Updating your AWS bootstrap

19th of August, 2013 / / 6 Comments

In Bootstrapping AWS we looked at what’s required to kick off a brand new installation with your latest build.  But it’s two weeks later now – and you’re about to release version 2 of the application.  Using the Cloud Formation script we created first, it’s actually quite easy.

In the first build script, there was a reference in the CloudFormation Metadata to the website source – being {“Ref” : “BuildNumber”}.

"Parameters" : {
  "BuildNumber" : {
  "Type" : "Number"
  }
}

So the process is as follows.… [Keep reading] “Updating your AWS bootstrap”

Bootstrapping on AWS

5th of August, 2013 / / 11 Comments

The Task

This post is going to look at the process of hosting a highly available corporate website using Windows Server 2012 Amazon Machine Image (AMI), and bootstrapping the installation of Internet Information Services (IIS), urlrewrite, and our website. We don’t need a golden image as we release software every week. We also want to make sure that it is a high availability solution, so we need to look at scaling groups and repeatability.

Our high availability solution will contain one load balancer, and a minimum of two Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances across multiple availability zones (AZ’s).  … [Keep reading] “Bootstrapping on AWS”

Windows Azure Active Directory Module and Online Services Sign-in Assistant

18th of July, 2013 / / 2 Comments

Back in 2012, we talked about Office 365 – PowerShell Setup.  This was back in the days prior to the Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant RTW, and before Windows 8 had gained a lot of traction.  Recent updates however have not made this such a straightforward process.

My first attempt at installing the Windows Azure Active Directory Module on Windows 8 failed with the error “must have microsoft online services sign-in assistant version 7.0 or greated installed”.  … [Keep reading] “Windows Azure Active Directory Module and Online Services Sign-in Assistant”

The changing role of the CIO

4th of July, 2013 / / No Comments

With the growth and commoditization of computing resource, and the inevitable introduction of cloud computing, both as a software, platform and infrastructure services, the Chief Information Officer’s role will change significantly over the next two years.  Cloud computing provides incredible agility for those organizations equipped to utilize it, Business Process Outsourcing is providing increasing levels of workforce flexibility, and with the commoditization of design and development resources, how does this rapid ability to affect change effect the CIO?… [Keep reading] “The changing role of the CIO”