Kevin Remde's IT Pro Weblog
Yes! My first in our new “Cloud Innovators” series of interviews is now live!
About This Video
We’re kicking off a new series today with Sr. IT Pro Evangelist Kevin Remde as he examines some of the top innovative companies who are using Microsoft Cloud solutions to help others improve their IT and business operations. For this first installment we welcome CEO of BiTitan, Geeman Yip as he explains how his company’s service MigrationWiz, helps users easily migrate their existing IT environment to Office 365.
Click here for more information on MigrationWiz
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:
Downloads Video: WMV | MP4 | WMV (ZIP) | PSP Audio: WMA | MP3
This Tuesday, January 17, 2012, Microsoft is holding a special Private Cloud webcast.
“Special? What’s so special?”
I’ll tell you why. Well, actually I can’t tell you all the details (because I don’t know them), but what I can tell you is that you’ll learn a lot. The webcast features Satya Nadella – President, Server and Tools Business, Brad Anderson – Corporate Vice President, Management and Security Division, Jacky Wright - Vice President, IT Strategic Services, Microsoft IT, and Rand Morimoto, Chief Executive Officer, Convergent Computing.
“Wow.. those are some pretty important folks.”
Exactly. And they don’t just show up on a webcast unless there are some pretty important reasons.
Here is the description of the event from the event registration page:
The definition and the virtue of “the cloud” have been hotly debated in recent months. Many agree that both the public and private cloud can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and increase business agility in the market. While there are lofty expectations over the next few years for this technology, many professionals in IT are already reaping the benefits of cloud computing to drive their organizational goals. Join us for an interactive virtual event featuring both Microsoft executives and fellow CIOs: Be among the first to hear the latest private cloud news from Microsoft Learn from other senior professionals in IT about how cloud computing is helping drive greater results Evaluate Microsoft’s cloud offerings, including a deep dive into the private, public and hybrid cloud models Learn how to leverage the cloud to gain maximum competitive advantage at minimal risk Experience a scenario-based demonstration of Microsoft's private cloud computing solutions
The definition and the virtue of “the cloud” have been hotly debated in recent months. Many agree that both the public and private cloud can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and increase business agility in the market. While there are lofty expectations over the next few years for this technology, many professionals in IT are already reaping the benefits of cloud computing to drive their organizational goals.
Join us for an interactive virtual event featuring both Microsoft executives and fellow CIOs:
“C’mon, Kevin.. Is this webcast really that important?”
For understanding the future of Microsoft’s Private Cloud platform solutions, yes, it is. It is so important, in fact, that during our TechNet Event in Saint Louis that day we’re going to carve out some time to watch the broadcast together. Pretty important.
CLICK HERE for more information. See you there.
Today I thought I’d throw some good resources around Microsoft’s platform for virtualization: Hyper-V
“Hey Kevin.. how do I buy Hyper-V?”
You don’t. Hyper-V is free… well, more appropriately, it is just a role that you add to Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
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Have you started using it yet? Getting good results? Give us your thoughts/comments/rants/raves in the comments here.
And in part 18, we’re going to show you how you can get a good idea on what moving a service to Windows Azure might cost you, compared to hosting it in your own datacenter.
I know I’ve talked here about it before, but I do want as many IT Pros and IT Managers as possible to know about the series of webcasts I’m doing entitled “IT Manager Chats with Kevin Remde”. These are so much fun to do, because I get to talk to some people in the business and important folks at Microsoft who really know their stuff, and are willing to answer our questions.
I say “our” questions, because the idea was not to organize yet another series of death-by-PowerPoint webcasts, but rather make these an opportunity for people attending the live webcast to ask questions of our guests. I come prepared with a list, but I really want the conversation to include you.
“Are you doing any of these in the near future?”
Well.. you can watch the series landing page (and even subscribe to it via RSS to watch for updates). If you were to look there now you would see that our next one is scheduled for May 2nd. I talked about it briefly yesterday in Part 9 of this series.) The previously recorded sessions are available there as well.
Plus.. here are the feeds for subscribing to all of our IT Manager Chats, just in case you want to use your Zune or iTunes software:
WMA | MP3
What topics would you IT Managers like to see in this series? Please let me know in the comments below.
And check back tomorrow for Part 12 of the series, if you’re interested at all at being professionally “cloud certified”.
This Wednesday (March 16) at I’ll be hosting the first of what I hope will be many (several already scheduled… more to follow) of what we call “IT Manager Community Chats with Kevin Remde”. Our first one is going to be with Microsoft’s Tharun Tharian, a Sr. Product Manager for SQL Azure. You’ll learn about what SQL Azure is, what it does, and most importantly, why you will want to consider it in your business.
“So, this is just another webcast?”
No! If you just want to listen, that’s fine. In fact, these are added to the series feeds (below), and you can subscribe using your favorite podcasting software for an automated download if you choose. But the benefit of attending these chats LIVE is that it is an opportunity for YOU to ask questions of our guests. So if you have questions about our subject, please join us LIVE and get your questions answered.
And if you want to check out the other recordings that we made last year, check out the series landing page here.
Plus.. here are the feeds subscribing, just in case you want to use your Zune or iTunes software:
And… Hey Kansas City! I’m going to be doing #2 in the new series in front of a live audience! If you’re attending our TechNet Event that morning, or even if you just want to drop by before the webcast starts, you’re invited to join us live and ask questions right then and there during our conversation. We’ll be talking with Group Product Manager Chris Van Wesep all about the big announcements made at this year’s Microsoft Management Summit about the newest System Center tools, and how they work with “the cloud”.
(That chat hasn’t been officially scheduled yet, so watch this blog and my twitter feed for that announcement.)
Update: Here is the registration page for the March 29 Chat: https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032481528&Culture=en-US
“Say Kevin.. you don’t look anything like your photo.”
Yeah.. well… I didn’t pick the photo. Or the different title they selected. Oh well. Maybe I’ll have them fix it. But actually, I think I like their photo choice better than my ugly-and-outdated mugshot.
This is a really great idea, and a very unique opportunity to participate. On September 22, 2010 there is a webcast happening entitled “TechNet Webcast: Windows PowerShell Basics for IT Professionals”. But that alone isn’t very exciting.
“It is to me, Kevin. I’d like a little help getting started with PowerShell!”
Certainly. But wouldn’t it be even better if we gave you the chance to submit an idea for a PowerShell script prior to the webcast?
“Yes! I have several things I would like to automate using PowerShell!”
Absolutely. So… E-mail your script ideas to aeshen@microsoft.com by September 15, 2010, and the webcasters may pick yours as one of the scripts they’re going to create right there on the live webcast.
Complete details about the event can be found HERE.
And CLICK HERE to register for the live event. (Also click there if it’s after September 22, 2010, and you’d like to view the webcast recording.)
You’re not alone! Sure, many people are making the switch to Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8, but some are actually being held back because of applications or company web-based tools that were built for and require IE 6. And that’s just not right!
“But what do we do about it, Kevin?”
Well, one thing I suggest is that you attend the Virtual Roundtable happening on September 30, 2010 at 9:00am Pacific Time. The Springboard Series is putting on the roundtable discussion, featuring product and industry experts, to discuss and answer your questions on how to go about making the transition; whether it’s migrating your web applications, or configuring IE 8 to work with your old applications.
Here is the link to the main page with the details. It also includes a handy “Save the Date” button to help you add it to your calendar.
And in addition, you can submit your questions NOW by e-mailing them to vrtable@microsoft.com. (Of course you could also wait and ask your questions live during the event.)
The Microsoft Desktop Player is now live and in Beta.
“What does it do?”
Using either your browser (It’s a Silverlight application) or an installed desktop application, you can easily and contextually find webcast recordings, podcast recordings, whitepapers, etc. So, let’s say you’re interested in SharePoint 2010..
“But I’m not.”
