System Center 2012 cloud and datacenter management solutions empower you with a common management toolset for your private and public cloud applications and services, thus helping you confidently deliver IT as a Service for your business. System Center 2012 provides the ability for customers to create and manage their “Private Clouds” using the virtualization infrastructure provided by Windows Server 2008 R2, Hyper-V and other virtualization platforms. With , “Concero” provides a web based and simple experience for the application owner who will be consuming cloud capacity.
The initial release of “Concero” will enable customers to deploy, manage and control applications and services deployed on private clouds built using System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 and in the public cloud offering of Windows Azure. This provides a consistent and simple user experience for service management across these clouds.
Some key capabilities of “Concero” are
Below are some screen shots from “Concero”
The MMS session BH04 provides more information on Concero.
. http://blogs.technet.com/b/virtualization/archive/2011/03/29/mms-2011-labs-powered-by-hyper-v-system-center-amp-hp.aspx
Very nice Real world scenario of Hyper-V Usage
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Q. What is System Center Advisor?
A. System Center Advisor (formerly named Microsoft Codename Atlanta) is a cloud service that enables IT pros to assess their server configuration and proactively avoid problems, while helping support staff to resolve issues faster by accessing current and historical configuration data, all with the security features that meet their needs. Additionally, System Center Advisor reduces downtime by providing suggestions for improvement, and notifying customers of key updates specific to their configuration.
Q. Who is this product/solution for?
A. System Center Advisor is designed for IT Pros responsible for the management of Windows based server products. The Release Candidate available now helps IT Pros manage the configuration of SQL Servers as well as some Windows Server features. We aim to extend and deepen Advisor’s functionality with new configuration intelligence and product support over time.
Q. How much will System Center Advisor cost and how will it be licensed?
A. The Release Candidate (RC) version of System Center Advisor is open to anyone. At commercial availability, System Center Advisor will only be available as a benefit of Software Assurance for entitled server products. This service brings new support and maintenance value to Software Assurance coverage at no additional cost.
Q. How can customers try the Release Candidate?
A. The Release Candidate is free to evaluate for all customer based in the United States. Customers can sign up at http://www.systemcenteradvisor.com. When Advisor is commercially available later this year, there will be an upgrade experience offered to eligible customers.
Q. Which server products will the release candidate of Advisor support?
A. The Release Candidate available now helps IT Pros manage the configuration of SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 as well as some Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 features. Advisor aims to extend and deepen its reach over time with new configuration analysis intelligence and server product support over time.
Q. Will the list of supported products and versions be expanded for the production version?
A. System Center Advisor is designed as an extensible service that aims to deepen and extend its configuration analysis intelligence over time. New and extended support will be announced in future releases.
Q. Can I use Advisor for real time monitoring?
A. System Center Advisor is designed for configuration assessment on a periodic, rather than a continuous, basis. It is not intended to deliver real time monitoring. By default, Advisor collects different sets of data on 4-8 hour intervals. It analyzes that data once per day; it uploads data to the cloud once per day. Customers interested in real time monitoring solutions should investigate Microsoft System Center Operations Manager.
Q. How will Advisor Release Candidate be supported?
A. Customers will be able to contact Microsoft Support for any issues relating to their System Center Advisor deployment.
Q. Which languages does Advisor support?
A. For the release candidate, System Center Advisor is available for datacenters based in the United States, and the user interface is localized in US-English only.
System Center Advisor is a cloud service that enables IT professionals to assess their server configuration and proactively avoid problems. With System Center Advisor, support staff are able to resolve issues faster by accessing current and historical configuration data, all with the security features that meet their needs. Additionally, System Center Advisor helps reduce downtime by providing suggestions for improvement, and notifying customers of key updates specific to their configuration.
Proactively avoid problems
Increase awareness around the state of server deployment through assessment of configuration, and alerts for configuration-related issues.
Resolve issues before they become critical through ongoing assessments of the server environment for undetected configuration issues.
Assess and understand server configurations from virtually anywhere from a cloud service with security features that meet customer needs.
