Microsoft Private Cloud Labs

“Core Capabilities Addressed in the Guided Labs:

• Provide resources through self-service requests
• Drive consistent Service Delivery
• Provision additional cloud infrastructure
• Delegate cloud resources
• Create consistency through service templates
• Perform a standardized application deployment to test
• Stage application resources
• Self-service deployment of an application to a production environment
• Gain insight and visibility through reporting
• Monitor infrastructure
• Taking corrective actions in the infrastructure
• Reduce time to resolution with application performance monitoring
• Deploy an update to service instance
• Explore creating dashboards”

You can find more information about the Microsoft Private Cloud Labs here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

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

Microsoft File Server Capacity Tool - v1.2

“File server capacity planning and performance troubleshooting are critical aspects of high-level network administration. File server capacity planning tools can be valuable in choosing new hardware for purchase, identifying the capacity of existing hardware, locating existing bottlenecks, and planning for resource expansion in advance of resource exhaustion.

The throughput capacity of a file server can be expressed either as the maximum number of operations per second or a maximum number of users supported by the configuration. These values are influenced by several factors, some of which include processor speed, available memory, disk speed, network throughput and latency, and the speed with which SMB requests are processed.

 
This release is an updated release to v1.0. It includes support of File Server in the Windows Clustering configuration. Windows Clustering allows system to be built with redundancy, which provides high availability to tolerate hardware failures. With a two node clustering, you could setup more than one virtual file server instance, and have FSCT clients run load against all the instances. In this release, a new section “Running FSCT against a singleton Windows Cluster” will describe the setup and steps for running against a Windows Cluster.”

You can download the Microsoft File Server Capacity Tool here (64b) and here (32b).

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

New Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 Download!

“iSCSI Software Target is an optional Windows Server component that provides centralized, software-based and hardware-independent iSCSI disk subsystems in storage area networks (SANs).”

You can download the new package here and find additional information by reading Jose Barreto’s blog posts: The Basics of the Virtual Disk Services (VDS), Configuring the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target, Step-by-step: Using the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target with Hyper-V (Standalone, Full, VHD) and Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 for Windows Server 2008 R2 available for public download.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Configure the Windows Time Service on a New PDC Emulator

Something to take into account if you are upgrading your AD infrastructure to Windows 2008/R2 and adding a new DC to hold the FSMO roles:

“If you have changed the FSMO roles to another machine please run on the new PDC Emulator:

• w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:PEERS /syncfromflags:manual /reliable:yes /update

With "PEERS" you can set the time source, either DNS name or an ip address from a reliable time source. Here you can find some of them: http://www.pool.ntp.org/.

On the old PDC Emulator run:

• w32tm /config /syncfromflags:domhier /reliable:no /update
• After that run: net stop w32time and then net start w32time”

Original post and more information here and here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Windows Time Service Errors and a Virtualized Domain Controller on Hyper-V

“Disable time synchronization on the host by using Integration Services, and then configure the virtualized domain controller to accept the default Windows Time Service (W32time) domain hierarchy time synchronization. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Integration services.
4. Clear the Time Synchronization option.
5. Exit Hyper-V Manager.
6. Restart the server.”

More information here – Microsoft KB article 976924.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

New Microsoft Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT v3.2)

“Overview

• The Active Directory Migration Tool version 3.2 (ADMT v3.2) simplifies the process of migrating objects and restructuring tasks in an Active Directory® Domain Service (AD DS) environment. You can use ADMT v3.2 to migrate users, groups, service accounts, and computers between AD DS domains in different forests (inter-forest migration) or between AD DS domains in the same forest (intra-forest migration). ADMT can also perform security translation (to migrate local user profiles) when performing inter-forest migrations.

System Requirements

• Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2008 R2
• ADMT can be installed on any computer capable of running the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system, unless they are Read-Only domain controllers or in a Server Core configuration.
• Target domain: The target domain must be running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2
• Source domain: The source domain must be running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2
• The ADMT agent, installed by ADMT on computers in the source domains, can operate on computers running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2.”

