Lokad and Cloud CQRS Update and Plans

Things are really picking up in Lokad.CQRS for Azure and related fields, as you can see from my previous posts and increased activity in Ask.Lokad community.

Just a few updates on the subject.

First of all I'm terribly sorry for the confusion with the Sample-05 in Lokad.CQRS. This sample is not finished and hence does not have a separate tutorial in Getting Started section. I should've made it clear from the start with something like this:

Current work on Lokad.CQRS for Windows Azure is guided by the immediate needs of Lokad (scaling up existing systems) and immediate feedback from starting yet another Lokad.CQRS-powered project:

• increased stability for Azure Apps (i.e.: handling MD5 matters with Azure Storage operations);
• optional compression for the storage operations (transparent);
• simplifying architecture and approaches (dropping pub/sub module in favor of something more simple and robust).

Actual changes get into the framework source as they show up. However the proper second release is planned to take place in December. "Proper" here means:

• more samples and tutorials in addition to the framework improvements and simplification;
• quick run-up of mapping DDD concepts to Lokad.CQRS (and how it differs from DDDD approaches at this point);
• more formal learning plan for people starting with Lokad.CQRS for Azure (without any assumptions on the background).

Now, while I'm on the subject of Cloud Computing for .NET and CQRS. Lokad.CQRS for Azure will stay the focus of Lokad along with Lokad.Cloud. These Windows Azure frameworks do their job and help us move forward at rather impressive speed with a really small team.

This speed is actually the reason why some rather acidic posts and tweets of mine get published from time to time. When you have fast-paced environment, you get frustrated by anything that slows you down without giving the opportunity to go into the source code, check it out and maybe fix it.

At the same time, although Windows Azure platform is currently the best fit for Lokad for a number of reasons, I'm personally going to continue research and development in the complimentary approaches for running and developing CQRS solutions in the Cloud. This is needed for better understanding of various aspects of the field (including hybrid CQRS deployments with occasional connectivity) and ability to give weighted judgement on the matter. Besides the experience could be translated back to Azure, once it exposes more IaaS functionality.

Fortunately Moncai and the other potential equivalents promise to deliver an alternative .NET Cloud Computing Platform with Open Source code foundation. This should make things simpler (including the open source part) with a clear transition path to pure IaaS for the CQRS solutions.

Although generic Agile-friendly .NET Cloud Computing Platform can simplify the deployment and management tasks, the actual CQRS stack and solution template part still need to be done (see OSS Cloud Platform initiative I wrote before Moncai release). Fortunately, technically this would be just an equivalent of Lokad.CQRS for Azure (although the codebase should be simpler due to the use of AMQP and reusing Lokad.CQRS concepts). This is currently planned for 2011. Open Source, of course.

Practical experience and feedback from running these R&D directions should help to compliment CQRS/DDD with the knowledge and structured methodology on applying it to the cloud and hybrid environments, while handling the specific corner cases. But that's the longer plan for the 2011.

We'll see how it goes.

Comments

[Jonathan Adams]

I am looking to move from our dedicated servers to a cloud solution, but at the moment I have to I am looking at IaaS solutions rather than a Azure/Moncai.

I am thinking of building a framework that will work on both AW2, rackspace and eventually the open stack, that way I can have real portability and not be locked to any vendor's platform. Well thats my dream anyway.

I will be very interested to see what you guys come up with in this sector too.

Excellent work !