Private Clouds are increasingly important to the efficient operations of your business. The System Center 2012 products provide everything you need to build, secure, maintain and manage your Private Cloud. You can get all of the latest Betas, Release Candidates and Evaluations by clicking one button!
The 84th Academy Awards – “The Oscars” – will be on TV this Sunday. Most people are familiar with the drama and suspense around seeing their favorite actors and actresses being nominated for and winning (or losing!) the coveted golden statue. I have watched the Oscars many times since I was a child for that very reason. I used to get frustrated when they would pause and quickly rattle of the winners of the technical awards for lighting, sound, and other obscura that, to me, had nothing to do with the movies that I saw.
But there is so much that goes on behind the scenes of a movie, even decades ago, that make what we enjoy so much even possible. As technology has advanced, more and more really geeky folks have become a required part of movie making that I think they deserve a show of their own now. The Oscars have always recognized them with their own awards ceremonies, they just don’t broadcast them which is a shame. With as much technology that people use now and the vastly greater number of technical folks we have in technical industries than ever before, I believe they would have really good audience. besides, advertisers just might eat it up since those same technical folks make a pretty good living these days.
But until that day comes (I have faith it will!), we can still find out what the Academy is recognizing some very talented technical people for.
Every year now, there is a ceremony that takes places a couple of weeks prior to the televised Oscars that recognize the folks who’s technical achievements, discoveries, and innovations have made it possible for some of the cool stuff we see today. Consider all of the CGI work alone that has taken place in the last decade and I hope you can appreciate what some of these folks have done (I will exclude the CGI work done on the revamped versions of first three Star Wars movies….shame on you George Lucas!)
Here are a few examples of what the Scientific and Technical Awards Oscars recognize – (source)
“The invention and integration of micro-voxels in the Mantra software. - This work allowed, for the first time, unified and efficient rendering of volumetric effects such as smoke and clouds, together with other computer graphics objects, in a micro-polygon imaging pipeline.”
“The development of a unique and efficient system for the reduction of noise and other artifacts, thereby providing high-quality images required by the filmmaking process. - The “Lowry Process” uses advanced GPU-accelerated, motion estimation-based image processing tools to enhance image quality.”
“The design and engineering of the Phantom family of high-speed cameras for motion picture production. - The Phantom family of high-speed digital cameras, including the Phantom Flex and HD Gold, provide imagery at speeds and efficacy surpassing photochemical technology, while seamlessly intercutting with conventional film production.”
That is some pretty nerdy stuff! But modern film making would not be the same without it. Check out more of what goes on behind the scenes at the movies and how us nerds are making it all happen at the Sci-Tech Awards sub-site at oscars.org.
Cheers!
In the US, we are holding a promotion that has two very easy steps and then you receive $20 to use at the Microsoft Online Store. To begin, go visit the Microsoft Private Cloud Offer site.
Offer Period: Now until June 30, 2012
Click the Download button to go to the TechNet Evaluation Center and Download your Microsoft Private Cloud Evaluation Software. You will need to sign in with your Live ID to initiate the download. Once the download starts, it will probably take about 30 – 60 minutes depending on your connection. (I have Cox and it took me about 37 minutes to complete the download). The nice thing is you don’t actually have to wait for the download to complete before you move onto Step 2.
Click the Explore button and you will be taken to the System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager Virtual Lab. Currently, you will be taken directly to a Live ID sign in page. Once you sign in and complete the Microsoft Private Cloud Offer page, you will be taken to the final Virtual Lab page where you can Launch the Virtual Lab and complete it.
It is VERY important that you provide valid information with your Live ID sign in as you will receive an email (in about 3 days) with the code to retrieve your $20 coupon for use at the Online Store. You will also be entered to win one of three Lenovo W520s.
Lenovo W520 15.6”
Disclaimer: There are a limited number of $20 coupons available (about 5,000) and are given out on a first come first serve basis and only one per person. This promotional offer is only valid in the United States. Whether you get a $20 coupon or not, you will still be entered into the drawing for the W520. You can enter multiple times for the raffle – you just have to complete the two steps each time. Please read the full Rules on the Microsoft Private Cloud Offer Site as my disclaimer only has a portion of the full rules.
Join us in Redmond for the inaugural Office365 Saturday event! On Saturday, February 25th you can join other business users, administrators, developers, and professionals that work with Office365 and its corresponding technologies: SharePoint, Lync, and Exchange. Office365 Saturday Redmond will be an educational, informative & lively day filled with sessions from respected professionals & MVPs, covering a wide variety of Office365 topics. Office365 Saturday is FREE, open to the public and is your local chance to immerse yourself in Office365!
More Information and Registration here – Office 365 Saturday site!
ps…..I am sorry for all of the posts today folks, but a lot of GREAT stuff hit my inbox while I was on vacation and I want to make sure I get the word out.
I just stumbled on this site last week while I was on vacation. It looks like Tom Shinder, long time Microsoft MVP and now Principal Knowledge Engineer with Microsoft (he is also the man behind the ISAServer.org site!), published the first draft of this back in July of 2011. I read through this information and think it should be required reading for anyone implementing or involved with Private Clouds. Since it is a Wiki, you have the opportunity to contribute!
From the site…..
“The Reference Architecture for Private Cloud wiki site on TechNet is driven by the SCD iX Solutions Group. It is a joint effort with the private cloud community at large. This document set is designed to facilitate an organization’s transformation to private cloud as a service delivery enabling set of processes and technologies. Business decision-makers, technical decision-makers, IT architects and IT Pros interested in private cloud should use relevant documents in this collection to understand the transformation to private cloud in terms of business drivers, potential architectural approaches, and impact on key aspects of IT.”