Let’s just say you are, okay? You do a search based on who you are (IT Pro (yay!) or Developer (also yay!)), what technology or product you’re interested in researching (like “Microsoft Office”), the kind of role you play (“Server Administrator”, “Enterprise Administrator”, “Support Technician”, etc.), what you’re focusing on.. and so on. You can be as specific or as general as you want. Do the search, and then the results are shown broken down into the types of resources found (Webcasts, Podcasts, Whitepapers, and Links).
You can also bookmark items you found for later viewing or retrieval; building up your own personal library of resources.
And you can find yours-truly in the “Local Resources” section – if you happen to live in the area of the United States that I cover. (North Central – MN, ND, SD, NE, IA, KS, MO, and sometimes Y.) Or discover who YOUR local Microsoft IT Pro or Developer Evangelist is. (Click on “Local Resources”, and then configure your local settings.) And not only will you find your local Evangelist, but local training centers, nearby Microsoft Offices, and additional resources.
“Sounds peachy! Where do I get it?”
You can use it from your browser (CLICK HERE).
Or you can download the installer HERE and run it from your desktop.
Enjoy!
Oh.. one more thing:
You can even embed it into your own blog or another web page…
UPDATE: This promotion has expired. Please click here to see details on the current promotion.
UPDATE: This promotion ends on June 30, 2010 October 31, 2010.. and will still save you 25% on the newly named "TechNet Subscription Professional" (same price). Just substitute "TechNet Plus Direct" with "TechNet Subscription Professional" in all that you read below.
Whenever I present a live TechNet Event, I ask my audience to raise their hands if they are a TechNet subscriber. Usually about 1/2 to 2/3 of the audience raises their hand. Considering that this is typically a Microsoft-friendly audience, I'm a little shocked that there aren't more hands going up. The TechNet Subscription is such a great resource for IT Pros, for these reasons:
For all of those reasons (Heck, for any ONE of those reasons), a TechNet Plus subscription is worth the yearly investment.
"Cool, Kevin. But how do I save $$$s?"
For new subscriptions, from now until June 30, 2010, you can save 25% on the TechNet Plus Direct subscription. What would have cost you $349 will now only cost only $261.75.
"That's nearly $100!"
Bingo!
"Is this worldwide, or U.S. only, or what?"
This is for residents of the U.S. only.
“Why new subscriptions only? Why not a discount renewals?”
Renewals are already automatically discounted, even more than you get with this code. Besides.. we’re honestly trying to promote TechNet Subscriptions to those who haven’t yet benefited from it. We’re pretty confident that if you try it, you’ll see enough value in it to renew your subscription.
Write down or copy this promotion code to your clipboard: TNITQ404 (That's four-zero-four. Not the letter O.)
Then GOTO the TechNet Subscription Center (CLICK HERE), and use the code to get your savings.
“If you weren’t a Microsoft employee, Kevin, would you buy this for yourself?”
Without hesitation, YES. I use the software I download so much; for personal education as well as testing, $261.75 is a small price to pay for the value I receive. Absolutely.
“Hey Kevin, didn’t you have some other codes we were using before?”
Yes. The “TMSAM08” and “TNITE04” codes are no longer valid. You need to use this new TNITQ404 code now.
“Yeah, Kevin.. what’s so cool about Office 2010?”
Lots of things. I sure don’t want to have to write them all up here; though I’m sure I will eventually. But today, if you’re an IT Manager, and if you have time, you should definitely attend our IT Manager Community Talk , because I’ll be speaking with Adam Carter about that very topic.
CLICK HERE to register for and attend the live discussion, or to listen to the recording afterwards. (We’ll have it up on TechNet Edge later, too.)
“Hey Kevin.. I want to deploy Windows 7, and hear good things about IE8, but I don’t know how to start evaluating what I need to make the move off of Internet Explorer 6. I am sure I have at least one critical application that might not work in IE8, and need to know what it takes to plan for and perform the upgrade.”
Chris Jackson (“The App Compat Guy”) is hosting a set of webcasts that will help you answer those questions, and give you a good summary of the options you have as well as the tools available. And it’s not just one webcast held at one time, but at several times so that you can attend the one that fits your schedule best, and get your questions answered LIVE as well.
From an announcement I saw about the webcast:
You are probably excited about the new Windows 7 operating system, and the Windows Internet Explorer 8 Web browser comes as part of the package. You may have seen the demos of new features and tools that are available, but you are still using Internet Explorer 6. The demos are sometimes simplified, with pages with a single issue conveniently fixed using a click of a button. But it is definitely not that easy. You could have thousands of apps, many of them packaged, or you could be prevented from accessing the code because it is part of a product you bought. Attend this demonstration-heavy webcast, have your questions answered by the experts and learn what IT professionals do in real-world scenarios to configure, manage, deploy, and ensure the compatibility of their Web applications with Internet Explorer 8. Click this link to sign up for a webcast that best fits you schedule. Each session will include a 45-minute pre-recorded session, with live chat Q&A with an IE expert during the session, and 15 minutes of phone Q&A at the end. Times have been varied to maximize coverage across international time zones.
You are probably excited about the new Windows 7 operating system, and the Windows Internet Explorer 8 Web browser comes as part of the package. You may have seen the demos of new features and tools that are available, but you are still using Internet Explorer 6. The demos are sometimes simplified, with pages with a single issue conveniently fixed using a click of a button. But it is definitely not that easy. You could have thousands of apps, many of them packaged, or you could be prevented from accessing the code because it is part of a product you bought.
Attend this demonstration-heavy webcast, have your questions answered by the experts and learn what IT professionals do in real-world scenarios to configure, manage, deploy, and ensure the compatibility of their Web applications with Internet Explorer 8.
Click this link to sign up for a webcast that best fits you schedule. Each session will include a 45-minute pre-recorded session, with live chat Q&A with an IE expert during the session, and 15 minutes of phone Q&A at the end. Times have been varied to maximize coverage across international time zones.
The LINK above is the webcast “month view” calendar, on which you’ll find the links to the webcasts. But if you’d like to know the specific dates and times…
“What are the specific dates and times?”
I was just getting to that. Here they are:
So look for these on the calendar. Register. Register for more than one. Attend, learn, and ask your questions. And move to IE8 when you’re ready!
Are you still on the fence about Windows 7? Are you wondering whether it is worth your time? Are you wishing you had some proof that would help you convince your boss that now is the time to start rolling it out?
“How did you know?”
I’m a lot like you. And I got an e-mail about this webcast coming up on Monday, Feb 22, 2010 entitled “Momentum Webcast: Windows 7 Enterprise Return on Investment: New Forrester Study and Model (Level 100)”. Here is the webcast description:
Event Overview On the fence with Windows 7 operating system adoption? In this challenging economic climate, every IT investment needs to show a strong, tangible financial return. To help organizations assess the business value of migrating PC infrastructures to Windows 7, analysts Ben Gray and Jeffrey North of Forrester conducted an in-depth study of 12 enterprise early adopters. This informative webcast details the results from these industry thought leaders and illustrates how the new Forrester Total Economic Impact model can be used to estimate Windows 7 savings in a variety of organizations. We discuss the impact Windows 7 has on operating costs, client manageability, help desk calls, remote PC management, power consumption, management automation, and compliance; and we show you how to use the Total Economic Impact model. Presenters: Benjamin Gray, Senior Analyst, Forrester Research and Jeffrey North, Principal Consultant, Forrester Research
Event Overview
On the fence with Windows 7 operating system adoption? In this challenging economic climate, every IT investment needs to show a strong, tangible financial return. To help organizations assess the business value of migrating PC infrastructures to Windows 7, analysts Ben Gray and Jeffrey North of Forrester conducted an in-depth study of 12 enterprise early adopters. This informative webcast details the results from these industry thought leaders and illustrates how the new Forrester Total Economic Impact model can be used to estimate Windows 7 savings in a variety of organizations. We discuss the impact Windows 7 has on operating costs, client manageability, help desk calls, remote PC management, power consumption, management automation, and compliance; and we show you how to use the Total Economic Impact model.
Presenters: Benjamin Gray, Senior Analyst, Forrester Research and Jeffrey North, Principal Consultant, Forrester Research
You can register to attend the live webcast, or to watch the recording from the webcast, HERE.
