Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 had support for Virtual Machine templates (VM templates). At their core, VM templates consist of three main artifacts: one or more virtual disks, a hardware profile (define hardware characteristics of the virtual machine) and a guest OS profile (define Windows Operating System specialization values for the virtual machine). VM templates are great for repeatedly and reliably deploying standalone (read: single) virtual machines, but they suffer from at least three notable limitations. MORE

There were two server installation types prior to Windows Server 2012: full and core. Core servers provide a low attack surface by removing the Windows Shell and Internet Explorer completely. However, it presented quite a challenge for many Windows administrators as Windows PowerShell and command line utilities were the only methods used to manage the servers and its roles locally (you could use most management consoles remotely).

Those same two server installation types return in Windows Server 2012; however, we have added a third installation type: Minimal Server Interface. MORE

Need to set up a powerful wiki quickly? Looking for an open source bulletin board solution for your Windows Azure Web Site? Yesterday we announced the availability of MediaWiki and phpBB in the Windows Azure Web Applications gallery. MediaWiki is the open source software that powers WikiPedia and other large-scale wiki projects, and phpBB is the most widely used open source bulletin board system in the world. MORE

It’s an amazing time for developers. The number of platform choices they have is outstanding.  From smartphones to slates, to big iron in the data center, Visual Studio has your creative needs covered. Today we officially launch the development environment, Visual Studio 2012.  You can head over to the launch site and listen to some of our key executives talk about the product and support for the terrific applications we know you’ll develop. MORE

The Microsoft Cloud OS provides enterprises with a highly elastic and scalable infrastructure with always-on, always-up services. Automated management, robust multitenant support, and self-service provisioning help enterprises transform their datacenters to support the coordination and management of pooled sets of shared resources at the datacenter level, replacing fragmented management of individual server nodes.

At the core of the Microsoft Cloud OS is Windows Server 2012.  The new operating system provides a comprehensive set of capabilities across the enterprise private cloud datacenter, and public cloud datacenters. MORE

The Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) brings together the brightest IT professionals from around the world to increase their technical expertise through deep hands-on training, best-practice sharing, and interaction with innovators in desktop, device, and datacenter management, as well as cloud technologies.

When we say deep, we mean it – with session content delving into the 300 and 400 level. Only hard-core geeks will feel comfortable in this exclusive setting. With keynotes, sessions, hands-on labs, certification opportunities, and face-to-face access to Microsoft and industry experts, MMS provides a “can’t-miss” opportunity to be among the first to learn about new technologies. MORE

Since 2010, we’ve worked with Red Hat to support our mutual customers with enhanced interoperability in Windows environments. This continues with today’s beta release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.9.

The RHEL 5.9 beta was engineered with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V interoperability in mind. The device drivers needed to run RHEL as a first-class guest on Hyper-V are built right in, making it easier for customers to manage their heterogeneous Red Hat Enterprise Linux-Windows environments for virtualization and private cloud. The Hyper-V drivers included in this release will soon be certified through the Red Hat Hardware Certification Program– further validation that customers can expect a reliable, enterprise-class virtualization experience. MORE

Last week was a busy week for the company.  Our Office division reached the release to manufacturing milestone for a large and impressive array of client, server and cloud based products and services. General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013. For those of you with MSDN and TechNet subscriptions, you’ll have to wait a little longer for the download. MORE

In Windows Server 2012, Hyper-V added the capability to store virtual machine (VM) resources on network shares hosted on NAS devices as an alternative to SAN remote storage. The Hyper-V storage stack in Windows Server 2012 now supports increased resiliency for network disconnects for these VM resources by using the “resilient handles” feature in the SMB protocol. This basically means that now virtual machine resources such as VM configuration file, ISO files, VHD files and VHD snapshot files can be stored on any remote SMB file share that supports the SMB 2.2+ protocol. MORE

Some of you that know me (through my www.gpoguy.com and www.sdmsoftware.com sites), know that I spend an inordinate amount of time exploring, developing against and helping customers with Group Policy. So I was anxious to see what changes Microsoft made in Server 2012 with respect to Group Policy. Of course, as a Group Policy MVP, I had a chance to see and even give input on these improvements months ago, but now that this stuff is live, let's explore some cool new features that Microsoft has added to Group Policy. It's important to note that while these are really evolutionary rather than revolutionary, they've added some key new capabilities to make Group Policy really your best friend for enterprise-class configuration management. MORE

Confused about making the jump to Internet-based cloud services or virtualization? Let me help you sort out how you can take advantage of cloud-based services and on-premises IT infrastructure, depending on your specific needs and level of comfort with technology. Windows Server 2012 Essentials gives you the flexibility to choose the approach that’s right for you. MORE

The methods Windows and NFS use to represent user and group identities are different and are not necessarily directly interchangeable. Identity Mapping is the process of converting from an NFS identity representation to a Windows representation and vice-versa.

