Website Blog TechCtr Twitter
Website Blog TechCtr Forums Eval
Jason's blog is All Backed Up
From the System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM), AVIcode and Operations Manager (OpsMgr) dude
also a Husband, Father, Gamer, Geek, Scout leader, Christ follower and Microsoft marketeer.
DPM 2007 has a really simple licensing model:
There aren't any Open File managers, library agents, etc.
You don't have to buy # Exchange Agents, # SharePoint agents, # SQL Server agents, etc. - and then, when you re-commission a server, or add SharePoint content databases to a SQL Server -- have to buy new agents. The enterprise DPML provides a single agent for all of our supported workloads, or use the standard agent for "just" files.
You don't have to buy # Exchange Agents, # SharePoint agents, # SQL Server agents, etc. - and then, when you re-commission a server, or add SharePoint content databases to a SQL Server -- have to buy new agents.
The enterprise DPML provides a single agent for all of our supported workloads, or use the standard agent for "just" files.
Yes, it really is that simple.
In fact, because of the common binaries and the inexpensive price for both agents, many customers, particularly volume license types, may just choose to deploy the Enterprise DPML for all servers that need protection.
For the best information on DPM licensing - refer the DPM licensing page on microsoft.com/DPM.
There are some common comments that I hear around DPM 2007, including:
"WOW - Microsoft should charge more" "Cool - does it really do all of that?" "So, I could pay for my entire data protection solution, by eliminating courier services - and letting DPM replicate off-site?"
"WOW - Microsoft should charge more"
"Cool - does it really do all of that?"
"So, I could pay for my entire data protection solution, by eliminating courier services - and letting DPM replicate off-site?"
The answer to all three is 'YES" and for the last one, check out last month's streaming video on setting up DPM for disaster recovery.
There are also some DPM licensing details that are worth exploring, so I've recorded this short streaming video to explain things like:
- Upgrading SKU's and SA from DPM 2006 to DPM 2007 - Licensing for the System Recovery Tool (SRT) for bare metal restores - Agent licensing within a virtualized environment - Cool news on the System Center Management Suite licenses
- Upgrading SKU's and SA from DPM 2006 to DPM 2007
- Licensing for the System Recovery Tool (SRT) for bare metal restores
- Agent licensing within a virtualized environment
- Cool news on the System Center Management Suite licenses
Click here to watch the streaming video on DPM Licensing
And as always, please feel free to offer feedback or make suggestions for future videos on Data Protection Manager or other Windows storage technologies.
These have been out for a while, so this recommendation is a little late -- but as I have been telling folks about it for a while, I wanted to get this in print.
The first release, LEGO Star Wars, was actually for the last generation of gaming consoles -- and covered the first three movies - Episodes I, II and III -- chronicling the rise of Anakin Skywalker and his fall to become Darth Vader. My sons (now 7 and 9) still haven't seen the movies, but they know good parts of the story from the games.
The second release was LEGO Star Wars II : the Original Trilogy - covering movies IV, V and VI. The graphics and gameplay were slightly improved, and a new range of achievement points. This one also gave players the chance to create their own lego heroes, by mixing and matching pieces just like you might do with real LEGO's. We originally played it on the original Xbox, not long after it came out, and later repurchased it for Xbox 360 so that we could earn the achievement points (see early gaming blog post on achievements).
The latest installment, if you don't already have it is LEGO Star Wars : the Complete Saga - and includes all six movies. There are nice new touches for each of the movies and the levels, and yet another range of achievement points.
For each movie that is represented in the games, the top 5 or 6 scenes are recreated with beautifully rendered lego pieces. You can be Luke climbing through Dagobah while learning from Yoda, or a young Obi Wan battling droids. The games do get an ESRB rating of T (Teen) because of 'Fantasy Violence' - which basically means that they shoot each other with laser guns or missiles. There is no blood and if a character is shot enough, they fall into LEGO pieces. Your player will reappear, put back together, a few seconds later. Throughout the level, players seek out hidden lego canisters that are used to build all of the cool ships that one might purchase in stores, from X-wing's to TIE-fighters to Anakin's starfighter. They also collect 'money' (lego disc's in silver and gold) that can be used to purchase your favorite characters and other extra abilities throughout the game.
