Test Lab Guides (TLGs) are a new method that Joe Davies and Tom Shinder have developed that make learning complex technologies easier than ever. Using TLGs, you can significantly cut down on the time it takes for you to learn a new technology, product or an entire multi-tier solution by configuring a Test Lab using a TLG.

Now you might be wondering “what’s the difference between a Test Lab Guide and a Step by Step Guide?” In the past, we’ve used the term “step by step guide” to describe a lot of different types of content. It might be a collection of steps you do to issue a certificate, or maybe the steps required to enable and disable the Windows Firewall, or it could be a large collection of steps used in a lab type of environment.

Joe and Tom have done a ton of work for you.  See Tom’s full blog post on the subject at http://blogs.technet.com/b/tomshinder/archive/2010/07/30/test-lab-guides-lead-the-way-to-solution-mastery.aspx.  That blog post will lead you to some other great resources on the TechNet Wiki.  Enjoy.

When installed in a supported Linux virtual machine running on Hyper-V, the Linux Integration Components provide:

• Driver support for synthetic devices: The Linux integration components include support for both the synthetic network controller and synthetic storage controller that have been developed specifically for Hyper-V. These components take advantage of the new high-speed bus, VMBus, which was developed for Hyper-V.
• Fastpath Boot Support: Boot devices now take advantage of the storage VSC to provide enhanced performance.
• Timesync: The clock inside the virtual machine will remain synchronized with the clock on the host.
• Integrated Shutdown: Virtual machines running Linux can be shut down from either Hyper-V Manager or System Center Virtual Machine Manager, using the “Shut Down” command.
• Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP) Support: Supported Linux distributions can use up to 4 virtual processors (VP) per virtual machine.
• Heartbeat: Allows the host to detect whether the guest is running and responsive.
• Pluggable Time Source: A pluggable clock source module is included to provide a more accurate time source to the guest.

Go get em @ http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=eee39325-898b-4522-9b4c-f4b5b9b64551.

We have been referring to the 17” Dell Precision M6500 as the Dellasaurus ever since it first shipped.  It’s really an object of envy because it was the first portable laptop with four SoDIMM slots.  This is of course a virtualization experts dream machine.

Well Dellasaurus Rex is now on the scene and can be ordered with 32GB of RAM. No, they didn’t add SoDIMM slots.  Apparently the 8GB SoDIMMs are now making their way into the channel.  This is great news. 

If you have to ask about price, you can’t afford it.  DO NOT go look at the price if you have a heart condition.  Hint, the 8GB SoDIMMs are running about $2250 each.

And for those of you that want a tricked out 15” laptop, be sure to checkout the Precision M4500 now available with 16GB of RAM in two slots.  You guessed it, pricey.

They rest of us mere mortals will probably need to wait another year before those memory prices come back down to prices that could be considered.  Still cool to think about in the meantime.

Someone has been busy publishing Office 2010 user documentation in a variety of formats.  They are available in .docx, .pdf, and .xps formats so it looks like we’ve got you covered regardless of your favorite viewing and printing technology.  Here’s an eye chart view of just some of the resources that are available. 

See the links below for access to the goods.  Enjoy.

DOCX formats - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=9c45bba7-c08e-416c-8dcf-3a1b14bf1750.

PDF formats - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=689351f3-6d82-4e5c-b3ee-af33008d68fa.

XPS formats - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=08bbd8ec-5378-41ac-937a-cc532e116e6c.

This download includes Group Policy Administrative Template files and Office Customization Tool files for use with Office 2010 applications. It also includes an \Admin folder with an Office Customization Tool, and ADMX, ADML, and ADM versions of Office 2010 system Administrative Template files.

For administrative template files, you may use the ADM files for any Windows operating system, or the combination of ADMX and language-specific ADML files on computers running at least Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. This download also includes a workbook (Office2010GroupPolicyAndOCTSettings.xls) that provides information about Office 2010 Group Policy settings and OCT settings.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=64b837b6-0aa0-4c07-bc34-bec3990a7956.