You can take part in the Wiki at this link – Reference Architecture for Private Cloud
Complete List of Reference Architecture for Private Cloud Documents: Overview of Private Cloud Architecture Private Cloud Technical Overview What is Infrastructure as a Service? Private Cloud Reference Model Private Cloud Principles, Patterns and Concepts Private Cloud Planning Guide for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Private Cloud Planning Guide for Service Delivery Private Cloud Planning Guide for Operations Private Cloud Planning Guide for Systems Management Cloud Computing Security Architecture A Solution for Private Cloud Security
I took some vacation time last week which is why there has been a gap in my 70-659 exam Series. I am quickly sorting through email and other work items and then I will resume my posts. It may be another day or two before you see the next one in the series but I can assure you, they are coming!
In the West Region, Harold Wong and I are hosting a set of events in the March and May / June timeframe.
In November 2011, we tried out a new format for events which we called IT Camps. This new format included the ability for the attendees to select the topics that would be discussed. We are evolving this a bit and holding more of these IT Camp style events in March.
Join us for our upcoming IT Camp where we are changing the format and structure of our in-person events! We are implementing the following changes:
To participate in the afternoon session, you will need to bring your own computer (laptop preferred) with the following minimum configuration:
I encourage everyone to start posting suggestions for topics to be discussed during the Open Topics sections. Also, if you have a topic that you would like to discuss, then please say so when posting your comment to this blog post. I am a firm believer that we can all learn from one another as we all have unique experiences and talents that we bring to the table. I look forward to reading your topic suggestions and then seeing you at the events!!
To register, please visit the appropriate links for your city.
March 13, 2012 Bellevue, WA Chris Avis
March 15, 2012 Los Angeles, CA Harold Wong
March 15, 2012 Portland, OR Chris Avis
March 16, 2012 Phoenix, AZ Harold Wong
March 19, 2012 Denver, CO Harold Wong
March 19, 2012 Mountain View, CA Chris Avis
Agenda and abstracts of Sessions
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Check-In and Welcome
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM: Get out of Dodge: Migrating to Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Is your infrastructure still clinging to the 2003 x86 server architecture? But with every day that goes by, you worry more and more that the other shoe will drop. You know you have to bite the bullet and get these critical services over to more modern hardware paired with the current supported revisions of the server platform. These are the services that keep the lights on, the servers running and most importantly: the users happy! This demo-intensive session covers how to migrate essential services like DHCP, DNS, File/Print, Certificate Services and more.
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Veeam Presentation
Discover how System Center 2012 can be leveraged to manage coexisting private cloud technologies from the metal to the app! This session will focus on the following System Center 2012 components: Virtual Machine Manager, Orchestrator and Operations Manager and how each technology can manage both Hyper-V and VMware Hypervisor platforms.
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Open Topics
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Open Topics
2:45 PM – 4:00 PM: Hands-On-Lab: Configure Windows Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 (Free version)
There are many IT Pros who have expressed interest in using the free version of Hyper-V Server. In this hands-on-session, we will demystify the configuration steps necessary to get Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 up and running so you can start using the free tool. As most folks know how to install an OS, we will not bore you with a 35 minute install; instead we will provide a VHD file with the product pre-installed, but not configured. We will help everyone configure their machines to boot to VHD and complete the configuration steps.
Following the configuration of Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, you will import the System Center 2012 RC VMs provided by Veeam so you can also get guided hands-on-experience with their management product.
As a follow up to the other developer related post I made this morning, I am asking that folks take a look at my buddy Matt Harrington’s blog where he details some cool stuff that Startups will be interested in.
From his post -
Do you like free stuff? Are you a startup?
Microsoft supports Startup America, which offers the following for free:
... and more.
We're trying to see how many startups we can enroll between now and February 14, 2012. It only takes 3 minutes to sign up and it's free. Use this URL, so I can keep track of how many people signed up after reading my blog: http://ar.gy/mharrin.
Check out the full details at his blog! - Matt Harrington – Microsoft Developer Evangelist
Virtualization is not just for production work loads. Developers can benefit as well….if they just check it out!
What the heck? Developers? Virtualization? Sure!
I have spent countless man hours configuring my development platform. How do I easy replicate that as a virtual development platform?
Problem: Like anyone else, developers are always on the look out for ways to speed up the process for delivering final production code. One way is to leverage plug-ins or add-ons for there primary tools that add functionality such as source code check-in or auto-save of code. Since this environment is critical to getting their work done, they should be cautious when making changes to it. Virtualization allows developers to create a test bed environment for evaluating new tools before making changes their own production development machines.
Solution: There is a great tool call Disk2vhd that allows you to convert a physical disc to a .VHD which can then be mounted within VirtualPC (32 bit only) or Hyper-V (32/64 bit) and accessed via an RDP session. This is a great way to replicate a workstation and then test new tools before committing to using them on your production workstation.
I need to test some code but I don’t want to crater my test environment!!!
Every developer ultimately has to test the application they create. The testing process may make changes to a database, or other files that may not be easily reversible. There may also be risk to the test environment itself. In this case, making use of Saved States and Snapshots allow developers to capture the existing stable environment in a VM, make changes in code, test and app and then roll back the environment if needed. I created a short video to show how hyper-V Snapshots can alleviate this pain point.
I have been working on this all day and I am not done. I need to take the whole lab home with me to finish!
One of the great things about virtualization is it’s portability. Most virtual machine images consist of two files a .VMCX with configurations settings and .VHD file which contains the operating system, tools, code, etc that you are working with. It is very simple to stop a virtual machine and then copy those files to a portable USB drive and then take home. Once at home, simply add them to your local virtualized test bed and continue working. you can then shut them down, copy them to the portable USB and take them back to work with you.
There are a few more reason why developers might look at virtualization as a tool for aiding with development. I am going to speak directly to some developer types that use virtualization in their every day dev work and let you hear it directly from them! Look for another post soon!
About This Video
In today’s episode, Sr. IT Pro Evangelist Chris Avis welcomes Chad Lindley from Quest Software as they discuss the ins and outs of migrating from Novell GroupWise to Office 365. Tune in as they chat about driving factors on why many organizations are considering this move, common transition requirements to consider as well how Quest Software can help.
