As stated in Microsoft Windows Server product roadmap, a server release update is expected 2 years after a major release. Windows Server 2008 was released in 2008. So the next server release update should be in by 2010 as Windows Server 2008 R2 (or Release 2) and a reviewers guide is available. In Microsoft product release cycle, an update release integrates the previous major release with the latest service pack, selected feature packs, and new functionality. And because an update release is based on the previous major release, customers can incorporate it into their environment without any additional testing beyond what would be required for a typical service pack. Any additional functionality provided by an update would be optional and thus not affect application compatibility or require customers to recertify or retest applications.
In Windows Server 2008 R2, Terminal Services is renamed to Remote Desktop Services (RDS). RDS introduces the new Remote Desktop Connection Broker – an expansion of the Session Broker in Windows Server 2008 – which provides the administrator with a unified experience for setting up user access to both Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and traditional session-based remote desktops. Together with Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager, the Remote Desktop Connection Broker enables a VDI solution. The Remote Desktop Connection Broker it complements shared RDS infrastructure components in Windows Server 2008, such as Remote Desktop Web Access or Remote Desktop Gateway. Windows Server 2008 R2 also introduces a series of platform enhancements for remote desktop users – such as support for multiple physical monitors, redirection of multimedia and 3D content, including Vista Aero, and enhanced, bi-directional audio support. To follow the development of RDS, this Team Blog is good place to start.
This renaming is not just about getting a new name for Terminal Services, a technology we have been using for a long time. This is more about fundamentally validating, aligning, and integrating Terminal Services with emerging paradigm like virtualization infrastructure as shown below.
We know it is critical to have a management solution in place while introducing and transforming existing IT infrastructure into a heterogeneous environment in which physical and virtualized computing resources including data, storage, application, servers, desktops, networks, and peripherals are managed seamlessly and transparently. Terminal Services is Presentation Virtualzation and we should and need to manage it just like other virtualiztion solutions.
Many of you attended my TechNet events have asked me about getting the sample scripts I used in the PowerShell session. Kevin Remde, one of our best presenters in the TechNet Team, has contributed and shared pertinent information including event resources pages and our PowerShell demo scripts. I have now made them available as a download. Here's how you can try them:
Use get-command to list out all the cmdlets, get-help with -full switch to get the examples in the help file. And get-member to review all the methods and attributes of an object.
Please notice these sample scripts include cmdlets may change the state of a Windows computer including stopping necessary services, so run them at your own risk. To mitigate the risk, use the –whatif to examine the effect and -confirm for getting prompted before the execution of a cmdlet. Neither Yung Chou, nor Microsoft assumes any responsibility for damage caused by using them in any computing environment, including on a production machine.
Check out my TechNet Event Resource page with a list of resources relevant to the PowerShell session. Additionally, for Getting Started Guide and Quick Reference, get the Windows PowerShell 1.0 Documentation Pack. To use PowerShell for IIS administration, install IIS 7.0 PowerShell Provider. Also readily available for download are Sample Windows PowerShell scripts in Script Center Script Repository and free books of PowerShell workshops by Frank Koch in Microsoft Switzerland.
This blog explains how a Groove 2007 client behaves differently from a Groove 3.x client on the replication of a workspace.
Upon a client's acceptance of a Groove workspace invitation, the current content of the workspace is replicated via a Groove cloud to the client's end. I am referring a Groove cloud as the network infrastructure required to establish Groove connectivity between two Groove clients either directly or with Groove Server Relay. This is when every workspace member gets an initial copy of a workspace replicated to ones local Groove device when first joining a workspace. Where a new workspace member to acquire an initial copy of a workspace in Groove 2007 is different form that in Groove 3.x however.
Groove 2007 has a flexible scheme of workspace replication. (See the Groove 2007 protocol slide.) All the members who were online at the time when a workspace invitation was created can carry out workspace replication. For instance, let's assume when Alice created a workspace invitation using Groove 2007 both Bob and Chuck were online as well. Alice subsequently sent the invitation to Dee via Groove infrastructure as show in the screen capture. In this scenario, when Dee accepts the workspace invitation sent from Alice, either one of the three (namely Alice, Bob, and Chuck) can carry out the workspace replication to Dee's Groove device since all 3 were online when the invitation was created. In other words, after sent out the invitation, if Alice becomes offline, the replication can still proceed with a connection between Bob and Dee, or Chuck and Dee if available. When Bob or Chuck is sending a copy of the workspace to Dee, a Groove alert will appear on the sending Groove device indicating a workspace is being sent on Alice's behalf. Notice the invitation needs to be sent via Groove infrastructure. In other words, one who is invited has a Groove identity already (so the invited's public key is readily available), also the invitation must not require confirmation so no user intervention is necessary and all operations can be fully automated. From Groove PKI's perspective, these requirements make sense and are obvious.
