Microsoft Active Directory Topology Diagrammer Tool

“With the Active Directory Topology Diagrammer tool, you can read your Active Directory structure through LDAP. The Active Directory Topology Diagrammer tool automates Microsoft Office Visio to draw a diagram of the Active Directory Domain topology, your Active Directory Site topology, your OU structure, your DFS-R topology or your current Exchange 20XX Server Organization. With the Active Directory Topology Diagrammer tool, you can also draw partial Information from your Active Directory, like only one Domain or one site. The objects are linked together, and arranged in a reasonable layout that you can later interactively work with the objects in Microsoft Office Visio.”

You can download the Microsoft Active Directory Topology Diagrammer tool here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Blade Servers: Best Practices for Server Consolidation

“Throughout 2008 many data center managers were looking to reduce costs and improve efficiency any way possible. 2009 will be continuation of that trend and much of that has to do with consolidating older less performing servers, storage and workstations to smaller more efficient systems. In order to become more efficient with power/cooling, scalability, lifecycle management, backup and over all reduction of the data center footprint IT managers will continue to adopt technologies which will enable them to do more with less. These papers will discuss a few of the top trends and solutions for consolidating servers, storage and workstations to reduce consumption and management resources while simultaneously increasing processing and performance ability.”

You can download the free pdf here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Implementing ITIL v3 Capacity Management in a VMware environment

For those familiar with the ITIL framework you will of course know that by its very nature it tries to remain platform agnostic. But based on our experience working with ITIL and VMware, a number of key areas have been identified as being a focus point where the specifics of using VMware will have an effect.

To provide some guidance to people not familiar with the ITIL v3 Capacity Management terminology I will provide a brief overview of each section prior to discussing where the key areas of interest are in relation to VMware.

You can read the full article here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

IT Infrastructure Library V3 (ITIL): How Microsoft Moves it from Concept to Practice

Overview:

The IT Infrastructure Library has evolved from focusing on functions in its first version, to processes in its second version, and now—with ITIL v3—to addressing the entire service management life cycle, from service conceptualization to continuous service improvement.

Through the integration of Microsoft Solutions Framework, Microsoft Operations Framework, and the recent addition of the Continuous Improvement Roadmap (CIR), Microsoft delivers guidance for managing IT services throughout the life cycle.

This white paper is intended for business and IT professionals who are tasked with ensuring the performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of IT infrastructure services.

Get How Microsoft Moves ITIL V3 from Concept to Practice here.

Links for more information:

• Microsoft’s People Ready vision
• MSF
• MOF
• CIR
• System Center
• Solution Accelerators
• ITIL V3 Official Site
• COBIT
• ISO 20000
• Prince2

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft IT Compliance Management Guide

Overview

The IT Compliance Management Guide.zip file includes the following files:

• IT Compliance Management Guide.docx. This guide will prepare you for a conversation with GRC subject matter experts such as attorneys, auditors, specialists, and consultants working for your organization. It introduces an approach based on Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 that can help you address compliance requirements as well as organization-wide governance initiatives.
• IT Compliance Management Resources.xlsx. This Microsoft Excel workbook contains four worksheets. The Instructions worksheet provides reader instructions on the use of the tabs within this workbook. The GRC Control Objectives worksheet contains high-level objectives applicable to an IT department assigned GRC duties. The GRC Configuration Job Aids worksheet contains GRC objectives and associated Microsoft product configuration guidance to meet these objectives. The GRC Management Inventory worksheet contains GRC management guidance and additional product guidance for the management of a GRC solution.

This Solution Accelerator also includes the following files:

• Release Notes.rtf. Provides information about updates and changes to the IT Compliance Management Guide.
• IT Compliance Management Guide data sheet.docx. A two-page overview of the IT Compliance Management Guide that describes its purpose and provides other relevant information for IT managers and IT professionals.

You can download the guides here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Zenoss 2.3 Enterprise Edition includes native VMware Management

"Zenoss 2.3 includes improvements in Windows and Java application monitoring as well as native VMware management for Zenoss Enterprise Edition. We are also taking the opportunity to highlight over 30 new ZenPacks developed by the Zenoss community for expert monitoring of Asterisk PBX, Brocade Switches, Cisco Security Appliance, and many more."

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

6 Reasons to Choose VMware

1. Is built on a robust, proven foundation
2. Delivers a platform for shared IT services
3. Provides a complete solution for virtualization management
4. Supports your entire IT infrastructure
5. Is proven across tens of thousands of customer deployments.
6. Low total-cost-of-ownership (TCO).

More information here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware ESXi / 3i for Free Next Week

From Virtualization.Info:

VMware finally made the move that everybody predicted and was awaited for a long time: releasing its hypervisor for free.

During the Q2 2008 earnings call the company announced that before the end of July it will release the Update 2 for VMware Infrastructure 3.5 and that will give away the lightweight edition of the product, ESX 3i, for free.

The new 3i edition was introduced at the end of the last year.

It doesn’t change the characteristics of the hypervisor but fundamentally chances a part of its architecture, dropping the Console Operating System (COS) and reducing the overall system footprint to 32Mb.

The change allowed several OEMs to preload this edition of the hypervisor into their servers, through internal USB keys, Solid-State Drives (SSD) or hidden partition in the primary hard drives.

virtualization.info has learned some additional details about the move:

• VI 3.5 and ESX 3i will continue to share a the large majority of the code base (so there will be an ESX 3i Update 2). There will be no delays on the release of both products.
• ESX 3i will continue to have the same features that has today, without additional limitations
• ESX 3i will continue to have the same APIs, allowing anybody to develop free or commercial alternatives to VirtualCenter (despite some features like VMotion cannot be replicated because of the VMware SDK limitations).
• VMware will not require the purchase of any software & support subscription to access the product. Customer will be able to get the code without any restriction.
• The customers that purchased the current version of ESX 3i directly from the VMware online store will be eligible for a rebate.
• The ESX version that includes the Console Operating System (COS) will not be faded out (at least in the short timeframe). Most VMware customers are currently using that version and the company will support them for a long time.
• VMware Server will not be faded out (as many could suppose). The company still sees the product as a valuable proposition for a different kind of audience.

You can read the full post here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (17)

Here you have the best links and articles for the past week:

• ESX Server Security Technical Implementation Guide via US Department of Defense
• Why Virtualization Amplifies The Disconnect Between Security and IT Operations, And What You Can Do About It via Virtualization Security
• Upgrading your Active Directory to Windows Server 2008 via Sander Berkouwer's Blog
• Well, that's interesting news - now what? via Virtual Geek
• Optimize My IT via VMware

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (16)

And the winners for this week are:

• Top 5 things to know about Hyper-V via Windows Virtualization Team Blog
• Deploying Windows Server 2008 with "slipstreamed" Hyper-V RTM (Part 2)  via John Howard's Blog
• If A Virtualization Misconfiguration Or Security Vulnerability Exists Within An “ESX Appliance,” Does It Really Exist? via Virtualization Security
• Virtualising (Domain Controller) Servers via Mark Empson's Blog
• Virtualization's Impact on IT Operations - Part Two via Virtual Strategy Magazine

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (15)

Here you have the links / posts for the last week!

• Deploying Windows Server 2008 with "slipstreamed" Hyper-V RTM (Part 1) via John Howard's Blog
• A Look at Some VMware Infrastructure Architectural Advantages via Virtual Reality
• Arghhh.... Oh (that damn VM HA thing) via Virtual Geek
• The Virtualization Administrator is dead ! via Virtualfuture.info
• The Gift of Time via Life as a Healthcare CIO

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (13)

And here you have the the best articles for the past week:

• Significant Networking Problem with Hyper-V via Scottlowe.org
• The Case For And Against Stretched ESX Clusters via Virtual Geek
• VMFS Storage Sizing for Maximum Performance via VM /ETC
• Disaster Recovery in the Datacenter via VMware Podcasts
• ROI Analysis: Virtualization via InformationWeek

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (12)

This is the list of the links for this week:

• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Connection Broker Comparison via Quest
• Microsoft Hyper-V to flaunt advanced virtualization features via Infoweek
• Virtualization's Impact on IT Operations - Part 1 via Virtual Strategy Magazine
• Deploying Virtual Servers in a SAN Environment via Virtual Strategy Magazine
• Alternatives to VCB for VMware backup via SearchVMware

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (11)

These are the articles I enjoyed the most in the past week:

• Measuring Cluster Scaling with VMmark via VMware's performance team
• VirtualBox 1.6 vs. VMware Server 2.0 Beta 2 via zdnet.com
• Uncovering the Dark Secrets of Dark Storage via Enterprise Systems
• Is IT Infrastructure Undergoing a Quiet Revolution? via vmblog.com
• With virtualization growth comes increased demand for jobs via InfoWorld

Have a nice weekend!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (10)

And the winners for this week are:

• Storage options for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V via Jose Barreto's Blog
• More on Storage Options for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V via Jose Barreto's Blog
• Microsoft Licensing: Part 5 (virtualization) via markwilson.it
• Remote Access for Vendors via Life as a Healthcare CIO
• Dice reports a 40% increase in the demand for virtualization jobs via virtualization.info

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (9)

And the Best of the Week is back again this weekend with the following articles:

• Getting my head around the Hyper-V architecture via Peering through Windows
• Step-by-Step Guide for Testing Hyper-V and Failover Clustering via Microsoft
• How a stateless ESXi infrastructure might work via vinternals.
• Troubleshooting ESX Logs via VM/ETC
• How to be a Great Boss via Life as Healthcare CIO

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (8)

Here are the links and articles for the past week:

• Virtualization tools, advice focus on ROI by Server Virtualization Blog
• More on Transient VMs via vmMBA
• Why Retailers are Adopting Virtualization via Microsoft
• Virtualization creates shift in IT job market via SearchServerVirtualization
• Is hypervisor-based virtualization doomed? via SearchServerVirtualization

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (7)

These are the articles and links for the last week:

• VMware Certified Professionals command higher salaries, report shows via Server Virtualization Blog
• Free Virtualization Capacity Planning, Courtesy of Microsoft MAP via Virtualization.com
• Cool Technology of the Week via Life as a Healthcare CIO
• My Thoughts on the Live Migration-Quick Migration Discussion via Scottlowe.org
• Microsoft Blogs Part II via Yellow Bricks

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

The Best of the Week (6)

Another week, another five interesting articles to read!

• Management Lessons Learned as a Parent via Life as a Healthcare CIO
• Storage Design for Exchange Server 2007 via Microsoft
• VMware white paper review: “Comparison of storage protocol performance” via Server Virtualization Blog
• Saving money by using virtualization via Server Virtualization Blog
• Actual ROI of Virtualization via Virtualization Stuff

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

ESX Server, Networking and Cisco

Besides knowing how to manage the Hypervisor, administrators are expected to interact with at least the storage, backup and networking teams in order to provide a complete virtualization solution. Because of that, I would like to recommend you the following links since they talk about the interaction between the different players in a virtualization project, network design with Cisco devices and best practices:

• Server Virtualization: Network Implications and Best Practices by Maurizio Portolani
• Challenges integrating VMware into Cisco networks by Colin McNamara

Enjoy!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel