The MED-V Team Blog

Updated! Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for Selecting the Right Virtualization Technology

2009-12-01T16:28:58Z

Just an FYI that the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for Selecting the Right Virtualization Technology has been updated to include coverage of Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). This guide walks the reader through the process of selecting the right virtualization technology for each workload—in five steps or fewer.

From the guide:

Introduction to the Selecting the Right Virtualization Technology Guide

The objective of this guide is to enable the reader to rapidly and accurately select which Microsoft virtualization technology or technologies to use for specific scenarios. The reader will then be able to proceed with the planning and design process for that virtualization technology by using the appropriate Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) guide. References and links to the appropriate IPD guides are provided in the “Additional Reading” sections and throughout this guide.

To download the newest version of the guide click here.

Enjoy!

J.C. Hornbeck | System Center Knowledge Engineer

Resolution: The MED-V Server service fails to start with Error 1053

2009-11-11T20:41:46Z

When you attempt to start the MED-V Server service on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2, you may get the following error:

Error 1053: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.

Additionally, the system event log indicates this timeout failure by a log entry that is similar to the following:

Source : Service Control Manager

Event ID : 7000

This can occur if the service control manager encounters a timeout. To work around this problem, increase the default timeout value for the service control manager in the registry. This will require you to adjust the ServicePipeTimeout registry value.

Warning: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

To increase the timeout value in the registry, follow these steps:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

2. To change the value data for the ServicesPipeTimeout DWORD value to 60000 in the Control key, follow these steps:

3. Locate and then click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet

4. Click the Control subkey

5. Right-click the ServicesPipeTimeout DWORD value, and then click Modify.

6. Click Decimal.

7. Type 60000, and then click OK.

If the ServicesPipeTimeout value is not available, add the new DWORD value, and then set its value data to 60000 in the Control key. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Locate and then click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet

2. Click the Control subkey.

3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.

4. Type ServicesPipeTimeout, and then press ENTER.

5. Right-click the ServicesPipeTimeout DWORD value, and then click Modify.

6. Click Decimal.

7. Type a value of 60000, and then click OK.

The value is 60000 milliseconds and is equivalent to 60 seconds or one minute.

Note: This change does not take effect until the computer is restarted.

Steve Thomas | Senior Support Escalation Engineer

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 Community Technical Preview (CTP) Now Available!

2009-11-10T16:06:45Z

I know this isn’t MED-V specific but I thought it was something you’d appreciate hearing about nonetheless. The Solution Accelerator team is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 Community Technical Preview (CTP). Designed to simplify and streamline the IT infrastructure planning process across multiple scenarios through network-wide automated discovery and assessments, this tool provides a quick and complete inventory of the current IT environment of any organization, hardware and device compatibility assessment, and actionable reporting of recommended hardware upgrades for migration.

The MAP Toolkit 5.0 CTP includes these new features:

· Heterogeneous Server Environment Inventory for Technologies including Windows Server, Linux, UNIX and VMware.

· Ability to determine usage of deployed System Center Configuration Manager, a member of the Core Client Access License Suite.

· Readiness assessment for migration or upgrade to Microsoft Office 2010.

Over 800,000 Microsoft customers and partners including Costco Wholesale Corporation, Continental Airlines, and Pella Corporation have already downloaded and used this toolkit to help plan for their server and PC deployments.

Additional MAP Toolkit Features include:

• Windows 7 Hardware and Device Compatibility Assessment.
• Windows Server 2008 R2 Hardware and Device Compatibility Assessment.
• Virtualization Candidates Assessment for Hyper-V Server Consolidation.
• Inventory of VMware Server Hosts and Guests.
• Enhanced Usability and Improved Inventory Performance.
• SQL Server Instance Discovery.
• Desktop Security Assessment for Anti-virus and Anti-malware Programs Installation.
• Forefront Client Security/NAP Readiness Assessment.

To give you a quick sample, here are a couple MAP 5.0 Inventory and Assessment Wizard screenshots:

Here’s what the System Center Configuration Manager Server Report looks like:

Next Steps

· Register for the MAP Toolkit 5.0 CTP and download. (Live ID required)

· Want to influence the future of MAP? Complete the survey and receive a free 4GB Solution Accelerator branded Memory Stick.* (Live ID required)

· Download other Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Solution Accelerators for your IT planning, deployment, and management needs.

Enjoy!

J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer

Using Variables to Manage the Naming of your Persistent MED-V Workspaces

2009-11-04T14:05:55Z

Many organizations want to use variables to simplify the naming and manageability of MED-V workspaces. While regular operating system environment variables cannot be used inside the workspace policy, MED-V has variables that can be used for persistent workspaces. The workspace policy must use the VM Setup script to implement these variables.

