• Microsoft Virtualization Jump Start Videos Just Released!

    We are thrilled to announce availability of the HD-quality video recordings – FREE – on TechNet Edge, MS Showcase, the Zune Marketplace, iTunes!

    Where do I go for this great training?

    The HD-quality video recordings of this course are on TechNet Edge. If you’re interested in one specific topic, I’ve included links to each module as well.

    Entire course on TechNet Edge: “Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals” Jump Start

    · Links directly to specific modules

    o Virtualization Jump Start (01): Virtualization Overview

    o Virtualization Jump Start (02): Differentiating Microsoft & VMware

    o Virtualization Jump Start (03a): Hyper-V Deployment Options & Architecture | Part 1

    o Virtualization Jump Start (03b): Hyper-V Deployment Options & Architecture | Part 2

    o Virtualization Jump Start (04): High-Availability & Clustering

    o Virtualization Jump Start (05): System Center Suite Overview with focus on DPM

    o Virtualization Jump Start (06): Automation with Opalis, Service Manager & PowerShell

    o Virtualization Jump Start (07): System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012

    o Virtualization Jump Start (08): Private Cloud Solutions, Architecture & VMM Self-Service Portal 2.0

    o Virtualization Jump Start (09): Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 1

    o Virtualization Jump Start (10): Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 2

    o Virtualization Jump Start (11): v-Alliance Solution Overview

    o Virtualization Jump Start (12): Application Delivery for VDI

    Links to course materials on Born to Learn

    Where can people learn more?

    Clearly, virtualization experts worldwide are taking a new look at Microsoft Virtualization. After this Jump Start, we hope you’ll want to learn why. Check out the Microsoft Learning “Virtualization Training Portal” to better understand virtualization-specific certifications and where to find instructor-led classes to help you and your team. Of course, these videos will also be posted to the Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) where you can learn at your own pace.

  • Microsoft iSCSI Target – FREE DOWNLOAD!

    The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 provides storage (disks) over a TCP/IP network. It turns a computer running Windows Server into a storage device which provides shared block storage. You can use Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 to perform a variety of storage-related tasks, including the following:

    • Provide shared storage for Hyper-V to enable high availability and live migration
    • Consolidate storage for multiple application servers (i.e. Microsoft SQL Server or Hyper-V)
    • Provide shared storage for applications hosted on a Windows failover cluster
    • Enable diskless computers to boot remotely from a single operating system image using iSCSI.

    The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 is an economical solution suited for a development or test environment and a small, medium, or branch office production environment. It enables storage consolidation and sharing on a Windows Server by implementing the iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) protocol, which supports SCSI-block access to a storage device over a TCP/IP network. For details on how to manage iSCSI targets, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg232606(WS.10).aspx.

    Go get it @ http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=45105d7f-8c6c-4666-a305-c8189062a0d0. See additional information at http://blogs.technet.com/b/virtualization/archive/2011/04/04/free-microsoft-iscsi-target.aspx.

  • Crushed by Your Calendar? Check Out This App

    A new time-management application takes information from Exchange and presents it to users in a colorful, detailed Excel dashboard.  Try out the Calendar Analytics app, a free download from the Microsoft Business Intelligence team.

    Download Calendar Analytics.

    Watch Eric Swift and Tom Casey discuss Calendar Analytics and the secrets of time management.

    Known issues can be found here.