Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Team Blog

Our friends at IBM have been working hard to provide customers direct insight into IBM Hardware, and guidance for consolidated workloads for IBM System X and Blade servers using MAP 4.0.  Take a look at the announcement.

I am very proud to announce that the IBM Hardware Pack for Microsoft Assessment and Panning Toolkit, Version 1.1

The IBM Hardware Pack for Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, Version 1.1 helps our customers assess their current IT infrastructure needs (based on resource utilization) and determine the right IBM Hardware platforms to invest in. The tool provides guidance on consolidating workloads with Microsoft virtualization technologies on IBM System x and BladeCenter servers.

Features include:

• Provides information on IBM System x® and BladeCenter® servers which are ideally suited for virtualized Microsoft environments and IBM best practices tips

Supported Systems:

IBM System x3250 M3 (4251, 4252)

IBM System x3550 M2 (7946)

IBM System x3650 M2 (7947)

IBM System x3755 (7163)

IBM System x3850 M2 (7141, 7233)

IBM System x3950 M2 (7141, 7233)

IBM BladeCenter HS22 (7870)

IBM BladeCenter LS42 (7902)

• Discovery of systems to analyze (manually or automatically)

• Secure assessment of Microsoft Windows environments without the use of any software agents

• Gathers performance metrics and generates server consolidation recommendations that identify candidates for server virtualization and how physical servers might be placed in a virtualized environment

IBM/MAP content and docs are available at:

http://www.ibm.com/systems/management/director/partners/microsoft/

Get an early peek at the next release of MAP (version 5.0) when you sign up for the MAP 5.0 Community Technical Preview (CTP). One of the cool new features of MAP 5.0 is further support for heterogeneous environments.

• Traditionally, MAP had the ability to perform inventory and assessment of IT environments running only Microsoft platforms. In MAP 4.0, we added the support for heterogeneous environments by providing the ability to inventory servers running virtualization technologies from VMware.

• In MAP 5.0 CTP, support for heterogeneous platforms is further improved by adding the support for Linux.

• Using MAP 5.0 CTP, you can run the MAP tool within your IT environment and get comprehensive hardware details of servers running Microsoft and Linux platforms.

• Secure Shell (SSH) is used to collect inventory data from Linux servers.   MAP reports the hardware inventory results in the UI and in hardware inventory report.

Non-Windows Machine Inventory Walk-Through:

• To inventory non-Windows machines in your environment: 
• Launch the inventory and assessment wizard, select "Inventory computers using Secure Shell (SSH)” option.
• Provide WMI credentials for Windows Machines and SSH credentials for Linux machines.

• MAP will be able to inventory Linux servers using a non-root level account. However, with root level access, MAP will be able to report more in-depth information such as BIOS information and Computer Model.
• In MAP 5.0 CTP, inventory results are presented within the console or generated as a report. If you would like to see the results in the console, click "Inventory Summary Results" node in the tree on the left hand side of the console.

• You can also generate the report by clicking Generate Report link in "Inventory Summary Results" pane or File | Prepare New Report and Proposal.

• We have tested the Linux inventory capability on several major Linux distributions. We would like to hear your feedback. Please join the MAP 5.0 CTP and run MAP against your heterogeneous environment. Please send your feedback to mapfdbk@microsoft.com.

The Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team is very pleased to announce the release of new security baselines for Windows® 7 and Windows® Internet Explorer® 8. These new baselines are now included with the Security Compliance Management Toolkit Series. Over the past few months, our team has collaborated with Microsoft security experts, multiple government agencies worldwide, and a large community of IT security professionals to develop and test these new security baselines. Now that Windows 7 has shipped, we are excited to share the results of our efforts.

The Security Compliance Management Toolkit Series is an end-to-end solution to help you plan, deploy, and monitor security baselines of Windows® operating systems, Internet Explorer, and 2007 Microsoft® Office applications. The new Windows 7 security baseline also includes recommendations for BitLocker™ Drive Encryption. The series provides you with the following:

•    Prescriptive and tested security guidance from Microsoft.
•    GPOAccelerator – a tool to help you configure and deploy recommended security settings.
•    Configuration packs compatible with the desired configuration management (DCM) feature of Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2, and reporting functionality to help you verify that your organization's compliance requirements have been met.