Downloads
Video: WMV | MP4 | WMV (ZIP) | PSP Audio: WMA | MP3
Click here to Register for the Live! TechNet Webcast: Complete a Seamless Transition from GroupWise to Office 365
If you're interested in learning more about the products or solutions discussed in this episode, click on any of the below links for free, in-depth information:
Resources:
Websites and Blogs:
Videos:
First things first – If you do not already have a test machine, build one! - Download a trial version of Windows Server 2008 R2 and install it to a capable machine that you can use for study and learning.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this post, we will walk through creating a guest virtual machine and the configuration options that are available. We will also talk about the different kinds of Virtual Hard Drive (.VHD) that can be created and when to use certain types.
Remember, I am not giving you answer to test questions with this guide. I am supplying you with basic knowledge and resources you can use to increase your skill set. You will have to install and work with the product to pick up the skills necessary to take and pass the 70-659 Exam. I have done my best to link to a Source article or other supporting information where I can to assist you with learning key concepts.
*** Please Note *** Many of the linked articles and supporting information will reference Service Pack 1 Features on RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory. It is important to understand these features though they may not be on the exam.
For this post I decided to do a video and post it to my friend Joe’s YouTube channel. I will also submit this video to TechNet Edge.
For each successive post, I will add links to the series -
Passing the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Virtualization Exam (70-659) – Part 1
Passing the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Virtualization Exam (70-659) – Part 2
Passing the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Virtualization Exam (70-659) – Part 3
Installing and Configuring Host and Parent Settings.
Passing the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Virtualization Exam (70-659) – Part 4 – This Post
Creating a new Guest Virtual Machine and available configuration options
Passing the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Virtualization Exam (70-659) – Part 5 – Coming Up!
Exploring .VHD file types and why to use them
For the next post I will dive into the different types of .VHD files that can be created and why/when you will want to use them.
Are you considering or planning a migration from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Office 365? Do you need to provide coexistence between on-premises and cloud users? Join Chad Lindley, product manager at Quest Software, as he discusses solutions and best practices for transitioning from GroupWise to Office 365. A seamless transition with full coexistence is now available whether or not you implement a hybrid environment. Chad discusses the planning and considerations that are necessary to ensure a smooth transition in a variety of environments and configurations.
Presenter: Chad Lindley, Product Manager, Quest Software Chad Lindley is the product manager for Notes and GroupWise transition solutions at Quest Software. He has worked with Lotus, Novell, and Microsoft technologies since 1994 and has focused on email migrations since 1999. Chad joined Quest Software in 2005 and served in a variety of presales and systems consulting roles for Quest’s Notes and GroupWise transition solutions before accepting his current position as product manager.
To Register – Click here!
Next, do yourself a favor and read this short article – An Introduction to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 – It provides a very nice, succinct overview of Hyper-V.
Finally, read this excellent article by Ben Armstrong that lays out terminology you should be familiar with – Hyper-V Terminology.
This part of the series if going to focus on the skills for – Installing and Configuring Host and Parent Settings. I am further breaking things up into the following categories – System Requirements, Hyper-V Role, Networking, Partitioning Basics. Remember, I am not giving you answer to test questions with this guide. I am supplying you with basic knowledge and resources you can use to increase your skill set. You will have to install and work with the product to pick up the skills necessary to take and pass the 70-659 Exam. I have done my best to link to a Source article or other supporting information where I can to assist you with learning key concepts.
System Requirements -
MotherBoard and CPU must support Intel VT or AMD-V virtualization technologies CPU must be x64 architecture System BIOS must support and have enabled hardware virtualization as well as hardware based Data Execution Prevention (DEP) RAM – You can install the Hyper-V role with as little as 512megs of RAM – However, you will need additional RAM to support the VM’s you wish to host. Hard Drive Space – Minimum of 10gb Free – However, you will need additional free space to store the .VHD files for the guest VM’s. Network Adapter – At least one active network adapter
MotherBoard and CPU must support Intel VT or AMD-V virtualization technologies
CPU must be x64 architecture
System BIOS must support and have enabled hardware virtualization as well as hardware based Data Execution Prevention (DEP)
RAM – You can install the Hyper-V role with as little as 512megs of RAM – However, you will need additional RAM to support the VM’s you wish to host.
Hard Drive Space – Minimum of 10gb Free – However, you will need additional free space to store the .VHD files for the guest VM’s.
Network Adapter – At least one active network adapter
Source: Getting to Know Hyper-V: A Walkthrough from Initial Setup to Common Scenarios
Hyper-V Role -
Installing the Hyper-V Role on a GUI based install of Windows Server 2008 R2 -
Open the Server Manager –> Select “Roles” –> Right Click “Roles”, select “Add Roles” –> The Add Roles Wizard launches –> Add the Hyper-V Role –> On the “Create Virtual Networks” page, do not select any adapters –> Finish the Wizard –> *** You must re-boot your system after adding the Hyper-Role *** After the reboot, logon using an Administrator account and allow the “Resume Configuration Wizard” to complete. Be sure to check Windows Update to see if any role specific updates are now required
Open the Server Manager –> Select “Roles” –> Right Click “Roles”, select “Add Roles” –> The Add Roles Wizard launches –> Add the Hyper-V Role –> On the “Create Virtual Networks” page, do not select any adapters –> Finish the Wizard –> *** You must re-boot your system after adding the Hyper-Role ***
After the reboot, logon using an Administrator account and allow the “Resume Configuration Wizard” to complete.
Be sure to check Windows Update to see if any role specific updates are now required
Source: Prepare the Virtualization Server
Installing the Hyper-V Role on a Windows 2008 R2 Core Server – (assumes you have already performed a Server Core installation – If not, please see – “Server Core Installation Option Getting Started Guide”
Ensure the Hyper-V Updates are installed At a command line, type - wmic qfe list If you do not see “kbid=950050”, download the Hyper-V updates and then type the following command at a command prompt: wusa.exe Windows6.0-KB950050-x64.msu /quiet There are three update packages. After you install the updates, you must restart the server. The Update for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition (KB 950050) and Language Pack for Hyper-V (KB951636) must be installed on the parent partition of the Server Core installation.