Greetings!
As promised, here are the best of the questions (with answers) from our November 11, 2009 “TechNet Webcast: Automating Windows 7 Deployment Using System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 SP2”
BIG THANK YOU to John Weston, John Baker, and Dan Stolts for handling the Q&A during the live event. Most of what follows started with their answers to these very good questions.
I hope you find these resources useful!
-Kevin
PS – The resources, including links to screencast recordings I did of the complete demos for this content, are available HERE.
Questions and Answers
“Is it possible to manage Blackberry devices with SCCM?”
No. Only the following devices are supported: Windows Mobile 2003 Smartphone Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 5.0 Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone Edition 5.0 Windows Mobile 6 Standard Windows Mobile 6 Professional Windows Mobile 6 Classic
“How well does this integrate into MDT 2010?”
The two actually share some technology. Both use tools from the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) for portions of their solution. Both create and drive task sequences.
But as far as integration, they are different tools. The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) is free, and is purely for addressing the creation and management of Operating System deployment. System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (SCCM) is not free, but does deployment of applications, updates, operating systems, as well as collection and management of computing inventories (hardware and software) and licensing. SCCM is also scalable to support the largest of any businesses out there, with an architecture that lets you define and distribute roles across large geographic boundaries.
So.. if you are a small-to-midsized business who just need a toolset to drive deployment, and if you don’t already have SCCM, you’ll want to look at the MDT.
“How do you capture an image?”
You can capture images using ImageX, which is a part of the Windows Automated Installation Kit. Instructions are here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749003(WS.10).aspx
You can also use SCCM 2007 to build a deployment of your “reference computer”, so that your task sequence will install the OS, install apps, drivers, packages, and then capture the image for you. A description of this, plus instructions, can be found here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb632585.aspx
“Can you have a SEPARATE server added into SCCM that can host the PXE environment... we have a separate MDT2010 server stood up today...”
MDT and SCCM can be integrated in the sense that you can use either to build deployments, and to take advantage of the same capture, PXE, WDS, and image tools. They also natively support the same boot and os image files (.wim files – the first containing WinPE, and the second having the captured OS).
At the end of the session, could you go over implementation costs for this new system before logging off? Also could you address user licence agreements. I have three office locations in the US and Canada with 15-20 computers.
These webcast are so packed full of information, and with one hour to fill, we really can’t get into these kinds of details. Certainly this information is available either online, or from your local reseller or Microsoft Partner.
If you only have a total of 15-20 systems, you might want to just use the MDT 2010. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3bd8561f-77ac-4400-a0c1-fe871c461a89&displaylang=en )
Here’s the licensing information for SCCM: http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/configurationmanager/en/us/pricing-licensing.aspx
“Why is he using a winpe boot.wim made from build 7100? doesnt sp2 install a boot.wim that build 7600?”
These images were created before RTM occurred.
“How do you find the smbios guid on a machine?”
“Where does SMBIOS GUID come from? How do you know it from a bare metal ws?”
“Where did he get the guid for his bare metal pc?”
“How did he come up with an SMSBIOS GUID for the machine provisioning when it is bare metal system and has never been an SCCM client? I can see how you can give it a NetBIOS name and a MAC address but how do you pre-determine an SMSBIOS GUID?
One way against a running machine would be to use WMI and the .\root\cimv2 namespace “Win32_ComputerSystemProduct” class. Or using PowerShell, you can run this command:
Get-WmiObject Win32_ComputerSystemProduct uuid
But if, as in the example I demonstrated, the machine doesn’t have an OS installed yet, that’s not going to help much. What you’ll do in that case is boot into the system settings. You should be able to find it there. (On my Lenovo, the UUID is right there on the first screen in the BIOS info.)
“In SCCM 2007 R2 SP1, you could also advertise the task sequence and packages to unknown computers. Is this option still available in SCCM 2007 R2 SP2?”
Yes. Here’s a really good post on how to enable and use this:
http://www.deploymentforum.com/Community/Forums/tabid/124/forumid/23/postid/2133/view/topic/Default.aspx
“What are the options for advertising a task sequence via PXE to all KNOWN computers without advertising the task sequence to a collection?”
SCCM advertises to collections only, but that certainly that collection could contain all of your KNOWN computers.
“If the image is captured using standard TS, the Configmgr client is installed into the WIM image. Why therefore does the deployment TS install the client if it is already there?. I believe the capture TS "prepares" the SCCM client i.e. removes sitecode, stops ccmexec service and removes cetificates so I would expect the deploy task sequence running ccmsetup to realise client is already present and just activate it - instead it does a reinstall which wastes time - why?”
Good point. If your captured image already has the client, then I don’t see why another install would be necessary. My image didn’t have it.
Remember also that you could use the ‘intall.wim’ file directly off of the Windows OS DVD, which has absolutely nothing in it. In that case your deployment would include the ConfigMgr Client, as well as any-and-all other drivers, updates, and applications.
“Is there any advantage to importing the computer information vs. using R2's ‘Unknown Computer’ support?”
The only advantage I can see is to restrict just anyone from being able to start an installation.
“I missed the first part. Did he talk about configuring WDS and the PXE for SCCM?”
Yes, I did briefly. Basically I just showed where in the Server Manager you add the WDS server role. I took the defaults. And then I showed where I added the PXE Service Point site server role in SCCM.
“What version of WinPE are supported with SCCM?”
Configuration Manager 2007 requires Windows PE 2.0. Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 requires Windows PE 2.1. Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 requires Windows PE 3.0.
“For WDS, do we need to configure it to reply to PXE boot? Do I need to configure any options in WDS or i just install the feature and only do the configuration on the PXE site system in SCCM?”
The default in WDS it to respond to Known and Unknown computers. But in my demonstration, I didn’t do anything at all in WDS, other than add the role. The PXE Service Point, and allowing only known or unknown computers support, is where this happens in SCCM.
“Where do i get the USMT for windows 7?”
It is part of the Windows AIK http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=136976
“Where does USMT store the data it gathers? How do you set that up?”
Here is the User Guide: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd560801(WS.10).aspx
“Can you use the SCCM tools to add an image to an existing wim or do you have to use something else for that?”
I don’t think there is a way to have SCCM do that automatically for you – unless perhaps you could add a custom step to a task sequence that drives the ImageX tool to merge a newly captured image into another file. (“I’ll leave that for you as an exercise.”)
“How do i install USMT on Windows XP?”
You can install the WAIK on Windows Vista and later, and then copy the USMT files over. NOTE that you can only run the ScanState utility on XP. You can’t use LoadState. (And why would you?)
Check out Dan Stolt’s excellent blog post and video: http://blogs.technet.com/danstolts/archive/2009/09/02/migrate-windows-xp-to-windows-7-using-usmt-user-state-migration-tool-upgrade-xp-or-vista-step-by-step.aspx
“Can you put the Product Key in there? Do you need KMS server?”
You can do either.
“Can i use the USMT if i have a x86 XP but want to image/migrate over to x64 Win7 PC?”
Yes. You can use USMT to migrate x86 to x64. You can’t go 64-bit to 32-bit, though.
“What does the USMT4 Hardlinking feature do with the data on disc during the OS installation?”
It simply keeps it in a folder that it doesn’t touch during the installation. Starting with Windows Vista, these “image-based” installations are non-destructive by default, as a benefit of the fact that the image is a file-based image and not an image that simply throws bits on a disk. So if you don’t partition and/or format the drive, and if you have sufficient space on the disk for the installation files on top of your existing disk, then you can keep the data on the local disk.
“For OEM editions that do not require a product key (Dell DVD's for example), does licensing carry over in the imaging process?”
You don’t have a distributable OS with just the copy that comes on your computer. The OEM copy is firmly linked to the hardware it was sold on. To do what we’re discussing here, you have some kind of volume licensing on top of this that allows you to create and deploy OS installations onto those boxes.
“Do I need to configure any options in WDS or i just install the feature and only do the configuration on the PXE site system in SCCM?”