This blog post describes the selection, configuration and usage of the user and group identity mapping options. The NFS client is available selected versions of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.  This post will assist systems administrators when installing and configuring the NFS components within Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.  It describes the available mapping mechanisms and provides guidance on which of those mechanisms to use in common scenarios. MORE

Which is more important, hardware or software?  We have had this debate for
years and with the proliferation of smart phones or slate devices, many would
say hardware.  Application developers would refute that and say those devices
would not be popular without their applications.  Database administrators would
laugh and say More

Since the first moments of Satya Nadella's keynote on Monday morning, TechEd has been popping with activity for 8,600 attendees. Speakers explained a vision of the cloud OS, an infrastructure that provides secure, manageable connectivity for all the PCs and devices business users will require to be successful in the mobile economy. From enterprise to SMB to individual users, Microsoft laid out a technical path in hundreds of conference sessions (you can still watch live) and in a series of keynotes and blog postings on Windows 8 for business, building Windows 8 apps on ARM, Visual Studio, private cloud,... More.

We are very pleased with the reception System Center 2012 has had since its release in April.  Many organizations are in the process of deploying System Center 2012 Configuration Manager to help embrace consumerization while still maintaining corporate compliance and control.  Over the past few months we’ve been detailing our plans for Configuration Manager Service Pack 1, and we’re happy to announce that the beta is now available for download on the Microsoft Download Center.   This blog post focuses on the Configuration Manager  capabilities in the service pack, as well as new information about Windows Intune.  With Windows 8, Windows RT devices, and Windows Phone 8 coming soon, we are excited to give you a preview of the new client management capabilities and vision we’ll be delivering in the coming months. MORE

A datasheet recently published by VMware makes an argument for why organizations should choose VMware View over Remote Desktop Services (RDS). The datasheet ignores that RDS is a proven technology in use by millions of users every day. Microsoft's approach to Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (or VDI) is fundamentally different from VMware’s approach. This difference stems from Microsoft's belief in offering choices to customers. Unlike VMware, Microsoft can deliver VDI functionality in 3 different ways. MORE

Join us September 4th for the Windows Server® launch events. Windows Server® powers many of the worlds' largest datacenters, enables small businesses around the world, and delivers value to organizations of all sizes in between. Building on this legacy, Windows Server 2012 redefines the category, delivering hundreds of new features and enhancements spanning virtualization, networking, storage, user experience, cloud computing, automation, and more. Simply put, Windows Server 2012 helps you transform your IT operations to reduce costs and deliver a whole new level of business value. MORE

If you are developing for the Windows Phone you'll be interested in the sneak peek announcement and preview of Windows Phone 8. The new operating system, based on the same core as Windows, will enable a wave of new mobile scenarios for consumers, developers and IT Pros. Windows Phone 8 brings new hardware capabilities like multi-core chips, new screen resolutions, SD card support and NFC. Watch the announcement.

Many of you have likely read some of the technical blog posts produced by Jose Barreto. Last Thursday Jose posted a lengthy article we think many of you will find interesting. The article instructs you on the fine art of building a technical lab using Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V virtualization, Failover Clustering, and SQL Server 2012.  This is all accomplished on a single machine. MORE

We’re excited to announce that Windows MultiPoint Server 2012 is released and an Evaluation version is available for download here. Note that you can start your deployment with the Evaluation version and then convert it to perpetual product with a product key later, so feel free to get started today. MORE

It is becoming more and more common for software shops to build applications and apps for multiple platforms and devices. In addition to other applications and platforms that you need to build, you may also need to build iOS or Mac OS X applications.

It’s desirable to keep all of your source code assets in the same repository regardless of the target platforms you are building for.  Developers should also work how they want to work with source control integration in their IDEs.  For iOS and Mac OS X, that would most likely be Xcode with integrated git for source control. MORE

It’s sometimes easier to think about cloud computing in all or nothing terms – move everything into the cloud or leave everything as-is, on-premises.  But, as most know, the emerging reality is more of a hybrid approach, combining both cloud and on-premises resources.  Windows Server 2012 and System Center 2012 SP1 are embracing the hybrid model with services including Windows Azure Online Backup.  It’s a great example of how Windows Server, System Center and Windows Azure work together in what we call the “Cloud OS”. MORE

The average gamer probably doesn’t think about the virtual machines, cloud services and other technologies that power their fun – at least not as long as everything runs smoothly. When “Halo 4” launches Nov. 6, millions of fans around the world will simultaneously push the game’s back-end scaffolding to the limit. Any glitch, any hang-up, and the engineering team gets thrust into the spotlight. MORE

Microsoft is currently offering promotional pricing for users upgrading to Windows 8 from Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Through January 31st, you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 ERP (U.S.) via Windows.com using the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant or pick up a DVD copy at a local retailer for just $69.99 ERP (U.S.). And if you bought an eligible Windows 7 PC between June 2nd and January 31st, 2013, you can register for the Windows Upgrade Offer and upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99 ERP(U.S.). But come February 1st, these prices will be increasing. MORE...

The Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure last week showcased ten companies that are leveraging Windows Azure to solve a wide variety of problems. It's an exciting and competitive time to be a startup - the consumption-based cloud model lets you quickly spin up and experiment with your ideas and then pay as you scale if your business takes off.  With cloud computing, so many people can achieve the level of access and capacity that they need to innovate, build, pivot, and launch.  Cloud computing also makes it a challenging time to be a startup because that lower barrier to entry means more people can play at the party. After attending the Accelerator, Windows Azure GM Bill Hilf shares some guidance for tech startups. MORE...