These variables can be selected when configuring the MED-V workspace policy inside the MED-V management console (run from the client.)

To view and select these variables, do the following:

1.) Log into the MED-V Management Server (policy server) using the MED-V Management utility.

2.) When the policy loads, navigate to the Policy node.

3.) Select your desired workspace, then click on the VM Setup Tab. (Be advised that this option is only available for persistent workspaces which is defined in the Virtual Machine tab.)

4.) In the VM Setup tab you will see an option for "VM Computer Name Pattern" near the bottom of the page.

The default pattern for the machine image name is: MED-V%workspace########## where %workspace represents the name of the workspace used by this image on the client computer. The remaining # characters denote a random generated character. It is here where you have the option to insert different variables and where you can define your own computer name pattern. The variables that can be used are:

%Workspace: The name of the MED-V workspace being used by this image during the VM setup.

%User: The name of the user logged on to MED-V during the VM setup.

%Domain: The domain name (short name) of the authenticating MED-V Active Directory domain.

%Hostname: The hostname of the physical machine running the MED-V Client using this workspace.

%VMName: The name of the Virtual Machine name (Name of the virtual machine image file used by the workspace.)

Examples:

If a user named Ernie from the domain CORPORATE logged on to a machine named CLIENT234 using the workspace called IE_7 leveraging the image XP01 will have the following name translations after generation:

VM Computer Name Pattern	Actual Name
MED-V%Domain#####	MED-VCORPORATE5
%Workspace-%User	IE_7-ERNIE
%UserMED-V	ERNIEMED-V
%Hostname-MEDV	CLIENT234-MEDV
%VMNameMEDV#####	XP01MEDV64345

NOTE: The maximum limit for a name is 15 characters. Any pattern that generates a result that exceeds this limit will be truncated to the first 15 characters.

5.) Once this is determined, you will need to include the action within the VM setup script. This will require you to click the "Script Editor" option under Persistent VM Setup. Click on this button. The "Rename Computer" Action is required to generate the computer name. Also note, this will need to be followed by a "Restart Computer" action.

Steve Thomas | Senior Support Escalation Engineer

Configuring the MED-V Server by manually editing the ServerSettings.xml file

2009-10-14T17:15:01Z

In most cases it is recommended to use the MED-V Server Configuration utility (%PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization\ServerSettings.exe) to make configuration changes to the MED-V Policy Server, but there are some circumstances in which you will have to make modifications to the configuration file that controls the server settings (serversettings.xml). Those reasons include: Multi-Server Deployment/Provisioning Currently the serversettings.exe (MED-V Server Configuration Manager)...(read more)

MED-V Documentation – Now Available on TechNet!

2009-10-13T13:38:08Z

The Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) documentation library has recently been published to TechNet! This is the first time that MED-V documentation has been made available online and you can now see the newly published MED-V Planning, Deployment, and Operations Guide in the MED-V documentation library on TechNet here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee348978.aspx . Having the documentation available online is a huge advantage over downloadable guides only because it makes...(read more)

Solution: The Virtual PC engine may crash when attempt to start MED-V a workspace

2009-10-08T18:55:49Z

When you attempt to start MED-V a workspace using a test image or a deployed image, the Virtual PC engine may crash and generate a Fault Report using Windows Error Reporting. Subsequently, the MED-V Workspace will fail to start. The Virtual PC engine crash will show the following fault: {virtual pc.exe, 6.0.210.0, unknown, 0.0.0.0, ffff08ef} You will also see the following event in the Application Event Log: Log Name: Application Source: ...(read more)

Momentum Webcast: Unlock Value and Savings with Microsoft Virtualization

2009-10-07T20:11:00Z

How can an integrated virtualization strategy that brings server, desktop, and application virtualization together provide significant benefits to your business? Join this webcast to learn about the Microsoft end-to-end virtualization strategy, which uses flexible solutions and common management tools to deliver unique value and savings. We discuss the new features of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2. Other topics we cover include simplifying...(read more)

Troubleshooting Reporting and SQL Issues with MED-V 1.0

2009-09-28T22:26:11Z

While reporting is technically an optional feature of MED-V version 1.0, it is valuable in tracking errors, client events, and workspace usage statistics. You may encounter issues at various stages of setting up and using the reporting feature. I have composed a list of issues you may encounter when setting up reporting to SQL. Create Database before Testing Connectivity Database configuration for MED-V reporting is done inside the MED-V Server Configuration Manager utility (shown below.) You must...(read more)