Ensure the Hyper-V Updates are installed
At a command line, type - wmic qfe list
If you do not see “kbid=950050”, download the Hyper-V updates and then type the following command at a command prompt:
wusa.exe Windows6.0-KB950050-x64.msu /quiet
There are three update packages. After you install the updates, you must restart the server. The Update for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition (KB 950050) and Language Pack for Hyper-V (KB951636) must be installed on the parent partition of the Server Core installation.
Source: Install the Hyper-V Role on a Server Core Installation of Windows Server 2008
Installing a Microsoft Hyper-V Server (this is a FREE bare-metal HyperVisor – Download here)
There is an excellent walkthrough on installing Microsoft Hyper-V Server by Janique Carbone posted here - Source: Installing Windows Hyper-V Server 2008
There is an excellent walkthrough on installing Microsoft Hyper-V Server by Janique Carbone posted here -
Source: Installing Windows Hyper-V Server 2008
At it’s core, the configuration of Hyper-V is quite simple. Once the role is added, you are left with configuring some basic options and then the networking. Then it is on to creating the virtual machines. I will touch on the 3 settings you will most likely wish to alter -
Hyper-V Settings
Virtual Hard Disks = This is the default location for storing the .VHD files for the guest VM’s. This will also be where snapshots get stored by default. You will need to ensure you have ample storage space available to accommodate the VM’s you will create. In addition, you will need to consider physical disk I/O when considering how to optimize performance. The Size, Type, and configuration of your storage will all have an impact on performance.
Virtual Machines = This is the path where you will store the .VMCX VM’s Configuration files. These are small XML files that store the individual guest VM configuration data. Every Guest VM has its own configuration file.
NUMA Spanning = Allows virtual machines to access memory from a local NUMA Node as well as remote. This can allow for much more memory to be assigned to VM’s but may introduce other performance bottlenecks when traversing multiple memory controllers.
Supporting Information : Determining NUMA node boundaries for modern CPUs
Networking -
Host Network Settings
There are three different types of networks that can be created within Hyper-V using the Virtual Network Manager. These networks can then be selected within the configuration of each Guest VM.
External – Creates a virtual network that is bound to a physical adapter – Allows virtual machines to access the physical network. You can deny access to/from the Host by checking/unchecking “Allow management operating system to share this network adapter”. You can also enable/disable Virtual LAN ID’s from this same location Internal – Creates a virtual network that can only be accessed by the virtual machines running on the host and the host. Does not allow access to the physical network. You can also enable/disable Virtual LAN ID’s from this same location Private – Creates a virtual network that can only be accessed by the virtual machines running on the host. The Host and VM’s can not communicate via this network. Private Networks do not support VLAN’s. MAC Address Range – You can also assign a range of MAC address that can be dynamically assigned to virtual network adapters.
External – Creates a virtual network that is bound to a physical adapter – Allows virtual machines to access the physical network. You can deny access to/from the Host by checking/unchecking “Allow management operating system to share this network adapter”. You can also enable/disable Virtual LAN ID’s from this same location
Internal – Creates a virtual network that can only be accessed by the virtual machines running on the host and the host. Does not allow access to the physical network. You can also enable/disable Virtual LAN ID’s from this same location
Private – Creates a virtual network that can only be accessed by the virtual machines running on the host. The Host and VM’s can not communicate via this network. Private Networks do not support VLAN’s.
MAC Address Range – You can also assign a range of MAC address that can be dynamically assigned to virtual network adapters.
Guest Network Settings
There are two different kinds of network adapters that can be added to a guest VM’s Network Adapter – This adapter is generally used for normal operations. Optimized for use with Integration Services. Legacy Network Adapter – used to perform network based installs of guest operating system or when there are no integration services installed to the guest VM
There are two different kinds of network adapters that can be added to a guest VM’s
Network Adapter – This adapter is generally used for normal operations. Optimized for use with Integration Services.
Legacy Network Adapter – used to perform network based installs of guest operating system or when there are no integration services installed to the guest VM
You can add more than one virtual network adapter to a guest VM.
Each virtual network Adapter can be configured independently for External, Internal, Private network communications You can also override MAC addressing and enable VLAN ID’s on each Guest virtual machine
Each virtual network Adapter can be configured independently for External, Internal, Private network communications
You can also override MAC addressing and enable VLAN ID’s on each Guest virtual machine
Supporting Information: Understanding Networking with Hyper-V
Partitioning Basics
Virtualization relies on the concept of partitions. In short, there is a Root Partition (sometimes called a Host or Parent Partition) that contains the management operating system, drivers, power management and has access to the hardware assets. Child Partitions contain the Guest Virtual Machines and rely on a VMBus or Hypervisor to provide access to hardware functions.
Unlike partitioning a hard drive, you don’t actively partition the Hypervisor beyond the creation/deletion of guest virtual machines. The Root/Host partition is created upon the install of the Hyper-V role. The creation of a new guest virtual machine creates a partition for it to reside it. The sizing of the partition is based primarily on the amount of RAM given to a VM.
Supporting Information: Hyper-V Architecture
Passing the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Virtualization Exam (70-659) – Part 3 – This Post
In my next post we will walk through creating a new Guest Virtual Machine and the available configuration options.
Nothing beats hands-on experience. I guarantee you that you will learn faster and gain a deeper understanding if you have a machine you can touch and work with in person. I recommend a Quad-Core machine that has at east 16 gigs of RAM and reasonably fast hard drives. Preferably high capacity 7200 SATA drives. If you have access to a SAN/NAS that would be a plus.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
With any exam you are preparing to take, knowing what to study can sometimes be more difficult than the exam itself. Fortunately, you can identify exactly what skills are measured for the 70-659 Exam at the Microsoft Learning Site.
