Build your very own Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 for FREE and Enter for a chance to win* one of the following fantastic prizes:

• Three Grand Prizes: One of three Microsoft Surface Pro 64GB devices with Type Cover keyboard cover ($828.99 USD Retail Value)
   
• Twenty-Five First Prizes: One of twenty-five Microsoft Certification Exam Vouchers ($150.00 USD Retail Value)

You could win a Microsoft Surface Pro or Certification Exam Voucher!

But Wait! There’s More!

In addition to a chance to win one of the prizes above, EVERY ENTRANT will receive our Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 enterprise-grade bare-metal hypervisor software completely free.  This is a fully functional virtualization hypervisor that supports scalability up to 320 logical processors, 4TB physical RAM, live migration and highly-available clustering. 

Hyper-V serves as the virtualization foundation for Private Clouds leveraging Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2.

How To Enter the IT Pro “Cloud OS Challenge”

You can enter the IT Pro“Cloud OS Challenge” Sweepstakes by completing all of the THREE EASY TASKS below to download and build your Private Cloud foundation with Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.  Be sure to complete the last task to submit your proof-of-completion for entry into this sweepstakes.

• Entries must be received between November 1, 2013 and November 30, 2013 to be eligible. One entry per individual.
• This Sweepstakes is open to all IT Professionals Age 18 and over that are legal residents of the United States.
• Estimated Completion Time: 20 minutes

TASK 1 – Download Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Download the Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 installation bits using the link below.

DO IT: Download Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

TASK 2 – Install Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Install Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 in your lab environment using the installation steps linked below.

DO IT: Install Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

TASK 3 – Submit Proof-of-Completion

Complete the steps in this task to submit your proof-of-completion entry into the IT Pro “Cloud OS Challenge” Sweepstakes for a chance to win one of the exciting prizes listed above.

1. At the console command prompt of your new Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 server, run the following command to collect your server's configuration:
    
   systeminfo >CloudOSConfig.txt
    
2. Copy the CloudOSConfig.txt file created in Step 1 above to a USB storage device or other location that is accessible for sending an email.
    
3. Send a new email message to CloudChallenge@microsoft.com
    
4. IMPORTANT: In the body of the email, include this exact text:
   “I’ve completed the Microsoft IT Pro Cloud OS Challenge for Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.”
    
5. IMORTANT: Attach the file created in Step 1 into the body of the new email message created above.
    
6. Click the Send button in your email client to submit the email message as your proof-of-completion and sweepstakes entry.

Upon submitting your entry, you will receive a confirmation email within 24-hours.

COMPLETED! But … Want more?

Now that you’ve installed Hyper-V Server 2012 R2, continue your learning and evaluation with these additional resources.

• Want to learn more about Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 and Microsoft Private Cloud?
  • COMPLETE this Step-by-Step Guide for Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.
  • MANAGE Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 with local console tools.
  • CLUSTER Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 for highly available virtual machines.
  • MIGRATE Virtual Machine workloads to Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.
  • BUILD Your Private Cloud with System Center 2012 R2.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to IT Professionals who are legal residents of the 50 U.S. states or D.C., 18+. Sweepstakes ends November 30, 2013.  For Official Rules, see http://aka.ms/CloudChallenge201311Rules.