I know what you're going to say. But Chris, I'm not a developer, sure I use HTML now and then but I don't have the time to create an App. I get it, your day job is kind of your night job too and there are only so many hours in the day. Don't worry, n ot only do we have a great way to help you turn your WordPress Blog into a Windows 8 app, if you hurry you could do it with very little or no development...

In the previous Step-By-Step post , we showcased how to enable the Active Directory Recycle Bin function in Windows Server 2012. Once completed you now have the capability to restore deleted objects from within Active Directory. Next step is to learn how to restore said objects. This as mentioned will save time and hassle should an object be "accidentally" deleted. Resorting an object in Active...

During yesterday's #CANITPRO Windows Server 2012 session, Mitch Garvis made mention of an interesting ability made available on Windows Server. All IT professionals at one time or another have made the mistake of accidentally deleting an object in Active Directory that used to take countless hours to restore. Active Directory Recycle Bin was created to adhere to that very problem and this Step-By-Step...

As mentioned in previous posts, now that #CANITPRO Camp V2 is in play, labs from version 1 are being converted into Step-By-Step posts to be provided as a resource to IT Professionals. One of the labs conducted in version 1 of the camps was Virtual Machine replication using Hyper-V Replica. New to Windows Server 2012 , Hyper-V Replica is an asynchronous, virtual machine replication technology...

Hello Folks, I’m In South Carolina right now enjoying the sun and the golf courses. However, like any IT professionals, I sometimes have to access my systems and tools to address certain issues remotely. You may need remote access to address other scenarios such as: Provide access to applications to devices that are unmanaged. Deliver one or more apps instead of desktop Secure...

Yesterday, I participated in a great Microsoft Jumpstart session entitled Live Q&A: Introduction to Hyper-V conducted by virtualization experts Jeff Woolsey & Symon Perriman . This session covered all aspects of Hyper-V and I was happy to assist in answering questions coming from the audience attending the event. One of the questions asked during the session was in regards to how to migrate...

The past weeks have seen Pierre, Mitch and myself drink bigger doses of caffeine than what would be contained in the mug pictured above although Pierre might chime in that the mug looks no bigger than the espresso cups I use for my morning jolt. It has been a labor of love however, as all three of us enjoy getting our hands dirty developing the new #CANITPRO camps containing new content in regards...

I have been getting a lot of questions recently about virtual machine CPU usage, especially around things like Symmetric Multi-Threading (SMT).  Jeff Woosley, the Principal Product Manager (WSSC) at Microsoft, recently sent out this clarification which many of you will find enlightening. –MDG --- Q: Should Symmetric Multi-Threading (SMT) be enabled or disabled? A: Hyper-V works fine with Symmetric...

The IT Pro Evangelism team, Microsoft Learning and the Microsoft Virtual Academy are pleased to announce the next FREE & PUBLIC event Live Q&A: Introduction to Hyper-V on Wednesday April 3 rd , from 8:30 am – 10:30am PST with virtualization experts Jeff Woolsey & Symon Perriman . Ask your customers to join this live online event designed for IT professionals that have questions about Microsoft...

Microsoft has released a poster diagramming virtual networking in Hyper-V 2012.  Much of it revolves around Virtual Machine Manager, and is actually branded System Center 2012 SP1 .  If you are building or managing datacenters – even smaller ones – you should download this document and review it.  We all have something to learn from it! The VMM networking poster is available for download...

Are you a current MCT? TechEd wants you!  The Call For Staff for TechEd, including Hands On Labs, MCT Ambassadors, and Certification Prep is open, and I am hoping to see a few Canadian MCTs throw their name into the Goblet of Fire!  Ok, it’s not a goblet, there’s no fire… but you do get your show pass paid for TechEd along with a cool shirt   If you would like to go to TechEd but think...

I had the chance to be one of the first customers in the world to be deploying Windows 8 in a production environment. In the spring of 2012, we were part of a Rapid Deployment Project with Microsoft around Windows Server 2012 which involved deploying Windows 8 Release Preview and Windows Server 2012 Release Preview in three schools. The project was very successful and the full information can be found...

