Get Started with Azure Bicep – Alternative to ARM Templates

Azure Bicep is an abstraction built on top of Azure ARM Templates and Azure Resource Manager that offers a cleaner code syntax with better support for modularity and code re-use. Azure Bicep moves away from the JSON syntax used by ARM Templates and is much easier to both read and write Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in Azure! This is the latest tool from Microsoft for deploying Azure resources in a DevOps process, and its even open source.

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Pentagon stays with Microsoft for $10 Billion JEDI Contract, Sorry Not Sorry Amazon

Today, the Pentagon stated that the US Department of Defense will be staying with their previous decision to award the $10 Billion JEDI (Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure) contract to Microsoft. Last October 2019, the Pentagon decided to award Microsoft the JEDI contact, but was met with strong opposition by Amazon and a few others. The contradicting opinions were that either the Pentagon should use two different providers for the contract, and Amazon even attempted to take legal action to overturn the decision.

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Microsoft Killing Visual Studio Codespaces; Moving to GitHub Instead

Microsoft has announced it is killing it’s Visual Studio Codespaces cloud-based IDE for developers. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the new GitHub Codespaces experience and that left use a little confused as to why there were going to be two different Codespaces experiences. Well, as it turns out, Microsoft has decided to consolidate the two Codespaces experiences into having just one GitHub Codespaces experience.

With the consolidation of Codespaces experiences into GitHub Codespaces, there are a couple key dates to be aware of during this transition and eventual retirement of Visual Studio Codespaces:

• September 4, 2020 – Current users can begin transitioning to the GitHub private beta.
• November 20, 2020 – Creation of new plans and Visual Studio Codespaces will be disabled, although existing Codespaces may continue to be used. New users will only be able to sign up for GitHub Codespaces.
• February 17, 2021 – Visual Studio Codespaces portal will be retired. All plans and codespaces remaining in the service will be deleted, so be sure to migrate to GitHub Codespaces by this date!

Read more from Microsoft…

The Weeks Top Links

Here are some of the most notable links from the week:

• Get Started with Azure Bicep – Alternative to ARM Templates via Chris Pietschmann
• Pentagon stays with Microsoft for $10 Billion JEDI Contract, Sorry Not Sorry Amazon via Chris Pietschmann
• Synology DS1520+ is the sweet spot for a home NAS and a private cloud via Scott Hanselman
• View your Azure Cache for Redis data in new Visual Studio Code extension via Carolina Uribe-Gosselin
• Microsoft is killing Visual Studio Codespaces via Pradeep

Blog Articles

Here’s a collection of some of the most note worthy blog articles posted over the past week:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

• A Guide to Finally Understanding Azure VM Pricing via Adam Listek
• Onboarding : Azure Virtual Machine via parisamoosavinezhad
• Microsoft release Intel microcode security updates KB4558130 and KB4497165 for Windows 10 via Surur
• How to Create Azure VM Scheduled Startup with Azure Automation and Tags via June Castillote
• Learn Windows Server Hybrid and Azure IaaS VMs via Thomas Maurer
• Azure Migration Services – Easy Cloud Migration Services #Azure #Cloud #ASR #Migrate #azops #VMware #Database via Robert Smit [MVP]
• Connector for AWS in Azure Cost Management + Billing is now generally available via Raphael Chacko
• How To: Create a Windows Server 2019 CORE image for Microsoft Azure via Rick Claus
• Everything You Need to Know About Azure Infrastructure – August 2020 Edition via Aidan Finn

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

• Immutable storage for Azure Storage Blobs via Gregor Suttie

Power Platform

• Power Platform for Ad-hoc Azure Resource Provisioning via Justin Yoo

Serverless and Functions as a Service (FaaS)

• Serverless REST API with Azure Functions, Node, JSON and Azure SQL via Davide Mauri
• Working with CosmosClient in Azure Functions via Martin Brandl
• Microsoft Create:Serverless – Conversations with Community and Industry Experts! via theCatShepherd
• GraphQL on Azure: Part 4 – Serverless CosmosDB via Aaron Powell
• GraphQL on Azure: Part 4 – Serverless CosmosDB via LINQ to Fail
• GraphQL on Azure: Part 4 – Serverless CosmosDB via Posts on LINQ to Fail
• #ServerlessSeptember – Just 5 Things You Need to Know! via Nitya Narasimhan

Software as a Service (SaaS)

