Here’s a very good story from one of the highly active community members in Philippines, John Delizo. John just recently did a Windows Server 2008 R2 pilot project at a company to help the in-house IT group understand how an upgrade would affect their infrastructure. Today they have a single domain with 8 servers (a mix of Windows 2000, 2003 and Linux) and around 100 clients running a mix of Windows operating system from 2000, XP and Vista.
The reason to try out Windows Server 2008 R2 was for the IT administrators to gather the required knowledge and experience they need but also to evaluate the performance of R2. And the result was good:
“We were surprised that our test machine actually runs smoothly with R2 with a machine just having 4GB of RAM and Intel 2.93Ghz processor. We tried to install SQL 2008 Express and MOSS 2007 and it still run smoothly. The response time of IIS and the SharePoint site collections are very fast, even being accessed by a number of testers.”
The IT group was also pleased to see that one single console could be used to administer roles and that it was more user friendly. Since adding roles and features is done through a wizard no mistakes were done and with everything already included you don’t need to download any extra software for your initial configuration. They liked the Server Manager and the fact that it is immediately available upon logging on and you do not have to search for which MMC to use.
John also mentions the built in tools:
“The diagnostic tools also helped in our installation and evaluation, giving us real time data and other event information needed to troubleshoot some installation issues. Performance and reliability monitor also helped us determine our workload and the Resource Monitor gave us information on how to plan the next machine to be purchased for this kind of workload. The Audit tool could be a bit overwhelming but was very helpful in detecting problems on our configuration and security logs.”
Their conclusion after testing Windows Server 2008 R2 is that it performance is very good, even with less powerful hardware. For this company it was also important that it can coexist with Linux or earlier versions of Windows Server. I asked him why he would recommend other IT Pros to go for Windows Server 2008 R2, he replied:
“Windows Server 2008 R2 is very mature in terms of eventing, tracing and logging. Its diagnostics tool can help you detect bottlenecks, configuration errors and security events. It’s giving you a very high overview of the current state of your system so you can pinpoint errors and what to focus on to resolve the pressing issue. With diagnostics snap-in on server manager we can also drill down even to a specific event. For resources there’s a lot available at http://technet.microsoft.com and in the built in help of the Server 2008 R2.”
John also had the opportunity to test Windows 7 together with R2 and the next step for him will be to upgrade the Vista clients when Windows 7 is available to them as well as upgrade the servers to R2.
Microsoft Security Essentials is now available after being in Beta stage for some time. This product is targeting home users and can run on Windows XP, Windows Vista and of course Windows 7. Read more about it and download here
A few hours ago we kicked of the Virtual Launch event for “The New Efficiency” with a keynote session from Steve Ballmer. I was sleeping so didn’t catch it live but of course it was recorded for you to watch whenever it suites you. Except for the keynote, there are tons of other sessions divided in themes such as Discover The Optimized Desktop, Learn More About The Optimized Server, Considers Unified Communications and Explore Business Ready Security. Each theme has several sessions with a recorded presentation, possibility to download slides or transcript and also links to more content.
There is also a partner section where you can watch presentations, find information and connect with them.
I really like this format of learning and with all the available content you can keep busy for several days!
If you're an IT Pro in Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand or Philippines, we want to hear from you. Look out for the Global Relationship Survey invitation; it could land in your inbox any day.
In Microsoft, we look at this survey very seriously and your feedback on how we are doing is very valuable. We plan and deliver our activities, content and resources based on what you tell us. You may not see immediate reaction or receive a personal reply from us, but we are reading every single comment and we are working on improvements.
To help us deliver value to you, please fill up this survey. It will be sent from the domain "@satisfaction.ipsos.com". Be sure to whitelist this email domain and watch out for the Global Relationship Survey (GRS), last day to give feedback will be October 16th.
Last week, we announced a program for Web Professionals called WebsiteSpark. This is targeted to Web development and design companies with up to 10 employees and will give you a lot of good stuff:
· Microsoft Web design and development tools , including three licenses of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, two licenses of Microsoft Expression Web 3, and one license of Microsoft Expression Studio 3.
· Four processor licenses for production usage of Microsoft Windows Web Server 2008 or R2 (when available) and four processor licenses for production usage of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Web Edition.
· A third-party premium Website control panel (DotNetPanel).
Participating companies will also receive the following professional support and training:
· Two technical support incidents per company.