For each movie that is represented in the games, the top 5 or 6 scenes are recreated with beautifully rendered lego pieces. You can be Luke climbing through Dagobah while learning from Yoda, or a young Obi Wan battling droids.
The games do get an ESRB rating of T (Teen) because of 'Fantasy Violence' - which basically means that they shoot each other with laser guns or missiles. There is no blood and if a character is shot enough, they fall into LEGO pieces. Your player will reappear, put back together, a few seconds later.
Throughout the level, players seek out hidden lego canisters that are used to build all of the cool ships that one might purchase in stores, from X-wing's to TIE-fighters to Anakin's starfighter. They also collect 'money' (lego disc's in silver and gold) that can be used to purchase your favorite characters and other extra abilities throughout the game.
The latest edition is available for almost every gaming platform - from handheld (Nintendo DS) and all three curremt generation consoles (Wii, PS3 and Xbox360). The original game was available for original Xbox, PS2, GameCube (which are all upward compatible with the next gen platforms), as well as DS and GameBoy. This is great because I have heard my sons talking to their friends about tricks on getting around and such -- where we have an Xbox360, but the other kids only have a Playstation 2/3. They can still talk about the game. For adult games, I don't mind platform-exclusive titles (although there aren't as many these days) -- but for kids' games, ubiquity is a plus.
It is true to the movies, but the movies are not a prerequisite -- and suitable for ages 5 through 95. It is easy to pick up and novice gamers will enjoy simply playing through the stories. More advanced gamers will go after the canisters and other extra activities to get the most out of the game. And of course, the achievement junkies like me and my sons will appreciate the achievement points that gives each release its own additional depth (and humor). And a second player can join/exit whenever they want - whether its one of my son's friends who is over for the afternoon -- or me, joining to help them find a secret location.
Its also easy to pick up and put down. My kids have lots of interests -- games and otherwise. So, it can be days or weeks between when we sit down to play. Since the movies are broken into scenes that you can bounce around between, one can play through a scene in 30-45 minutes for a fun diversion, play a complete movie (5-6 scenes) back to back for a fun afternoon -- or if you are a hardcore gamer like my 7-year-old, we'll play each scene 3 times:
It gives kids (and adults) a great way to play an 'action/shooter' style game without the graphical violence -- in a fun way with the extra friendliness of the movies as a backdrop.
The last but not least reason why this is such a great kids' game is that the story does not exist in a vacuum. There is obviously a whole range of movies, toys, books and other materials about the Star Wars universe. And since my kids can watch the movies/books, play with the toys (Lego and otherwise), and then play the video game -- its huge amounts of depth to their experience. I've watched them build their lego's to match what they saw in the game -- and when we first watched the original series movies together, they knew some of the key points, but were surprised by others.
If you have played some of these titles, consider going back and playing the others. My kids don't mind the similar levels, and more advanced gamers will appreciate the varied achievement points between game releases.
And since so many folks agree with me that these games are amazing (based on reviews, as well as sales) -- Traveller's Tales, the development company, are in active production for LEGO game versions of Batman (new trailer here) and supposedly the Indiana Jones franchise, as well And I can assure you that my family will buy each -- the day that they come out.
Check out the new LEGO Batman video game trailer to see what is coming next for LEGO video gaming.
For those of you who follow my gaming recommendations, you've heard lots about my two sons, ages 7 and 9 -- and the games that we play together. But there are two other gamers in my family, whose ages are 3 and 29-and-holding -- and their favorite pastime right now is Cooking Mama -- for the Nintendo Wii.
While I am almost exclusively an Xbox360 (high-def/next-gen/action) player, my wife and daughter continue to find great titles on the Nintendo Wii. They love cooking together in real life, so this was a natural to try -- and they love it.
