I just posted the TechReady keynote demo, which I talked about earlier, on soapbox.

In this demo you will see:

• Windows Server Virtualization running on Server Core managed from another Windows Server Longhorn box
• 64-bit hosts and 32-bit hosts and a Linux running on the same server core box
• An 8-core virtual machine
• System Center Virtual Machine Manager
• System Center Operations Manager
• Monitoring the VMs on the Server Core box 
• Fire off a PowerShell script to hot-add another NIC to a SQL VHD Image

This demo is just awesome. I loved the PowerShell script where Jeff just added another NIC to a VM.

I can barely wait to get me hands on this kind of technology. Now I am already testing the Longhorn server but once I can get my hand onto the Windows Server Virtualization I will definitely move my VM towards this Technology.

Video: Longhorn - Windows Server Virtualization 

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Recently during one of my Windows Failover clustering presentation I received the question how to emulate iSCSI shared disks to build a failover cluster without having to buy an expensive storage environment. In my case I'm using our own iSCSI target software but there are some other vendors that let you use their target software for free:

• MySAN, from Nimbus Data Systems: http://www.nimbusdata.com/products/mysan/mysan.htm
• StarWind, from RocketDivision: http://www.rocketdivision.com/download_starwind.html

Now you have all the tools needed to start testing out Windows Server 2008 failover clustering.

Enjoy!

One of my colleagues developed a tool called VMRC Plus which is an improved version of the VMRC client that is deployed together with Virtual Server 2005.

As soon as I got the link I downloaded this tool, installed it on my machine. Unfortunately I didn't have Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 running. So I downloaded and installed it without IIS and I didn't installed the Web Administration tools. Why? Because you don't need them :)

What does VMRCplus offer?

• Direct control of local or remote instances of the Virtual Server service. IIS and IE browser are no longer required!
• Tabbed interface to quickly jump between Virtual Server hosts and guest VMRC sessions.
• Reusable saved states: this feature allows users to preserve a particular saved state and return to that state at any time.
• Multiple guest selection supported for startup/shutdown/save/display.
• Browse button navigation for media, hard disk images, ISO images, .VMC files, etc.
• Drag and Drop support for .VMC files, ISO's images, VHD and VFD files.
• Resizable desktop support for guests running Virtual Machine Additions (maximize VMRC window supported).
• Limited cut and paste of text from host to guest (only).
• A built-in utility to take JPG screenshots of running guests. Useful when filing bugs.
• Built-in error notification with Virtual Server event log viewer.
• A Virtual Networks Manager and Virtual Disks Manager that cover all features.
• Keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl-S to save state a guest).
• Create multiple guests at once.
• Create guest from parent (or multiple guests)!
• Automatic reconnect to a designated Virtual Server host.
• Toolbars in both Guest and Console Manager for quick access.
• Unlimited number of guests.
• Maximum of 32 Virtual Server hosts.
• Sorting on columns of guests so you can sort based on status and multi-select.
• Automatic detection of Virtual Machine Additions and notification.
• Detection of Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1.

Some screen shots:

Main VMRCplus window (Guest Manager)

Create a new Guest

Hardware Settings page

Remote control sessions through the Console Manager

This is yet another tool the Admin's should have in their toolbox it is definitively in mine now. Managing my Virtual Server will be so much easier now but.
The VMRCplus tool is not an Enterprise tool neither is it supported by Microsoft, for Enterprise management I suggest you to have a look at System Center Virtual Machine Manager

This tool Rocks!!

Note: I updated the download location to the Microsoft download center 

Download

Still having some difficulties running RSS Bandit on Vista. My current build is 5536 and I can use RSS reader but I have some troubles configuring the reader. Thanks to workaround of Eric Denekamp I can now configure the RSS.

On his blogpost he explains that he found out why RSS bandit runs but cannot open the config windows. It must be something with the Aero Glass theme, when you disable the theme and run it in the standard theme you can open the config windows of RSS Bandit.

I like the RSS Bandit very much so I hope they will fix that soon or should I use another way to read my feeds using outlook perhaps.

Anyway I will use this workaround to configure my reader and enable Glass as soon as I finish with this task.