The WDS role is simply added to the server. You'll do all you configuration from within SCCM.
“Do we install the PXE role on secondary servers and primary servers or just the central server?”
PXE service point is configured on a site system. It doesn’t have to be a primary or secondary site server and definitely shouldn’t be put on the Central Site server. It will however, be servicing a primary or secondary site.
“Leveraging the new Virtual Windows XP Mode available in Win7 Pro and Ultimate, would it be possible to deploy that along with the Windows 7 image, and simultaneously create a virtual machine running Windows XP for legacy applications?”
It would be a rather fat image, but I don’t see why you couldn’t build a reference system that included the XP mode .vhd, and Windows Virtual PC already configured. There’s nothing special about the XP machine (it’s just a .vhd after-all). Don’t boot it before capturing the image. Leave it be in a pre-run state.
“Where do i get the Windows PE 3.0?”
Windows Automated Installation Kit
Where does USMT store the data it gathers? How do you set that up?
Two choices: You can point the scanstate tool to the destination using command-line parameters, or you can configure the appropriate .xml files to make these designations.
See the User State Migration Tool “components” page for more details: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd560755(WS.10).aspx
“Where can you configure USMT like what files,settings get backed up?”
See the User State Migration Tool “components” page for details on how you can specify such things: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd560755(WS.10).aspx
“Does the USMT copy all the multiple users info?”
It can, yes. In my demo, it did (though I only had the one user).
“Can i have your email?”
Can I have yours?
“How do you capture data and save it locally instead of on the server?”
In my last demo that’s exactly what I did. I configured the task sequence to store the users settings locally. If you’re just using USMT from the command-line, you can do that in options for the scanstate tool.
“The last demo - Was it using USMT hard links”
Yes. It’s a very fast restore.
“Is SCCM SP2 supported in windows 2008 R2?”
Yes.
“How to you create a wim image for Windows 7”
See the WAIK and the documentation on the ImageX tool. But if you simply want to have an OS image to deploy (with nothing extra installed within the image), you can just use the install.wim file found on the Windows 7 DVD, or in the Enterprise installation you got with Volume Licensing.
“What is the difference between SCCM and MDT 2008?”
http://www.bing.com/search?q=What+is+the+difference+between+SCCM+and+MDT+2008%3F&src=IE-SearchBox&FORM=IE8SRC
“When the LTI deployment fails, where are the log files stored?”
A list of the log files in SCCM and where they’re found can be found here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb892800.aspx
Here are the resources relating to the TechNet Webcast: “Automating Windows 7 Deployments using System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 SP2”, delivered November 11, 2009.
I hope you find them useful!
___
Demo Screencasts
“Best of” Q&A
Best of Q&A post is now available here!
Related Resources
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 http://www.microsoft.com/sccm
Asset Intelligence in Configuration Manager 2007 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc161988.aspx
Inventory in Configuration Manager 2007 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb632437.aspx
Modifying Task Sequences http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb978347.aspx
Windows 7 Deployment http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd349337(WS.10).aspx
Step-by-Step: Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd446674(WS.10).aspx
U.S. Live, In-Person TechNet Events http://www.technetevents.com/KevinRemde
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Attention IT Managers!
The other day we had a fantastic chat with Venky Chandrasekharan, and nearly 200 live attendees, all about Windows 7 and what it provides you in your IT organization and for your business.
(You can listen to that recorded chat session HERE.)
As I like to do with these, I promised that I would take the Q&A log from the event and expand upon the answers we gave, as well as answer the more technical questions that we didn’t have a chance to get to. And we had so many wonderful questions that I is taking me quite some time to get through them all.
So, here is PART THREE of our three parts.
My apologies if you don’t see your question here. It’s either coming in a later post, or it simply was too technical (or off-topic) to be worth addressing here.
I hope you find these question, answers, and resources useful!
Questions and Answers (Part 3 of 3)
“When running Virtual XP on a Windows 7 computer and you connect to a server do you need two licenses? One for Windows 7 and one for Windows XP?”
My understanding is that, no, your Windows 7 machine CAL will cover you for the XP installation and its access to your server. (Please, if you have heard otherwise, let me know. Like you, I’m finding information on this very hard to find.)
“The option you were talking about connecting to your PC remotely. You need to have Server 2008 R2, with Windows7 to do this?. So if I have the Server 2003 I cannot do this? & what is the security risk involved?”
For DirectAccess, you need to have Windows Server 2008 R2 as your DirectAccess Server – the machine that your Windows 7 clients connect to/through to get to your internal network. But that doesn’t restrict what servers or resources you can then connect to on the internal side.
“You mentioned earlier about ‘capturing’ problems in Windows 7 - do you have a link to info outlining how to do this? I am currently experiencing failures with Word and Excel 2007 trying to print to my Dell network attached printer. I would really like to generate a ‘log’ and get assistance to solve this.”
The Problem Steps Recorder is really just a simple screen-capture-with-every-action kind of a tool, so it’s not recording anything in the way of items that might be captured in the event log. Which I suppose is also to say – you already have a log. J It’s the Windows event logs. Errors related to application failures or devices can be found using the event viewer.
“What version of IIS supported by Windows 7?”
Well.. if you’re asking “What version of IIS is available to add to and run locally on Windows 7, the answer is IIS 7.5 (same as with Windows Server 2008 R2).
The first and best place for IIS-related information, plus forums where you can ask questions or search on other people’s answers is at www.iis.net.
“Would you briefly explain how Windows 7 will be easier to deploy? Create and manage images?”
http://www.microsoft.com/deployment - get the MDT (Microsoft Deployment Toolkit). It has great documentation and step-by-step instructions.
“Can I use Problem Step Recorder in Vista or XP? If not, can you recommend any tool?”
No. Unfortunately the Problem Steps Recorder is only available as a part of Windows 7. There may be other tools out there that will work for XP or Vista. Sounds like a good opportunity for someone to develop a useful shareware utility…
“Anti-Virus that would run are Windows 7 could be find in this link http://www.microsoft.com/windows/antivirus-partners/windows-7.aspx . Windows Anti-Malware Engine improved a lot in Windows 7 and it is different from Windows XP and Windows 7 one. So user encourage to use only anti-malware which are ready for their platform. user should not use compatibility mode to run incompatible antivirus (same apply to other system tools).”
Thanks for sharing that!
“Can you give an overview of Problem Steps Recorder and how and when it should be used. Are there any security concerns to be aware of?”
As we discussed in the live chat, the only security concerns I could see would involve the fact that the PSR is taking screenshots, which could potentially include confidential information that is somewhere on the desktop or within the applications visibly running at the time. You’d be wise to include that warning when instructing your users on using this tool.
“I set up Virtual XP on Win 7 and ran into a NAT issue, similar to ICS. I could not add the virtual PC to the domain. Was I doing something wrong?”
By default XP mode does indeed do NAT for the sake of the XP running virtually on Windows 7. You can change it and essentially let the XP machine connect directly to the network through the Windows 7 machine’s NIC.
See this excellent blog post on working with networking in Windows XP Mode.
“I am finding that win7 don't like some of my newer network dirve and can become very un stable i and wil just sit and do noting and have to be rebooted before it will work with the app you trying to load. is this to be addressed”
That's a little hard to troubleshoot in a live chat, I'm afraid. :) My advice would be (if you haven't already) to look at the event logs and see if there are any clues there. It also could be a network issue - timeouts on connections that aren't able to be maintained.
“Can you name two or three of the specific positive comments made by the business community for the deployment of Windows 7?”
You can find those all at http://www.microsoft.com/windows - and go more specifically down to any items "for business".
“Can Windows 7 be installed on an Intel Mac at this time?”
Yes. http://www.bing.com/search?q=install+windows+7+on+mac&src=IE-SearchBox&FORM=IE8SRC
Good stuff? Hopefully you saw PART ONE and PART TWO also.
So, here is PART TWO of our three parts.
Questions and Answers (Part 2 of 3)
“Will Win 7 integrate well with XP in the environment until a full implementation is completed in the environment?”