I am creating mini-guides for each of the 6 Major sections below that will be posted each day this week and going into next. The guides will NOT give you the answers for the exam! The guides will give you guidance on what areas to focus on for study purposes. You will have to KNOW the product and related technologies before taking the exam! Build a test lab and get your hands dirty!
The information after “This objective may include but is not limited to” is intended to further define or scope the objective by describing the types of skills and topics that may be tested for the objective. However, it is not an exhaustive list of skills and topics that could be included on the exam for a given skill area. You may be tested on other skills and topics related to the objective that are not explicitly listed here.
Installing and Configuring Host and Parent Settings
Configuring Child Settings
Managing and Monitoring Virtual Environments
Ensuring High Availability and Recoverability
Performing Migration
Configuring Remote Desktop (RD) Role Services Infrastructure
Passing the Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Virtualization Exam (70-659) – Part 2 (this post)
My team – West Region Developer and Platform Evangelism Team – recently had an off-site meeting. The goal was to review deliverables from the first half of the year and set expectations for the remainder of the year (through July 1, 2012). It isn’t all business though. We had a team dinner one night and someone showed an old picture of themselves. Then someone else did and so on and so on. I will be the first to admit, that old pictures of me are…..humorous.
If you look at the comments in my Private Cloud Toolbox post, one of my peers, Michael Palermo, dared me to swap out my blog picture for one of the pics I showed at the off site.
Challenge Accepted!
I actually showed several old pictures to my peers so I am not sure which one Michael was referring to. So I am going to take it one step further and swap out my blog pic every two weeks for a few weeks to show a few different old pics. Check back every now and then to get a chuckle (not to mention some technical information)
You know you want to get your hands dirty. Well as dirty as us geeks can get them in this increasingly virtual world. As you know, I am spending a lot of time right now talking about Private Cloud. I want to make you have as much information and all the right tools at your disposal to ensure you can stay current with your skills. Below you will find a collection of link to free training, free software, and preview releases of upcoming Microsoft IT software. All of which are designed to make managing your on-premise infrastructure and private cloud implementations easier to install, manage and maintain as well as get you connected to “the cloud” with Windows Azure.
Free Training and Learning
Microsoft Virtual Academy
Not sure how Office 365 fits into you IT Management plans? Maybe you are a VMWare administrator and you need to know how Microsoft’s Hyper-V solutions can help you? Or, maybe you need to know more about Windows Azure and how it may benefit your organization? Check out the Microsoft Virtual Academy for self-paced training on all of these and more.
Deploying and Managing Windows Azure Applications Evaluation
System Center enables IT Professionals to use existing skills and tools to monitor and manage applications on Windows Azure without purchasing additional hardware or software. The Windows Azure Application Monitoring Management Pack bridges the gap between System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 and applications running on Windows Azure, enabling IT Pros to use System Center Operations Manager to manage applications on Windows Azure. In this evaluation, you will follow a step-by-step guide to deploy a sample application to Windows Azure and then use System Center Operations Manager to monitor and manage that application.
Free Software
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 with SP1
You say you already have enough full Windows Servers? You just want a Hyper-Visor to deploy? Then this is the product for you! This is a Hyper-Visor only product that installs to bare metal and is managed remotely. Best of all, it is FREE!
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 is the hypervisor-based server virtualization product that allows you to consolidate workloads onto a single physical server. It is a stand-alone product that provides a reliable and optimized virtualization solution enabling organizations to improve server utilization and reduce costs. Since Hyper-V Server is a dedicated stand-alone product which contains only the Windows Hypervisor, Windows Server driver model, and virtualization components, it provides a small footprint and minimal overhead.
Current Release Evaluations
Windows 2008 R2 with SP1 Evaluation
This is the foundation upon which your Microsoft Private Cloud gets built. You know the operating system. You know the use interface. But did you know the Hyper-V Virtualization is built in? It is! Download it and check it out!
You are regularly challenged by the growing needs of the business. Operations demand around the clock availability and the need for heightened security and compliance has never been greater. These pressures all converge with the day to day challenges of maintaining control of ever-increasing server sprawl, resources, and budgets. Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 is designed to help you increase control, availability, and flexibility of your datacenter and desktop infrastructure while helping reduce costs
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 with SP1 Evaluation
This is our current version of System Center Virtual Machine Manager. System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 helps enable centralized management of physical and virtual IT infrastructure, increased server utilization, and dynamic resource optimization across multiple virtualization platforms. It includes end-to-end capabilities such as planning, deploying, managing, and optimizing the virtual infrastructure. This product give you a single interface from which to manage your entire virtual infrastructure – including your VMWare ESX Servers!
System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Evaluation
If you manage a large physical and virtual infrastructure, you need to know what each and every server and client is doing and what resources are consumed making it all happen. You also want to be as proactive as possible when resolving problematic issues. System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, Microsoft’s end-to-end service-management product, is your best choice for Windows environments. It works seamlessly with Microsoft infrastructure servers, such as Windows Server, and application servers, such as Microsoft Exchange, helping you to increase efficiency while enabling greater control of the IT environment. As a significant step towards fulfilling Microsoft’s common management vision, Operations Manager 2007 R2 also helps you monitor Windows Azure applications, thus allowing you to extend your familiar on-premises monitoring solution to public cloud scenarios
System Center Configuration Manager R3 Evaluation
Did you know? - System Center Configuration Manager 2007 is used by more enterprises than any other client management solution. It comprehensively assesses, deploys, and updates your servers, client computers, and devices across physical, virtual, and mobile environments. Optimized for Windows, it is the best choice for gaining enhanced insight into and control over your IT systems.
Betas and Release Candidates
System Center 2012 Release Candidate
System Center 2012 helps you manage your IT environments across traditional datacenters, private and public clouds, client computers, and devices. Using these integrated and automated management capabilities, you can become a trusted service provider for your business. System Center captures and aggregates knowledge about systems, policies, processes, and best practices so that you can optimize your infrastructure to reduce costs, improve application availability, and enhance service delivery.