Resolve issues faster
Decrease time to resolve issues by easily viewing configuration changes over time with historical data.
Decrease time to resolve issues with the ability to share server configuration data with internal support staff or Microsoft Customer Support Services.
Accelerate problem solving with instant access to step by step guidance , self-help information and community forums related to identified issues.
Help reduce downtime and improve performance
Increase performance and availability of servers by understanding configuration state and receiving suggestions for improvement to help ensure availability.
Help reduce server downtime by getting notifications for key updates specific to the configuration of the server environment.
Increase collaboration between IT professionals through centralized data of an organization’s deployment configurations.
Sign up to try the System Center Advisor Release Candidate.
Microsoft is prioritizing business applications such as ERP applications. As with Microsoft Application Virtualization for the desktop there is not a list of applications that Server Application Virtualization will support.
However, there are a number of architectural attributes that the initial release of this technology has been optimized for. These attributes include:
Applications that do not have these attributes may be supported in later versions. The following applications or architectural attributes will not be supported in V1:
So, today, we encourage you to download the System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 Beta and give Server Application Virtualization a try against your existing applications!
Q: Where did Windows Intune come from? Is it a Version 1 product? A: Windows Intune, codenamed “Florida,” is the successor to Microsoft’s System Center Online Desktop Manager, a product which Microsoft never actually released, but which its executives talked up considerably back in 2009. Windows Intune is an updated, reworked update to the SCODM offering. Microsoft released the first public Windows Intune beta in April 2010 and a second in July 2010.
Q: Who is the target audience for Windows Intune? A: Microsoft is positioning the product as a PC (not server) management product aimed primarily at SMB customers who don’t currently have a PC management system in place.
Q: How much does Windows Intune cost? A: Microsoft execs have said Intune will cost $11 per seat, per month, which includes the management service, as well as Windows 7 Enterprise upgrade rights, enabling users with a version of Windows Business, Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise already installed to move up to the Enterprise version of Windows 7. For $1 per user per month more, users can get the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) of on-premises tools, as well.
Q: Microsoft has touted Windows Intune as providing users with some technologies — like the Enterprise version of Windows 7 and MDOP tools — that only those who sign Software Assurance licenses have been able to get to date. What if a user already is a Software Assurance licensee? Can he/she still purchase Windows Intune? A: “Current Windows SA customers are eligible to get Windows Intune at a reduced price,” according to Microsoft. Software Assurance licensees “will be billed at a lower price so that they do not pay twice for the upgrade rights included in Windows Intune.” (There’s no word in Microsoft’s FAQ documenation as to what that price is.)
Q: Can Windows Intune manage and secure Windows XP machines? A: Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Windows Intune runs on Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, and Professional; Windows Vista Enterprise, Ultimate, and Business; and Windows XP Professional with Service Pack (SP) 2 or later (SP3 recommended). If you are running it on XP SP2 clients, you also need to have installed Forefront Client Security Filter Manager QFE for Windows XP/SP2 and Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0. Q: What’s the difference between Windows Intune, the Microsoft Update Service and Windows Server Update Service mechanisms? A: According to Microsoft, Windows Intune provides the same list of updates as the Windows Software Update Service (WSUS), with the same level of control. “Windows Intune works over the cloud like Windows Update and Microsoft Update, but you don’t need on-site infrastructure. Updates are delivered directly to any of your managed PCs that have an Internet connection.”
Q: Does Windows Intune overlap, in terms of functionality, with Microsoft’s Forefront Endpoint Protection product? A: “The endpoint protection included in Windows Intune is powered by the same Microsoft Malware Protection Engine used by Forefront Endpoint Protection and can deliver alerts and infection reports in a similar manner,” company officials say. Windows Intune does provide some of the same functionality as Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 business security product.
Q: Does Windows Intune obviate the need for whatever kind of antivirus software a customer may already be running? A: Microsoft says Windows Intune can be used to replace whatever a user is employing for malware protection. “This (replacement) is the recommended approach, because it will give access to the centralized malware protection policies and reporting of Windows Intune,” Microsoft is telling customers and partners.
