Getting older every day

jeudi 10 octobre 2024

Learning Path: Transitioning from a .NET Developer to an Azure DevOps Engineer

Transitioning from a .NET developer to an Azure DevOps engineer is a strategic career move that leverages your existing development skills while expanding your expertise into the realms of operations, automation, and cloud services. This learning path will guide you through the essential steps to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to become a proficient Azure DevOps engineer.

Step 1: Understand DevOps Fundamentals

Objective: Grasp the core principles and practices of DevOps.

Learn DevOps Culture and Principles:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
  - Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
  - Agile methodologies
  - Collaboration and communication practices
- Resources:
  - The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim
  - Microsoft's Introduction to DevOps

Action Items:

Enroll in a foundational DevOps course.
Participate in DevOps communities and forums.

Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with Azure Fundamentals

Objective: Build a solid understanding of Azure cloud services.

Learn Azure Core Services:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Azure compute services (VMs, App Services)
  - Azure storage solutions
  - Networking fundamentals in Azure
  - Azure security and compliance
- Resources:
  - AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
  - Microsoft Learn Azure Fundamentals

Action Items:

Obtain the AZ-900 certification to validate your Azure knowledge.
Set up a free Azure account and explore the portal.

Step 3: Dive into Azure DevOps Services

Objective: Learn how to use Azure DevOps for project planning and code management.

Master Azure DevOps Tools:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Azure Repos (Git repositories)
  - Azure Boards (work tracking)
  - Azure Artifacts (package management)
  - Azure Test Plans (testing and QA)
- Resources:
  - Azure DevOps Documentation
  - Azure DevOps Labs

Action Items:

Create a project in Azure DevOps and practice using each service.
Integrate Azure DevOps with Visual Studio.

Step 4: Master Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Objective: Learn how to automate build, test, and deployment processes.

Implement CI/CD Pipelines:
- Topics to Cover:
  - YAML pipelines vs. classic pipelines
  - Pipeline tasks and job configurations
  - Integrating with third-party tools
- Resources:
  - Azure Pipelines Documentation
  - CI/CD with Azure DevOps Labs

Action Items:

Set up a CI/CD pipeline for a simple .NET application.
Experiment with pipeline triggers and stages.

Step 5: Learn Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Objective: Automate infrastructure deployment using code.

Explore IaC Tools:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates
  - Terraform
  - Bicep
- Resources:

Action Items:

Write ARM templates to deploy Azure resources.
Use Terraform to manage infrastructure.

Step 6: Enhance Scripting and Automation Skills

Objective: Automate tasks using scripting languages.

Learn Scripting Languages:
- Topics to Cover:
  - PowerShell scripting
  - Bash scripting (for cross-platform automation)
  - Azure CLI commands
- Resources:
  - Learn PowerShell
  - Azure CLI Documentation

Action Items:

Automate deployment tasks using PowerShell scripts.
Practice writing scripts for common DevOps tasks.

Step 7: Understand Containerization and Orchestration

Objective: Learn how to containerize applications and manage them at scale.

Work with Containers:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Docker fundamentals
  - Kubernetes concepts
  - Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- Resources:

Action Items:

Containerize a .NET application using Docker.
Deploy and manage containers in AKS.

Step 8: Learn Monitoring and Logging

Objective: Implement monitoring solutions to maintain system health.

Implement Monitoring Tools:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Azure Monitor
  - Application Insights
  - Log Analytics
- Resources:
  - Azure Monitor Documentation
  - Application Insights Overview

Action Items:

Set up monitoring for your applications.
Analyze logs to troubleshoot issues.

Step 9: Focus on Security and Compliance

Objective: Ensure solutions are secure and compliant with standards.

Learn Security Best Practices:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Azure Security Center
  - Implementing secure DevOps (DevSecOps)
  - Compliance standards (GDPR, ISO, etc.)
- Resources:
  - Azure Security Documentation
  - DevSecOps in Azure

Action Items:

Conduct security assessments using Azure tools.
Implement security controls in your CI/CD pipelines.

Step 10: Obtain Azure DevOps Engineer Expert Certification

Objective: Validate your skills with a recognized certification.

Prepare for AZ-400 Exam:
- Topics to Cover:
  - Design a DevOps strategy
  - Implement DevOps development processes
  - Implement continuous integration and delivery
  - Implement dependency management
  - Implement application infrastructure
  - Implement continuous feedback
- Resources:
  - AZ-400 Exam Details
  - Microsoft Learn Modules for AZ-400

Action Items:

Study using official Microsoft Learn paths.
Take practice exams to assess your readiness.

Additional Recommendations

Join Professional Communities:
- Participate in forums like Stack Overflow and Reddit's r/devops.
- Attend Azure and DevOps meetups or webinars.
Practical Experience:
- Contribute to open-source projects.
- Work on personal projects to apply your skills.
Soft Skills Development:
- Improve collaboration and communication skills.
- Learn project management basics.

Conclusion

Transitioning to an Azure DevOps engineer role requires dedication and continuous learning. By following this structured learning path, you will build upon your .NET development experience and acquire the necessary skills to excel in DevOps practices within the Azure ecosystem. Remember to stay updated with the latest Azure services and DevOps trends to maintain your expertise in this rapidly evolving field.

