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I have a BizSpark account but I'm struggling to work out what I'm actually entitled to as part of my free Azure package. The package details are listed here:

http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/offers/details?locale=en-us&offer=ms-azr-0012p&no-rewrite=true

I need to run:

  • One virtual machine (running Linux) to power the website
  • One hosted service to provide the client software (Windows Phone and Windows 8) with database access
  • One hosted service to provide the virtual machine with database access
  • Two storage accounts (one for images and one for the virtual machine)
  • One SQL database

Do the hosted services count as VMs and can anybody shed some light on the best configuration (VM sizes etc) to fit all of the above into my subscription please? Multiple instances would be nice but I think I might be getting greedy now!

Thank you.

user1567095
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1 Answers1

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The most important thing to keep in mind is that you 1500 hours of small compute instances (this includes both Cloud Services and Virtual Machines). 1500 hours per month means you can run 2 small instances full time or choose for an equivalent ratio. So you could go for 4 extra small instances and still have room for 2 extra small instances and 1 small instance to use for something else. To keep the SLA (on the hosted service at least) I would suggest the following:

  • 2 extra small instances of a Linux Virtual Machine
  • 2 extra small instances of a hosted service with a web role. The web role would have 2 tasks:
    • Provide the client software with database access
    • Provide the Virtual Machine with database access

This might not be the best solution in terms of performance, but you'll be able to run everything high available without having to pay anything extra.

The 2 storage accounts and the SQL Azure database (you must use the web edition) are also covered by the BizSpark subscription.

Update: 1 small = 4 extra small equivalent ratio isn't right. The ratio is 1 small = 6 extra small.

Sandrino Di Mattia
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  • According to the equivalent ratio info on the page you sent, extra small instances are 1/6 the size of a small instance. If I can run two small instances full time, I should be able to run 12 small instances, no? I also assume that running just two small instances would result in a fair bit of downtime (because there are no duplicate instances), is this correct? – user1567095 Sep 25 '12 at 20:09
  • Yes, you are right, you can run 12 extra small instances. And you are also right about the downtime, like scheduled Windows Updates, these can cause downtime but the same applies to rolling upgrades. – Sandrino Di Mattia Sep 25 '12 at 21:09
  • So would 6 extra small instances be as powerful as one small instance but with the added benefit of preventing downtime? – user1567095 Sep 26 '12 at 08:17
  • It all depends what kind of application you're building. Start by looking at this article: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/hh824677.aspx – Sandrino Di Mattia Sep 26 '12 at 21:40