· Access to community support through connections with Network Partners, Hosting Partners and peers with complementary services and technologies.
· Unlimited access to technical managed newsgroups on MSDN.
· Unlimited program support for non-technical issues.
Find more information at the WebsiteSpark web or follow the conversation on Twitter
As for some of our recent product launches we will have a Virtual Launch for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010. On September 29th US time, this will kick off with a keynote session by Steve Ballmer. The session will of course be available on demand afterwards and followed by lots of technical sessions around the products. The focus for the event is “New Efficiency” and they will discuss how cost savings, productivity and innovation can drive business growth in these hard economic times.
You can also submit a question in advance for Steve Ballmer, so take that opportunity :-)
From today until December 31st 2009 you will get up to 25% discount on Microsoft Certifications exams. This is a perfect opportunity for you if you want to move into a new career in IT or just strengthen your skills and specialize within your current area. Depending on what exam you want to take you get 15%, 20% or 25% discount. You can for example get a 15% discount on Exam 70-680: TS: Windows 7 Configuring or 25% discount on Exam 70-646: PRO: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator. You find all the details around discounts and how to sign up here
Keen to try out Windows 7 now when it’s ready? Now you can download a 90 day trial of Windows 7 to play around with so you’re fully prepared and ready by the end of October when it will be available for everyone to buy. For those of you with a TechNet Subscription, I hope you know you can already get the full version without any time limit.
The full announcement of the Trial availability can be found on the Springboard Blog, together with a lot of resources. Don’t forget to check the Windows 7 Forums for questions and answers.
You can now download the August CTP (Community Technology Preview) of SQL Server 2008 R2. Read more about our next version of SQL Server on the SQL Web site and find detailed technical information being updated regularly on Books Online.
Are you into SQL Server? The organization PASS (Professional Association for SQL Server) is running a 24 hours of Virtual sessions on September 2. They start at midnight GMT time which should be early morning for us in Asia and then they run 24 different sessions on topics like Powershell, Performance, Data Warehouse, Security and much, much more. The sessions will be made available on demand sometime by the end of the year. Check out agenda and speakers here
Some time ago the 180-Day Evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 became available. On the Windows Server 2008 R2 TechCenter you find web casts, documents and trouble shooting articles to help you with your evaluation.
Download your Evaluation version here
I found this very good guide on how to migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7. It include videos and clickable flow chart diagram such as this one:
I’ve been on vacation so my blog has been more or less dead for some time but now I’m back so expect some updates! First, I saw that Talking About Windows has published a lot more videos than before, among them one with Mikael Nystrom, a Swedish MVP I know well from my time in Microsoft Sweden. He talks about security and reliability so check it out here. There are also several videos describing deployment of DirectAccess and BitLocker.
So what does this mean? RTM (Release To Manufacturing) means that it’s time for our OEM partners to get their PCs ready, for software development partners to test their new applications, and for hardware vendors to ready their hardware. On the Windows 7 Team Blog you can find out what it means for you as an IT professional—and learn how and when you can get the final bits. If you have a TechNet Subscription you will be among the first to get your hand on Windows 7, already on August 6.
Everything there is to know about Windows 7 can be found on Springboard. You can read the official RTM signoff announcement here
I can’t wait until I can re-install my own computer!
Last week the Springboard team did one of their Virtual Roundtables with Mark Russinovich, this time about Application Compatibility. Below you can see a short version of it and you can download the full one here.
All questions and answers will be posted on the Springboard Blog. There is also a new video on Application Compatibility posted on Talking About Windows and a new Windows 7 Application Compatibility section on Springboard
On the Springboard site you can also find the previous Virtual Roundtables around topics like security, deployment and performance.
Amila is a Senior Support Engineer working for Ridgecrest Asia Pvt Ltd in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is responsible for the entire network system and directly report to the CEO. Ridgecrest is a software development company for the financial sector and they are currently running one major project for optimization of stock exchange systems on one of the Fortune 500 banks in USA.
When he joined the company they were running Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003 but also Ubuntu clients and other open source products. Amilas’s experience was mostly on the Windows platform and since they were running some .net applications he managed to setup a few virtual machines and used Sharepoint for the intranet.
Because of the nature of the business and the many tight deadlines Amila cannot afford any downtime in the system so he decided virtualization is a good solution. He heard about the IT Pro Momentum program and decided to do an evaluation of virtualization solutions. He tried out both VMware and Hyper-V to compare features, performance and price. Because he liked the Live Migration feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 he decided to use that for his evaluation.