  I submitted a blog post recently on upgrading System Center 2012 to Service Pack 1 see it here: Upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1. During testing, I encountered an issue launching the Orchestrator 2012 SP2 Web Console where I was greeted with 2 authentication prompts. 1 for the Web Console website and the 2 nd for the Web Service website. Regardless, despite providing valid credentials to...

This week is going to be a great week for Pierre, Mitch and I as activities are underway to create version 2 of the Windows Server 2102 #CANITPRO camp. Details regarding the new camp dates will be available shortly and will be posted predominantly on this blog. As mentioned on a previous post, most of the focus in version 1 camp was heavily centered around Hyper-V. While Version 2 of the camp will...

As mentioned in an earlier post, the tour of the Windows Server 2012 V1 #CANITPRO Camp has now completed and we are currently working on creating version 2 of the camp. Further details regarding version 2 will be forthcoming, however I wanted to ensure that the labs that took place during the camp were shared with the masses. Microsoft provides evaluation copies of Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-v Server...

Last week Pierre and I completed the last Windows Server 2012 #CANITPRO Camp in St. John's, Newfoundland. The camp was a great showcase of virtualization capabilities for Windows Server 2012 and was well received by audiences across Canada. So much so that Pierre, Mitch and I will be putting together a version 2 of Windows Server 2012 #CANITPRO Camp next week. Agenda and dates of the camps will be...

Hello Folks, Yesterday, the "TechNet eNews - Revisiting Windows 8 and Your Feedback" mailing went out and in it I did "encourage you to continue to provide great feedback". Well, provide feedback you did…. My mailbox suddenly filled with all kinds of feedback. Some was request for help troubleshooting issues, some was constructive (which I love) some were rants. But there was one particular...

Today Pierre Roman and I are conducting the latest edition of the #CANITPRO Windows Server Camp in St.John's Newfoundland. Our good friend, Rick Claus who now hangs his hat at Microsoft Corp, has been giving us tips on places to visit while here as St.John's is one of his favorite spots. Another favorite of Rick's is running Windows Server 2012 in core mode. This is because when running Windows Server...

There are three concepts in Microsoft licensing that people often mistake for a single entity, when in fact the three are connected but very separate.  They are: Licensing Activation Product Keys Because the three are so tied together it is easy to get yourself in trouble if you do not take the time to understand how the three of them interrelate.  However with a little understanding you...

In October, 2011 I posted an article called vPTA: What NOT to take away from my 1-day virtualization training! It was only partly tongue-in-cheek on the environment that I have been using for several years to demonstrate server virtualization from a pair of laptops. A few months later Damir Bersinic took that list and made some modifications, and published it on this blog as Things NOT To Take Away...

I've been getting this question a lot lately.  is there a rollup for Windows 7 Post SP1?   Well now there is. An enterprise hotfix rollup is available for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2775511 This article describes a hotfix rollup for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1-based computers. This hotfix rollup...

Hello folks, On January 25 th 2013, Chris Di Lullo had announced a new set of camps for IT pros focusing on Windows 8. The first 2 camps were very well received. During this day long camp we cover the following: Windows 8 overview Windows 8 deployment in the enterprise Using MDT 2012 Using System Center 2012 SP1 Windows 8 and flexible work style Windows 8 Apps and Apps deployment Windows 8 recovery...

Some of us get to live in the world of cool.  We are on the leading edge of software (and sometimes hardware); we are not simply IT Professionals, but we are also IT Enthusiasts … we are passionate about technology, and we always want the latest and greatest.  We wait with bated breath for new operating systems and applications from Microsoft and other vendors because every little improvement...

It has been an exciting couple of weeks delivering the Windows Server 2012 camp alongside Mitch Garvis and during our recent stop in Winnipeg many questions were asked of us in regards to System Center 2102 . Many questions pertained to even management and deployment of Windows 8 utilizing System Center 2012 Configuration Manager as well. As per their request, and for your benefit, here is a full run...

Our industry moves fast! There was a time when if you learned a system you e set for a long time.  Now Microsoft is releasing operating systems every three years (client AND server), and the management tools are constantly evolving.  A carpenter who takes a year off work may be out of practice, but will remember his way pretty quick.  An IT Pro who is out of the loop for that long has...