Sorry Steve, you didn’t convince me.  A free case doesn’t get it done either.  Maybe if you would have extended the warranty to 2 years or offered a soft recall, I would have hung on to the art.  But I don’t need art.  I need networking and for heavens sake, I need Exchange to work consistently.  It doesn’t.

So I considered my options and cast my ballot.  I returned my iPhone 4 to the local ATT store.

Maybe I’ll reconsider later.  I’m going to use my collectors Palm Treo Pro until the fall crop is harvested.  Then I’ll be able to see all of the devices from Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, etc. with iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7 on full display.  Now is the best time to wait.

You’re learning about DirectAccess and you like what you see. The next step is to build out a test lab. You can build out your own, or you can let me to the heavy lifting for you and use the UAG DirectAccess Step by Step Guide over at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee861167.aspx You’ll save a lot of time by using the lab I put together for you, and you’ll learn a lot about DirectAccess terminology and configuration issues.

When you do put your Test Lab together, you’ll find that there are a lot of technologies and a lot of steps involved with making it work. The reason for this is that DirectAccess is really a collection of product and platform technologies that work together to create a working remote access solution that we’ve named DirectAccess. All the components of the solution need to be configured correctly for it to work.

The previous two paragraphs were written by Tom “The Edge Man” Shinder and published on the his blog and on the TechNet Wiki at http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/considerations-when-using-ping-to-troubleshoot-directaccess-connectivity-issues.aspx. 

See the full article at either location.  Really good stuff as usual.

Download the documentation for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta.  It includes the following:

• Hotfixes and Security Updates included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta
• Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta Notable Changes
• Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta Test Guidance

For additional information (including how to deploy the service pack and how to join the public beta), please see http://technet.microsoft.com/evalcenter/ff183870.aspx.

Go get it @ http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=61924cea-83fe-46e9-96d8-027ae59ddc11.

Be sure and take a look at the entire article at http://designfabulous.blogspot.com/2010/07/htc-1.html.  Pretty impressive design.

Please Note: This early release of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta is not available for home users. The SP1 Beta does not provide new end-user features, and installation is not supported by Microsoft. Click here for more information on consumer Windows service packs.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta helps keep your PCs and servers on the latest support level, provides ongoing improvements to the Windows Operating System (OS), by including previous updates delivered over Windows Update as well as continuing incremental updates to the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 platforms based on customer and partner feedback, and is easy for organizations to deploy a single set of updates.

See the full details and registration wizard @ http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ff183870.aspx?ITPID=wtcfeed.

The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is number one.  With the latest release of The Green500 List, accelerator-based supercomputers now occupy the top eight slots of the Green500, where the 'fuel efficiency' (or energy efficiency) of supercomputers is defined as 'millions of floating-point operations per second' (MFLOPS) divided by 'watts' (W) or MFLOPS/W. Accelerators refer to the use of dedicated hardware to perform computations faster than a traditional processor, also known as a central processing unit (CPU).

See the full article at http://www.green500.org/lists/2010/06/little/list.php.  Now someone please fix the spaghetti.

Parked in front of the hotel.  This machine is like no other. Simply amazing up close.

A few weeks ago Matt Hester and I recorded an episode for the IT Investigators podcast show we do.  I convinced the producers of the show to give me a copy of the audio because I knew we were getting ready to launch a content package on technet.microsoft.com on the topic of Green IT.

Microsoft has a number of interesting Green IT projects, tools and technologies.  In this episode we’ll talk with Francois Ajenstat about Microsoft Green IT initiatives both inside and outside the company.  Francois is a Senior Director in the Environmental Sustainability group here at Microsoft so he has a great view of the activities we are involved in.

Silverlight Podcast Player and Episode

Audio for Download

http://msinetpub.vo.llnwd.net/d1/keithcombs/podcasts/it_investigators/episode5/PointClickEpisode5.mp3

http://msinetpub.vo.llnwd.net/d1/keithcombs/podcasts/it_investigators/episode5/PointClickEpisode5.wma

Desktop and Server Calculators

Business and IT professionals are sometimes surprised to learn that environmental sustainability and financial sustainability are not mutually exclusive. The fact is, there are a number of IT solutions available today that deliver significant savings through a combination of energy conservation, improved workflow, and streamlined deployment. For example:

• Windows Vista has built-in power management features that can reduce a company's energy use by as much as 30%. With Windows 7, organizations can take advantage of additional efficiencies that reduce power consumption and can help lower energy costs.
• Microsoft Virtualization enables multiple operating systems to run on a single server, potentially reducing energy use by up to 90%.

  Use our Sustainability Calculators to estimate your company's carbon footprint and see the savings you can achieve through enlightened IT implementation.  You can find the Desktop calculator at http://www.microsoft.com/environment/greenit/Preview.aspx?type=desktop.  We also have a Server calculator at http://www.microsoft.com/environment/greenit/Preview.aspx?type=server

  Eye On Earth

  In the podcast, Francois mentions a project called “Eye On Earth” jointly developed with the European Environment Agency.  See it at http://eyeonearth.eu/.  This is a fascinating Azure cloud application.

  

  Microsoft Holm

  Microsoft Hohm is a free Web-based beta application that helps you save energy and money. With Microsoft Hohm you can better understand your home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving.
  Hohm uses advanced analytics licensed from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy to give you highly personalized energy saving recommendations. These recommendations are tailored based on your specific household circumstances including home attributes and use of appliances and systems. You will also be able to compare your energy usage that of with others in your area. Hohm helps utilities to better serve their customers by providing clear insight into their energy consumption, allowing them to make more informed decisions to save energy and money.

  Want to start measuring your energy consumption and take action?  Check out Microsoft Holm at http://www.microsoft-hohm.com/.

  Other Links

  • Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb977556.aspx
  • Microsoft Research Projects - http://www.microsoft.com/environment/our_commitment/articles/sensor_map.aspx
  • Microsoft Holm Blog - http://blog.microsoft-hohm.com/news.aspx
  • Software Enabled Earth Blog - http://blogs.msdn.com/b/see/

Deploy Windows 7, Office 2010, and Windows Server 2008 R2 with the newly released Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1. MDT is the recommended process and toolset for automating desktop and server deployment. MDT provides you with the following benefits:

• Unified tools and processes, including a set of guidance, for deploying desktops and servers in a common deployment console.
• Reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images, along with improved security and ongoing configuration management.
• Fully automated Zero Touch Installation deployments by utilizing System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 and Windows deployment tools. For those without a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure, MDT uses Windows deployment tools for Lite Touch Installation deployments.

• Comprehensive tools and guidance to efficiently manage large-scale deployments of Microsoft Office 2010.
• A new User-Driven Installation (UDI) deployment method that utilizes System Center Configuration Manager. UDI lets end users initiate and customize an OS deployment on their PCs—via an easy-to-use wizard.
• Automatically detects the true supported platforms for drivers, reducing deployment issues.

Go get it @ http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=3bd8561f-77ac-4400-a0c1-fe871c461a89.

The Windows 7 Test Drive is designed to let you explore the great new features in Windows 7 – with no installation required.  Check out our updated site with new content on Enterprise products including IE8, MDOP and Virtualization.  Try out our virtual labs, watch demo videos, download whitepapers and find out everything you need to know about how Windows 7 can benefit your organization.  Then tell us about your experience in a short 2-minute survey to enter the prize drawing.  Winners will be drawn from the completed survey entries once per week for seven weeks.  Visit the Windows 7 Test Drive site today to enter to WIN!

Sorry for the blatant commercial and ad, but it seemed like a pretty easy way to possibly win a laptop.