Can I ask azure for the status of other instances in my role?

Question

If i enumerate role.instances that just shows the static role configuration. I.e if I take down an instance the enumerate results are still the same

Answer 1

You can use internal endpoints to communicate with each instance. You define these in the service definition files of your roles and then communicate using the RoleEnvironment.Roles[] and instances. The HelloFabric Sample shows how you can do this. You can also read about the pattern on the Windows Azure Blog.