• Microsoft Teams logs in Azure Sentinel (public preview) via Sonia Cuff

DevOps

• Demystifying ARM Templates: Loops via Frank Boucher ☁
• Get Started with Azure Bicep – Alternative to ARM Templates via Chris Pietschmann
• Use Azure Cloud Shell on your local machine via Techie Lass Blog
• Top Stories from the Microsoft DevOps Community – 2020.09.04 via Steven Murawski
• Azure SQL Database deployment with Farmer, DbUp and GitHub Actions via James
• Working with CosmosClient in Azure Functions via Martin Brandl
• Demystifying ARM Templates: Linked and Nested Templates via Frank Boucher ☁
• AzureFunBytes Episode 13 – DevOps on @Azure with @DonovanBrown via Jay Gordon
• Demystifying ARM Templates: Controlling Deployment via Frank Boucher ☁
• Azure DevOps – 6 recommendations to help with securing your branches via Thomas Thornton
• Install Windows Terminal With Chocolatey via Techie Lass Blog
• Demystifying ARM Templates: Template Output via Frank Boucher ☁
• AzureFunBytes New Episode Reminder – 9/3/2020 2 PM EDT – DevOps on @Azure w/ @DonovanBrown via Jay Gordon

Data

• View your Azure Cache for Redis data in new Visual Studio Code extension via Carolina Uribe-Gosselin
• Serverless REST API with Azure Functions, Node, JSON and Azure SQL via Davide Mauri
• Immutable storage for Azure Storage Blobs via Gregor Suttie
• Azure SQL Database deployment with Farmer, DbUp and GitHub Actions via James
• Working with CosmosClient in Azure Functions via Martin Brandl
• GraphQL on Azure: Part 4 – Serverless CosmosDB via Aaron Powell
• GraphQL on Azure: Part 4 – Serverless CosmosDB via LINQ to Fail
• GraphQL on Azure: Part 4 – Serverless CosmosDB via Posts on LINQ to Fail
• Document Databases and Mongo with Engineer Joe Karlsson via scott@hanselman.com (Scott Hanselman)
• Practical Azure SQL Database for Modern Developers via Davide Mauri
• Azure Migration Services – Easy Cloud Migration Services #Azure #Cloud #ASR #Migrate #azops #VMware #Database via Robert Smit [MVP]
• Tips about creating Database Projects in Azure Data Studio via Kevin

Development

• View your Azure Cache for Redis data in new Visual Studio Code extension via Carolina Uribe-Gosselin
• Microsoft is killing Visual Studio Codespaces via Pradeep
• Practical Azure SQL Database for Modern Developers via Davide Mauri

Containers (Docker, Kubernetes, Service Fabric, etc)

• AKS | Azure Kubernetes Service: Privilege escalation from compromised node to cluster (CVE-2020-8559) via zigmax
• How to build an Azure Kubernetes Cluster using Managed Azure Active Directory Integration via Pixel Robots.

Security, Identity, and Privacy

• Microsoft release Intel microcode security updates KB4558130 and KB4497165 for Windows 10 via Surur
• Manage guest user access with Azure AD External Identities via Daniel Krzyczkowski
• How to build an Azure Kubernetes Cluster using Managed Azure Active Directory Integration via Pixel Robots.

Learning / Training / Certification

• Peter de Tender on Azure Certification via David Giard

Hardware

• Microsoft reportedly launching smaller 12.5-inch Surface Laptop for the holidays via Tom Warren

Events

• The Patch and Switch “unofficial” End User Guide to Microsoft Ignite via Rick Claus

Other

• Simplify financial reporting with cost allocation—now in preview via Ben Shy
• Microsoft is readying a smaller, Intel Core i5-based laptop: Report via ZDNet | microsoft RSS
• Accelerate your adoption of SIEM using Azure Sentinel and a new offer from Microsoft via Jim Flack
• Onboarding : Azure Management Features via parisamoosavinezhad
• Synology DS1520+ is the sweet spot for a home NAS and a private cloud via Scott Hanselman
• Azure Logic App URL Too Long for Webhook ? via Brian McKeiver’s Kentico, Azure, and .Net Blog Posts
• Pentagon stays with Microsoft for $10 Billion JEDI Contract, Sorry Not Sorry Amazon via Chris Pietschmann
• We Didn’t Encrypt Your Password, We Hashed It. Here’s What That Means: via Troy Hunt
• Code Anywhere With Codespaces via Lucas Santos
• Azure Maya Mystery Part III: Ascent to the Summit via Jen Looper
• Intel says their new 11th Gen Intel Core processors and Evo platform are their best ever via Surur
• Intel announces new corporate logo along with the new Intel Evo brand via Pradeep
• Episode 83: The Cloud Pod takes a Quantum Leap via jbrodley
• Let’s have a Hackathon! via Pantelis Apostolidis
• Azure Spring Cloud: a fully managed service for Spring Boot apps is now generally available via Julia Liuson
• Episode 82: Azure says “How About them Apples, Open Usage Commons” via jbrodley