Download the Security Compliance Management Toolkit Series today!

Also visit the Windows 7 Solution Accelerators page to get free planning and deployment tools for your Windows 7 projects!

With the new DirectAccess feature in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 you’ll now have the ability to allow remote users to seamlessly access enterprise shares, websites, and applications without the need to connect to virtual private network (VPN) systems.  DirectAccess also gives IT managers the ability to update remote PCs anytime they are connected to the Internet, without the user being logged on to the machine. As you prepare to take advantage of DirectAccess, your first step should be about designing your infrastructure to support this access feature that provides different security options. 

The Solution Accelerator team is pleased to announce the release of the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for DirectAccess.  This new guide provides actionable, best practices guidance that you can leverage to more quickly design your DirectAccess infrastructure right the first time.

The guide’s easy-to-follow, four-step process gives a straightforward explanation of the infrastructure required for clients to be connected from the Internet to resources on the corporate network, whether or not the organization has begun deploying IPv6. 

This IPD Guide for DirectAccess covers four key steps in the design process for DirectAccess:

• Aligning the project scope with the business requirements.
• Determining whether IPv6, Teredo, 6to4, and IP-HTTPS connectivity will be supported for Internet-based clients.
• Assessing the need for IPv6/IPv4 network address translation service and ISATAP for internal communication.
• Determining the number and placement of servers, the certificate services requirements, and location of CRL distribution points.

The IPD Guide for DirectAccess is a member of the Windows 7 Solution Accelerators family that aim to accelerate the planning, deployment and operations of Windows 7.

Next Steps:

• Download the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess Now
• Get other downloads of the entire Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides Series
• Check out other related Windows 7 Solution Accelerators such as the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, etc.

Thank you,

Baldwin Ng

Today, Windows 7 is released to cities around the world. Are you thinking about migrating your PCs to Windows 7 for your organizations?  To help you with deploying Windows 7 successfully and quickly, Microsoft has been developing lots of great tools and best practice (available on Microsoft.com).

Here's a list of my 7 favorite deployment tools to help you more easily and quickly plan and deploy Windows 7 to your organization.

• Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 4.0 - Download the MAP Toolkit and start assessing your existing PCs for their Windows 7 hardware and device compatibility.
• Application Compatibility Toolkit - Use the tools and guidance from the Application Compatibility Toolkit to assess your current applications and mitigate potential issues prior to deploying Windows 7.
• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 - Leverage MDT tools and processes to execute and manage the different stages of Windows 7 deployment.
• Windows Automation Installation Kit - Use AIK to automate Windows installations, capture Windows images, and configure/modify PC images during the deployment process.
• Security Compliance Management Toolkit (Windows 7 Baseline Beta) - Get this solution accelerator and learn how to help you plan, deploy, and monitor security baselines of Windows® operating systems including Windows 7.
• Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guides for App-V and MED-V - Download the IPD guides to get clarity on how to design a highly optimized desktop infrastructure with Windows Optimized Desktop technologies such as App-V (application virtualization) and MED-V (managed desktop virtualization).
• Windows Optimized Desktop Toolkit (formerly Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios Solution Accelerator) - Use the assessment tool and best practice to determine which Windows technologies including Windows 7, DirectAccess, App-V, MED-V, etc are best for your desktop end users.

Start with these tools and you'll have a lot of fun deploying Windows 7 to your end users!

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft)

Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team is currently looking for deployment stories around the use of the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Series.  Winners chosen by the IPD Team will each receive a Zune HD music player.

Infrastructure Planning and Design Series gives you architectural guidance for deploying Microsoft infrastructure products such as Windows Server 2008 R2, App-V, MED-V, DirectAccess, Hyper-V virtualization, System Center, SQL Server 2008, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and more. The IPD guides help clarify and streamline design processes for Microsoft infrastructure technologies, with each guide addressing a unique infrastructure technology or scenario. 

Zune HD Contest Rules

• Best candidates will be chosen based on the size of deployment (e.g. number of PCs or servers deployed), in-depth use of the IPD guidance for the specific technology, and benefits of the technology deployed to the organization.
• Entries must be submitted by a Microsoft customer or partner.  Government employees and Microsoft employees are not eligible for this contest.
• All entries must be submitted via e-mail to IPDFDBK@microsoft.com by November 9, 2009 5pm Pacific Time.

