John Howard - Senior Program Manager in the Hyper-V team at Microsoft : Webcasts

Virtualization launch day

jhoward — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:30:00 GMT

Today is (was) Virtualization Launch day. Although the keynote presentations were streamed live (in fact I'm just watching Bob Muglia finish up as I'm typing this), they will be available later this afternoon for on-demand viewing here.

Some of the highlights:

Microsoft Hyper-V Server is coming within the next 30 days and will be free
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (SCVMM) is coming within the next 30 days.
Live migration will be in the next release of Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 codename "R2"

Microsoft Hyper-V Server
There's more information on Microsoft Hyper-V Server here as first announced back at TechEd last year. It will be available for free. Microsoft Hyper-V Server contains the same fundamental technology present in the Hyper-V role in Windows Server 2008, but Hyper-V is the only capability of Microsoft Hyper-V Server. It must be managed remotely. You may have noticed if you've watched the streaming media, the screenshot showed a command-line configuration utility - this is a simple way of configuring the server for things such as IP configuration, computer name, enabling remote desktop etc. More on that to follow soon.

System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
There's more information on SCVMM here. The main announcement today was that SCVMM 2008 will be available within 30 days. The demonstration showed SCVMM managing Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1; Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V; Microsoft Hyper-V Server and VMWare ESX 3.5.

Live Migration
This was the first time we've made any announcements about the feature set in Windows Server 2008 codename "R2". Live migration is the ability to move a running virtual machine from one physical server to another with little or no perceptible downtime from an end user perspective - today's keynote showed a video being played while the virtual machine on which Windows Media Player was running was "live-migrated". Although there are many more improvements in the next release that we've been working on for many months now, there will be a fuller disclosure at the PDC conference at the end of October this year, and also at WinHEC in November.

Cheers,
John.

Exchange Server 2007 Management Shell & Scripting

jhoward — Mon, 08 May 2006 23:59:00 GMT

Another Webcast (level 300) coming up shortly which should be worth watching - I'm keeping half an eye on what's happening with Exchange 2007 and some of the big changes especially around the way in which it is managed. Unfortunately it starts at 9PM for those on UK time so it clashes with whatever drama's are on TV on a Tuesday night (I'm really starting to miss BBC/ITV/C4!)

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Pacific Time

This webcast focuses on the command-line and scripting interface (based on Microsoft Windows "Monad") in the next version of Microsoft Exchange Server, code-named Exchange Server 2007. See how to convert your multiple-page Microsoft Visual Basic and component object model (COM) scripts to a single line in Exchange Server 2007. We cover the basics of the management shell along with the underlying design and key concepts. Learn tips and tricks for building larger scripts that you can use to automate small, medium, and enterprise business scenarios. The session includes demonstrations of several single-line scripts that you can use immediately, with little or no tweaking.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032293396&Culture=en-US

Cheers,
John.

Windows Vista Webcasts Next Week

jhoward — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 16:29:00 GMT

Just seen the list of webcasts for next week - there's a couple on the list worth mentioning. All times are PST (add 8 hours for UK time)

Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Windows Vista for the Enterprise (Level 200)
Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Time
Glenn Fincher, Senior Consultant, Xtreme Consulting Group
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to get a preview of Microsoft Windows Vista, this webcast introduces some of the new features and capabilities. This discussion focuses on features designed with the enterprise in mind.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032292988&Culture=en-US

Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Windows Vista for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (Level 200)
Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific Time
Tony Richardson, Principal Consultant, Xtreme Consulting Group, Inc

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to get a preview of Microsoft Windows Vista, this webcast introduces some of the new features and capabilities. This webcast focuses on features designed with small and medium-sized businesses in mind.
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032292994&Culture=en-US

Find out more about Exchange 12

jhoward — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 16:08:00 GMT

I have to share this one with you - in around three weeks time, there's a series of webcasts on Exchange 12 running over 4 days. The better news is (I'm guessing for US attendees only though) is that if you attend all four webcasts (can be viewed on demand, not necessarily live) and you submit your evaluations before 31st March, there's a small gift of a Microsoft travel mug, plus a chance to win a TechNet Plus subscription. TechNet Plus will get the Exchange 12 CTP (Community Technology Build) hopefully next month.

