14 DAY TRIAL // Developers building applications and services leveraging Windows Azure can now start using a new version of the resources Microsoft is offering them to simplify their work.
The Windows Azure SDK and Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio March 2011 Update went live on the Microsoft Download Center yesterday, and can be grabbed free of charge, just as it was the case with previous versions of the software development kit.
According to the software giant, the Windows Azure SDK, which is included into the Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio, has been updated in conjunction of a refresh to the Windows Azure Management Portal.
Now up at version 1.4, the Windows Azure SDK brings to the table two important changes. The Redmond company has included both the Windows Azure Connect and the Windows Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) in the latest update to the software development kit.
One of the members of the Windows Azure team highlighted these changes for the SDK in relation to Windows Azure Connect: “multiple administrator support on the Admin UI; an updated Client UI with improved status notifications and diagnostic capabilities; [and] the ability to install the Windows Azure Connect client on non-English versions of Windows.”
Additional changes brought on by the integration of Windows Azure CDN are:
“Windows Azure CDN for Hosted Services: Developers can now use the Windows Azure Web and VM roles as "origin" for objects to be delivered at scale via the Windows Azure CDN. Static content in a website can be automatically edge-cached at locations throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America to provide maximum bandwidth and lower latency delivery of website content to users.
“Serve secure content from the Windows Azure CDN: A new checkbox option in the Windows Azure management portal enables delivery of secure content via HTTPS through any existing Windows Azure CDN account,” the Windows Azure team representative added.
Microsoft also revealed that t has resolved a number of issues in the previous version of the SDK, and that developers will be able to enjoy a better overall experience.
According to the software giant, in addition to bug fixes, it also provided improvements to make Remote Desktop to Windows Azure Roles more reliable.
The company underlined that the enhancements to the Windows Azure Management Portal are related to efforts to enhance the responsiveness of its UI.
The Windows Azure SDK and Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio March 2011 Update are available for download here.