Yes.. everything you might be doing as far as XP systems relating to one another is supported in a mixed XP/Windows7/Vista environment as well.
“Are there any thoughts going around to make XP Mode 64 bit to take advantage of more memory?”
Great question. And as we mentioned in the live chat, we’re not aware of any plans to create a XP-Mode 64-bit virtual machine. You can run XP-Mode on top of 64-bit Windows 7 (so you can have more memory on the host to work with), but the XP itself is 32- bit.
“The real time response of windows, xp, vista is very poor. Many seconds can elapse before a mouse click is recognized or a switch to another application is acknowledged. Has that changed significantly in W7?”
I don’t know if your particular situation is specifically related to XP or Vista, so I’m certainly not able to say for sure that your issue will be fixed with Windows 7. However, I do know that a lot of low-level optimizing has taken place in Windows 7, so that might improve things for you. Practically everyone I’ve talked to about their early experiences with Windows 7 have said that they noticed a dramatic improvement in responsiveness.
“I have just installed Win 7 Pro today. I was able to get it installed with no errors and it worked fine the first time. I was also able to get my HP k550dn printer setup and working without any software installation. That was very impressive.”
Cool! Thanks for sharing that.
“What versions of Windows 7 will run Virtual XP? Does it require special hardware?”
The free (no additional cost) XP OS is only for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. Yes, it does require that your CPU be the newer Intel or AMD ones that have built-in support for virtualization. And keep in mind that memory will also be important, because your virtualized XP is configured to use real memory while it’s running.
“Can you talk about the HighDPI feature in Win7?”
You can get more detail from the “Engineering Windows 7” blog.
“Do you have a list of search connectors available for download?”
I found this list (http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/742-windows-7-search-federation-providers.html ), but of course this is going to hopefully be an ever-expanding list.
“XP mode is amazing. i am running ms dyamics nav into xp mode and he works great !!!”
Excellent! Thanks for sharing that!
“We are currently running a Windows Server 2008 domain controller. What additional options will we see moving to the 2008 R2 (in regards to the Windows 7 clients)?”
As we discussed in the chat, there are a couple of new features/capabilities that do require both Windows 7 as the client and Windows Server 2008 R2 as the solution. Check out this good “better together” page: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2-Better-Together.aspx
“Is there a network equivalent of OneCare (that I have at home)?” “Is the free anti virus tool from Microsoft will be installed by default? What is the memory limit? Will there be 64 of Windows 7?”
Microsoft just recently released a free antivirus product for home users called Microsoft Security Essentials. http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
For AV in business, you should consider the solutions in the Microsoft ForeFront set of products. http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/en/us/default.aspx
“With the virtual options in Win7, can I make a virtual machine of a user's old computer and then run it on their new Win7 computer? (A sort of backup feature)”
I suppose this could be done. Taking an image and then installing the image into a virtual machine is one way to accomplish it. Or if you have System Center Virtual Machine Manager you could do a “P2V” (physical to virtual) migration in order to create the VHD (though the resulting machine will be built for Hyper-V).
Remember, though, that the “XP Mode” capability is not really supposed to be a backup of a previous machine. The main goal is to give people a platform as a last resort for application compatibility. The effort to build and maintain the old desktop within the new is, in my opinion, more work than it’s worth.
“Are there any differences between Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise?”
Functionally, with the exception of some features that are not enabled (but can be) by default (such as games in Enterprise), the two are the same. Where they differ is with regard to licensing benefits that you get with Enterprise, because it is only through Volume Licensing and with Software Assurance that you can have Enterprise Edition. Products such as MDOP (Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack) become available to you to add to your license as well.
“How will Windows 7 improve my user's ability to search for files on our network?”
Yes. As we discussed in the live chat, we want to provide (because people want) a common platform to launch a search. Adding the ability to plug into other search services and launch them from within the Windows Explorer window (a feature called “Federated Search”) is how we make this happen.
“Is Windows Defender still available in Windows 7?”
“Windows XP would often lock up and just wait for some internal time out on a resource. There was no straight forward way to release the resource or even know what application or resource was, that caused the lock up. This often led to restores to earlier working points, loosing desktop changes and other app changes: a lot of work was lost. What does windows 7 have that allows a user to know what is wrong with the OS and what to do about it without having a Systems Admin IT professional diagnose the system?”
Windows 7 has built-in Troubleshooting now that goes above and beyond even what we did in Windows Vista. I use Vista as the example all the time, because when it came to trying to solve networking issues, Vista really had the right idea. Instead of just tearing down and re-building the connection and hoping it works (ala XP), Vista had a top-down, decision-tree approach to trying to solve the problem. Sometimes the troubleshooter will solve the issue, and other times at the very least it will give the end-user better, more useful information that they can pass on to their administrator.
Windows 7 takes it several steps beyond that to not only let the end user troubleshoot networking, but also application compatibility issues or errors, hardware/device issues, display issues, and system and security issues.
Check out this Channel 9 video that goes into the details on how this new troubleshooting and diagnostics functionality works.
“What are the upgrade paths to Windows 7? Can you upgrade from XP?”
From XP, no, you cannot do an in-place upgrade. There are tools that can help with the migration of your files and settings. There are also tools that can automate the process for business IT people who need to do this for many machines.
Here’s a good “Upgrading to Windows 7” page: http://windows.microsoft.com/upgrade?os=other
And even a step-by-step tutorial here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7
“Are you going to go over Windows 7 and Direct Access more?”
No, we really didn’t have time to go deep into any particular technology area in the live chat. However, here is a good “Executive Overview” of DirectAccess in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
And not too long ago I recorded a screencast demonstrating how to configure DirectAccess.
“Does Windows 7 require Windows Server 2008 R2 to effectively manage the desktop?”
No.
“What version of PowerShell comes with Windows 7?”
PowerShell 2.0 In fact, it’s installed by default now, rather than having to download or add it.
“How do I go about using Windows 7 Compatible logo for my application?”
Here is the Windows 7 Software Logo Program
That is a big topic. I recommend you start here: http://www.microsoft.com/deployment.
Look for information about and download tools such as the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) and the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK).
Good stuff? Hopefully you saw PART ONE also.
So.. I’m going to post these in 3 parts. Here is part 1 of 3.
Questions and Answers (Part 1 of 3)
“How can I change the default keyboard for all running applications in Win7? When I try it, I change only for current Application.”
Enter “keyboard language” in the Start menu’s searchbox and hit return. You should see “Change keyboards or other input methods”. Click it.
“Are the ‘Win7 64bits’ faster than 32bits? How much in percentage?”
64 bits are twice as fast as 32. (I’M JUST KIDDING!!!)
I really don’t know the answer in actual percentage. It’s going to be faster when you have more memory than a 32-bit OS and the 32-bit address space can support, of course.
I “binged it”. There are some good comparisons and data here: http://www.bing.com/search?q=64-bit+vs.+32-bit+performance+comparison&src=IE-SearchBox&FORM=IE8SRC
In the chat we discussed this one. Basically you’re going to want to look at how Search Federation in Windows 7 can be used to unify the search experience (and so improve their ability) on the desktop.
And if you’re curious, I found a list of Search Federation providers here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/742-windows-7-search-federation-providers.html
“What is MS recommending in terms of adoption of the 32-bit or 64-bit version? Is future development going to focus on 64-bit?”
On the Server side it’s all going 64-bit. Most new server products (and even our latest OS, Server 2008 R2) are 64-bit only. And that’s because server-class hardware is all 64-bit for the past several years now.
The same can’t be true for desktops and laptops. 32-bit will still be an option for awhile. So we’ll have 32-bit and 64-bit versions at least for the near-term. I can’t predict when the switch to all 64-bit will happen on the desktop side.
“How is Win7 compatible with older servers and Group policy and security settings?”
As we discussed in the live chat, there isn’t really anything special about Active Directory or how Group Policy objects are replicated to and supported by Domain Controllers that Windows 7 requires that is any different than any other AD joined client operating system. And if a policy is set that configures new functionality in Windows 7, or for that many ANY operating system that is newer than the one where a policy is being applied, it will just be ignored.