Tuesday 14th March: Overview of Exchange 12
Wednesday 15th March: Giving the Administrator More Control in Exchange 12
Thursday 16th March: Client Access and Web Services in Exchange 12
Friday 17th March: Message Security and Active Protection in Exchange 12

Here's the registration link

Troubleshooting WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation)

jhoward — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:01:00 GMT

One other webcast also spotted this morning - this one should be really good. WMI is an incredibly powerful tool for an IT Professional to have available. However, it's often (IMHO) cumbersome to script against and (again IMHO) somewhat difficult to grasp the fundamentals of. However, fear not, as Alain Lissoir will be running a webcast all about Troubleshooting WMI in a few weeks time. Details are below.

Monday 8th March 2006 09:30-10:30AM PST (5:30-6:30PM UK Time)

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is a pervasive component of Microsoft Windows that is often useful in critical situations. Many enterprise management applications rely on WMI, so it is important that administrators know how to troubleshoot it properly. In this webcast, we examine the WMI architecture and look closely at how it works. We cover common situations you are likely to encounter with WMI and explain how to fix specific issues without compromising the stability of the applications that rely upon it. We also demonstrate how the new WMIDiag tool can assist you in identifying potential issues and make recommendations on how to fix them.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032290320&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

Network Isolation using Group Policy and IPSec

jhoward — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:00:00 GMT

In my inbox this morning and worth posting up are a series of three webcasts coming up over the next couple of weeks about using Group Policy and IPSec for Network Isolation - something I'm still looking for time to implement at home. Details are below.

Network Isolation Using Group Policy and IPsec (Part 1 of 3) (Level 300)
Monday, February 20, 2006 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time (5-6PM UK Time)

Data Isolation: How can it make your information technology (IT) infrastructure safer, and how do you use Group Policy and Internet Protocol security (IPsec) to implement it? This three-part webcast series shows how to implement data isolation in your organization using Group Policy and IPsec. This first webcast provides an overview of the nature of Internet Protocol security. Learn how IPsec can help manage the challenges to secure network communication and the various ways you can implement IPsec to achieve different types of secure communication. The second webcast of this series continues the discussion with a look at how to use IPsec to create network isolation zones.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032289150&Culture=en-US

Network Isolation Using Group Policy and IPSec (Part 2 of 3) (Level 300)
Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time

Building on the overview of Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) provided in Part One of this three-part series, Part Two shows how to use IPSec to create network isolation zones. Topics include the advantages and limitations of network isolation, where network isolation fits into a defense-in-depth scheme, and how to use group policies and Microsoft Active Directory groups to restrict access to specific servers. Part Three offers guidance on how best to apply these concepts in the context of several network isolation scenarios.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032289153&Culture=en-US

Network Isolation Using Group Policy and IPsec (Part 3 of 3) (Level 300)
Friday, February 24, 2006 - 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Pacific Time

Building on the overview of Internet Protocol security (IPsec) that we presented in Part One of this series, this second webcast shows how to use IPsec to create network isolation zones. Topics include the advantages and limitations of network isolation, where network isolation fits into a defense-in-depth scheme, and how to use Group Policy and Microsoft Active Directory groups to restrict access to specific servers. The series concludes in Part Three by offering guidance on how best to apply these concepts in the context of several network isolation scenarios.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032289160&Culture=en-US

Planning and Deploying the Branch Office Technologies

jhoward — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 16:12:00 GMT

Just a quick reminder for another Windows Server 2003 R2 related webcast tomorrow (10th Nov) at 9.30AM Seattle Time, 5:30PM UK Time.

This session will cover the essential elements that are required for successful branch office planning and deployment. The session will help identify key requirements that will influence the design, highlight what the technology ought to be used for and key usage scenarios. We will also cover the essential process of building a proper test plan which is based on intended usage. Next the session will cover deployment, focusing on available tools and BP that will lead to successful production deployments.

