Explore the difference between rapid deployment and distributed deployment

What is the difference between a quick deployment of Windows Azure and a distributed deployment? Where do the two deployment types need to be used separately?

The Windows Azure Pack is deployed in two ways: rapid deployment and distributed deployment are very similar, but their purpose is quite different.

Rapid deployment refers to installing Windows Azure Package components on a system with Web platform Setup. The advantage of this type of deployment is the simplicity of deployment and the very low hardware requirements that are typically used for testing or learning in low flow labs and not for production environments. Typically, providing one or more optional services for another machine, such as Web sites and virtual machines (VMS), is sufficient to actually test the Windows Azure pack in the lab.

In contrast, Windows Azure is better suited to using distributed deployments--installing various components on multiple systems or virtual machines--so distributed deployments are typically used in production environments. Because virtual machines do not have to be bound to the server, virtual systems require better performance tuning and workload balancing to optimize how Windows Azure packages are installed. Do not overlook the protection of snapshot installations or backups.

Once the organization has mastered virtualization technology, it will then take more advantage of cloud computing-bringing self-service, automation, virtual machines and other capabilities to the organization. Microsoft Windows Azure Pack is built on existing infrastructure such as Windows Server R2 and System Center, providing cloud services to the organization as a cloud provider. However, before deploying Windows Azure, keep in mind that it is important to have sufficient proven testing and evaluation to ensure adequate stability, performance, and integrity for both the enterprise and end users.