Feel free to customize this learning path based on your existing knowledge and learning preferences. Good luck on your journey to becoming an Azure DevOps engineer!

dimanche 6 octobre 2024

How to Fix "Read-Only File System" Error in Azure App Service Due to WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE

If you’re running an application on Azure App Service and encounter an error like:

Invalid operation on Read-Only File System: Create New File

or a message saying:

Your app is currently in read-only mode because you are running from a package file. To make any changes, please update the content in your zip file and WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE app setting.

This means your application is likely running in read-only mode because it’s configured to run from a ZIP package. This setting is controlled by the WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE environment variable in Azure App Service.

In this post, we’ll cover the causes of this issue, how to fix it, and how to prevent it from happening in the future.

What Is `WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE`?

WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE is a feature that lets your app run directly from a ZIP package in Azure App Service. While this can speed up deployments and ensure consistency, it makes the file system read-only.

This works well if your application doesn’t need to modify files at runtime, but if it does, you will encounter issues when trying to write or modify files.

Why Does This Happen?

When you deploy an app using a ZIP file or certain CI/CD pipelines (like Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or other tools), Azure may automatically enable WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE. This causes your app to run from a ZIP file, resulting in the file system being read-only.

Any attempt by your application to create or modify files at runtime will fail because the app is running from this read-only ZIP package.

How to Fix the Read-Only File System Issue

The easiest way to fix this issue is to disable the WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE setting or modify your deployment pipeline to avoid running in read-only mode.

Solution 1: Set `WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE` to `0`

You can disable WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE by setting it to 0, which will allow your app to use a writable file system.

Here’s how you can do that:

Go to the Azure Portal.
Navigate to your App Service.
Go to "Configuration" under the "Settings" section.
Find the WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE setting and set its value to 0 (or delete it entirely).
Save the configuration and restart your app.

This will disable the ZIP package deployment and allow the file system to be writable, resolving the error.

Solution 2: Set `WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE` to `0` in the Pipeline

If you're using a CI/CD pipeline (like Azure DevOps), you can configure the pipeline to automatically set WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE to 0 after deployment.

For example, in Azure Pipelines, you can add the following task:


- task: AzureAppServiceSettings@1
  inputs:
    azureSubscription: 'your-azure-subscription'
    ResourceGroupName: 'your-resource-group'
    appName: 'your-app-service'
    appSettings: '-WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE 0'

This ensures that after each deployment, WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE is set to 0 to avoid the read-only file system issue.

Alternatively, you can use the Azure CLI in your pipeline to accomplish the same thing:


- task: AzureCLI@2
  inputs:
    azureSubscription: 'your-azure-subscription'
    scriptType: 'bash'
    scriptLocation: 'inlineScript'
    inlineScript: |
      az webapp config appsettings set --resource-group your-resource-group --name your-app-service --settings WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE=0

Solution 3: Use a Writable Directory for File Operations

If you need to keep WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE enabled but still want to write files at runtime, you can direct your application to use one of the writable directories in Azure App Service.

Writable directories in Azure App Service include:

D:\home: This directory is writable and persists across restarts.
D:\local: This is a temporary directory that is writable but does not persist across restarts.

You can modify your code to write files to these directories:


var writablePath = Path.Combine(Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.ApplicationData), "myfile.txt");
// Use this path for file operations

Preventing the Issue in Future Deployments

If your pipeline or deployment method automatically enables WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE, you can prevent this by:

Disabling ZIP deployment in your pipeline and using another deployment method (like web deploy).
Ensuring the correct settings are applied after deployment (as shown in Solution 2).

Conclusion

Running from a ZIP package with WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE is useful for fast and efficient deployments, but it can sometimes lead to a "read-only file system" issue if your app needs to modify files at runtime.

By disabling this setting or adjusting your deployment pipeline, you can ensure your app runs smoothly without encountering file system issues.

Let me know if you need further assistance!

samedi 20 septembre 2014

Get workflow task related item

  SPList list = null;

        

var relativeUrl = SPContext.Current.Web.ServerRelativeUrl.Equals("/") ? string.Empty : web.ServerRelativeUrl;



            try

            {

                list = SPContext.Current.Web.GetList(string.Concat(relativeUrl, "/Lists/", listname));

            }

            catch

            {

                list = SPContext.Current.Web.GetList(string.Concat(relativeUrl, "/", listname));

            }



list .commandesList.GetItemById(int.Parse( currentItem[SPBuiltInFieldId.WorkflowItemId].ToString()));

vendredi 5 septembre 2014

Remove the default Task Outcomes (Approved rejected)

Create a new Task List Instance (new workflow wizard will help you do it)
new Custom List Column with type OutcomeChoice

<Field

ID="{a8229356-e367-4379-a6f7-f19fdca45cde}"

Name="tatatatatata"

DisplayName="tatatatata"

Type="OutcomeChoice"

Required="FALSE"