Q: Does Windows Intune conflict with any other management products users may have running on their Windows PCs? A: Microsoft doesn’t allow users to run the Windows Intune client and the System Center Confi guration Manager client on the same machine. The Softies said they are not aware of any technical conflicts that would inhibit Windows Intune from working with other PC management suites.
Q: Where can users download a trial version of Windows Intune? A: Customers can sign-up for their free 30-day trial of the Windows Intune cloud service, at https://mocp.microsoftonline.com/Site/services/intune/Signup.aspx?offer=winintune. Or partners can initiate the trial version on behalf of their customers.
Windows Intune is unique because it's an end-to-end Microsoft solution that brings together Windows cloud services for PC management and endpoint protection with a Windows 7 Enterprise upgrade subscription. With the easy-to-use web-based console, you get immediate insight into your PC environment and can view update and malware status, alerts, security policies, and more. You just need an Internet connection and the Windows Intune client installed on each PC you wish to manage.
http://www.windowsintune.com/
Sign up for your free 30 day trial and learn how you can make the most of your Windows Intune trial!
Microsoft posted for download on March 22 the documentation for its coming Microsoft Server Application Virtualization (Server App-V) beta technology.
Server App-V enables you to virtualize application images on a Windows Azure worker role (single role, single instance) without rewriting them or packaging them within a virtual machine. Once the application is deployed this way, customers take advantage of the the automated service management capabilities of Windows Azure, including automatic configuration and ongoing operating system management.
In other words, “Microsoft Server Application Virtualization converts traditional server applications into state separated “XCopyable” images without requiring code changes to the applications themselves, allowing you to host a variety of Windows 2008 applications on Azure.”
The final version of Server App-V is due to be released in the second half of calendar 2011.
www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com
Overview
The Academy is an extension of a proven field Best Practice from Microsoft to help IT Pros with free Learning Paths to advance their career and increase their Cloud-credibility within their organizations. For now It’s available in English with 4 tracks
and we expect to release at least 2 new tracks every month (with focus on FY12 IT Pro priority topics Cloud & Client).
please register in www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com
With this release you will be able to do:
Discover you how you can use the rich readiness reporting of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit to help customers streamline and simplify their migration to the Windows Azure platform.
MAP is just one of the free resources provided by Microsoft Solution Accelerators, a team committed to providing tested guidance and automated tools to help organizations plan, securely deploy, and manage new Microsoft technologies—easier, faster, and at less cost. Learn more.
CTA:
· View the MAP Windows Azure migration demo, and help customers accelerate their migration to the cloud.
· Download the MAP Toolkit 5.5.
Are comics a resource you think would be useful to have as part of your learning process?
Would they work well for some technologies but not for others?
Would you like to see more of this type of content from Microsoft?
In this post the Cloud comic is available as a PDF download.
You'll find the remaining panels below followed by a link to download the entire comic.
Click here to download the Cloud comic.
Some extra notes !
On page 24, you'll notice a printing error where we did not update the Windows Azure link. Specifically, we link to the Chinese Windows Azure website instead of the English version of the Windows Azure website.
I just like to inform you that I will present this year following session at TechEd in Dubai
I will update this post after Teched and provide the download of the presentations and the provided Powershell scripts
In this session you will learn how the advanced management capabilities of Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 can manage your Virtual Infrastructure effectively and efficiently. Learn how to provision VMs in the most efficient way, and see how PowerShell enables automation and saves you a lot of time. This session will also cover what’s new in Service Pack 1 for SCVMM 2008 R2, and you will take away lots of useful PowerShell scripts, troubleshooting hints, cool tips and tricks, and best practices to help manage your virtual Infrastructure.
As servers are consolidated into VMs, the availability of those VMs is becoming increasingly important in providing disaster tolerance and business continuance. This session covers considerations of multi-site clustering, where virtual machines can be configured on a Hyper-V Failover Cluster that reaches across sites. This session also covers conducting live migrations across datacenters, and considerations of Cluster Shared Volumes with replication software.