To register and view, click here

Windows Server 2003 R2 End-To-End Overview

jhoward — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 15:02:00 GMT

If you missed yesterdays webcast exploring the three key areas of the upcoming Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2: Branch Office, Storage Management and Active Directory Federation Services, it is available "on demand" to listen at your leisure. If you're new to Windows Server 2003 R2, this provides an excellent overview. It covers how Windows Server 2003 R2 extends Windows Server 2003, providing the most efficient way to manage and control access to local and remote resources while easily integrating into your existing Windows Server 2003 environment and how it enables new scenarios including simplified branch server management, efficient storage management and streamlined collaboration with partners. Windows Server 2003 R2 builds upon the increased security, reliability and performance that came with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

Click here to register and view

Microsoft Virtualisation Roadmap

jhoward — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 13:45:00 GMT

Just spotted this publicly available webcast on 4th October 1PM-2PM PST (9PM-10PM UK) which should provide a great opportunity to ask questions about where we are heading with the Windows hypervisor technology.

TechNet Webcast: Microsoft Virtualization Roadmap (Level 300)
Mike Neil, Product Unit Manager, Microsoft Corporation

Today's information technology organizations are under pressure to reduce costs and prioritize spending on new equipment. Virtualization technology is emerging as an effective way to increase both productivity and deployment flexibility. Virtualization technology can play a key role in uncoupling workloads from server resources and enabling a dynamic and automated datacenter. Microsoft is investing heavily in the next generation of virtualization technology and the management tools that will drive it. This session presents Microsoft's virtualization roadmap and strategy, starting with Microsoft Virtual Server 2005. We then discuss the Windows hypervisor technology, which will be incorporated into the next release of Microsoft Windows Server.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032282127&Culture=en-US

Scripting with Monad

jhoward — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 14:25:00 GMT

Monad is definitely a hot topic to watch in the future. I've just discovered that Jeffrey Snovers two webcasts about Monad are available for on-demand viewing. If you want to find out more about the future of command line scripting, these are a good place to start.

TechNet Webcast: Next Generation Command Line Scripting using Monad (Part 1 of 2)
Presenters: Jeffrey Snover, Architect, and Jim Truher, Program Manager

What is the next generation Microsoft command-line shell automation and scripting technology (codenamed "Monad") and how does it fit into the realm of tools and languages? To find out, join us in this webcast, one of the top rated sessions from Tech·Ed 2005 in Orlando, Florida (MGT320), as we highlight how the architecture of the shell supports consistent, production-oriented commands. Learn about the power to navigate and manipulate multiple data stores, and see how the powerful command-line shell uses objects to simplify scripting.
http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032277851&EventCategory=5&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

TechNet Webcast: Next Generation Command Line Scripting using Monad (Part 2 of 2)
Presenters: Jeffrey Snover, Architect, and Jim Truher, Program Manager

Join us as we drill down into more details of the functionality of the next generation Microsoft command-line shell automation and scripting technology, codenamed "Monad". First we conclude the scripting examples from the first session, then move on to advanced scripting constructs. We look at writing secure scripts, using script blocks for maximal power and flexibility, leveraging the shell's dedicated streams for RESULTS, ERRORS, VERBOSE, DEBUG, and PROGRESS, and dealing with errors, exceptions, debugging and tracing.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032277852&Culture=en-US

Don't also forget the Channel9 interview which is also available for download to view at your leisure :-)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6c1191af-892f-46d5-94b6-b97521d5a0cd&displaylang=en

How to upgrade from SUS to WSUS

jhoward — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 16:23:00 GMT

Marc Shepard, a Program Manager for Microsoft in the US held a session at Tech·Ed Orlando this year about how to upgrade from SUS to Windows Server Update Services, the next version of SUS. I know this session was highly rated, and I've already listened to it from the conference website. If you don't have access to this, but want to know more about, Marc will be re-delivering this level 300 session as a webcast on 16th August between 11:30 and 13:00 Pacific Time. Unfortunately, this means it's a 19:30 UK time start, but worth it (IMHO). You'll get a chance to learn about the best practices and pitfalls to watch out for when you get round to upgrading your infrastructure, as well as ask your all important questions.