Group="Custom Site Columns">

<CHOICE>very goodt</CHOICE>

<CHOICE>Average</CHOICE>

</CHOICES>

</Field>

</Elements>

new ContentType Inherit from Workflow Task (SharePoint 2013) (we will edit this later)
Add the Custom Column to the contentType
from the contentType Element.xml remove this string 003365C4474CAE8C42BCE396314E88E51F

So an ID like:
0x0108003365C4474CAE8C42BCE396314E88E51F00B237734C3B3E48D38A52DAAA52F56A8F ==> 0x010800B237734C3B3E48D38A52DAAA52F56A

Open the file Workflow.xaml with xml editor
find your <p:SingleTask
change ContentTypeId to the new id you just modified (0x010800B237734C3B3E48D38A52DAAA52F56A)
go to your TaskList instance and Add your contentType:

Deploy your project and see the magic happens

Please leave a comment if you need clarifications

jeudi 4 septembre 2014

Workflow manager not responding after cumulative update

Hi,

If you have updated your workflow manager using the cumulative update :
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=36800

So you probably facing an issue with your workflow manager, right ?

Ok this is how to fix it (it's weird I konw but this works for me)

Open your SQL management studio and run this script in the Sharepoint database

USE WFResourceManagementDB
INSERT INTO WorkflowServiceConfig VALUES('WorkflowServiceScopeSnapshotProcessBatchSize', '50')
INSERT INTO WorkflowServiceConfig VALUES('WorkflowServiceScopeSnapshotProcessLoopInterval', '00:05:00')
INSERT INTO WorkflowServiceConfig VALUES('WorkflowServiceSuspendedInstanceRetentionDuration', '00:30:00')
INSERT INTO WorkflowServiceConfig VALUES('WorkflowServiceMaxInstanceCompressedSizeKB', '5120')

This solution will help you deploy workflows again but you will be facing many other problems. so I recommand to reinstall your workflow manager on a clean Database. (reusing an existing database will not resolve your problems)

so detach your workflow manager from the farm and remove this databases list:

WfManagementDB
SbGatewayDatabase
SBMessagingContainer01
WFInstanceManagementDB
WFResourceManagementDB
SBManagementDB

And then you will be able to have a new workflow manager clean installation.

mercredi 3 septembre 2014

sharepoint 2013 Show Errors (why it's not working for you)

To disable the custom error page in sharepoint 2013 you have to set
<customErrors mode="On" /> to <customErrors mode="Off" />

Ok but this may not work , right ? I tell you why.

For sharepoint there is many web.config files located under:

"C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\80"

but non of them will work as expected for pages using layouts.

To make it work, you must modify the web.config under

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Server Extensions\15\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS"

Hope it works for you either.

Sharepoint 2013 & Custom Task Outcome on VisualStudio

This is the how it works:

Add new SiteColumn

Change the Type param value to "OutcomeChoice" in <Field /> tag

Add : <CHOICES >

<CHOICE>choice one</CHOICE>

<CHOICE>choice two</CHOICE>

</CHOICES>

Add new ContentType and inherit from Workflow Task (SharePoint 2013)

Add Columns:

% Completed
Task Status
The custom OutcomeColumn

NB: The order is Important, if the custom Outcome Column is not the last one choices will appear as a DropBox and to as buttons

Add new Task List Instance (Or a Custom list template)

Insure the TemplateType is set to "171" (this Id reference Task template)

If you are working with a Task list Instance Add Schema.xml file to it and copy content from a Task list template (create a new Task list template, copy schema.xml content, modify List Name and URL to match your List Instance )

Deploy and happy to help you.

Please let me know if there is any issue so i can update this article

jeudi 10 octobre 2024

Learning Path: Transitioning from a .NET Developer to an Azure DevOps Engineer

Step 1: Understand DevOps Fundamentals

Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with Azure Fundamentals

Step 3: Dive into Azure DevOps Services

Step 4: Master Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Step 5: Learn Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Step 6: Enhance Scripting and Automation Skills

Step 7: Understand Containerization and Orchestration

Step 8: Learn Monitoring and Logging

Step 9: Focus on Security and Compliance

Step 10: Obtain Azure DevOps Engineer Expert Certification

Additional Recommendations

Conclusion

dimanche 6 octobre 2024

How to Fix "Read-Only File System" Error in Azure App Service Due to WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE

What Is WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE?

Why Does This Happen?

How to Fix the Read-Only File System Issue

Solution 1: Set WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE to 0

Solution 2: Set WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE to 0 in the Pipeline

Solution 3: Use a Writable Directory for File Operations

Preventing the Issue in Future Deployments

Conclusion

samedi 20 septembre 2014

Get workflow task related item

vendredi 5 septembre 2014

Remove the default Task Outcomes (Approved rejected)

jeudi 4 septembre 2014

Workflow manager not responding after cumulative update

mercredi 3 septembre 2014

sharepoint 2013 Show Errors (why it's not working for you)

Sharepoint 2013 & Custom Task Outcome on VisualStudio

What Is `WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE`?

Solution 1: Set `WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE` to `0`

Solution 2: Set `WEBSITE_RUN_FROM_PACKAGE` to `0` in the Pipeline