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This is the first part in a series of posts about SharePoint 2013 Workflows. In this post we will discuss the architecture and improvements of the new Workflow Model in SharePoint 2013. Workflow Architecture Besides the SharePoint 2010 workflow model, which is still part of the SharePoint 2013 installation, Microsoft introduced a new Workflow architecture in SharePoint 2013 (and Office 365). SharePoint 2013 is now using Workflow Manager 1.0 which acts as the host for the workflow runtime, is hosting the latest version of Windows Workflow Foundation (WF 4.5) and unlike the 2010 Workflow model, is totally decoupled from SharePoint using OAuth secured WCF Services. SharePoint 2013 is configured to send all related tasks to the workflow manager to execute workflows using these services. ...

Today I found a very handy tool to check your computer or server security settings: The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer. This tool determines if Windows administrative vulnerabilities are present, If weak passwords are being used and it checks if there are any vulnerabilities in IIS and SQL Server. After installing the tool you can scan your server or computer. After completion it provides you with a detailed report and instructions on how to make your environment more secure. ...

If you want to debug your SharePoint 2013 on-premise workflows you need to allow the workflow manager to access your system through the firewall. Take the following steps to allow the workflow manager to access your system: In Control Panel, choose System and Security and then Windows Firewall. In the Control Panel Home list, choose the Advanced Settings link. In the left pane of Windows Firewall, choose Inbound Rules. In the Inbound Rules list, choose Workflow Manager Tools 1.0 for Visual Studio 2012 – Test Service Host. In the Actions list, choose Enable Rule. On the properties page of your SharePoint project, choose the SharePoint tab, and then select the Enable Workflow debugging check box.

Microsoft released a new version of the Identity Developer Training Kit, updated for WIF 4.5 and for Visual Studio 2012 RC . You can download it here.

Leveraging Azure Marketplace Data in SharePoint Part 1: Consuming Azure Marketplace Data in BCS In this series of posts: Part 1: Consuming Azure Marketplace Data in BCS (this article). Part 2: Using the Secure Store Service for Azure Marketplace Authentication in BCS. Windows Azure Marketplace data is a service by Microsoft that hosts WCF services in Windows Azure. Organizations and individuals can consume that data via a subscription model. These services expose data using REST services which can be leveraged in SharePoint using BCS. ...

Leveraging Azure Marketplace Data in SharePoint Part 1: Consuming Azure Marketplace Data in BCS Windows Azure Marketplace data is a service by Microsoft that hosts WCF services in Windows Azure. Organizations and individuals can consume that data via a subscription model. These services expose data using REST services which can be leveraged in SharePoint using BCS. For this example we are going to use US Crime data statistics Service (DATA.gov). By using BCS we can consume the Azure WCF Service and display this data in SharePoint via an External List. ...