Just noticed over on the MDOP Blog that Microsoft App-V is now available for use with Windows 7. That means subscribers of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) can now test their applications and prepare for enterprise deployments by downloading the App-V 4.5 CU1 for Window 7 Beta from Microsoft Connect .
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TechNet Plus subscribers can now get their hands on the Release Candidate bits for Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2. According to the TechNet Pus Blog, SP2 contains changes focused on supporting new types of hardware and adding support for several emerging standards. SP2 will also continue to make it easier for IT administrators to deploy and manage large installations of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
Not yet a TechNet Plus subscriber, see what else you are missing, in addition to early access to software. Subscribers can click here to access your benefits.
More to come,
The Infrastructure Planning and Design team has released a new guide, Microsoft SQL Server 2008. When used in conjunction with product documentation, this guide will help companies confidently plan the implementation of a SQL Server 2008 infrastructure. Fundamental tasks are addressed to help identify which SQL Server roles will be needed as well as to determine the infrastructure's components, server placement, and the fault-tolerance configuration to meet necessary requirements.
If you’re already familiar with the IPD Guides series, the Infrastructure Planning and Design Team wants to hear your thoughts. Please take a moment to complete this brief survey.
See how one company was able to save more than $200,000 last year by deploying Microsoft virtualization and infrastructure software.
Lionbridge, a a $461 million (U.S.) translation, development and testing services company, created and deployed Virtual Cloud Lab, a globally accessible datacenter that is shared by engineers in any of the company’s sites, as well as by the company’s independent network of 25,000 partners who are located in more than 100 countries. For the Virtual Cloud Lab, Lionbridge migrated most of the core infrastructure to Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V technology.
The virtualized infrastructure and centralized management enables all workers to access vital internal resources. The savings came through the 100-percent virtual footprint. It completely removed all physical hardware requirements from branch office sites. Lionbridge has replaced hundreds of servers and desktops with virtual machines hosted in its internal cloud computing datacenter.
Microsoft has joined with hardware partners Bull, Dell and HP to provide a new set of reference architectures for data warehousing that increases Microsoft SQL Server 2008 scalability up to 32 terabytes, and helps reduce the time and effort necessary to deploy mission-critical projects. The new SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse gives customers immediate access to pretested, preconfigured industry-standard hardware for as little as $13,000 per terabyte. The new configurations use symmetric multiprocessing architectures to build enterprise data warehouses on a standard platform, providing better capacity, price and same or better performance as comparable systems.
In addition, Microsoft is partnering with systems integrators Avanade, Cognizant Technology Solutions, HP and Hitachi Consulting to provide solution templates specially tailored for the new reference architectures.
Do you know someone whose tech skills could use a little updating? Microsoft yesterday unveiled the Elevate America program where it will provide technology training to up to 2 million people over the next three years. This can benefit people throughout the organization, from those who need basic technology literacy and skills training in order to better to their jobs, to more intermediate-level skills training, all the way to Microsoft eLearning courses and certification exams. For the latter, Microsoft is providing one million Microsoft Learning vouchers for free access to Microsoft eLearning courses and select certification exams. There are also discounted membership rates for institutions participating in the Microsoft IT Academy program.
Microsoft will also partner with state and local governments, which in turn will make these resources available to their citizens. Florida, New York and Washington will be the first states to provide Elevate America to their residents.
TechNet Flash readers are being offered a special deal on a TechNet Plus subscription. Get 12 months for just $297 (Reg. $349). Just use the promo code TNF10 to get the special price. Through TN Plus you can still get your hands on the Windows 7 Beta.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/bb892754.aspx?pm=Lv:103|np:TNF10
TechNet Magazine is continuing its month of Windows 7 tips. Here are a few of the latest tips you’ll find on the TechNet Magazine site:
· Easily Install Windows 7 Alongside Windows Vista for a Dual Boot System
· Turn Off Security Messages and Other System Notifications in Windows 7
The IIS team has released the beta for the Dynamic IP Restrictions Extension for IIS, which provides IT Professionals and Hosters a configurable module that helps block Denial of Service attacks or cracking of passwords. It does so by temporarily blocking IP addresses of HTTP clients who follow a pattern that could be conducive to such attacks. This module can be configured such that the analysis and blocking could be done at the Web Server or the Web Site level.
Download the beta:
Microsoft Dynamic IP Restrictions for IIS 7.0 - Beta (x86)
Microsoft Dynamic IP Restrictions for IIS 7.0 - Beta (x64)
Read the documentation.
Tap into our MVPs’ knowledge and connections. Take a look and be inspired by some of their great work. Through our new MVP Award Program blog, we now share some of the amazing activities of Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professionals across the world. You’ll find a fresh new post each day to help technical community watchers and technical minds like yours find information and insight from some of the best and brightest in the technical community.