“I noticed that also in Windows 7, sometimes drivemappings are been lost, and only the red cross is been displayed. The names are lost of the mappings, but!!! the drives are still there and accessable....according supportsites from msft this already should have been solved in Vista..but also in my Win7 syst. x64 its still a problem...”
That’s a bit more of a technical support issue than we usually attempt to address in these IT Manager Community Chats, I’m afraid. But you might want to see if you have some kind of a networking issue.. where unexpected latency is causing these “connections” to time out. The documentation you saw on a fix might not relate to the problem you’re having, so it’s hard to say that this was the fix you were expecting.
“Is there a view of the presentation that shows windows 7, all I see is a cover page of the presenters?”
Did you join late? (smile) As I explain up at the front of all of these sessions, the idea here is to make it a live, interactive session. We only put a few resources up there for your use… but we really want the end result to be something you can get value from by simply listening to it – not having to focus on slides or demos. And it gives us the opportunity to keep it interactive, too.. much more fluid than having to follow a slide deck or script.
“How will anti-virus work with the resources? Will anti-viruses slow down the computer like it did in Windows XP?”
I don’t know of anything special about Windows 7 that will make Antivirus perform any slower or faster than it does on our older operating systems. If your AV solution is a memory/resource hog or duplicates existing functionality already in XP SP2 and beyond, then it’s going to do the same thing in Windows 7.
Related note: Microsoft just recently released a free antivirus product for home users called Microsoft Security Essentials. http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
“What are the settings for configuration on UAC?”
Here’s a great TechNet Magazine article by Mark Russinovich on User Account Control that, among other things, shows off the new User Interface: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.07.uac.aspx
For changing the settings using Group Policy: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows7/How-do-I-change-the-behavior-of-User-Account-Control-by-using-Group-Policy
For a great whys-and-wherefores discussion of UAC, check out the “Engineering Windows 7” blog post here: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2008/10/08/user-account-control.aspx
“Will networking be enabled in xp mode?”
The thing to remember about “XP Mode” in Windows 7 is that at the heart of it, it is another running operating system (XP SP3), running as what it thinks is it’s own machine. And as such, yes, you can network it. Applications running there can (and will be default) have access to the same network that your host Windows 7 machine has.
Remember: Issues of security such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall, etc.. all apply to this other “machine” also. Keep it up-to-date!
It’s an interesting idea.. and I suppose it’s doable if you have some way to capture their machine as an image that you then could deploy to the virtual machine. Seems like a lot of work, though, to give them an old operating system on top of the new one.
“Windows 7 will support booting from VHD files at a software level?”
Not sure what exactly you’re looking for when you say “software level”. As we discussed in the chat around this question, it really is a combined hardware/software solution as it exists. It’s all software, after all, but it is at a lower level. You boot to a VHD using the new bootloader, which is able to see and launch/run an operating system from within that .vhd file as if it were just another disk partition. And once it’s running, the OS itself has full access to the hardware. Heck, you can even see your own OS disk, and along side it (probably your D: drive) is the actual physical disk that contains your .vhd file.
Now.. if you’re looking for running a .vhd file from within a currently running OS, there’s still Windows Virtual PC (the Virtual PC software that supports XP-mode can run other Operating Systems, too) as running virtual machines. That’s probably the more “software” level idea you’re thinking of.
“Can you please email updates to your blog to sort of an email list who are here?”
Sorry, I can’t. I don’t have access to the names/addresses of the people attending the webcast.
“In Windows 7, can you create virtual machines ? and are you capable of saving VM's to a USB flash drive?”
Yes, and yes.
Watch this blog for parts 2 and 3!
As promised, here are the “Best of Q&A” from the live chat I helped to deliver on September 3, 2009, entitled “IT Manager Community Chat with Kevin – Virtualization”
A BIG THANK YOU to my guest, Shanen Boettcher, for such a wonderful conversation around Virtualization and the value that businesses can gain through it.
And THANK YOU to all of the people who attended the session LIVE! You asked some fantastic questions. That’s what these chats are all about!
Also - Here the RESOURCES I pulled together for this webcast.
I hope you find these useful!
Kevin
“When you look at a small business environment of 5 - 10 users running SBS2008 and Office 2007 can you technically run Office 2007 as a virtual application and does it cost more money than just running it on the 5 - 10 desktops?”
Short answer: Yes, but not by much.
Longer answer: Shanen did a good job answering this one during the chat; talking about how of course you’re not saving money on the license of Office. Whether running installed on the native OS or running as an App-V hosted application, you’ve still purchased a copy of Office. However, App-V requires SA and the MDOP, which add a small amount per-desktop. You’ll find that it’s far less-per-desktop than other similar stand-alone solutions out there.
“When will Microsoft support USB ports in VM's? (The main reason why some of our developers do not use Microsoft Virtualization for development and testing)”
Short answer: Not soon enough. (chuckle)
Longer answer: There is finally some limited USB device support (things such as USB connected storage) in the new version of Virtual PC that is coming along with Windows 7; particularly for the sake of XP-Mode hosted applications running on Windows 7.
There is also limited USB support in Remote Desktop (whether using the old “Terminal Services” kind of session, or a true VDI desktop connection). Those sessions can work with some plug-and-play devices that are on your client.
But as for true USB support of, say, a virtual machine running under Hyper-V; no, it’s not there. Not yet.
Believe me.. The day we do provide that will be the day that I start running my production workstation purely as a virtual machine from within a Windows Server.
(Of course.. we do have the ability to boot and run a .VHD (boot from VHD) on physical hardware.. so maybe I’ll just start doing that. THERE you get TRUE full-physical-machine access to your hardware, because the OS is just running on the hardware. It just happens to be running from within a .VHD file.)
“Windows 7 is the same code base as Windows Server 2008 R2 why not offer APP-V virtualization on the desktop as an option an phase out Virtual PC?”
Short answer: Because App-V isn’t related to Virtual PC. They solve two different problems.
Longer answer: This question required a very long answer, actually. Both Shanen and I talked about the difference between XP Mode and MED-V, and how the two both depend on Virtual PC as their foundation.
“For development and testing purposes, simulation of networks and testing distributed applications, would you recommend using Hyper-V within a Server, or a standalone Microsoft Hyper-V server? Is there a big difference whether we choose one or the other?”
As far as virtualization, no. It’s the same Hyper-V from the perspective of the machines you’re running virtually.
Running Hyper-V as the role installed into (actually under) Windows Server 2008 R2 is nice from the perspective of local administration. You can administer the machine directly, in addition to remotely.
Hyper-V Server pretty much requires you to manage it remotely. It’s not something you would manage from the console.
Another option you have (that you didn’t ask about) would be kind of a middle-ground – where you install Windows Server 2008 as a Server Core installation, and add the Hyper-V role to that. That’s a nice, lean, high performing platform as well, and it has the benefit of being able to host some additional roles as well (not just Hyper-V), if you want to. (So.. Hyper-V server is JUST Hyper-V. It’s not also able to be an Active Directory Services Domain Controller or DHCP server or DNS server.)
“How are we doing in the exchange server 2010 w.r.t virtualization? Would we be able to use the UC facility which is not the case with Exchange 2007?”
Short Answer: Nope.
Longer answer: Sorry we didn’t have the answer for you during the chat. Further investigation shows that, similar to Exchange 2007, most of Exchange 2010 will be supported under certain kinds of virtualization, running on certain platforms – but not the Unified Messaging role. That one still needs to be installed on a physical box. I have to assume it’s because there is a connection to hardware that needs to be there.
For the full details, see this web page: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996719(EXCHG.140).aspx
As promised, here are the “Best of Q&A” from the live chat I helped to deliver on September 2, 2009, entitled “TechNet Webcast: Thrive Live Chat! - Virtualization”
A BIG THANK YOU to my guest, Shanen Boettcher, for such a wonderful conversation and some great information for IT Pros around getting ready for Virtualization.
