Azure Continuous Deployment - Azure SDK Version Requirement

Question

When setting up Azure Continuous Deployment ( AzureContinuousDeployment.11.xaml ) build template with our own hosted TFS 2012 Build Controller - it seems that the workflow activity is bound to a specific version of WindowsAzure.StorageClient . Any idea why we are getting this Compilation Exception even though we have the Azure SDK 2.4 installed on the build controller?

WF Activity: Deploy application to Azure - Compilation Error

Exception Message: Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient, Version=1.7.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified. (type FileNotFoundException) Exception Stack Trace: at System.Activities.Statements.Throw.Execute(CodeActivityContext context) at System.Activities.CodeActivity.InternalExecute(ActivityInstance instance, ActivityExecutor executor, BookmarkManager bookmarkManager) at System.Activities.Runtime.ActivityExecutor.ExecuteActivityWorkItem.ExecuteBody(ActivityExecutor executor, BookmarkManager bookmarkManager, Location resultLocation)

Our VSO project uses Azure SDK 2.4 , but this is separate from the portion that uploads the CSPACK publish file ( .csx ) to the Azure Blob Storage for the Azure Cloud App .

Answer 1

The build template activity DeployAzureCloudApp from Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Deployment.Worflow.dll references Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient.dll 1.7.0.0 .

To work around this - we must copy the assembly to the TFS Build Controller folder on the server ( where the TFSBuildServiceHost.exe resides ). Another option would be to GAC the assembly.

Source: Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient.dll

Azure SDK Path: c:\\Program Files\\Microsoft SDKs\\Azure.NET SDK\\v2.5\\bin

Target: Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient.dll

TFS 2012 Path : c:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Team Foundation Server 11.0\\Tools
TFS 2013 Path : c:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Team Foundation Server 12.0\\Tools

Evidently the assembly resolution isn't looking for it outside the Tools directory - it seems to be specifying an absolute path to locate it. Fusion assembly log never shows it probing for this assembly.

Powershell to Reproduce the FileNotFoundException Error

([System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadFrom("Microsoft.WindowsAzure.StorageClient, Version=1.7.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35l")).FullName