Time-to-Resolution on your support call is the critical metric – the longer it takes to resolver your support issue, the more you are spending. To drive down your support call TTR, first gather up the information your support tech will need:

Download the Microsoft Platform Support Reporting Utility facilitates the gathering of critical system and logging information used in troubleshooting support issues. Run it on all affected systems and locate the CAB file in the folder named with <system name> and <date>.

For Config Manager, follow the steps in this blog post.

For System Center Operations Manager/MOM

For System Center Application Virtualization

For System Center Virtual Machine Manager

For Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)

Here’s a list of blogs that you should follow for further tips:

The Windows virtualization team blog: http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/

The App-V Team blog: http://blogs.technet.com/softgrid/

The WSUS Support Team blog: http://blogs.technet.com/sus/

The SCMDM Support Team blog: http://blogs.technet.com/mdm/

The ConfigMgr Support Team blog: http://blogs.technet.com/configurationmgr/

The OpsMgr Support Team blog: http://blogs.technet.com/operationsmgr/

The SCVMM Team blog: http://blogs.technet.com/scvmm/

Think of it as an high-schooler stimulus package.

DreamSpark High School Provides High School Students with Free Software

Today at the Government Leaders Forum, in Washington D.C. Bill Gates announced the expansion of the DreamSpark program to include high school students worldwide.  DreamSpark was originally available only to University students.  By offering free access to its latest software, Microsoft is empowering students to pursue their academic and professional goals, and become the next generation of IT and business leaders. All press information, videos and images are available here: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/glfamericas/default.mspx

If you are a current secondary school student, you can download professional Microsoft developer, designer, and gaming software through DreamSpark at no charge.

See also: Stuhttp://www.studenttechclubs.com/MyStudentTechClubs.CodezoneCom?ActiveID=4493dent Tech Clubs

As in the UI, so on the commandline.

SCVMM 2008 Cmdlet Reference is now available in the download center, and contains all the Help topics for the VMM 2008 cmdlets in one handy DL. Everything you can do using the VMM Administrator Console to administer your Virtual Machine Manager environment, you can also script using the cmdlets in the Windows PowerShell - Virtual Machine Manager command shell, which is an administrator-focused command-line shell.

This topic contains sample commands that you can use to get Help in the Windows PowerShell – Virtual Machine Manager command shell or in Windows PowerShell.: Using Cmdlet Help

You already know about the tag cloud on http:\\technetbookmarks.com, right? For example: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/threads/tags/?tags='hyper-v'

Help us out? We've noticed the following search text that is not finding the right content. So, everytime you tag content with the following terms - add the new ones as well please. This will help the folks searching on "virtualisation", for example, to find the stuff tagged "virtualization", and then the Virtualization Nation will be happy, right mate?

Virtualization = virtualisation, virtualizacion

Hyper-V = hyper-v, HyperV, hyperv

Thanks in advance.

Check out the newest content in the TechNet library for Hyper-V:

Live Migration Step by Step Guide:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd446679.aspx

What’s New for Hyper-V in R2:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd446676.aspx

Hyper-V Virtual Machine Snapshots: Frequently Asked Questions:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd560637.aspx

If you are scripting virtual machine management activities, you will need to uniquely identify and sort VMs. John Howard’s blog post tells you how, using the BIOS GUID.

http://blogs.technet.com/jhoward/archive/2008/09/16/how-to-use-uniquely-identify-a-virtual-machine-in-hyper-v.aspx

If you are scripting in this area, you will want to download the free ebook on Keith Hill’s blog you can download: Effective PowerShell: The Free eBook.

The beta of the Hyper-V Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager (formerly known as MOM) is available on http://connect.microsoft.com for both Opsmgr and Opmgr R2.

Windows Live ID log in is required, along with an invite (request an invitation code by email: MPCC@microsoft.com).

For beta, only Windows Server 2008 Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions when installed as full installations with the Hyper-V role enabled are supported.

For more news, subscribe to the RSS feed at http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/ 

http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/rss.xml

Thought I would share an e-mail productivity tip that has made a huge difference for me. By default, outlook saves a mail that you start, but have not yet sent, in the DRAFTS folder.  That way, if you start a mail, then get interrupted, or called away from your computer, the work you did is not lost – as long as you remember to go back and look at your inbox.

Since I strive to get to inbox0 each day I changed the default location of draft e-mails to my inbox. This way, anything that I have started, but haven’t yet sent, is at the top of my inbox for processing.

Works a treat for me. Try it, you might like it.

To change your default draft mail save folder:

1. Open Outlook and click Tools, then click Options.

2. Click E-mail options, and then click Advanced E-mail options

3. In AutoSave items in: select InBox

4. Click OK three times.

Recently Partner Technology Specialist, Matt McSpirit from the UK posted a 6 part series on TechNet Edge called Desktop to Datacenter, that focuses on Hyper-V. Enjoy.

Desktop to Datacenter - Part 1 - Server Virtualization

Desktop to Datacenter - Part 2 - Installing, Configuring, Managing Hyper-V

Desktop to Datacenter - Part 3 - Understanding Integration Services

Desktop to Datacenter - Part 4 - Exports & Snapshots

Desktop to Datacenter - Part 5 - Powershell Management

Desktop to Datacenter - Part 6 - Configuring Failover Cluster

TechNet Edge has a 6 part webcast series showing you how to setup live migration of Virtual Machines.  Enjoy”

Live Migration - Part 1

Live Migration - Part 2

Live Migration - Part 3

Live Migration - Part 4

Live Migration - Part 5

Live Migration - part 6

Dave Northey's blog also hosts a video demo on R2: http://blogs.technet.com/ieitpro/archive/2009/03/09/my-live-migration-demo-from-last-week.aspx