties.ipConfigurations) | mv-expand ipconfig=properties.ipConfigurations | where ipConfigsCount == 1 or ipconfig.properties.primary =~ ‘true’ | project nicId = id, publicIpId = tostring(ipconfig.properties.publicIPAddress.id)) on nicId | project-away nicId1 | summarize by vmId, vmName, vmSize, nicId, publicIpId | join kind=leftouter ( Resources | where type =~ ‘microsoft.network/publicipaddresses’ | project publicIpId = id, publicIpAddress = properties.ipAddress) on publicIpId | project-away publicIpId1
When you are the Microsoft Azure Administrator, the Resource Graph Explorer can be really Powerful and fast to get the right information you are looking for. When you invest in the kusto queries your can save them and Share with your Colleagues to serve your business needs. Hope this is useful for you and happy Scripting with Kusto, Powershell or Azure CLI in the Cloud