After he had done the testing he, in his own words: “had a painful discussion with my CEO for moving from open source to windows. Finally I won.”
They are now planning to have 5 Windows Server 2008 R2 running 17 virtual machines. The main benefits he sees are migration of virtualized guests from one physical host to another with no downtime, easing servicing, planning and reorganization while significantly limiting detrimental effects on production services. He also like the new disk quorum features in Windows Server 2008 which allows you to have clusters in multiple locations.
“I can say confidently to any interested parties, with properly equipped hardware you can enjoy a number of benefits that weren't possible before. The single largest benefit to any company making use of Hyper-V virtual dedicated servers is the cost efficiency factor. It is far more cost effective to build multiple virtual dedicated servers than it is to build physical dedicated servers. IT departments in any business are able to maintain the same performance levels, security and reliability at a far reduced cost.”
If you are interested in piloting any of our latest technologies like Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Exchange 2010 and soon Office 14 with support from us, please send me an email and I will give you more details about the IT Pro Momentum program. Read more IT Pro Momentum stories here
For more information on Microsoft Virtualization technologies, visit the Virtualization web. If you want to play around with the Release Candidate of Windows Server 2008 R2, you can download that here
MS Learning has come up with a lot of free Learning assets for Windows 7. First you have Learning Snacks; short, interactive presentations with animations and demos.
For more deeper understanding I recommend eLearning and there are three free courses available now for IT Pros, Developers and Consumers.
You will also be able to download sample chapters from coming books on Windows 7. All this can be accessed from the MS Learning Windows 7 site
You want to be GREEN, right? Save the environment and also save money? Then you should try Microsoft Hohm. This application will help you understand how much energy you are using at home and how to reduce that. It’s now in Beta fro us to collect feedback from you on how we can improve it. You can request access now or Become a Fan on Facebook!
Are you still on Windows 7 Beta? Then it’s time to move to the Release Candidate since the Beta will expire on August 1st. But already next week on July 1st you will experience issues since the OS will start rebooting every 2 hours.
You can download Windows 7 RC here and give us your feedback via input.microsoft.com
Now it’s official, the date when you will be able to buy Windows 7 in stores. Mark your calendar with October 22nd, that’s when it all begins :-) Read the full announcement on the Windows Blog. Windows Server 2008 R2 will also be available on this day, that announcement was made on the Windows Server Blog
Don’t forget that you can already now download the Release Candidate of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Bing! That’s our new search engine that we announced earlier this week. I’ve used it since Monday and like the look and feel of it and I recommend you to check it out and get your own opinion. For a review and to understand some changed that we implemented you can read this article in the Wall Street Journal: “Microsoft Effort to Best Google Yields Results”. Here you find a review from cnet.
Let’s Bing!
This month’s free E-Book from Microsoft Press is Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services Resource Kit. Download it now!
The MS Learning team in APAC has put together two Live Meetings on SQL Server 2008, one for all of you who are new to SQL Server: Jumpstart SQL 2008 Skills and one for you who are already knowledgeable on SQL Server 2005: Upgrade Your SQL Skills.
Jumpstart SQL 2008 Skills on May 26th at 12.30 Singapore time (What time is this in my country?) If you are new to SQL 2008, this session provides you with information on why and how to jumpstart your skills to SQL Server 2008. Our speaker will share real-life application examples and putting knowledge into context.
Upgrade Your SQL Skills on May 28th at 12:30 Singapore time (What time is this in my country?) If you have been running existing databases and applications on SQL Server 2005, this Webcast session show you exciting new capabilities to improve your applications and reduce support needs within a familiar management interface
Some short notes: 1. You need Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 installed on your PC to view this session. In case you do not have the requisite software, click here to download. 2. Internet Audio and Video broadcast for the webcast session would be done directly to your computer. Please ensure that you have Windows Media Player 9 or above installed. Click here to download.
Register now!
Here is something fun to finish off our week, Office 2010 the Movie! Check it out and sign up for the Technical Preview that will be released in July.
Talking About Windows is a new site with lots of videos about Windows 7, both available for streaming and download. Meet people in the Windows product team at Microsoft, like Mark Russinovich talking about things like security but also hear from IT Pros in the community, like Doug Miller, and why he thinks that the way to Windows 7 is through Windows Vista.