Cloud & Datacenter Management
Microsoft System Center 2012 is a cloud and datacenter management solution that provides a common toolset to manage private and public cloud applications and services and:
Client Management & Security
Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection provide a unified infrastructure to manage and protect physical, virtual, and mobile client environments, helping IT:
MCP Exams and Certification
Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization – Exam 70-659
Think you know Hyper-V Virtualization? Prove it!
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuring – Exam 70-400
Think you know how to manage your system with SCOM? Prove it!
As an IT Evangelist, I like to make fun of developers from time to time. We live in different worlds and do different things. There has always been an imaginary wall between the IT and Dev departments with only a few daring individuals willing (or forced) to have feet on both sides.
I used to be a “developer”…..in 1982.
Back in those days I wrote a myriad of very tiny apps for my Apple ][. I then moved on to writing apps on my Apple //gs. By the mid-80’s I had pretty much stopped any real coding and instead adapted existing applications in a few different proprietary programming languages. In 1994, I made the jump to the IBM PC world and I really haven’t looked back. I also gave up any real coding outside of working with batch files. I don’t even do much with PowerShell unless I really have to.
Now that it is 2012 and handheld computing is all the rage, I have a few ideas I have been sitting on that I would like to implement. They are basic “query a database, does it exist? if yes – display the results / if no – return a blank” kind of apps. I hope I am capable of doing even that much still.
To get myself started, I am in the process right now of downloading the FREE Windows Phone Developer tools at the App Hub. I have some data I am going to drop into a local SQL Server, get the data moved over to SQL Azure, then start writing my app to make queries against it. I may even try to write up a data entry tool that allows me to add/modify the existing data in the SQL Azure instance. but for now I just want to query against it.
As I make progress, I will post here. I may even enlist the help of some the great Developer Evangelists you now see in a blog roll on the right side of my blog. I don’t know if they will help me thought because I think I have told all of them the same developer joke several times now.
“You don’t write code! You just type a few letters, press tab a few times until all of the text is the right color, then press enter….”
I should probably respect what they do a little more….
With the run up to the beta of Windows 8, I am fielding a LOT of questions on the Windows 8 Server and Clients. My standard answers have been –
Keep an eye on the Building Windows 8 Blog!
Mostly because that is the first place that official Windows 8 information get posted, but also because there isn’t a whole of of other information being released. But I did just stumble on a paper that provides some information on Windows Server 8 and Infrastructure as a Service. Since this a key piece to building Private Clouds, I am linking to the information here. Keep in mind that this is a high-level overview. It does not walk through the steps to implement IaaS. It simply talks to some of the features in Windows Server 8 that are planned and will be key to implementing IaaS and Private Clouds. See more below….
----------------------------
This paper provides guidelines for building private and public clouds by using the next version of Windows Server (code-named Windows Server 8). It provides an overview of the common problems that partners and IT professionals currently face, and describes solutions for cloud-based data centers. This paper also describes the various technologies that are built into Windows Server 8 to enable Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) functionality of cloud-based data centers.
This information applies for the following operating systems: Windows Server 8
Included in this white paper:
Overview of Cloud Services Windows Server 8: Designed for the Cloud The Multi-Tenant Cloud The Highly Scalable, Low-Cost Data Center Managing and Extending the Data Center Migration Path
Download the paper here!
Our next monthly meeting is scheduled for, Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at Lincoln Square Center in Bellevue at 6:00PM. If you will be able to attend, please RSVP Here.
Session Details Our guest speaker will be Sharee English of SeattlePro Enterprises. Sharee is the Director of Information Services. She is an MCT, MCSD and MCAD with over 15 years of experience in software development, training, and management. The topic of her presentation is "Planning & Implementing Information Management Policies in SharePoint 2010."
An information management policy is a set of rules that govern the availability and behavior of a certain type of important content. It's important to have an information management strategy as part of your overall content management in SharePoint 2010 so you can control who can access your organizational information, what they can do with it, and how long the information should be retained. Information Management Policies allow users to add tracking, auditing, or expiration rules to items in SharePoint. Sharee's presentation will cover Labels, Barcodes, Auditing, and Expiration options for lists, libraries, and content types.
Sharee holds a Master of Arts in Management (emphasis in Information Systems), a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science and a B.S. in Mathematics. Her bio is available here.
It’s the 20 year anniversary of the Microsoft Certification Program, and in today’s episode your Cert Talk host, J. Seymour welcomes Sr. Director for Microsoft Learning, Don Field, Product Planner Jim Clark and Sr. IT Pro Evangelist, Chris Avis to the show. Tune in as they discuss what the value of certification is for individuals and employers, how its personally impacted their career, as well as the latest information on the newly available private cloud certification.
Download the Video
Click here to learn more about Microsoft Private Cloud Certification
Blogs:
Virtual Labs:
If you head over to the Microsoft Training and Certification site, you will find that we are publishing some information about the upcoming Microsoft Private Cloud Certifications. The Private Cloud certification is built on Windows Server 2008 R2 and System Center 2012. It validates your ability to configure, deploy, monitor, and operate a Microsoft private cloud solution, which transforms the way IT services are delivered. Our System Center 2012 exams are not released yet, but you can get a head start on your Private Cloud certification by passing the following Windows Server 2008 exams.
There are some beta exams that will be available around the time of the Microsoft Management Summit as well. You can find a list of the exams as well as some instructor led courses that will be available here -
Microsoft Private Cloud Exams – System Center 2012
You have seen a lot of messaging from Microsoft as well as others in the tech industry regarding Private Cloud. With the update of the System Center 2012 Suite to Release Candidate status, we have a very solid platform for IT Pros to develop and implement their own Private Clouds. This suite of products can be a bit intimidating particularly if you are just entering the computing field. Even if you have been the IT Industry for many years, there is a need to have a solid understanding of Virtualization basics to effectively implement a Private Cloud.
One way to demonstrate capability and understanding of Microsoft Virtualization solutions is to take and pass the Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization Exam (70-659). I took and passed this exam last year and I was surprised by the wide variety of topics that were covered. There are a variety of resources to assist you in prepping to take this exam and I have gathered some of those here for you.