But what is really amazing to me is how much of the game my 3-year-old daughter can do on her own. Using the intuitive Wii controller, one can stir a pot, flip a skillet, or cut tomatoes into slices. To be fair, there are a few activities that are difficult for her -- and while reading is not a true requirement, some word recognition or just a better memory would help. So, the game is most suitable for ages 5 and up -- as well as anyone who enjoys cooking.
It's also great for two-players, playing split-screen -- so that my wife and daughter don't have to wrestle for who does the cooking on our Wii.
For full disclosure -- the graphics on a Wii are 'last generation' -- meaning that they are bright and clear, but cartoonish ... unlike the latest generation (Xbox360/PS3) which can be beyond gorgeous. But in this type of game, photo-realistic graphics aren't necessary and might have even distracted from game play or made it less accessible to younger players. The game really uses the innovative Wii controller in numerous ways which are both intuitive and keep things varied. There is a Cooking Mama for Nintendo DS, but reportedly, it is not near as satisfying -- likely due to the great use of the Wii controller as the kitchen utensil in the Wii version.
For my personal tastes, I don't play this -- but I don't really cook either. When I find time for gaming, there are many Xbox360 titles which demand my attention. But my younger son will happily play this with his Mom or sister, when Dad is unavailable to play Star Wars. And besides, anything that puts such a smile on the ladies in my life must be good.
If you have a cooking fan in your family, ages 4 and above -- or just want another diversion for your Nintendo Wii -- get Cookin' !!!
We were recently informed that DPM 2007 has been named a finalist for 'Product of the Year' for eWeek Channel Insider ... in the Storage Management category.
There are some other cool finalists, but DPM is the only backup player in consideration this year. We think that DPM really changes the way that folks do backup, not only from a truly unified disk/tape perspective, but also because:
DPM comes from the original manufacturer of the workloads being protected (SQL, Exchange, SharePoint, Windows) instead of relying on third-party backup and/or replication products. From an ease-of-use & cost-effectiveness perspective, we believe that DPM has brought advanced data protection to mainstream Windows users. And we hope that we have empowered application owners to protect themselves within large enterprises, instead of relying on backup & storage experts who may not understand the intricacies of the applications.
DPM comes from the original manufacturer of the workloads being protected (SQL, Exchange, SharePoint, Windows) instead of relying on third-party backup and/or replication products.
From an ease-of-use & cost-effectiveness perspective, we believe that DPM has brought advanced data protection to mainstream Windows users.
And we hope that we have empowered application owners to protect themselves within large enterprises, instead of relying on backup & storage experts who may not understand the intricacies of the applications.
If you agree, we'd appreciate your vote for DPM as Storage Management product of the year.
And thanks in advance for your vote and support of DPM.
My sons are 7 and 9 -- and we are routinely looking for 3-player games.
But there aren't a lot of family-friendly, next-generation-console, 4-player titles out yet. It's hard to let 7 and 9 year old boys play a rated "T" game, but you can only race candy-stuffed piñata's for so long. It turns out that if any character whacks any other character even with a cartoon club, it counts as "Violence" to the ESRB and out goes the E-rating. I totally applaud the ESRB system, as it makes M's easy "no's" and helps me filter "T's".
So, I picked up F4:ROTSS last week and my wife and I tried a level to understand the content and format. And then, with mamma convinced, she and I played with our sons. Later, she stepped out and it is now our newest game for us 3 boys (me included).
To be clear, on its own, F4:ROTSS is a good game - not a great game. If you are a teenager or adult and want to suit up as a super hero, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a better game all around - a wider range of heroes (including the Fantastic Four), sharper graphics, better gameplay and layout. Although I do like the slightly larger heroes, detail and cutscenes in F4:ROTSS.
In fact, if you don't care about the achievement points, Justice League : Heroes for the original Xbox is also a good game in the superhero crawler-style genre. My sons and I still watch the Justice League show together.
I am sooooo glad that I was blessed to be the father of sons. My daughter is great too, but she doesn't game yet and is still learning the superheroes' names. :-)
As a way to introduce your pre-teen gamer to dungeon-crawling styled adventures with "family-friendly" violence - F4:ROTSS is a good place to start.
