TechNet UK

Announcement: Surface Pro has Landed in the UK

2013-05-23T17:00:00Z

Today we are delighted to see the much anticipated arrival of Surface Pro into the UK market.

This device extends the Surface range from Surface RT, and represents Microsoft’s entry into the full primary device market. The UK market interest in the device has been huge since it arrived in the US market in February, which makes the arrival in the UK market all the more welcome.

How to find out more: please go to http://www.surface.com

Introduction For SQL Bits

2013-05-23T15:50:00Z

Earlier this month saw SQL Bits, one of the largest SQL Server Technical User Group conferences in Europe. The event served as a great opportunity to hero six of the dozen or so professionals who have achieved the highest level of SQL certifications in the past year. To achieve Microsoft Certified Solutions Master (MCSM) status requires many months of hard work yet many professionals globally recognise the value it and the other SQL Server Technical certifications bring them to enhance their career and the companies they work for. We caught up with Paul Egan and James Skipworth – two of the latest to gain the certification to explain what motivated them to embark on this endeavour.

Paul Egan is CEO of SQL Database Solutions Ltd. “Early on in my IT career I remember reading an article in a magazine which asked the question, why IT professionals are not required to take exams when they are for many other skilled professions. I think it is important to take exams for two reasons, firstly to keep skills up to date, IT is continually evolving and we have to keep up with changes. Secondly to demonstrate skill and commitment to learning and professional development to a future employer.

I started my journey to MCSM certification status by watching these readiness videos http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/ff977043.aspx I decided that I would watch them in the evenings to improve my SQL Server skills - they are excellent free training and I have recommended them to many people since. Once I was on the programme I was working all the time. I was commuting to and from work on the train and either watching training videos or working my way through the long reading list at www.sqlskills.com/mcm.asp

It has meant a great deal to me passing the exam, knowing I have achieved one of the highest technical certifications available to SQL Professionals. I have also learnt a great deal on my journey, knowledge which I use every day. Being a freelance SQL Professional I am very hopeful that my certification will help me with new opportunities of work in the future. It is quite an interesting time for SQL Server professionals with the new features of availability groups and the cloud offering using Windows Azure SQL Database or SQL 2012 in a Windows Azure virtual machine. I am looking forward to learning more about them.”

James Skipwith, Principal at Exorior adds:

“As a consultant, the MCSM means a lot to me and hopefully to my clients. It shows that I am at the top-level in my chosen profession, that I have worked hard to achieve such a certification, and that they can be assured that any architecture I propose or work I do will be of the highest level. It validates my extensive experience with SQL Server and instils confidence in those who work with me. It shows that I care about what I do, that I am very serious about it, and that I do know what I'm talking about (most of the time anyway!)

I took my first Microsoft exam back in December 2000. With each new release of SQL Server I upgraded my exams to MCITP, both DBA and Developer, and then I found out the MCSM could be done outside of an onsite course at Redmond. It was a big decision to go for this though. I had a full work schedule, three children under the age of four, and also had to fund it myself due to being a self-employed consultant. The challenge was too great to pass up: I booked on the QuickStart course and worked, hard, for just over a year. It was all worth it in the end. In January this year I found out that I had passed and the sense of achievement was fantastic. Yes, passing the MCSM requires a lot of work and experience but it also requires motivation, a thirst for knowledge, and a stubborn refusal to be beaten!”

Microsoft, provides Certified Solutions Master (MCSM) across five disciplines: Data Platform, SharePoint, Communication, Messaging and Directory Services. To find out more click here

For those interested in becoming a Microsoft Certified Solutions Master but are just starting their IT career, MCSA or MCSE level certification provides a valuable stepping stone in that direction.

Microsoft Free Software – a personal top ten

2013-05-22T08:37:04Z

You might think this will would make for a really short article post but actually there’s a huge amount of free tools and resource out there and I have had to restrict myself to a top ten across the server and client, based on what Simon and I have used. So please feel free to comment with your own and I’ll see what we can do about maintaining a list somewhere and rewarding good suggestions. Hyper-V Server Yes Microsoft does have a free operating system, although it...(read more)

Tech.Days Online Competition Winners!!!

