Category: Dev Ops

All about code tracking and management for example, Azure DevOPS branching and merging, Release management, Continuous integration (CI) and Continuous deployment (CD).

Server is ethernet connected on LAN, means exposed to the internet?

You may have an Internet connection, but you are almost certainly behind a NAT router, not directly connected to the Internet.  Normally, that NAT router is the only machine that faces the Internet, has a direct connection, and is under constant attack by numerous bots roaming the IP’s of the Internet. 

You only have a local IP for your local network.  Only the router has your true IP that is seen on the Internet.  When your browser or NTP service (or other Internet need you may have) needs to see something on the Internet, it makes a connection to an Internet server, and your router notes that connection and allows that server to respond, using the associated ports of your connection.  The router will route those responses back to your machine, and not any other. 

The outside bots and servers cannot attack or connect to your machine, because they can’t even see it, and they don’t know your local IP.  The only contact that outside machines can have with your machine is strictly through connections your machine initiates first, through your router.

Now if you *did* want to put your server directly on the Internet, most routers have a setting where they can put any machine into a ‘DMZ’, a special unprotected zone, which means the Internet is directly connected to any machine you choose!  And the router won’t block any Internet traffic then, but allow all of it to come through to you. 

I would strongly advise you to first disconnect ALL of your drives, and backup your boot drive, because you will be very rapidly attacked!  Never use the DMZ unless you have a lot of security experience!

Visual Studio licensing and pricing

There are two models. Subscription based and Volume licensing program; The subscription-based pricing is on Microsoft web site;

https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/pricing/?tab=business

Professional = $45 per month

Enterprise = $250 per month

Microsoft has partners that might be able to help you in lowering subscription pricing by applying discounts that are not available to general public. In one instance I have been offered Enterprise edition @2,500/year for 5 developers.

Estimated pricing for volume licensing program (5 developers);

This program has one-time payment. This is a perpetual license and if software assurance is involved, you are eligible to get newer version. MSDN subscriptions are usually valid for two years. MSDN renewal is a recurring expense and cost about 20-30% of software cost.

Here is the breakdown;

Professional

The minimum limit here is 5 because there is no MSDN subscription.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Professional – License – 1 User – Microsoft Open License – Single Language – PC

$496.57 x 5 = $2,482.85

Professional with MSDN

Microsoft Visual Studio Professional Edition with MSDN – License & Software Assurance – 1 User – Microsoft Qualified – Microsoft Open Business – All Languages – PC

$1,080.87 x 5 = $5,404.35

Enterprise with MSDN

Microsoft Visual Studio Enterprise With MSDN – License & Software Assurance – 1 User – Volume, Microsoft Qualified – All Languages – PC

$8,638.64 x 5 = 43,193.20

If budget is a constraint and wanted software assurance then I will suggest to go for Professional with MSDN. You can pick whatever suits you.

There are 3rd party vendors offer lower rates but not sure how that will work out. Here is one.

Resource

https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/pricing-details/

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/subscriptions/volume-license

Install and configure Git for windows

Download Git from here;

https://git-scm.com/download/win

This is required if you want to use git from command prompt. A reboot is required after installation.

Visual Studio 2019 Settings

This is required to integrate with Azure Devops.

Tools -> Get Tools and Features -> Individual components

Search “git”. Select “Git for Windows” from menu;

Visual studio will take some time to reconfigure.

Visual Studio 2017 Settings

Open Visual Studio, Check the Git for Windows in the Tools – Get Tools and Features…), go to “Individual Item” tab,  check “Git for Windows”, and click “Modify”. Then it will ask you to update Visual Studio to the latest version, for example 15.9.36.

Click ok to install and close.