Download the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides Series today and join the contest! 

Thank you!
Baldwin Ng

, a set of authoritative guidance from Microsoft to help you clarifyInfrastructure Planning and Design guide series gives you architectural guidance for Microsoft infrastructure products. The IPD guides help clarify and streamline design processes for Microsoft infrastructure technologies, with each guide addressing a unique infrastructure technology or scenario. 

Here's my latest blog post on the "Because It's Everybody's Business" site on Microsoft.com. 

The article titled "Don't Compromise Your IT! Modernize It!" lays out a few key challenges and solutions to help you save IT costs while maintaining agility and operational efficiency.  Check it out!

Baldwin

Are you getting ready for Windows 7?  Read the latest TechNet Magazine article, The 10 Things to Do First for Windows 7, by Bill Boswell.  Learn from the expert on how you can use tools like the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP) for Windows 7, Application Compatibility Toolkit, Key Management Server, and more to accelerate your Windows 7 projects.

By the way, if you haven't heard, Windows 7 PCs will be available in stores near you starting October 22.

Start evaluating Windows 7.  You'll be pleasantly surprised!

Cheers,

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft)

Have you considered consolidating your datacenter servers down to a more manageable number?  Are your servers taking up too much of your IT budget simply to power and cool them?  Did you know that many organizations like yours may have under-utilized servers lying around that ought to be virtualized?

Try using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit for Hyper-V to help you create an inventory of under-utilized servers and generate potential virtualization candidates.  The new MAP Toolkit 4.0 now also offers integration with the Microsoft Integrated Virtualization ROI Calculator to help you with ROI and TCO analysis for your next IT projects.

Use MAP Toolkit Now and Start Saving!

• Download the MAP Toolkit for Hyper-V virtualization assessment
• Download the MAP Toolkit for Windows Server 2008 R2 hardware assessment
• View the short MAP Toolkit demo video on Windows Server 2008 R2 migration and Hyper-V virtualization assessments
• Follow us via Twitter Page for MAP Toolkit and Facebook Page for MAP Toolkit.

Regards,

Baldwin Ng, Sr. Product Manager

Microsoft Corporation

The Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Team from Microsoft Solution Accelerators recently released two new IPD guides to help customers with deployment planning for these Microsoft products:

• System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2
• Windows Deployment Services (WDS) as part of Windows Server 2008 R2

You will find these 2 IPD guides key to shortening your planning and deployment time and costs.  These guides offer easy to ready materials with decision flow charts etc.

Download IPD Guides today and tell us what you think about these guides at IPDFDBK@microsoft.com .  We love to get your feedback.

• Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2
• Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for Windows Deployment Services 
• For other IPD Guides for System Center family, Windows Server 2008 family and virtualization technologies like Hyper-V and App-V, please view the Infrastructure Planning and Design home page/portal at http://www.microsoft.com/IPD

Cheers,

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager)

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit makes it easier for you to determine if your existing Windows PCs are compatible for Windows 7 upgrade.  Use this free toolkit to conduct a quick network-wide assessment now.

1) Download the MAP Toolkit for Windows 7 today!

2) View the MAP Toolkit demo for Windows 7 hardware assessments

Thank you,
Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators)

Today, the Infrastructure Planning and Design Team from Microsoft Solution Accelerators is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for Windows Server Virtualization and System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM).

Now updated for Windows Server 2008 R2 and SCVMM 2008 R2, these 2 updated guides provide actionable, best practice guidance that you can leverage to more quickly design your infrastructure for Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V and SCVMM 2008 R2.

Follow the step-by-step process that helps you ask the right questions and determine to best sequence to plan your infrastructure design - so you can do it RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

Next Steps

1. Download the IPD Guides for Microsoft Virtualization (1-click to IPD SCVMM download, 1-click to IPD Windows Server Virtualization download)
2. Learn more about the IPD Guides for Microsoft Virtualization
3. Read Vijay Tiwari's blog post on Microsoft Virtualization Team Blog about the IPD Guides for Virtualization
4. Follow us with Twitter (MAP Toolkit Team Twitter and MAP Toolkit Team Facebook Page)
   

Thanks,

Baldwin Ng