This session will focus on leveraging DPM’s protection and recovery capabilities in large datacenters. We will look at how DPM protects and recovers application workloads such as SQL, Exchange and SharePoint - as well as virtual machines within Hyper-V. The session is full of demonstrations, including that of the new self-service restore capability for database administrators. We will also look at combining on-premises and off-premises protection, using both DPM’s built-in replication mechanisms as well as cloud-based DPM-partner repositories.
Just one week after Microsoft Management Summit 2011 (MMS), Microsoft Learning will be hosting an exclusive three-day Jump Start class specially tailored for VMware and Microsoft virtualization technology pros. Registration for “Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals” is open now and will be delivered as a FREE online class on March 29-31, 2010 from 10:00am-4:00pm PDT.
What’s the high-level overview?
· This cutting edge course will feature expert instruction and real-world demonstrations of Hyper-V and brand new releases from System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 Beta (many of which will be announced just one week earlier at MMS). Register Now!
· Day 1 will focus on “Platform” (Hyper-V, virtualization architecture, high availability & clustering)
o 10:00am – 10:30pm PDT: Virtualization 360 Overview
o 10:30am – 12:00pm: Microsoft Hyper-V Deployment Options & Architecture
o 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Differentiating Microsoft and VMware (terminology, etc.)
o 2:00pm – 4:00pm: High Availability & Clustering
· Day 2 will focus on “Management” (System Center Suite, SCVMM 2012 Beta, Opalis, Private Cloud solutions)
o 10:00am – 11:00pm PDT: System Center Suite Overview w/ focus on DPM
o 11:00am – 12:00pm: Virtual Machine Manager 2012 | Part 1
o 1:00pm – 1:30pm: Virtual Machine Manager 2012 | Part 2
o 1:30pm – 2:30pm: Automation with System Center Opalis & PowerShell
o 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Private Cloud Solutions, Architecture & VMM SSP 2.0
· Day 3 will focus on “VDI” (VDI Infrastructure/architecture, v-Alliance, application delivery via VDI)
o 10:00am – 11:00pm PDT: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 1
o 11:00am – 12:00pm: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 2
o 1:00pm – 2:30pm: v-Alliance Solution Overview
o 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Application Delivery for VDI
· Every section will be team-taught by two of the most respected authorities on virtualization technologies: Microsoft Technical Evangelist Symon Perriman and leading Hyper-V, VMware, and XEN infrastructure consultant, Corey Hynes
Who is the target audience for this training?
Suggested prerequisite skills include real-world experience with Windows Server 2008 R2, virtualization and datacenter management. The course is tailored to these types of roles:
· IT Professional
· IT Decision Maker
· Network Administrators & Architects
· Storage/Infrastructure Administrators & Architects
How do I to register and learn more about this great training opportunity?
· Register: Visit the Registration Page and sign up for all three sessions
· Blog: Learn more from the Microsoft Learning Blog
· Twitter: Here are a few posts you can retweet:
o Mar. 29-31 "Microsoft #Virtualization for VMware Pros" @SymonPerriman Corey Hynes http://bit.ly/JS-Hyper-V @MSLearning #Hyper-V
o @SysCtrOpalis Mar. 29-31 "Microsoft #Virtualization for VMware Pros" @SymonPerriman Corey Hynes http://bit.ly/JS-Hyper-V #Hyper-V
o Learn all the cool new features in Hyper-V & System Center 2012! SCVMM, Self-Service Portal 2.0, http://bit.ly/JS-Hyper-V #Hyper-V #Opalis
What is a “Jump Start” course? A “Jump Start” course is “team-taught” by two expert instructors in an engaging radio talk show style format. The idea is to deliver readiness training on strategic and emerging technologies that drive awareness at scale before Microsoft Learning develops mainstream Microsoft Official Courses (MOC) that map to certifications. All sessions are professionally recorded and distributed through MS Showcase, Channel 9, Zune Marketplace and iTunes for broader reach.
Please join us for this fantastic event!