"Dungeon-Crawling" means that your team wanders through room after room, beating up bad guys, occasionally teaming up on a big bad guy, finding special items and developing a storyline. Its more than just "races" or "contests" like party-style games. By "family-friendly violence", I mean that bad guys zap with ray guns and the good guys punch them or use their special powers, with far less graphical detail than the Saturday morning cartoons that these games are based on - with no blood, language or other objectionable materials.
"Dungeon-Crawling" means that your team wanders through room after room, beating up bad guys, occasionally teaming up on a big bad guy, finding special items and developing a storyline. Its more than just "races" or "contests" like party-style games.
By "family-friendly violence", I mean that bad guys zap with ray guns and the good guys punch them or use their special powers, with far less graphical detail than the Saturday morning cartoons that these games are based on - with no blood, language or other objectionable materials.
In our family, we have a surprisingly well-aligned Fantastic Four team:
My 7-year old is a bruiser of a gamer, always in the thick of the action -- the Thing -- he just runs in and starts pounding on stuff. My 9-year old is learning the finer points of special powers and abilities within gaming and is often just outside of the center of the fray -- Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards. I am the Human Torch ... and I play him in the game, too. :-) And either the Xbox360 or my wife (with daughter "helping") plays the Invisible Woman. Get it? the fourth player isn't always visible?
My 7-year old is a bruiser of a gamer, always in the thick of the action -- the Thing -- he just runs in and starts pounding on stuff.
My 9-year old is learning the finer points of special powers and abilities within gaming and is often just outside of the center of the fray -- Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards.
I am the Human Torch ... and I play him in the game, too. :-)
And either the Xbox360 or my wife (with daughter "helping") plays the Invisible Woman. Get it? the fourth player isn't always visible?
The team-based style, including some special moves that involve two-characters simultaneously, is also a great way to teach teamwork. The boys are learning that each character has its own unique abilities. There are puzzles where only one character is suitable to address the issue and enable the team to move forward. They are learning that for our team to win - each of them has to participate, has to leverage their special abilities and is appreciated for their contribution - but recognizing that they are not individually winning the game, the team is. It's a good life lesson.
Beyond that, the gameplay is intuitive, if not somewhat repetitive for an adult gamer - but great for the family -- even if the kids have not been introduced to the Fantastic Four heroes before.
Speaking of which, I don't believe that the cartoon series is in production these days, so one can pick up the DVD's fairly cheap (especially the older series). And soon, my wife and I will preview the F4 movies to see if they boys can watch them, too. We've seen them for our own entertainment, but we'll watch them again through the eyes of "parents" before the boys and I have a movie night. The more ways that we can expose them to the same characters and stories, the more they get out of each of them. (Kind of like the Viva Piñata TV show and games - but we've covered that already).
If your pre-teen gamers are looking for the next step in their gaming development, but they aren't ready for Halo3 or more advanced crawler-style gaming like Dungeons and Dragons, check out Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, died on Tuesday at the age of 69, due to heart problems.
I never met Gary nor have I been to a D&D convention - and I think the last time that I rolled a 20-sided dice was in junior high school.
However, some of my favorite Xbox360 & Xbox games are:
The first ones are genuine D&D ruleset titles, with Oblivion being very much of the same flavor.
Moreover, almost every turn-based game, "dungeon crawler" format and especially every Role-Playing Game (RPG) -- where you start with a "starter" character and their abilities are intentionally and individually enhanced as their experience increases during gameplay -- can trace forming elements back to D&D. Those concepts weren't entirely new to gameplay, but D&D brought that genre to mainstream and affected the subsequent generations of games and game players since.
Consider these terms:
If the previous list resonates with you, then consider giving a moment of silence for Gary and prayers for the Gygax family.
This blog is not normally for obituaries -- but as some of you read this for my views on gaming, I thought it was appropriate to let you know that one of gaming's influencing fathers has passed away.
This interview is actually a few months old - recorded at IT Forum in November 2007, but I recently found it online and wanted to share it with you.
Its about 10 minutes long and talks about what are core features and unique deliverables with DPM 2007.
Hope you enjoy it.
Click here to watch - IT Forum interview on DPM 2007