In Groove 3.x, on the other hand, a client upon accepting an invitation will acquire a copy of the workspace from the one who created the invitation. (See the Groove v.3 protocol slide.)Consider the scenario. If Peter created a workspace invitation using Groove v3.x and sent the invitation to Rita. Peter's copy of the workspace becomes the source of the content to be replicated to Rita's Groove device once Rita accepts the invitation. If Peter is offline when the invitation is processed by Rita, Groove can not proceed with the workspace replication since the source of the content (i.e. the local copy of workspace associated with an invitation, here Peter's copy) is not available.
Notice there are triggers to default the workspace replication behaviors back to those in Groove v.3 . Some are briefly discussed earlier. Sending an invitation as a (grv) file, inviting via email, inviting to a v3.x workspace, and requiring acceptance confirmation are among those.
Groove is a highly integrated solution and understanding the fundamentals is essential to appreciate how and oftentimes why Groove works in a particular way. For those who are interested, there is much readily available information included in my Groove resource page and some previous postings.
This is a follow-up on Keith Combs' posting, Setting up your laptop to run SCVMM 2008. I have a demo environment configured with working Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.5 and Presentation Virtualization (i.e. Terminal Services) solutions. Now with SCVMM added, I can demo the management of IT infrastructure with physical and virtual computing resources, which is in my view the most critical piece of a virtualization solution.
Here's how I did it. My Lenovo T61P expanded with 8 GB RAM was installed with Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V enabled. In Hyper-V Manager, I have already had a demo environment, contoso.corp, with a number of virtual machines (VMs) in place. I added to the domain a VM running Windows Server 2008, and installed SCVMM 2008 Server and Admin Console in the VM. I then joined the parent partition to the contoso domain. At this point, there were two options to add the parent partition in SCVMM 2008:
Notice if the host is to be added as one on a perimeter network, install SCVMM local agent on the parent partition and created a security file for encryption. The security file needs accessible from SCVMM admin console. I tried both and in either way, once my parent partition had been added as a host, all VMs running on the parent partition including the VM running SCVMM became manageable from SCVMM Admin Console. In essence, SCVMM was on a child partition while managing the Hyper-V parent (or root) partition in my laptop. Very interesting configuration, it is indeed.
Notice I made no additional effort in optimizing the performance or hardening the security. My objective here is to realize the capabilities with minimal operational requirements. Below I have documented the screenflows and will probably do a screencast later on this as well.
Very straightforward processes and uneventful operations, I consider these installations are. Understanding the architecture is perhaps much more pertinent for prototyping this solution. Basically, run Hyper-V in the laptop and SCVMM in a VM. Join the parent partition to the domain where SCVMM is in. Install SCVMM local agent on the parent partition and from SCVMM admin console add the parent partition as a host in perimeter. Here want to thank Keith sine his posting saved me some research time.
Announcement
Do you use SharePoint and work with Groove? Microsoft's User Research Group is conducting series of studies for SharePoint products and technologies at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA, and is looking for participants in the Puget Sound area.
The research team is looking for individuals who use SharePoint at least twice a week and have experience working with Groove. Each participant will receive a gift item they select from a list of some of Microsoft's most popular hardware and software titles.
If you are interested please email itusable@microsoft.com with your name phone number and insert Groove into the subject line.
Microsoft User Research focuses on how people interact with hardware and software products; the information and feedback gathered is translated directly into product design improvements.
Designers take all the research and insight gathered in order to discern whether the product does, or does not do, what people expect and how it can be improved upon. Past participants have enjoyed these studies; finding them to be unique and informative by meeting with Microsoft product development teams and being directly involved with a product development process.
John Baker is one of the IT Evangelists in our team. He is a seasoned IT Pro with a wealth of knowledge in Windows infrastructure and a recognized expert in Group Policy and System Center family solutions. For many of us been in his events, we know we always learn something new from him while also getting a good laugh. A 12-part screencast fever on Windows Vista which he is just starting is a great supplement to the book, Windows Vista Step by Step and a quick way to review the fundamentals of Vista and establish a baseline understanding of Windows Operating System as well.
November, 2008 - Yung Chou on Hybrid Cloud - Site Home - TechNet Blogs