PDC announces Windows Azure, the CTP is available for download today for limited users.

Read more at: www.microsoft.com/azure

With a wealth of key services: Live, .NET, SQL Server, SharePoint and Dynamic CRM, this is aimed as a major new service platform. The .NET services include a service bus, access control and WF. The on-premise/cloud integration is amazing. Code named ?Geneva? the federated identity management will provide the ability to use your active directory in the cloud (and much more)!

The service model is all based around Roles (which are code items, such as a web component) and interfaces between these using queues with WS and REST communication outside of the cloud. For the moment the .NET service is restricted to partial trust applications, but for the future this will be full trust and then include unmanaged code. The data services look very interesting, the table store is not a relational database but is intended to be used with entities to provide the relationship management in code.

There is much more coming out of the PDC with 2 more keynotes on Tuesday.