BizTalk World

Using this blog, I just want to throw some light on different ways of BizTalk deployments.

Manual Deployment: This is pretty known style of BizTalk deployment by exporting MSI, Binding files from local environment and import the same in target environment. Here is some of the steps need to be followed.

• Export MSI from Local Environment
• Export BindingFile from Local environment
• Open BidningFile and edit required details like Sendport/Receiveport locations…
• After edit, just save the Binding file
• Stop the application in Target Environment
• Stop Host Instances in Target Environment
• Import MSI in Target Environment
• Import Binding file in Target Environment
• Start Host instances
• Start BizTalk Application.

Deployment using PowerShell Scripting: This style avoids some of the manual steps mentioned above. Here we write PowerShell commands for all deployment steps and execute the scripts in Target machine.

BTDF Deployment:

BizTalk Deployment Framework is a third-party tool used to automate the BizTalk deployment process. Main advantage of using this tool is to generate the bindings automatically for various environments. We create msi file in local environment by following BTDF steps and deploy the msi in target machine by selecting appropriate binding file in the deployment wizard.

Continuous Integration & Continuous Deployment (Dev Ops):

Continuous Integration approach is most advanced and effective deployment process in BizTalk. We need to use couple of tools (BTDF, TFS, Teamcity, MyGet and Octopus) to setup this process. Here is the sequence of steps we need to follow to setup this process.

• When ever you do some code changes, you need to check in the code to TFS
• TeamCity is a tool, which keep monitor for any TFS Checkins.
• If any TFS checkins found, it will take the latest code from TFS, build it and deploy to Teamcity local environment.
• If deployment is successful, it will create a Build and place into MyGet Server (This is used to maintain proper versions for Builds).
• Octopus is a third-party tool using which we deploy the BizTalk artifacts to target environments.
• In Octopus we need to do couple of configuration to connect MyGet Server, Target Environments.
• We need to write deployment steps using powershell scripting in Octopus.
• We create a BizTalk release in Octopus by selecting latest Build from MyGet server.
• While deploying we need to select the target machine in drop down list and deploy it.
• Using Powershell scripting steps, BizTalk code will be deployed to Target machine.