Videos

Here are links to some of the videos that have been posted over the past week:

• Countdown Show: Microsoft Ignite 2020 – Episode 1 via Microsoft Developer (uploads) on YouTube
• OSS Framework Support in Azure Machine Learning Service via Microsoft Developer (uploads) on YouTube
• Analyzing your Data Lake with Power BI and Azure Synapse | Data Exposed: MVP Edition via Microsoft Developer (uploads) on YouTube
• Serverless containers with Azure Container Instances (ACI) via Azure Friday (HD) – Channel 9
• Serverless containers with Azure Container Instances (ACI) | Azure Friday via Channel 9
• Azure SQL Edge: Industry Use Cases & Customer Success | Data Exposed via Microsoft Developer (uploads) on YouTube
• Azure SQL Edge: Industry Use Cases & Customer Success | Data Exposed via Channel 9
• Can I build a Surface Duo app with Jetpack Compose? | One Dev Question via Microsoft Developer (uploads) on YouTube

Podcast

To complete the collection of different mediums to allow you to consume your Azure news / info in any way you want, here’s a list of the podcasts released this week:

• Episode 375 | Listener Questions & the Latest Microsoft Azure News via Microsoft Cloud Show
• Bob Martin on Agile and Extreme Programming – Episode 105 via Azure DevOps Podcast
• Azure Security Podcast – Threat Hunting with Microsoft Threat Protection via The Azure Security Podcast
• Episode 344 – Service Bus JMS 2.0 via The Azure Podcast
• Episode 374 | Orchestry with Michal Pisarek via Microsoft Cloud Show
• 045 – Azure News in August 2020 – Part 2 via Ctrl+Alt+Azure

Latest Featured Articles

Azure Service Updates

Here are the latest service updates from Microsoft over the last week:

• Azure SQL Database Gateway with IP address 23.99.160.139 in Central US will be deactivated on 15th September 2020
• Azure Monitor for containers agent (ciprod08072020) update
• Azure Data Explorer Kafka Connector – Improved delivery guarantees, schema registry support, and Confluent certification
• Begin migrating your codespaces to GitHub Codespaces
• Migrate to Azure Availability Zones
• Azure API Management will retire 5 legacy metrics in Azure Monitor on 31 August 2023
• Azure S8 and S9 Analysis Services SKUs retiring on 31 August 2023
• Azure Storage classic metrics will be retired on 31 August 2023
• Migrate your Azure Data Factory version 1 to 2 service
• Azure Security Center—News and updates for August 2020
• Improvements to Azure Monitor Metric Alerts
• Public preview: Automated deployment of Always On availability groups through the Azure portal
• User-initiated failover for application fault resiliency in Azure SQL Managed Instance is now generally available
• New regions in Brazil Southeast for Azure Database for MySQL
• Durable Functions v2.3 is now available
• Azure Spring Cloud is now generally available
• Azure Cache for Redis Visual Studio Code extension now in preview
• Log Analytics Agent for Windows August 2020 release is now available
• Azure Monitor Agent and Data Collection Rules Public Preview
• Azure Cache for Redis Visual Studio Code extension now in preview
• Azure Kubernetes Service: Node disk DOS by writing to container /etc/hosts (CVE-2020-8557)
• Azure Kubernetes Service: Privilege escalation from compromised node to cluster (CVE-2020-8559)
• Azure DNS: Introducing automatic child zone delegation
• Manage your Azure & Amazon Web Services (AWS) spending in a single location with Azure Cost Management +Billing
• Visualize and Manage your AWS costs in Azure Cost Management
• View Designer in Azure Monitor is retiring on 31 August 2023
• Update your Azure Cosmos DB .NET SDKs by 31 August 2022
• New Azure VMs for general purpose and memory intensive workloads now available
• Azure Dedicated Hosts now support new Azure Virtual Machines series
• Start using Power BI Embedded to access, share and distribute content easily

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