More details on MED-V Service Pack 1

2009-09-23T17:12:00Z

As was mentioned last week on The Official MDOP Blog, MED-V will support Windows 7 in the first quarter of calendar year 2010 via MED-V 1.0 SP1 . We’ve been getting a few questions about what exactly SP1 brings to the table so I thought I’d take a minute and try to clear some of this up. The question I get asked most often is whether MED-V 1.0 SP1 will require PCs to have hardware assisted virtualization (e.g. Intel VT, AMD-V). The answer is no. Similar to MED-V v1, Service Pack 1 will use Microsoft...(read more)

Windows Virtual PC / MED-V live meeting available for viewing

2009-09-16T16:36:52Z

The Tech.Ed Australia Live Meetings have now concluded but it's not completely over as you can still view many of the recorded sessions. One in particular you may be interested in is Ben Armstrong’s presentation titled Windows 7 XP Compatibility mode, Virtual PC and Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization. This seemed to be a pretty popular session so if you didn’t make it down under to see it in person then now’s your chance: http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2009/09/07/windows-virtual-pc-med-v-live-meeting.aspx...(read more)

MDOP 2009 R2: What's New in MDOP for Windows 7

2009-09-14T21:44:10Z

In case you missed it over on the MDOP blog, they just announced that Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2009 R2 will be released in late October 2009 and will add Windows 7 support for all components except for MED-V. Regardless, they are working to ensure that MED-V will support Windows 7 in the first quarter of calendar year 2010 via MED-V 1.0 SP1. They go on to say:

“With its virtualization technologies and manageability components, MDOP 2009 R2 is an essential part of your Windows 7 planning and deployment strategy.
This is a great opportunity to highlight the key innovations of MDOP 2009 R2 and talk about how MDOP can help you rapidly migrate to Windows 7, deploy applications with greater ease, resolve application incompatibility, and reduce desktop management costs.

Optimize Windows 7 Application Deployment Using App-V

With Application Virtualization (App-V) you can transform applications into centrally-managed virtual services:

Reduce the costs of application deployment and increase user productivity - deliver most applications without actually installing them. Updates are made easier, application conflicts are minimized, and IT can spend less time in regression testing. For users, once they are granted access, the application is delivered and available instantly, following the user to enable easy roaming between corporate PCs.
Reduce your base image footprint and new PC provisioning time - separate your applications from the base image, and minimize the number of applications installed after the image is deployed.

Windows upgrade is the best time to adopt App-V - as part of Windows 7 deployment all applications are tested and re-deployed. This is a great time to take a look at your application delivery strategy and adopt Application Virtualization with minimum overhead and cost.

You can read more in the App-V Cost Reduction Study - savings of $156/PC/Yr in direct costs (11.6% of PC TCO) plus $125/PC/YR in user productivity gains. The sources of direct savings generated by App-V are across automated deployment, patching/updates, non-standard applications, image management, PC provisioning and replacement, and installation risk, as well as user productivity gains.

App-V 4.5 SP1 also offers new capabilities and unique integration with Windows 7:

Maintain user productivity regardless of application format - integration with the Windows 7 UI maintains the user experience and productivity as virtual applications behave just as regularly installed applications. Users are able to pin applications to the taskbar and leverage jumplists to navigate between applications.
Increased IT control with AppLocker integration - enforcing compliance of virtual applications with AppLocker policies, and providing consistent policy management for all application types.
Make users productive anywhere and save on IT infrastructure using BranchCache - virtual applications traverse the WAN only once and are available to users faster through local BranchCache points, eliminating the need for an IIS Server in every branch.
Secure application delivery with BitLocker ToGo - IT administrators can confidently deliver virtual applications on a secured USB drive, as the associated applications are protected against unauthorized use. Only authorized users have access to the applications, including remote users who may not have connectivity to corporate network.
Integrate with third-party LDAP directories - reduce administrative overhead for customers who maintain their user accounts in a third-party LDAP directory, and enable Kerberos via Active Directory trust.

Once available, App-V 4.5 SP1 can be deployed immediately to production environments running XP, Vista, Windows7, and Windows Server 32-bit platforms. For customers preparing to run App-V on 64-bit Windows Client and Server platforms they can download App-V 4.6 Beta at Microsoft Connect. App-V 4.6 will be available in H1 2010…”

To read more about all the new features coming with MDOP 2009 R2 see http://blogs.technet.com/mdop/archive/2009/09/14/mdop-2009-r2-what-s-new-in-mdop-for-windows-7.aspx

J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer

Free e-book: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions

2009-08-26T00:29:50Z

Microsoft Press offers complimentary book “Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions“.