First things first – Download a trial version of Windows Server 2008 R2 and install it to a capable machine that you can use for study and learning.
Nothing beats hands-on experience. I guarantee you that you will learn faster and gain a deeper understanding if you have a machine you can touch and work with in person. I would recommend a Quad-Core machine that has at east 16 gigs of RAM and reasonably fast hard drives. Preferably high capacity 7200 SATA drives. If you have access to a SAN/NAS that would be a plus.
Study Resources for 70-659 – Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
Creating and Managing a Private Cloud with System Center 2012 Jump Start
This two-day accelerated Jump Start course is led by Symon Perriman and the industry’s most gifted private cloud experts. Leveraging Microsoft’s popular Jump Start approach to the virtual classroom, the instructor team will provide IT Professionals with critical training on how to design, deploy and configure Microsoft’s private cloud using Windows Server and System Center 2012 on day 1, then how to manage and operate the environment on day 2.
Learning Plan for Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization (exam 70-659)
This learning plan is intended to help IT professionals gain the knowledge and skills required to implement and manage a Windows Server 2008 R2 server virtualization environment, and ultimately to prepare for Microsoft exam 70-659.
Learning Plan for Windows Server 2008 R2, Virtualization Administrator (exam 70-693)
Even though this free learning plan is a guide for a different exam, the resources here are key to understanding virtualization core concepts. Much of the information here will help you gain understanding of virtualization and assist you with the MS70-659 Exam.
Microsoft eLearning Course – Collection 10215: Implementing and Managing Microsoft Server Virtualization
This collection of six self-paced, downloadable courses teaches IT professionals how to deploy and manage a server virtualization environment that leverages Microsoft technologies. Topics covered in this collection include:
Instructor Led Course (5 day) – Implementing and Managing Microsoft Server Virtualization
If you would prefer a instructor led course, this five-day, instructor-led course will provide you with the knowledge and skills to deploy and manage a server virtualization environment using Microsoft technologies. The course provides details on how to deploy and manage Hyper-V and Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server 2008 R2. The course also provides details on how to manage a server virtualization environment by using System Center products such as System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008, SCVMM 2008 R2, System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 R2, and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2. This course does not require previous server virtualization experience, but does require that students have significant experience in managing Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
Self-Paced Learning
Microsoft Virtualization for VMWare Professionals – The Platform Virtualization has become a key component of any modern datacenter, offering such advantages as easier deployment, resource pooling, server consolidation, application compatibility, high-availability, reduced costs and centralized management. The Platform course offers a deep-dive into the important technologies that contribute to the core virtualization infrastructure, and is the first track in the three track program covering Microsoft Virtualization. Learn about Microsoft’s virtualization offerings and strategy, datacenter planning, Hyper-V architecture, VM management, virtualized networking and storage, numerous other Hyper-V features, as well as advanced management with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2. Understand high-availability and disaster recovery considerations to keep your VMs up and running using Windows Server Failover Clustering. Explore how Hyper-V is both different and similar to VMware virtualization through technical and terminology comparisons. By the end of this track you will have the tools you need to plan, design and deploy your virtualized datacenter or Private Cloud infrastructure.
Microsoft Virtualization for VMWare Professionals – The Platform
Virtualization has become a key component of any modern datacenter, offering such advantages as easier deployment, resource pooling, server consolidation, application compatibility, high-availability, reduced costs and centralized management. The Platform course offers a deep-dive into the important technologies that contribute to the core virtualization infrastructure, and is the first track in the three track program covering Microsoft Virtualization. Learn about Microsoft’s virtualization offerings and strategy, datacenter planning, Hyper-V architecture, VM management, virtualized networking and storage, numerous other Hyper-V features, as well as advanced management with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2. Understand high-availability and disaster recovery considerations to keep your VMs up and running using Windows Server Failover Clustering. Explore how Hyper-V is both different and similar to VMware virtualization through technical and terminology comparisons. By the end of this track you will have the tools you need to plan, design and deploy your virtualized datacenter or Private Cloud infrastructure.
TechNet Virtual Labs
There are a wide variety of free virtual labs available on the Microsoft TechNet site. At this time, there are no specific labs on configuring or administering Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008. However, there is a section on the System Center products that do cover pieces of Hyper-V virtualization that will dive deeper in virtualization.
Books
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit
In-depth and comprehensive, this official RESOURCE KIT delivers the information you need to plan, implement, and manage a virtualized enterprise infrastructure. Covers R2 features. You get authoritative technical guidance from those who know the technology best—leading industry experts and the Windows® Virtualization Team—along with sample scripts, job aids, and other essential resources.
Mastering Hyper-V Deployment
This is a great book by Aidan Finn. Now in its second generation, the popular Hyper-V boasts technical advances that create even more dynamic systems than ever before. This unique resource serves an authoritative guide to deploying Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V comprehensively. Step-by-step instructions demonstrate how to design a Hyper-V deployment, build a Hyper-V host environment, and design a management system with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2.
Additional Resources
VirtualBoy Blog
One of our own Microsoft employees, Matt McSpirit, wrote a blog post about his experience studying for and taking the 70-659 exam.
Microsoft Virtualization Team Blog
This is the official team blog for everything virtualization at Microsoft. This is an excellent resource for information as well as breaking news.
I hope this resource help you in your quest to get certified. I am also working on some additional blog posts and videos on specific topics that will help you with your study and learning!
Thank you to everyone that stuck around for the presentation Private Clouds that I delivered to MCT’s last Thursday. Mother Nature was not very kind to us that day and is continuing to cause problems in my area. The power outage I suffered at my house lasted the remainder of the day and my wife and I ended up staying at a hotel the next two nights because we had no heat.
I mentioned on the presentation that I would record some demos to post here to my blog. I had hoped to have those ready for this week, but I will not be able to get anything posted until next week. With the power down and the cleanup here on my property, I have not been able to record the demos yet. I will get the demos recorded this next weekend and have them posted within a few days.