2013-05-15T13:00:00Z

IT Pros! As I’m sure many of you may have heard we ran a series of competitions across the 2013 series of Tech.Days Online. Up for grabs was a fantastic array of prizes to giveaway to the lucky winners including:

· A HTC Windows Phone 8

· A Sony VAIO Laptop

· A HP ElitePad 900

We are delighted to announce that the winners are:

Eddie Vermeer - Winner of the Windows Phone 8

Allan Chambers – Winner of the Sony Vaio Laptop

Mark Jeffries - Winner of the HP ElitePad 900

Congratulations to the winners! Remember there are still some fantastic prizes up for grabs when you enter the TechEd challenge including a fully funded trip to sunny Madrid!

UK TechDays Online 2013 On Demand Content now available

2013-05-15T10:15:11Z

If you missed our UK TechDays Online event a couple of weeks ago then don’t be sad, the content is now online, on demand. You’ll need to register to view the content, but if you already registered for the event the registration engine should recognise who you are and let you.… The post UK TechDays Online 2013 On Demand Content now available by Simon May first appeared on Devices, Services, Life: Simon May's Blog ....( read more )...(read more)

What's the difference between OEM, Retail and Volume Licenses?

2013-05-14T13:00:00Z

By Vicky Lea

When it comes to purchasing licenses there are a number of different channels that you can purchase through. These are FPP (Full Packaged Product), OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and Volume Licensing. So what are the key differences between the channels, and what impact do they have on your licensing rights? Because it is the usage rights you receive with the software that mainly distinguish between the channels.

Let us start off by looking at FPP licenses.

FPP licenses are purchased from retail and provide a quick and convenient way for customers requiring less than five licenses to purchase their software. Licenses sold through FPP are either full licenses or upgrade licenses. A full license does not require any pre-existing versions of the software to be on the machine it is installed on, whereas an upgrade license allow you to cost effectively upgrade to a newer version of software that you are already licensed for.

When you purchase FPP software you are entering into an agreement with Microsoft stating that you will adhere to the usage rights associated with the software. These rights include detail such as downgrade rights, which you generally do not get with FPP software, how many devices you are allowed to install the software on, whether you have the right to move the software to another computer (transfer rights) or not and nowadays whether you are allowed to use the software for commercial use or not.

The usage rights for FPP software are laid out in the Microsoft Software License Terms document, which can be downloaded from this site: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/IntellectualProperty/UseTerms/Default.aspx.

Microsoft does also provide limited support services for software that has been licensed via the FPP channel, details of which can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx.

OEM software is software that comes pre-installed when you purchase a new computer. So for instance when you purchase a new PC it might come with an OEM licensed copy of Windows 8 Pro pre-installed on it. One of the key benefits of this is that you then know that the software has been installed correctly and is working properly and if there are any issues it is the responsibility of the computer manufacturer or installer to provide support rather than Microsoft.

Again, OEM software usage is ruled by the Microsoft Software License Terms document. So for instance it will detail that with Windows 8 Pro licensed via OEM you do get limited downgrade rights in that you can downgrade as far back as two earlier versions if you so desire, either to Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business. But that there are no transfer rights, so the software may not be removed from the PC it was originally installed on and installed on another, however, you are allowed to transfer the PC complete with the OEM licensed software to a new user if required.

The third channel you may purchase software through is Volume Licensing. There are a number of volume licensing agreements you can purchase through and these agreements have been tailored to suit the differing requirements of all sizes and types of organisation. There are agreements aimed at the small to medium sized business in the form of Open and Open Value, and agreements aimed at medium to large organisations in the form of the Select Plus and Enterprise Agreements.

Usage of software purchased through these agreements is controlled by a number of factors; the agreement itself may contain some usage rights specific to purchasing through that agreement, but the usage rights per product can be found in the Product List document and the Product Use Rights (PUR) document. You can download the Product List and PUR from here: http://www.microsoftvolumelicensing.com.

For example, with an Enterprise Agreement the transfer rights for software are detailed in the Enterprise Agreement document itself, stating that licenses may only be transferred once they have been fully paid for and that they can only be transferred to affiliates or a third party as part of a divestiture or merger. So it is always important to check the agreement documents as they will detail rights that are specific to the agreement itself, but what about the more general terms?

