With the release of Sitefinity 6.0 we introduced the ability to setup a hybrid cloud solution deployment through the new cloud services connector available in all Sitefinity editions that provides two-way data synchronization. This blog post provides an overview about pricing and how to setup a connection to the cloud services.
You can read about intranet and mobile hybrid cloud solution examples in the blog post Everyone has heard of Hybrid Cars and Hybrid Mobile Apps, but What about Hybrid Cloud Solutions?
Connecting Sitefinity to the Cloud Services
The connector for cloud services can be found in the admin interface of Sitefinity under Administration -> Connectivity
Data synchronization intervals are configurable.
Data synchronization intervals are configurable.
Cloud Data Pricing
The cloud services are currently in beta and available for free with a Starter data plan:
- 5 GB of bandwidth (incoming bandwidth is not counted)
- 1 GB of file Storage, and/or
- 100 MB of database storage
- Unlimited API calls and email notifications
All Sitefinity customers with active license maintenance will be able to enjoy a complimentary basic plan with a Starter data plan as long as they have active maintenance.
What Will Happen to Data in the Cloud When the Service Becomes Paid?
You would be able to purchase one of then available data plans and continue using the service. If your data exceeds the Starter plan storage and you do not wish to purchase a higher data plan, you would be able to request a data export. All data for expired subscriptions will be irreversibly deleted from all Telerik servers after a certain time period, which is to be specified when the beta period ends.
How Can I Download My Data From the Cloud?
At present when you synchronize Sitefinity with the cloud services all data will be stored in both places and you will always be able to keep your local data copy. If something happens to your local data copy and you wish to retrieve data from the cloud you can request a data export or use the cloud services RESTful API. The cloud services team plans to provide a self-service data export functionality to facilitate this process.
Resources
Resources can be found on the Cloud Services Portal. There are great developer documentation with code examples and a sample application called Friends, which comes with a code reference. Furthermore, there are the following Software Development Kits available for download:
- JavaScript SDK for hybrid mobile apps and websites
- The JavaScript SDK includes the following libraries Reqwest, Underscore, and Rsvp.
- Microsoft .NET SDK compatible with .NET Framework 4.5
- Supported platforms: Windows Phone 8, Windows Store, .NET 4.5. This package supports the await/async pattern.
- Microsoft .NET SDK compatible with .NET Framework 4.0
- Supported platforms: Windows Phone 7.5, .NET 4.0, Silverlight 4 and 5.