“We are currently doing Server Virtualization with great success, but what does it look like from a desktop perspective?”
VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) is certainly a hot topic these days. As described in the chat, this is a new and exciting area that allows companies to have more choices around how they configure and distribute desktop operating environments to their users; either benefiting by saving money on hardware, or by giving them more control over the desktop environment.
For more information on VDI and what Microsoft provides in that area, check out the Desktop Virtualization page here: http://www.microsoft.com/virtualization/products/desktop/default.mspx
But no matter what kind of virtualization you’re supporting, the goal is that the end-user is not required to do much (if anything) different. His virtualized application should behave as any application would. His desktop should have a full AERO interface, and perform well. And in some cases, you can even improve their experience (“Wow, the application was updated automatically for me… I didn’t need to install anything!”)
“Does the MS assessment and Planning toolkit make recommendations based on the 2008 Hypervisor or the 2008R2 Hypervisor?”
On the webcast we actually answered your question incorrectly! The new (4.0) of the MAP (Microsoft Assessment and Planning) Toolkit indeed is geared towards Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 scenarios.
Here is the landing page: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/dd537566.aspx?SA_CE=NOT-MAPBETA-SITE-VIRT-WINSVR-20090615
And you can download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=67240b76-3148-4e49-943d-4d9ea7f77730&DisplayLang=en
“Are all the management tools supported in VM's?”
“How many [virtual machine] migrations are supported at the same time?”
Only one migration can be taking place for each participating host (as either a source or destination hyper-V host). But if your hosts are in, say, a 16 node cluster, then you could potentially have as many as 8 Live Migrations happening at the same time.
“Is SCVMM integrated with Windows 2008 R2?”
SCVMM 2008 R2 was recently released to support the new functionality in Hyper-V that comes in Windows Server 2008 R2 (chief one being Live Migration). So, yes, it is ready to work with Server 2008 R2 virtualization.
http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/virtualmachinemanager/en/us/default.aspx
“Is all of the management in System Center? What if you don't have that in place?”
You can do management without System Center, but basically that limits you to running the Hyper-V Admin Console, which is mainly for basic configuration and “start/stop” functions. Yes, you can even do live migration and drive it using Windows Clustering. And if you’re good with PowerShell and WMI, you can build scripts to perform any bulk or frequently occurring administrative tasks.
However, for small-to-midsize companies who don’t want to invest in the System Center suite, we do recommend that you at least get System Center Essentials 2007 and the System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Workgroup Edition. (We even currently have a 37%-off deal if you buy those two together.)
If you’re curious about the differences between System Center Essentials 2007 and the System Center products (Operations Manager 2007 and Configuration Manager 2007), check out this great comparison page: http://www.microsoft.com/Systemcenter/essentials/en/us/compare-products.aspx
“If I was looking to specialize in virtualization, what training/certification is available and what advice would you give me?”
First of all, SORRY EMMANUEL! I referred to you as “Emma” in the webcast, because my small Q&A window cut off the rest of your name! (sigh) For Microsoft training and certification tracks, the best place to always go is http://www.microsoft.com/learning.
Here is the Microsoft Learning “Training Portal” for Virtualization: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/training/virtualization.aspx
“Why did the Terminal Services (TS) name change to RDS in the Server 2K8 R2 version?”
Sorry we ended the chat just before you asked this great question, Joseph.
I don’t have all the details, but I do know that the main reason for the change was because it really is more about a “remote desktop” experience now. As we talked about in the chat, you have remote desktop options of either a profile running on a terminal server (traditional Terminal Services), plus the added option of a unique OS running virtually under Hyper-V. Both appear as a desktop to the end-user.. but the technology underneath is different. Still, the beauty here is that many of the supporting technologies and much of the supporting infrastructure (Remote Desktop Gateway, Connection Broker, etc.) work on behalf of either the terminal-service-type desktop as well the remote desktop-that’s-really-a-virtual-machine desktop.
“Is the Virtual Machine Manager running on your desktop the same download VMM 2008 R2 that is a demo install?”
Yes. In order to drive Hyper-V Live Migration using System Center Virtual Machine Manager, you will use the newest version, which is SCVMM 2008 R2.
“Can you put up the blog again?”
Oops.. missed this one after we ended the chat. Well.. if you’re here, you’ve found it. (smile)
As promised, here are the additional resources that were mentioned on the IT Manager Webcast: IT Manager Community Chat with Kevin – Virtualization, occurring on September 3rd, 2009.
Hope you find these useful!
PS - Here is the "Best of Q&A" from the chat session.
General Virtualization Information www.microsoft.com/virtualization
“How Customers are Cutting Costs & Building Value with Microsoft Virtualization” Whitepaper http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/A/4/6A4A2529-F0E8-4100-81EE-187C9B026862/MicrosoftVirtCostSavingsWhitePaper.pdf
Virtualization Learning and Certification http://www.microsoft.com/learning/virtualization/default.mspx
Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit v4.0 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/dd537566.aspx?SA_CE=NOT-MAPBETA-SITE-VIRT-WINSVR-20090615
Virtualization ROI Calculator https://roianalyst.alinean.com/msft/AutoLogin.do?d=307025591178580657
HyperGreen Tool http://www.hyper-green.com/
Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides for Virtualization| http://technet.microsoft.com/library/cc196387.aspx
IT Manager Community Hubhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itmanagement/cc974293.aspx
Microsoft Virtualization Events http://www.microsoft.com/virtualization/events/
Save 25% on a TechNet Plus Subscription! http://blogs.technet.com/kevinremde/archive/2009/08/21/TMSAM08.aspxIMPORTANT UPDATE: This promotion and promotion code have expired.Please CLICK HERE for the most current promotion.
Everyone – Meet Shanen Boettcher. Shanen is a General Manager at Microsoft, responsible for the strategy around Windows Server products in the U.S. He has a deep passion and background in product planning, technology and management including his role in Active Directory and Windows client product groups.
“Cool. Why do I want to meet him?”
Because today and tomorrow I’m interviewing him in two new Live Online Chat sessions. In both we’ll be discussing virtualization The first one from the perspective of IT Pros and helping them gear-up on the latest offerings from Microsoft (“How can I be more valuable to my company or to a perspective employer in the area of virtualization?”). The second being strictly for IT Managers, where we’ll discuss the business-beneficial reasons for virtualization (“How can my company maximize our virtualization ROI and save money?”).
“Are these Webcasts?”
Well.. not really, no. Yeah, we’re using LiveMeeting like we do on webcasts, but this is meant to be a live, interactive chat. I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ATTENDEES TO ASK QUESTIONS, because we want YOUR questions to drive the conversation.
“Will they be recorded and available at a later date?”
Absolutely. These same registration links will bring you to the recording. Here they are:
Watch this blog for additional resources, as well as a Q&A summary, in case we want to answer any questions we didn’t get to or perhaps provide more resources to help answer your questions.
Hope to see you there!
As promised, here are the additional resources that were mentioned on the TechNet Webcast: Thrive Live Chat! Virtualization, occuring on September 2nd, 2009.
UPDATE: Here is the "Best of Q&A" from the session.
Microsoft THRIVE!http://www.microsoft.com/thrive
Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides for Virtualization http://technet.microsoft.com/library/cc196387.aspx
Happy Friday!
On June 11, 2009 I delivered part 2 of a 2 part TechNet Webcast Series on Windows Server 2008 R2. It was the second of a series of Windows Server 2008 R2 TechNet Webcasts. Lately, as you may know, I’ve also been recording the webcast demos as screencasts.**
I thought you might find them useful. They’re up on TechNet Edge:
If you’re interested in seeing the entire webcast, you can see it HERE.
The resource page I put together for the webcast is HERE.
And HERE is the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast.
**PS - If you’re interested, here are the other sets of screencasts I’ve done recently:
As promised, here are the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast I delivered on June 11, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Overview (Part 2 of 2)”
A BIG THANK YOU to Dan Stolts for assisting in answering questions during the webcast! This blog post is primarily a result of his efforts.