We hope you enjoy reading the blog and find it useful. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the blog moderator.
You might also like our Twitter site and Official Facebook Fan Page.
More come,
In response to customer feedback during this global economic downturn, the Help and Support team announced yesterday that it would hold the line on pricing for Custom Support in 2009. Pricing for Custom Support includes an annual enrollment fee that normally escalates year over year, with the pricing published three years in advance. The price of Custom Support in 2009 will maintain the 2008 pricing.
The Custom Support program provides support on legacy versions of some Microsoft products and service packs that have reached the end of support, while customers complete their migration to supported versions. This price change provides additional cost savings while enabling customers to maintain support on older versions of Microsoft products until they complete their migrations.
Account Managers will be reaching out to customers with Custom Support with more information.
Those who’ve played with the R2 beta release of Windows Server 2008 might have noticed a new tool, the Best Practices Analyzer, designed to help administrators reduce best practice violations by automatically scanning the roles in use and reporting the violations. Also in WS 2008 R2, Events and Errors documentation is available directly from Event Viewer, organized in hierarchical structure by server roles and server fundamentals.
Finally, here are some issues that we know about this beta release of Window Server 2008 R2. Check here to see how to correct or work around these issues.
For those of you using, evaluating or considering Office Communications Server, get on over to the TechNet Magazine site. The March issue is now up and it’s all about OCS 2007, including the new OCS 2007 R2 release. And when the magazine covers a technology like this, thematically, you can count on a thorough deep dive. Even the primer story What’s New in Office Communications Server 2007 R2 goes into great detail outlining the new features. If you’re already sold on the benefits of OCS, check out the article on the the Planning Tool for OCS 2007 R2, which can help you quickly generate a topology and determine the hardware needed. And then there are technical how-to articles covering Remote Call Control, Securing OCS with ISA Server, and Managing OCS 2007 R2 from the Command Line.
OCS may be more important now than ever because it can bring immediate cost savings. Its Web conferencing capability can help your organization avoid travel expenses. And since it’s based on voice-over-Internet technology, it reduces those expensive long distance charges while consolidating your communications infrastructure. Does it work? You bet it does. I use it every day.
The Windows Blog posted a gem yesterday by Gavriella Schuster, senior director for the Windows Enterprise team. This is probably the most succinct job yet of explaining to business users why deploying Windows Vista now will make the future transition to Windows 7 easier. In her post Guidance on Windows Deployments for Business Customers, Schuster acknowledges the lead times required for new operating system deployments, as well as the pressure on operating margins due to the current state of the economy. Find out how testing and remediating your applications on Windows Vista can actually ease your Windows 7 deployment due to the high degree of compatibility. Given those deployment lead times, consider her guidance.
Also from Schuster, check out her Windows 7 Enterprise Edition Customer Benefits posting, which zeros in on the Windows 7 Enterprise features that deliver greater efficiency and cost savings.
Microsoft has released the security bulletins for February 2009. For information about how to receive automatic notifications whenever Microsoft security bulletins are issued, visit Microsoft Technical Security Notifications. You can also join a webcast that addresses customer questions on these bulletins today at 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada). Register now for the February Security Bulletin Webcast.
Also check here for a description of Software Update Services and Windows Server Update Services changes in content for 2009.
Here’s an update on the great results from Microsoft’s acquisition of enterprise search developer FAST Search & Transfer last April. As you may recall, the plan was to bring together FAST’s deep search expertise with the widely used SharePoint Server platform technology. Today, Microsoft gave out some details on FAST Search for SharePoint, a new search server that will add the high-end search capabilities of FAST ESP to SharePoint.
Microsoft also announced ESP for SharePoint, a special offer available for SharePoint Enterprise Client Access License customers, allowing them to purchase FAST’s high-end search capabilities today with a defined licensing path to FAST Search for SharePoint when it’s released.
FAST Search for SharePoint will be available with the release of the next version of Microsoft Office.
Stay tuned to the progress of Fast Search for SharePoint on the Enterprise Search Web site and the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server site.
OK, if you haven’t realized it yet, your company’s carbon footprint could be costing it money. And that’s money you don’t want to waste these days. Here’s a way to capture the data needed to measure key indicators related to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from within the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, helping you to pinpoint ways to cut their energy consumption and costs. Microsoft announced today the new Environmental Sustainability Dashboard for Microsoft Dynamics AX, a free add-on to the Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution. If you’ve been looking for more impetus to implement environmentally sustainable business policies and practices, this could be the tool you’re after. And after these policies and practices are in place, you can use the dashboard to track and display their effects. The dashboard will display four of the Core Environmental Performance Indicators (CEPI) as identified by the Global Reporting Initiative.
Here’s a great way to get a quick overview. Watch the Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Dashboard Video.
Even before last week’s announcement of the Windows 7 lineup, I know that a lot of you are already testing the new OS, and as you begin this process, check out the Ten Things IT Professionals Should Know About Windows 7, a quick guide to what is in store if you’re responsible for desktop administration. If you haven’t started the evaluation yet, or even if you have, the new Windows 7 Walkthroughs explore the new and updated features in Windows 7, from AppLocker to the Problem Steps Recorder, with short video screencasts.
And if you want to hear from the experts what’s in store for IT pros with Windows 7, tune into the virtual roundtable discussion Windows 7: To the Beta and Beyond, moderated by none other than Mark Russinovich at 11 AM Pacific Time tomorrow, February 12. Bring your questions. Mark and the panel will answer as many as they can during the hour-long event, then publish the rest in a Q&A after the event. Then check out Mark’s most recent blog entry, The Case of the Phantom Desktop Files, recollecting an issue on his wife’s PC where there were files in her desktop folder that didn’t appear on the actual desktop.
I told you last week about the new Tip-of-the-Day feature on the TechNet Magazine site, which offers great tips based on a monthly theme. Well, guess what? We’ve started a new month and this month you’ll find a month of Windows 7 Beta tips. Whether you’re already using the Windows 7 beta or you're just curious about what to expect in the next release of Windows, here's a good opportunity to explore some of the new features and enhancements you’ll find in the upcoming new OS. For example, here are a few of the tips you’ll find:
· New Hotkey Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 7 beta 1
· Burn a Disc Image from an ISO or IMG file in Windows 7
· Pin Files, Folders, and Favorites to the Taskbar
Check back every business day for your new tip.
Microsoft has announced the general availability of Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2, which delivers enriched audio and video conferencing, new developer tools, and enhanced voice capabilities. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 includes all components of Office Communications Server 2007 as well as the new Office Communications Server Attendant Console; integrated mobile client; cross-platform desktop sharing, group chat; the Response Group workflow design application; dial-in conferencing; Single Number Reach, which intelligently forwards calls; Session Internet Protocol (SIP) Trunking, for directly connecting to the PSTN over a SIP trunk without requiring on-premise gateways, and call monitoring.
You can be part of the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Virtual Launch Experience. Just register for the full virtual launch experience for access to the keynote and breakout sessions plus the evaluation kit. Also, learn how you can cut costs with Office Communications Server 2007 R2 audio and Web conferencing.
A quick look at the Windows Blog revealed more updates for those of you following Windows 7 developments. Windows General Manager Mike Ybarra revealed in broad terms our SKU strategy for Windows 7 in an interview with Microsoft PressPass. Check it out and see what editions are right for you. My guess is probably Windows 7 Professional, the recommended choice for small businesses and for people who work at home but have to operate in an IT-managed or business environment; or Windows 7 Enterprise edition, which offers advanced data protection, lower cost compliance and IT tools to streamline PC management and help save costs.
But hey, maybe you are also interested in running it on one of the new netbooks. Good news for you, too. Brad Brooks, corporate vice president for Windows Consumer Product Marketing, discusses how Windows 7 will support these small computers.
Microsoft today unveiled the Premier Mission Critical Support program, a new a new Microsoft Services Premier Support add-on for mission critical IT support. Premier Mission Critical Support delivers personalized support coverage through designated support professionals with guaranteed response times backed by financial credits, round-the-clock access to expertise and prioritized access to product development teams. This includes end-to-end incident management and ensures the fastest possible root cause identification. Support works with product teams to provide critical, on-demand patch production in severe situations.
Premier Mission Critical Support currently covers Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3, and SQL Server 2008 components of a mission-critical solution. The offering is currently available in English only worldwide. Support for additional languages will be available in April 2009. View the datasheet for more information.
If you previously installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista, the Springboard Series blog reports that the code that temporarily prevents the installation of a service pack through Windows Update, the expiration date for the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows Vista SP1 is April 28, 2009. For Windows XP SP3 the tool expires May 19, 2009. For more information on the Service Pack Blocker Tool, please see the FAQ available through the Springboard Series on TechNet.
Here’s a new way to connect with Microsoft certified companies and find products, services and more. The beta of Microsoft Pinpoint is now ready. Pinpoint is a community-based site designed to help you quickly and easily find qualified Microsoft Certified companies, products, and services that can best address your unique technology needs. In addition, the site features customer reviews and spotlight articles on specific companies and topics of interest to all business-owners. Pinpoint builds on the success of Partner Solution Profiler by providing a user-friendly interface, a powerful search feature, reviews and ratings of companies and their offerings, and descriptive company, product, and service profiles. Pinpoint and Partner Solution Profiler will likely co-exist for a period of time to ensure that customers have a clear and consistent customer experience.