This guide will teach you about the benefits of the latest virtualization technologies and how to plan, implement, and manage virtual infrastructure solutions. The technologies covered include: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2009, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, and Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.

Book content:

1) Microsoft’s Virtualization Solution

2) Server Virtualization – Hyper-V

3) Managing Virtualization – VMM 2008

4) Application Virtualization – App-V

5) Presentation Virtualization – Terminal Services

6) Desktop Virtualization – MED-V and VDI

7) User State Virtualization

8) Building a Virtualization Infrastructure

Copy is available on http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urmvs17u33

Enjoy!

J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer

Virtual PC and Windows XP mode for WIN7

2009-08-08T09:25:18Z

Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 are currently in RC. Please check out the blog here: Windows Virtual PC blog

Creating a MED-V Deployment Package

2009-07-27T18:08:09Z

You may run into problems trying to create a deployment package using Packing Wizard from the MED-V Management Console.

The Packaging Wizard allows Administrators to provide end users with an installation deployment package that includes the MED-V Client, Microsoft Virtual PC, and the virtual image. The process requires almost no user interaction, and automatically installs everything required for MED-V deployment to a local drive.

The Packaging wizard walks you through the creation of a package by creating a folder on your local machine and transferring all the required installation files to the single folder. The contents of the folder can then be moved to multiple removable media drives for distribution.

If the Management Console is installed on a machine with the Windows Installer running version 3.1 or less, you will have problems creating packages that include the Virtual PC Engine and the required additional VPC QFE.

To resolve this issue, you will need to install and download Windows Installer version 4.5 on the Management Workstation. You can download the Windows Installer 4.5 here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=5a58b56f-60b6-4412-95b9-54d056d6f9f4

Creating a Deployment Package

The deployment package installation provides a method of installing the MED-V Client together with all its required prerequisites as well as any settings pre-defined by the administrator.

To create a portable MED-V package, perform the following steps:

1. From the Tools menu, select Packaging wizard:

2. Click Next. The Workspace Image screen appears:

3. Check Include image in the package, to include an image in the package. In the Image field, click on the drop-down box to view all available images. Select the image to be copied to the package. Click Refresh to refresh the list of available images.

4. Click Next. The MED-V Installation Settings screen appears:

5. Select the MED-V installation file by doing one of the following:

a. In the MED-V installation file field, type the full path to the directory where the installation file is located.

b. Click the ... button to browse to the directory where the installation file is located.

For example: use %ProgramFiles%\MED-V instead of, c:\MED-V).

c. In the Server address field, type in the Server name or IP address.

d. In the Server port field, type the Server port.

e. Check Server is accessed using https to require an https connection to connect to the server.

f. Select Default installation settings to continue and leave the default settings.

OR

g. Select Custom installation settings

h. Click Next to set the installation settings in the following screen:

6. In the Installation folder field, type in the path of the folder where the MED-V files will be installed on the host machine.

7. In the Virtual machines images folder field, type the path of the folder where the virtual images files will be installed on the host machine.

8. In the Minimal required RAM field, enter the RAM required to install a MED-V package. If the user installing the MED-V package does not have the minimal required RAM, the installation will fail.

9. The following 3 options are enabled or disabled based on the type of package being defined. The first 2 are enabled for a Local package and the last one is enabled for a Portable Workspace package. Check the options you wish from those that are enabled.

10. Start automatically on computer startup - start MED-V automatically on startup.

11. Create a shortcut to MED-V on the desktop - create a shortcut to MED-V on the host's desktop.

12. Install the MED-V management application - include the MED-V Management Console application in the installation.

13. Click Next.

14. The External Installations screen appears.

a. Check Include installation of virtualization software to include virtualization installation in the package.

b. The Installation file field is enabled. Type in the full path of the virtualization software installation file or click the ... button to browse to the directory.

c. Check Include installation of Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 to include the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installation in the package.

d. The Installation file field is enabled. Type in the full path of the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installation file or click the ... button to browse to the directory.

e. Select the Include installation of Virtual PC QFE (KB 958162) check box to include Virtual PC QFE installation in the package.

f. The Installation file field is enabled. Type the full path of the Virtual PC QFE installation file of click ... to browse to the directory.

15. Click Next.

16. The Finalize screen appears:

a. Select the location where the package should be saved by doing one of the following:

b. In the Package destination field, type the full path to the directory where the package should be saved.

c. Click the ... button to browse to the directory where the installation files should be saved.

d. In the Package name field, type in a name for the package.

17. Click Finish to create the package.

18. The package is created. Note that this may take several minutes. Once the package is created a message appears notifying you that it has been completed successfully.

Steve Thomas | Senior Support Escalation Engineer