Registration is here.

Using Virtual Server 2005 at Microsoft IT - the webcast

jhoward — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 11:18:00 GMT

After posting up the link to the whitepaper about how Microsoft IT is using Virtual Server internally, I've now found out about a webcast on 16th August which will give the opportunity to ask the "what's and why's" about the implementation. I've included the abstract for the event below.

Microsoft information technology's (IT) Virtual Server Utility offers Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 to internal Microsoft customers as a centralized managed service. This service is backed by a Service Level Agreement (SLA) competitive with agreements associated with the ownership and management of a physical server. Microsoft had a very positive experience with Virtual Server 2005, which met or exceeded expectations across the entire SLA, metric by metric. It even exceeded expected cost-savings. Join this webcast to learn about Microsoft's pilot implementation experiences with Virtual Server 2005. We will show how this program met the challenging IT requirements at Microsoft, the methods Microsoft IT employed and the lessons Microsoft IT learned from the experience.

Presenter: Chad Lewis, Microsoft IT Lead Program Manager, IT Utility Services, Microsoft Corporation

As the lead program manager for the Compute Utility Program, Chad Lewis is helping drive Microsoft's efforts to leverage next generation consolidation technologies as a service for internal business units. Chad previously led the Release Management team, providing the interface between the core information technology (IT) functions and the Business Unit IT groups.

Registration for the event is here. As for the time of the webcast... the website says 16th August 8:00 AM Pacific Time (GMT-08:00), but I suspect this is wrong, and the US are struggling with the concept of BST.... I don't doubt for one moment that it does start at 8AM local Seattle time, but they are currently in daylight savings as are we. Hence, I think it should be BST-08:00 as I know they are 8 hours out from us. In other words, it will start at 4PM UK time. Phew!

Software Assurance Program Enhancements

jhoward — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 11:24:00 GMT

On 15th September, there will be four global webcasts at different times throughout the day to cater for the time differences which will highlight some major announcments for the software assurance for Volume Licensing program enhancements.

You can register here.

PS. Don't shoot the messenger, and no, I don't know what the announcments are yet :-)

Active Directory Remote Administration

jhoward — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 12:41:00 GMT

There is a webcast on 22nd July at 17:30 (UK) about Active Directory Remote Administration - a topic I get many questions about. Hence, take this opportunity to ask your questions live. Here's the description of what's going to be talked about:

See the improvements in the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Domain and Forest functional levels. Join us in examining the special considerations for the designing and planning for a branch office environment, and the use of command line and GUI tools for remote management and scripting. In this webcast we show how to deploy a domain controller to support a remote branch office connected over a Wide Area Network link. We present the options available for remote management using the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-Line tools. Finally we cover other available remote management tools that administer Active Directory.

Click here to register

Virtual Server 2005 Cluster Resources, Chats and more

jhoward — Fri, 20 May 2005 17:54:00 GMT

There's an interesting article recently published by Mike Otey which leads you through building a virtualized Windows Server 2003 cluster. You will need to be a paidup member to view unfortunately. Thanks Adam for that link. You can find similar information on RoudyBob.NET's excellent blog and also on microsoft.com. As if that's not enough, there's also this on-demand webcast which I think I've mentioned before [sorry ;-)]. So, no excuses for not having enough information at your fingertips if this is something you want to experiment with.

Mike will also be holding an online chat on 25th May at 5PM UK-Time for the "Straight Story on Virtual Server" which will interesting. He has billed it as "Here's your chance to ask him your questions about Virtual Server and get the 'from the trenches' details on how it works and what problems it can and cannot solve. Michael gives you the straight story without pulling any punches."

Sadly, the timing doesn't work for me due to me presenting at the Technical Roadshow next week in Birmingham.