Thanks for attending! ...and if you haven't seen the webcast yet, you can click on the link above (or the picture to the left) to get to the registration page.
Also - Here the RESOURCES I pulled together for this webcast
“Is the Windows Management Service the service that manages the WMI protocols?”
No, WMI has it's own services structure. isolating these functions is important from both a performance (do not run it unless you need it), ease of use (disable, restart, easily), and security (no security foot print if not needed because the services are not installed/ disabled).
“Ok, then, in a nutshell, what does Windows Management Service do? When did it first become a part of windows server NT, 2000, 2003, or 2008?”
I may have misunderstood your first question. The term "Windows Management Service" is probably what threw me off. Windows Remote Management (WS-Management): Windows Remote Management (WinRM) service implements the WS-Management protocol for remote management. WS-Management is a standard web services protocol used for remote software and hardware management. (used to communicate with WMI) The WinRM service listens on the network for WS-Management requests and processes them. The WinRM Service needs to be configured with a listener using winrm.cmd command line tool or through Group Policy in order for it to listen over the network. The WinRM service provides access to WMI data and enables event collection. Windows Management Instrumentation: Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating system, devices, applications and services. If this service is stopped, most Windows-based software will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. This is the WMI Featureset.
“Can direct access client be run on other operating systems such as Windows XP or Vista?”
No, there is not a client for Windows XP or Windows Vista. To my knowledge there are no plans to make these as add-in clients. DirectAccess requires Windows 7 client and 2008 R2 server. (In the webcast, I explain more specifically why that is.)
“Is there a new version of the RDP client for Windows 7? If so, will it be backported to run on XP and Vista as well?”
Yes, there is a new RDP client in Windows 7 that supports enhanced multimedia, multi-monitor, and other new features. I don’t know what the plan is to make it available as an upgraded client for Windows Vista or Windows XP.
“When you are connected to a remote system via DA you can see their screen as they logged on but are you running your session with your administrative rights?”
When I connected in the demo using Remote Desktop, I was logging in with the same account that was already logged-in on the desktop. So it locked the desktop at the client side, and allowed me to continue that same session from the LAN-side. As far as it relates to DirectAccess, there, really is nothing special here (and that’s the big news, really). It’s just a remote desktop connection like any other – except that I was able to launch it from inside the LAN, and connect to that client that is somewhere online and on the Internet. And to be able to do it BY NAME is also pretty cool. (Remember the IPv6 addresses we saw in DNS for that client?)
“How will the direct access feature integrate with SCCM 2007?”
As long as your SCCM Management Servers are able to see the clients, I don’t know of any issues. It’s not so much a special integration as it is those machines appearing to be available. As long as you have your networking configured properly (the required IPv6 and IPSec parts), I don’t see why SCCM would have any issues; while gaining the benefit of having access to those clients more often.
“Did I understand right? DirectAccess requires IPv6?”
Yes. You heard right.
“Can you comment on this - with so many features in Win 7 require 2K8 R2, what would be the incentive for enterprise to upgrade sooner rather than later. My view, it just increases the overall complexity and scope.”
Well, of course every business and every person is going to have to make the decision for themselves based on the new features in either product (Server or Client), and then the additional features gain when you have both. There are great reasons to move to Windows 7. There are great reasons to move to Windows Server 2008 R2. And the added functionality you get with both is icing on the cake; but you will have to decide for yourselves whether things like DirectAccess and BranchCache are of great-enough value to your organization to justify rolling out both. (You probably can guess what my opinion is.. but it’s not coming out of MY budget.)
As promised, here are the “Best of Q&A” from the webcast I delivered on June 4, 2009, entitled "TechNet Webcast: Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Overview (Part 1 of 2)”
A BIG THANK YOU to Dan Stolts and John Weston for assisting in answering questions during the webcast. This blog post is primarily a result of their efforts.
UP'DATE: I've just published the 4 screencast recordings I made of the 4 demos from this webcast. You can see them HERE.
“Do I understand right? Powershell 2.0 will be available on Server Core R2?”
Yes
“Will PowerShell 2.0 be available for install on Windows Server 2008 SP2?”
It is not listed on the features list. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/SP2.aspx.
You can download the PowerShell 2.0 CTP (Community Technology Preview) from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=60DEAC2B-975B-41E6-9FA0-C2FD6AA6BC89&displaylang=en, and try it out. When it is released, I’m sure that it will either be a download you can install, or perhaps installed as a Microsoft Update.
“Will we have the demo in the recorded webcast too?”
Yes. The recorded webcast is available 24-48 hours after the live session. Webcast recordings are currently available at the same link you used to register for the webcast. (see the top of this post). Also, I (Kevin) have recorded the demos, and will be posting them up on TechNet Edge as screencast videos. I’ll post links to them here on my blog when they’re ready.
“When will powershell v2.0 be available for download? It looks like there is on the the CTP available at this time.”
The CTP is available from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=60DEAC2B-975B-41E6-9FA0-C2FD6AA6BC89&displaylang=en I do not think the release date has been announced yet. My guess is that, since it’s being included in the next version of Windows (R2 and Windows 7), that the PowerShell 2.0 release will coincide with the RTM (Release to Manufacturing) of those products.
“Can we expect something similar to the features in the new Windows PowerShell in Exchange Management Shell (Exchange 2010 or later?)”
That would be logical to expect. We haven't released details that I am aware of how PowerShell, or what version Exchange 2010 will include.
“How can we migrate from 2003 AD to 2008 R2 AD?”
We will cover that is a later part of this Webcast series.
“When will it be so i can register it and dont lose it”
June 18th, 2009. http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032416243&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US John Weston will be the presenter. (Excellent!)
“Can I restore an accidentally deleted AD object if it has been deleted by another administrator?”
Yes. The recycle bin isn’t associated with a computer or any particular user account. It’s a container in the directory, so it is replicated as a part of the directory and available to anyone who has admin rights to it.
“In the demo he restored a object he personally deleted!”
Yes, but that is not a condition. It could have been deleted by others. Or others with the proper credentials could have done the restore.
“If PowerShell 2.0 can be installed on top of Windows Server 2008 SP2, will remote management using PowerShell 2.0 be possible without having to install R2?”
Yes, as long as you meet all conditions for PowerShell 2.0 including WS-Management.
“There's no GUI approach to the AD recycler?”
In regards to the lack of GUI, it came down to making decisions on work that is happening in Active Directory for the R2 release and they placed priority on other workloads. Another major point is AD Recycle Bin once enabled cannot be disabled!
I fully expect that there will eventually be a GUI for it. If we see it anywhere, it will be in the new Active Directory Management Console. Not likely in ADUC.
“Are there any time parameters for the date/time of the deletion?”
In terms of time, there are two things to consider, 1) you cannot restore an object until after the deletion has been fully replicated to all domain controllers. 2) the tombstonelifetime of the object. (180 days by default). You can read more about this at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd379542.aspx
“Does the [new] AD [management] console work in lower domain functional levels than 2008 R2?”
“Thank you so much,,, too over whelming,,, will there be an inplace upgade from 2003”
I wasn’t sure of the answer to this, and I never want to guess, so I asked the question up on the Windows Server forums. Here was the reply I got:
You can perform in place upgrade from windows 2003 64 to windows 2008 64 bit. Upgrade You can upgrade in-place from Windows Server 2008 to the final (RTM) version of Windows Server 2008 R2, without losing any data, since Microsoft has a policy on supporting upgrading from products that enjoy mainstream support. You should however consider the following conditions:
Your Windows Server 2008 installation should have the minimum required patchlevel for upgrading.
“Can 2008 CALs be used with 2008 R2 like it was for Server 2003?”
“What are the implications to add a Server 2k8R2 into 2k3 Domain?”
There are none that I can think of. Certainly if you want to take advantage of new capabilities that are in the new functional level, you’ll need to upgrade to a R2 level (which would require all DCs be running Server 2008 R2), but if you’re okay with the functionality you have, you can run a server 2008 machine as a member server or even as a domain controller.