Using IntelliTrace to diagnose problems with a hosted service

Windows Azure Diagnostics provides non-intrusive support for diagnosing problems with a Windows Azure hosted service. This non-intrusion is vital in a production service. However, when developing a hosted service, it may be worthwhile to get access to additional diagnostics information even at the cost of intruding on the service.

The Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Edition supports the use of IntelliTrace with an application deployed to the cloud. This can be particularly helpful when dealing with problems, such as missing assemblies. It also allows for the easy identification and diagnosis of exceptions. Note that IntelliTrace has a significant impact on the performance of a hosted service. Consequently, it should never be used in a production environment and, in practice, should only be used when needed during development.

IntelliTrace is configured when the application package is published. This configuration includes specifying...