Deployment of sync framework workerrole / webrole project into azure environment
The article is going to explain that how we can deploy sync framework worker role or webrole projects created in Visual Studio into azure environment. We have created a worker role application that sync azure databases frequently. We are using Sync Framework 2.1 for sync database in the azure. Once it is completed the application, the challenge was to deploy this sync framework to azure platform. We have to include some dlls and also need to do some configuration settings to deploy project into Windows Azure platform
Steps to do for deploying Sync Framework Project into Azure
1.Open your Windows Azure Cloud Service project in Visual Studio >> In the Solution Explorer, right-click the
Web Role project, point to Add, and then click Add Reference.
2.Add references to Microsoft.Synchronization.dll, Microsoft.Synchronization.Data.dll, and Microsoft.Synchronization.Data.SqlServer.dll from Sync Framework 2.1
installation folder most of the time it is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Sync Framework\2.1.
3.Select all files and take the Properties window, then set the value of Aliases property to global and
Copy Local property to True.
4.Create a class file named activationcontext.cs file with the following content and add the file to
Workerrole/Webrole project.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Web;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.IO;
namespace Microsoft.Samples.Synchronization
{
public class ActivationContext
{
// Activation Context API Functions
[DllImport("Kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
private extern static IntPtr CreateActCtx(ref ACTCTX actctx);
// Activation context structure
private struct ACTCTX
{
public int cbSize;
public uint dwFlags;
public string lpSource;
public ushort wProcessorArchitecture;
public ushort wLangId;
public string lpAssemblyDirectory;
public string lpResourceName;
public string lpApplicationName;
}
private const int ACTCTX_FLAG_ASSEMBLY_DIRECTORY_VALID = 0x004;
private const int ACTCTX_FLAG_SET_PROCESS_DEFAULT = 0x00000010;
private IntPtr m_hActCtx = (IntPtr)0;
public const UInt32 ERROR_SXS_PROCESS_DEFAULT_ALREADY_SET = 14011;
/// <summary>
/// Explicitly load a manifest and create the process-default activation
/// context. It takes effect immediately and stays there until the process exits.
/// </summary>
static public void CreateActivationContext()
{
string rootFolder = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory;
string manifestPath = Path.Combine(rootFolder, "webapp.manifest");
UInt32 dwError = 0;
// Build the activation context information structure
ACTCTX info = new ACTCTX();
info.cbSize = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(ACTCTX));
info.dwFlags = ACTCTX_FLAG_SET_PROCESS_DEFAULT;
info.lpSource = manifestPath;
if (null != rootFolder && "" != rootFolder)
{
info.lpAssemblyDirectory = rootFolder;
info.dwFlags |= ACTCTX_FLAG_ASSEMBLY_DIRECTORY_VALID;
}
dwError = 0;
// Create the activation context
IntPtr result = CreateActCtx(ref info);
if (-1 == result.ToInt32())
{
dwError = (UInt32)Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
}
if (-1 == result.ToInt32() &&
ActivationContext.ERROR_SXS_PROCESS_DEFAULT_ALREADY_SET != dwError)
{
string err = string.Format("Cannot create process-default win32 sxs context,
error={0} manifest={1}", dwError, manifestPath);
ApplicationException ex = new ApplicationException(err);
throw ex;
}
}
}
}
5.Add a folder named synchronization.assemblies to the Web Role/ Worker Role project and add the following five files to the folder.
Microsoft.Synchronization.dll
Microsoft.Synchronization.Data.dll
Microsoft.Synchronization.Data.SqlServer.dll
Synchronization21.dll
Create a file named synchronization.assemblies.manifest, add the following content, and add the file to this folder.
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' standalone='yes'?>
<assembly xmlns='urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1' manifestVersion='1.0'>
<assemblyIdentity
type="x64"
name="synchronization.assemblies"
version="2.1.0.0"/>
<file name = "synchronization21.dll">
<comClass clsid="{EC413D66-6221-4ebb-AC55-4900FB321011}"
threadingModel="Both"/>
</file>
</assembly>
6.Multiple-select all files under synchronization.assemblies folder, right-click, and then click Properties.
Set the value of Build Action property to Content and Copy To Output Directory to Copy Always.
7.Create a file named webapp.manifest, add the following content, and add the file to the Web Role project.
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' standalone='yes'?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
<assemblyIdentity name="webapp" version="8.0.0.0" type="x64"/>
<dependency>
<dependentAssembly>
<assemblyIdentity name="synchronization.assemblies" version="2.1.0.0" type="x64"/>
</dependentAssembly>
</dependency>
</assembly>
8.Set the value of Build Action property to Content and Copy To Output Directory to Copy Always for the webapp.manifest file using Properties window.
9.Add the following statement to the OnStart method before base.OnStart method call in the WebRole.cs file.
Microsoft.Samples.Synchronization.ActivationContext.CreateActivationContext();
