SQL Azure Firewall

To help protect your data by default, all access to your SQL Azure server is blocked by the SQL Azure firewall; connection attempts originating from the Internet or Windows Azure will not be able to reach your SQL Azure server. In order to begin using your SQL Azure server, you must go to the SQL Azure portal and specify one or more firewall settings that enable access to your SQL Azure server. Use the firewall settings to specify which IP address ranges from the Internet are allowed, and whether or not Windows Azure applications can attempt to connect to your SQL Azure server.
Connection attempts from the Internet and Windows Azure must first pass through the SQL Azure firewall before they can reach your SQL Azure server, as shown in the following diagram.

Connecting from the Internet

When a computer attempts to connect to your SQL Azure server from the Internet, the SQL Azure firewall checks the originating IP address of the request against the full set of firewall settings. If the IP address of the request is not within one of the ranges specified, the connection attempt is blocked and does not reach the SQL Azure server.

Connecting from Windows Azure
When an application from Windows Azure attempts to connect to your SQL Azure server, the SQL Azure firewall looks for a specific firewall setting that indicates whether Windows Azure connections are allowed.
A firewall setting with starting and ending address equal to 0.0.0.0 indicates that Windows Azure connections are allowed. If the connection attempt is not allowed, the request does not reach the SQL Azure server.

Creating the First Firewall Rule
In order to connect to your SQL Azure server for the first time, the first firewall setting must be specified using the SQL Azure portal. To begin configuring the firewall, on the SQL Azure portal, click the Firewall Settings tab on the Server Information page.

The SQL Azure portal also allows you to remove firewall settings. For more information about managing firewall settings

Related Posts
Introduction to SQL Azure
Getting Started with SQL Azure
SQL Azure Architecture Overview
How-To Access SQL Azure Data
Provisioning SQL Azure
SQL Azure Firewall
T-SQL Features Supported By SQL Azure

Introduction to SQL Azure

Microsoft SQL Azure Database is a cloud-based relational database service built on SQL Server technologies. It provides a highly available, scalable, multi-tenant database service hosted by Microsoft in the cloud. SQL Azure Database helps to ease provisioning and deployment of multiple databases. Developers do not have to install, setup, patch or manage any software. High availability and fault tolerance is built-in and no physical administration is required. SQL Azure Database supports Transact-SQL(T-SQL). Customers can use existing knowledge in T-SQL development and a familiar relational data model for symmetry with existing on-premises databases. SQL Azure Database can help reduce costs by integrating with existing toolsets and providing symmetry with on-premises and cloud databases.

Uses of SQL Azure Database:

• Build scalable, custom web applications, which is especially a need for small to mid-size businesses, hobbyist, and startups
• Build packaged line-of-business applications, which is attractive to traditional, SaaS ISVs and custom developers
• Build corporate departmental applications
• Consolidate multiple data sources in the Cloud and enable secure access from multiple locations, desktop and/or devices
  

Benefits of SQL Azure Database:

• No need to install or patch software or other physical administration
• Automatic high availability and fault tolerance
• Simple provisioning and deployment of multiple databases
• Scale databases up or down based on business needs
  Multi-tenant
• Integration with SQL Server and tooling including Visual Studio
• Support for T-SQL based familiar relational database model
  

SQL Azure Database Features

• Relational Database Management Services (RDBMS)
• Creating, accessing and manipulating tables, views, indexes, roles, stored procedures, triggers, and functions
• Execute complex queries and joins across multiple tables
• Insert, Update, and Delete
• Constraints
• Transactions
• Temp tables
• Basic functions (aggregates, math, string, date/time)
• A subset of the existing SQL Server built-in stored procedures and system views
• Support for tracking billable metrics in real time and for historical analysis
  

Programmability

• Managed ADO.NET data access
• Native ODBC
• Support for PHP
  

Tools

• Deployment Support for running SQL configuration scripts via
• SQLCMD Provision Logical Servers and Databases through the SQL Azure Database account portal
  
  More Information:
  http://www.azure.com/
  Learn more about SQL Azure on MSDN
  Transact-SQL (T-SQL)

Related Posts
Introduction to SQL Azure
Getting Started with SQL Azure
SQL Azure Architecture Overview
How-To Access SQL Azure Data
Provisioning SQL Azure
SQL Azure Firewall