Deploy the App Service resource provider

Deploying an App Service resource provider in Microsoft Azure Stack Hub is an essential step in offering web and API application services that are consistent with Azure. This resource provider brings Azure’s Platform as a Service (PaaS) capabilities into your hybrid cloud environment, enabling developers to build, deploy, and scale web apps and APIs quickly.

Prerequisites

Before deploying the App Service resource provider, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

• Your Azure Stack Hub integrated system must be installed and operational.
• You must have an Azure Stack Hub operator account with Owner permissions on the Default Provider Subscription.
• A sufficient amount of memory, CPU cores, and disk storage must be available for the App Service roles.
• You should have a syndicated App Service package available in your marketplace (brought from Azure to Azure Stack Hub Marketplace).

Deployment Steps

The deployment process involves several key steps:

1. Prepare the deployment environment: Begin by downloading the App Service binaries from Azure and transferring them to your Azure Stack Hub environment. Validate that the Azure Stack Hub is updated with the latest patches and updates to be compatible with the App Service resource provider.
2. Set up required certificates: You’ll need to create or obtain SSL certificates for the App Service roles. The certificates must be trusted by the computers that will access your App Service applications.
3. Configure Identity and Access: The App Service resource provider requires Azure Active Directory or Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) for authentication and authorization. Set up an App Service principal and choose the directory to be used for your deployments.
4. Deploy the resource provider: Use PowerShell scripts provided by Microsoft to deploy the resource provider to your Azure Stack Hub. The script will prompt you for configuration details such as the resource provider’s name, the resource group where it will be placed, and the size of the worker roles.

Example PowerShell deployment command:

<code>.\Deploy-AzsAppService.ps1 -Location local -Name AppServiceRP -ResourceGroupName AppServiceResourceGroup -SubscriptionId “xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx” -WorkerCount 2 -WorkerSize Small</code>

5. Post-deployment tasks: After the initial deployment, you will need to register the App Service resource provider with the local Azure Stack Hub instance. This process involves associating the newly deployed resource with Azure Stack Hub’s internal subscription.
6. Create Plans, Offers, and Quotas: With the resource provider deployed, you can now create service plans, offers, and quotas to provide App Service capabilities to users. Define the App Service features and capacity that will be included in each plan, and then create offers based on these plans. Don’t forget to publish those offers so users can subscribe to them.

Example Quota Configuration

For the App Service provider, you could have a quota like:

Each resource above is configurable according to the needs of your environment and the scale at which you wish to operate.

Validation and Testing

After deploying the App Service resource provider, it is important to validate that it has been correctly installed and configured. Perform the following tests:

1. Validate that all services related to the App Service resource provider are running.
2. Try to create a new web app using the new App Service offer.
3. Make sure you can deploy and run a small test application successfully.

In summary, deploying the App Service resource provider on Azure Stack Hub is a multi-step process that requires careful planning and execution. Follow these guidelines and utilize the Microsoft-provided documentation and scripts for a successful deployment. Once in place, users of your Azure Stack Hub environment will enjoy a range of PaaS capabilities, much like what’s provided in Azure.