To give you an idea of what happened at my house, here are a few photos.
This is a picture I took a two days before the webcast.
Almost the same angle but with a tree down across the hot tub
That was one of four large trees that actually came down across my property. This one also broke a gas line on my property. In all, we are removing more than a dozen trees that were severely damaged by the heavy ice and snow. This next pic is of the large tree that came down in our backyard.
Finally, I have received the feedback and comments from the session and I appreciate the understanding many of you showed in the comments. However, I would like to address one comment that was made.
“Presenter wasn't prepared for connection loss. Also reflects poorly on the ability of MS infrastructure solutions to stay up when needed”
This was not a Microsoft infrastructure issue. This was a regional power outage that impacted many 10’s of thousands of people. Some of which were without power for 5 days. Since I was essentially snowed in, it was not even an option for me to go to the Microsoft campus to deliver the webcast that day. I do sincerely apologize for the issues that arose but I hope people understand that when it comes to dealing with mother nature, we are at the mercy of what mood she is in that day.
As you may have heard, there have been some big announcements regarding System Center 2012. All of these announcements are directly related to the Private Cloud conversations I have been having with IT Pro’s for the last year. Before I dig into the specific announcement information, let me summarize the importance of Private Clouds.
In many of my presentations on Private Cloud, I use a time warp scenario to drive home the changes in IT that Private Cloud offer us.
15 years ago - Developers in your company have a project that needs dedicated resources
A Domain Controller (user accounts, authorization, security, rights and roles) A Database Server (data storage for the apps be developed, reporting data, inventory, sales, etc) A Mail Server (notifications, collaboration) 1-3 Client machines for testing Time/Labor to make it all happen
A Domain Controller (user accounts, authorization, security, rights and roles)
A Database Server (data storage for the apps be developed, reporting data, inventory, sales, etc)
A Mail Server (notifications, collaboration)
1-3 Client machines for testing
Time/Labor to make it all happen
In 1997, this meant identifying hardware requirements, ordering the hardware, provisioning the hardware, then delivering to the developers. The amount of time between the request for resources and delivery of the resources could be weeks or even months. Not to mention that the development staff is limited on what they can do until the resources arrive. Not very efficient or productive.
Present Day - Developers in your company have a project that needs dedicated resources
Same Resources requested for same purpose
In 2012, the IT staff can deliver these resources “on-demand” by selecting capable resources, much of which is virtualized, from a pool or library, and provision those to the needs of the developers. Thus reducing the time between request and delivery to a matter of days or even hours. Furthermore, resources can be generalized and stored in a library along with scripts to customize the resources. The library can be securely exposed to requestors through a self-service portal. With requesters can be assigned roles that allow a requestor to search through resources or select a canned environment along with customization scripts to create the environment they need – without direct interaction of the IT staff. You can have as much or as little automation as required for your own needs.
From months to hours, it is pretty clear that Private Clouds offer an opportunity to streamline and create agility in IT operations. IT as a Service is a reality now!
And now back to the announcements!
We have an on-demand webcast available that solidifies the Microsoft Private Cloud story using Windows Servers, Hyper-V virtualization, and the System Center 2012 Suite. Microsoft’s Server & Tools Business division leaders participated in a webcast, “Transforming IT with Microsoft Private Cloud” where they announced the release candidate of System Center 2012 and simplified Microsoft’s private cloud management products.
As you well know, Microsoft has built global scale public cloud platforms with Windows Azure and a variety of consumer cloud products (Live Mail, XBox Live, Office 365 and more!). The System Center 2012 announcements bring us closer to the final release of the SC2012 suite and closing the loop by adding a complete Private Cloud solution. We offer customers the flexibility to choose how/where they want to run their cloud applications. Microsoft’s private cloud solutions benefit from the feedback loop of delivering our cloud services at massive scale and applying those learning's to our on-premises products.
Brad Anderson published a blog post that describes how public and private clouds come together.
-----------------------------------------------------------
You can start working with Microsoft Private Cloud solutions now. Better yet, you can do it for FREE!
Download the System Center 2012 Suite (all of it is select only what you are interested in)
I would also encourage you to check out these additional resources for more information on Private Clouds and System Center 2012 -
The Official Microsoft Blog - System Center 2012: Where Public and Private Clouds Meet System Center 2012 – Licensing Datasheet (PDF) System Center 2012 – Licensing FAQ (PDF)
The Official Microsoft Blog - System Center 2012: Where Public and Private Clouds Meet
System Center 2012 – Licensing Datasheet (PDF)
System Center 2012 – Licensing FAQ (PDF)
If you are a Microsoft Partner, please check out the value proposition documents on the Microsoft Partner Site -
Microsoft Partner Site – What is the Value of Private Cloud?
Today we’re talking Virtualization with Microsoft Director of Cloud and Virtualization Strategy, Edwin Yuen. Tune in as Edwin lays the foundation for what it is, how VMware stacks up to Microsoft Virtualization technologies as well as how you can personally benefit from learning more about the topic. Also be sure to watch for Sr. IT Pro Evangelist Chris Avis, as he discusses various ways Virtualization can impact consumers, educators and businesses.
Download this Segment
Click here to learn more about Microsoft Virtualization Certification
My buddy Dan Stolts is delivering a webcast on January 18th -
Please Register https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032501883&Culture=en-US
About this TechNet webcast:
The "cloud" is simply the next level of virtualization. For those that do not have virtualization experience, this webcast describes the fundamentals of Hyper-V while giving you a jump start to your virtualization or cloud career. Then, we dive deep into the Microsoft hypervisor-based server virtualization technology. Professional Hyper-V and VMware administrators can learn how their existing virtualization knowledge can be leveraged to quickly move to the next layer of virtualization, the private cloud. So, have your cup of caffeine, and buckle up to take a very fast and eventful ride from where you are now to where you need to be to advance your career.
Some of the things we will discuss..