Well this is where documents such as the Product List and PUR come into play. The Product List provides monthly information about Microsoft Software and Online Services licensed through the volume licensing agreements, and details software availability through the different agreements, as well as Software Assurance migration paths, step-up licenses and available promotions. The PUR goes into detail on the general volume licensing terms for each licensing model plus any product-specific use rights. All these documents together can be used to determine the license terms for products purchased through specific agreements.

For example, when you purchase Windows 8 Pro through Volume Licensing the license is an upgrade license only. Meaning that the device must already be licensed for a qualifying operating system before installation of the Windows Upgrade. The Product List contains all the detail behind this including a list of the qualifying operating systems per agreement. Whereas the PUR goes into more detail on where Windows 8 Pro may be installed and who can access the software either locally or remotely.

Other important product rights you receive when purchasing your licenses through volume licensing are re-imaging and full downgrade rights. Downgrade rights again are detailed in the PUR, and you may find detail on re-imaging rights in the specific agreement documents. However, there is a very useful re-imaging brief that goes into all the detail you may need and you can download that from here: http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/D/4/3D42BDC2-6725-4B29-B75A-A5B04179958B/Reimaging.pdf.

So to wrap up, we have seen that there are a number of different ways for you to purchase your licenses, and the availability of software does vary through those channels, but the main impact on the licenses of buying through FPP, OEM or Volume Licensing is the usage rights you gain with the software.

This is one scenario and licensing situation. Each customer scenario can vary by deployment, usage, product version, and product use rights. Always check your contract, and the current Products Use Rights document to confirm how your environment should be fully licensed. The blogging team does not warrant that this scenario will be the right licensing solution for other similar cases.

Join the UK TechNet Team at TechEd Europe for Free

2013-05-14T10:45:16Z

The keynote speakers list for TechEd Europe has just been announced and the line up is terrific as always! Brad Anderson, Mark Russinovich, Jeffrey Snover and Mark Minasi to name just a few. Of course you’ll want to be there and what better way...( read more )...(read more)

How to write a great blog post

2013-05-14T10:45:16Z

This post explains how to blog. Great blog posts have a few things in common, notably they are readable, interesting to read and discoverable. Why am I mentioning this? We’ll I’ve been blogging for a number of years now and I keep getting...( read more )...(read more)

PowerShell to rename a Hyper-V VM’s hostname from the Hyper-V host

2013-05-14T10:45:15Z

PowerShell v3 in Windows Server 2012 opens up way more stuff than ever before for automation. I like my VMs to have a host name that matches the name I give the VM in on the Hyper-V host – that way when I write a PowerShell script to build 50 VMs...( read more )...(read more)

Microsoft and Hortonworks Share Hadoop Insights at Yahoo! Hack Europe: London

2013-05-13T09:30:00Z

By Chris Harris

Combining forces, Microsoft and Hortonworks were excited to provide all the hackers access to the HDInsight Service during the London Yahoo! Hackathon weekend. The hackers got a chance to learn about Hadoop and really put the new Hadoop Azure service through its paces.

Windows Azure is a cloud computing platform and infrastructure, created by Microsoft, for building, deploying and managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed datacentres. Sitting on Azure, HDInsight is Microsoft’s Hadoop-based service that brings a 100% Enterprise ready Apache Hadoop solution from Hortonworks to the cloud. HDInsight gives you the ability to gain the full value of Big Data with a modern, cloud-based data platform that manages data of any type, whether structured or unstructured, and of any size.

To get ideas flowing, the Hortonworks team kicked the morning with a walkthrough of common Hadoop patterns. If you are looking for idea of a new Hadoop project of your own, you can check out the slides at https://speakerdeck.com/cj_harris5/hadoop-at-yahoo-hack-day.

For the hackers that wanted a Hadoop deep dive, the team delivered a workshop that cover Hadoop tips and tricks. If you are processing data in Hadoop today, you may want to check out the Pig and Hive tips at https://speakerdeck.com/cj_harris5/hadoop-workshop-at-yahoohack