The new version of Active Directory Migration Tool can be downloaded here and its guide “Migrating and Restructuring Active Directory Domains” here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft Hyper-V Portal/Wiki

“Hyper-V is Hypervisor-based virtualization technology from Microsoft. It is available both as Windows Server role (starting with Windows Server 2008) and as a free stand-alone product called Microsoft  Hyper-V Server.

Following is a list of Hyper-V-related topics in TechNet Wiki.

General information

• About Microsoft Virtualization
• Hyper-V Survival Guide
• Hyper-V TV
• Hyper-V Terms

Hyper-V / hypervisor Concepts

• Hyper-V Concepts - Snapshots

Hyper-V Resources

• Hyper-V Tools
• Hyper-V Scripts
• Hyper-V Troubleshooting
• Download Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2

Technical Information

• Hyper-V Architecture
• Hyper-V Virtual Networking Best Practices
• Hyper-V VM Migration — R1 to R2
• Hyper-V Live Migration”

You will find the Microsoft Hyper-V Portal/Wiki page here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft Hyper-V - Live Migration Network Configuration Guide

“This guide describes how to configure your network to use the live migration feature of Hyper-V™. It provides a detailed list of the networking configuration requirements for optimal performance and reliability, as well as recommendations for scenarios that do not meet these requirements.

For information about the complete requirements for using Hyper-V with Cluster Shared Volumes, see Hyper-V: Using Live Migration with Cluster Shared Volumes in Windows Server 2008 R2”

You can access the Microsoft Hyper-V Live Migration Network Configuration Guide here (TechNet).

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware vCenter – Microsoft Sysprep File Locations and Versions

“Microsoft has a different version of Sysprep for each release and service pack of Windows. You must use the version of Sysprep specific to the operating system you are deploying. The differences are not immediately visible in the packaging and documentation of the service packs, so it is necessary to manually investigate.

The contents of the Sysprep deploy.cab file must be extracted to the Sysprep Directory on the VirtualCenter Server host. If the file downloaded from the Microsoft Web Site is a .cab file, the Installing the Microsoft Sysprep Tools appendix of the Basic System Administration guide details how to install the Sysprep Tools.”

You can review the VMware KB article 1005593 here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Thunderflash – The Virtual Machine Exchange Site

I came across this site today and wanted to share it here. It has a collection of pre-built Virtual Machines that can be downloaded for various hypervisors and platforms like VMware, Hyper-V, Xen, KVM, VirtualBox and Parallels.

Here is the site description:

“Thunderflash is the new one-stop source for pre-built virtual machine images, featuring high speed downloads and supporting all popular hypervisors and platforms. Search through a huge selection of virtual machine images by entering your search terms on the left.

You must create an account and verify your email address before you can directly download images, but it only takes a moment and is completely free.”

You can access the site here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

New Microsoft Press E-Book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 (Free)

“We’re thrilled to publish another free E-Book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, by Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner!

The book contains 10 chapters and 216 pages, like so:

PART I   Database Administration

• CHAPTER 1   SQL Server 2008 R2 Editions and Enhancements 3
• CHAPTER 2   Multi-Server Administration 21
• CHAPTER 3   Data-Tier Applications 41
• CHAPTER 4   High Availability and Virtualization Enhancements 63
• CHAPTER 5   Consolidation and Monitoring 85

PART II   Business Intelligence Development

• CHAPTER 6   Scalable Data Warehousing 109
• CHAPTER 7   Master Data Services 125
• CHAPTER 8   Complex Event Processing with StreamInsight 145
• CHAPTER 9   Reporting Services Enhancements 165
• CHAPTER 10   Self-Service Analysis with PowerPivot 189”

You can download the ebook in XPS format here and in PDF format here!

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft Hyper-V Update List – Windows Server 2008/R2

Via virtualboy blog & SMB Virtualization group:

“The following table shows the list of software updates and hotfixes for Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008/R2. Updates that are available on Windows Update are indicated, as well as the download location for those that are available at the Microsoft Download Center. These updates and hotfixes can help avoid some known issues and may save you a support call.”

Microsoft Hyper-V Updates are available here (2008 R2) and here (2008).

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft TechNet Webcast: Hyper-V for the VMware Administrator (Level 300)

“If you are a VMware administrator or you are considering a virtualization platform purchase, then this webcast is for you. Using demonstrations, we compare Microsoft and VMware virtualization platforms and highlight the differences in the two platforms. Topics we cover include Failover Clustering, the Microsoft high availability solution; live migration, how Microsoft does VMotion; using Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO) to move virtual machines; and much more.”

The Microsoft TechNet Webcast Hyper-V for the VMware Administrator can be downloaded here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

AD / Network Troubleshooting Tool: MS IT Environment Health Scanner

“Overview:

The Microsoft IT Environment Health Scanner is a diagnostic tool that is designed for administrators of small or medium-sized networks (recommended up to 20 servers and up to 500 client computers) who want to assess the overall health of their network infrastructure. The tool identifies common problems that can prevent your network environment from functioning properly as well as problems that can interfere with infrastructure upgrades, deployments, and migration.

When run from a computer with the proper network access, the tool takes a few minutes to scan your IT environment, perform more than 100 separate checks, and collect and analyze information about the following:

• Configuration of sites and subnets in Active Directory
• Replication of Active Directory, the file system, and SYSVOL shared folders
• Name resolution by the Domain Name System (DNS)
• Configuration of the network adapters of all domain controllers, DNS servers, and e-mail servers running Microsoft Exchange Server
• Health of the domain controllers
• Configuration of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) for all domain controllers

If a problem is found, the tool describes the problem, indicates the severity, and links you to guidance at the Microsoft Web site (such as a Knowledge Base article) to help you resolve the problem. You can save or print a report for later review. The tool does not change anything on your computer or your network.”

You can download the tool here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft RichCopy

“RichCopy is a free utility that comes to us from Ken Tamaru of Microsoft. The tool was first developed in 2001 and has been updated regularly to keep pace with evolving needs. Trust me when I tell you, this is the answer to all your file copying needs. What you'll find most striking the first time you take RichCopy out for a spin is that it's a multithreaded copying tool. That means that rather than copying one file at a time in serial order, RichCopy can open multiple threads simultaneously, allowing many files to be copied in parallel and cutting the total time required to complete the operation several times over. You can also pause and resume file copy operations, so if you lose network connectivity at any point, you can just pick up where you left off.”

You can download the free tool here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Free Microsoft Press E-Book: Introducing SQL Server 2008

“Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 by Peter DeBetta, Greg Low, and Mark Whitehorn:

Learn about major new features in SQL Server 2008 including security, administration, and performance.”

You can download the Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 free e-book here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services Resource Kit

“In-depth and comprehensive, this Resource Kit delivers the information you need to set up, deploy, and manage a Terminal Services farm using Windows Server 2008.”

You can download the Windows Server 2008 TS Resource Kit free e-book here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Video - Microsoft Hyper-V: Understanding Networking

“This video, with a mix of slides and demo, walks through networking in Hyper-V. We take a look at the different types of networks: Private, Internal and External, along with vLANs and Teaming.

Duration: 52m 14s:

• Demo: Private Networking & vLANs @ 17m 38s
• Demo: Internal Networking & vLANs @ 27m 03s
• Demo: External Networking & vLANs @ 33m 25s
• Demo: NIC Teaming @ 45m 19s”

You can download the video here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 / R2 - Server Core Installation Options

“This step-by-step guide provides information about installation, initial configuration, and managing a server that is running a Server Core installation.”

You can download the Microsoft Server Core Installation Option Getting Started Guide here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel