Step-by-Step: Configuring the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target as a Storage Device for System Center VMM

May 22, 2013 Leave a comment

Over the past few months we have made a big deal about the storage features of Windows Server 2012, including how the built-in iSCSI Software Target allows you to build a low-cost software-SAN (storage area network) for small environments, and how that lets you create a Hyper-V Failover Cluster without the expense of an actual SAN appliance.  We have also made a huge deal about building a Private Cloud with System Center 2012.  What we did not mention is how to add your Software SAN as a Storage Device in System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), a crucial component to putting it all together.

System Center VMM allows for three types of storage appliances:

  • Windows-based file server (as managed storage device)
  • Storage device that is managed by an SMI-S (Storage Management Initiative – Specification) provider
  • Storage Device that is managed by an SMP provider

It is the second of these that we are going to focus on.  In order to complete this setup you will need the following:

You can download the evaluation software by clicking on the links above.

Step 1: Configure an iSCSI Software Target

In an article earlier this year I documented the steps to create an iSCSI Software Target in Windows Server 2012.  You can follow the same steps for this exercise by revisiting that article here.

Step 2: Install System Center VMM

This should be done on a separate server, although both can be virtualized on the same host.  Ensure that you have network connectivity properly configured.  System Center VMM needs to be a member of an Active Directory Domain; although your iSCSI Target does not have to be, it makes security easier to manage.

I only now realized that we do not have a step-by-step article for installing the various System Center 2012 components; over the course of the next several weeks I promise to fix that.

Step 3: Prepare your iSCSI Target

In order to  configure your Target as an SMI-S Provider it is important that you add a couple of extra Role Services and Features in Windows Server 2012.  I recorded a video of how to do this within Server Manager earlier this year, which you can access here.  However you can also take this opportunity to learn a little PowerShell by following the following command:

Add-WindowsFeature WindowsStorageManagementService

Once that is done you have to patch your OS with the latest updates.  When that is done you have to install KB 2758246.

Next you have to install the Microsoft SMI-S Provider on your Target server.  It is located on the media for System Center VMM 2012 at x:\amd64\Setup\msi\iSCSITargetProv.  Alternately it is stored on your VMM server at \Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012\Virtual Machine Manager\setup\msi\iSCSITargetProv.  It is a quick install that does not look like it is doing very much.

While it is not documented that you have to, I like to reboot my Target server once this is done.  Alternately you can simply restart the Microsoft iSCSI Target Service.

Step 4: Register the SMI-S Provider

Back in the Target server, and back in PowerShell!  We have to register the iSCSI target as an SMI-S Provider, and provide a ConnectionURI. Although I have found several methods of doing this on the Internet, none of them worked for me.  What did work was:

Register-SmisProvider

When prompted I supply credentials for an account with Local Administrator rights on the Target server.

Step 5: Add Storage in VMM

At this point you are ready to add the iSCSI Target as a Storage Device in System Center VMM. 

  1. In the Fabric context click Add Storage under Add Resources. 
  2. In the Select Provider Type screen select Add a storage device that is managed by an SMI-S provider.
  3. In the Specify Discovery Scope screen:
    1. select SMI-S WMI from the Protocol drop-down;
    2. Type the FQDN of your Target server in the box Provider IP address or FQDN;
    3. Ensure that TCP/IP port is 5989;
    4. Select (or create) a Run As account with privileges on the Target server.  (remember that your Target server does not need to be a Domain Member; this part is easier and cleaner if it is).
    5. Click Next.
  4. On the Gather Information screen select your Target server and click Next.
  5. On the Select Storage Devices screen select the drive (or drives) that you will convert to shared storage.
    1. Select the check box next to the device;
    2. In the Classification drop-down select the classification you will add this storage under. (If no classifications exist then click on the Create Classification… button.
    3. Click Next
  6. On the Summary screen click Finish.  As with most screens in System Center 2012 you could also click the View Script button if you plan to make this a repeatable task.

When your job (Sets Storage Array) is listed as completed then you are done!

 

Conclusion:

Microsoft is making it easier for you to build out its tools in a sustainable lab environment, as well as in smaller IT environments.  However these tools are a poor substitute for the real thing; if your business needs the efficiency and stability of a proper SAN for your production environment then there are many storage providers who make great products.  For smaller environments, as well as for labs and classrooms, the software solutions are a great tool to learn, build, and practice. 

To that end we again invite you to download the evaluation software for Windows Server 2012 and System Center 2012 by clicking on these links.  They will help you get started and learning.  If you need more help you can also register for the Microsoft Virtual Academy, and you are already on your way to getting certified!

Filed under SANs, Software iSCSI, Storage, System Center, Windows Server 2012 Tagged with

Rebuilding SWMI… Not the company, just the infrastructure

May 21, 2013 Leave a comment

I have been talking about rebuilding the domain for my company for several months, and finally sat down to do it this week-end.  Because I was essentially destroying the old domain there were a few steps I needed to perform before going ahead.

I performed a Backup of all of my data.  Nobody in their right mind would destroy an environment before they back up their data… especially if they are planning to actually delete the machines and start from scratch.

I performed a complete test-Restore of all of my data.  Now that my Mail Server is completely cloud-based this was easier than it might have been – If I had Exchange, SQL, and SharePoint it would have been more complicated, but also more crucial.  I always stress the importance of doing test-restores because the worst time to find out that your backup did not work is when you need to recover it.  Make sure that it works before you are faced with real data loss.

Planning was actually relatively simple for me, because the main environment was going to look very similar to the lab environment I had recently built for my Private Cloud camp.  I still had the planning documents for that, and I was able to follow them pretty closely for the first few machines. There was a time when I would have done the planning in my head, but now I make sure that I have all of my plans on paper before I go forward.  As the old adage goes, measure twice, cut once.  By having your thoughts on paper it is easier to stay on track… and if you do have to veer then you should document why you did.

Cleaning Up may not seem all that important, but destroying a cluster before destroying the domain is infinitely simpler than doing so afterwards.  It is doable of course, but there are PowerShell commands such as Remove-ClusterResource –force that one will get intimately familiar with if you do not think ahead.

Make sure you have all of the installation Media at hand… either on physical DVD or in an ISO repository.  This should not only include the obvious ones such as operating systems and applications, but also make sure you have the latest hardware drivers.  By looking at my Plan I know that I will need the following media:

Additionally I would need several bits that I would simply download as one-offs… the Report Viewer, Silverlight, and things like that.  However since my networking topology is already in place, I would be able to do that from within the virtual machines.

Now that I have everything ready to go, I am ready to move forward.  Building an environment from scratch (green-field) would be simpler, but there are some aspects that prevented that.  In your production environment (should you ever decide to start from near-scratch) you will have to run through the same sort of project plan.  Make sure you think it out – do not simply sit down one morning and expect to implement in the afternoon; rather make sure you observe your environment for a few cycles and build your plan over time so that you don’t run into any surprises.

In my next piece I will go through the actual build architecture of how I decided to build my server infrastructure; I will also introduce some actual build videos of the System Center components.  If there is something in particular that you would like to see please let me know by commenting! -M

Filed under Infrastructure, Server, System Center, Windows Server 2012

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure…

May 21, 2013 Leave a comment

As many of you know I am not shy about sharing my opinions on the IT industry.  So when Mitch Tulloch – an IT Professional and writer of great renown – asked me to write an editorial for his site www.wservernews.com I was not about to pass up the opportunity.

Mitch asked me to discuss VDI – Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.  I was excited because it is a topic that bridges three subjects that I am passionate about – virtualization, the Windows client (desktop), and the management tools that make them viable in the enterprise.  I had a lot to say on the subject, and although I am used to pushing up against deadlines, this time it was not because of procrastination.

My editorial was published Monday morning, and I am very excited to share it with you, and to hear your comments about it.  It is called VD Why? VD Sigh… or VD Aye!

Filed under VDI, Virtualization, Windows Server Tagged with ,

The Benefits of Windows Intune

May 20, 2013 Leave a comment

Last month I had the opportunity to sit down with Robert Crane, the host of the Need to Know Podcast, about Windows Intune.  These podcasts are great for keeping IT professionals up to date on technologies that they may not know a great deal about, and Windows Intune is certainly one of those.  Dubbed by some as System Center in the Cloud, it is a cloud-based management tool for client devices from desktops and laptops to tablets and phones. 

Listen in to hear all about Windows Intune, and how it can help you to make money for your business!

TUNE IN BY CLICKING HERE!

Filed under System Center, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Intune Tagged with , , ,

Is Hyper-V the Best Hypervisor Out There?

May 17, 2013 Leave a comment

Many of you know that used to do a lot of VMware training… primarily for a company called VMTraining.  So I was thrilled when they reached out to me recently and asked if I was willing to do a webinar on Hyper-V for their customers… and for anyone else who was interested.  While it is not in response to it, the webinar does follow a similar one done recently by one of their senior instructors that put forth that vSphere is the best hypervisor.  I have said many times over the past year that Hyper-V can go head to head with any competitive product, and I am happy to step up to that challenge.

Join me this afternoon at 1:00pm CST (2pm Eastern, 11am Pacific) for a one hour session on why Microsoft’s Hyper-V is truly the best hypervisor on the market today!  Register here and listen in… if you weren’t sure before then you will be after the hour!

http://www.vmtraining.net/technical-webinars/us-051713

…And to be ready to play with it, Download and install Windows Server 2012 in your lab. You can download the full Windows Server 2012 with Hyper-V, or you can download and install the free Hyper-V Server 2012.

Filed under Hyper-V, Webcast Tagged with

Hyper-V Tips of the Day

May 10, 2013 Leave a comment

Hey folks!  I know it is Friday afternoon, it is mid-May, and most of the country is hip-deep in the NHL playoffs, so I figure I will give you a lighter post… something that will stick in your mind, but with no ‘gotta test it, action items attacked’ sort of thing.

Hyper-V has come a long way since its introduction.  They have gotten to a position of parity with vSphere (its major competition), with a few unique features and a couple of missing features… but for the first time the Microsoft team is confident that their product is on a par.

As someone who has been around Hyper-V since the beginning, I always enjoy when I notice something that has been introduced quietly; not the big ones, like Storage Live Migration and Dynamic Memory that get all of the fanfare, but smaller things. Such as:

  • Hot-changing of many of the Virtual Machine settings, such as Name, Integration Services, and Automatic Start Actions; these are all things that can be changed on running virtual machines.
  • Hot-changing Memory & CPU Resources: With Dynamic Memory the Minimum RAM can be lowered and the Maximum RAM can be raised; the Memory Buffer and Memory Weight can both be changed on the fly as well.
  • Virtual Hard Drives can be added to an existing SCSI Controller – this is great for demonstrating Storage Spaces!
  • Virtual Switches (previously Virtual Networks) can be modified on the fly, and virtual machines can be connected or disconnected on the fly; in fact the only change that cannot be made to Virtual Switches is with SR-IOV, which can only be configured for a virtual switch when that switch is created.
  • Snapshots can be taken of virtual machines at any point, and those snapshots can be reverted or deleted at any time.  One huge improvement to this is that VHDs and AVHD files will merge on the fly, instead of having to wait until the virtual machine is shut down.

These are just some of the minor improvements that I have found in Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 (although it applies equally to Hyper-V Server 2012 and Hyper-V in Windows 8).  There are more of course, but in a nutshell we see real advantages here over previous versions.

No, we do not have hot-add memory and CPUs… I hope the team is working on that; but by enabling the adjustment (up and down) of Dynamic Memory we have made real strides, and adding to that the other improvements, it is worth downloading and installing right now!  You can deploy this in you lab and take advantage of the flexibility this technology can provide. Try it for yourself by downloading Windows Server 2012!

 

Filed under Hyper-V, Windows Server 2012

Taking Back Your Lunch Hour: A Friday Funny

April 26, 2013 Leave a comment

Someone just forwarded this to me.  It is a commercial for Windows Azure’s Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas) offering, and it is absolutely hilarious!  Thanks for following guys… Let me end the week with one funny post!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vu0Mc3gY8yE

Filed under Hyper-V, IA, Virtualization, Windows Azure

Two new books on Hyper-V: Networking & Storage!

April 24, 2013 Leave a comment

I love promoting IT Pros and Microsoft, but when one of the champions is a Canadian it is even better for me.  Mitch Tulloch is an IT Pro author from Winnipeg, and is one of the guys I really look up to.  I have a bunch of his books, and every time a new one comes out I try to add it to my collection.  Here are two more that are right in my wheelhouse – Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012.  Pick them up and you will not regret it! –MDG 

Microsoft Press is releasing two new titles for IT pros who work with the Hyper-V virtualization platform:

The author team includes Mitch Tulloch, series editor, and over a dozen individuals at Microsoft including Support Escalation Engineers, Premier Field Engineers, Program Managers, Data Center Specialists, and experts from Microsoft Consulting Services.  These short titles will be available in June in both ebook and print format and while their primary focus is on the Windows Server 2012 version of Hyper-V, much of what they cover can also be applied to previous versions of Hyper-V.  Note that these titles are not intended as systematic guides and instead cover various scenarios on how to optimize Hyper-V environments and how to troubleshoot different kinds of issues involving networking and storage for Hyper-V hosts and virtual machines.

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Filed under Hyper-V, Microsoft Press, Virtualization, Windows Server 2012 Tagged with

Installing Oracle Linux 6 U3 on Hyper-V 2012 with LIS 3.4

April 18, 2013 Leave a comment

Everyone runs Windows… okay, that is not entirely true, but by 2012 it is the rare datacentre that does not have any Windows running.  I have been crisscrossing the country and indeed traversing the globe telling people how wonderful Hyper-V and Microsoft’s virtualization story is as good as or better than it’s competition, whether that be VMware or KVM or whoever else.  That often brings up the question from my audiences: ‘Okay, so Hyper-V and System Center are great for managing the Microsoft environment, but what about the mixed-mode environment for DCs that run some Windows, some Linux, and some Oracle?  What tools should we be using in conjunction with System Center, and should I consider for this environment implementing a permanent heterogeneous virtualization environment with Hyper-V running my Windows machines, and either VMware or KVM for my non-Windows systems?’

Linux-penguin-hugeThe truth is that Microsoft wants your business.  I will not deny that, Microsoft feels that if your virtualization hosts are running Hyper-V and you are managing it using System Center 2012, then it should be as easy a management experience as they can provide.  They also understand that some of you are running other operating systems in some of your machines.  Rather than making you use separate tools, they have made it easier for you to manage that heterogeneous mixed-mode environment using the same tools as you would use to manage your Microsoft environment – the ‘Single Pane of Glass’ that I have been speaking about for the past few years.

Last year I wrote an article about Linux Integration Services (LIS) 3.4 (http://blogs.technet.com/b/canitpro/archive/2012/09/11/linux-integration-services-for-hyper-v-3-4.aspx).  Recently Gilson Banin, a PFE with Microsoft in Brazil, wrote a great step-by-step article on installing Oracle Linux with the LIS 3.4 under a Hyper-V environment.  Of course Oracle Linux is not officially supported in Hyper-V (Oracle is very clear that the only virtualization environment they support is their own), but that does not mean that you cannot do it, and that it will not work.  Try it out and let us know what you think!

You can follow Gilson’s blog on TechNet.com at http://blogs.technet.com/b/gbanin/.

—

Hello Virtualization Nation. Probably you are thinking, how an Premier Field Engineer that loves Windows Server may help a Linux Community? Well, before starting at Microsoft’s World I was a Linux enthusiast, I started my career managing SCO Unix, yes I was born in 1978 but leaving these years on the past, today I love to help customer to get better experience, it does not matter if virtual machines are Windows or Linux. Recently I had the opportunity to help a important customer here in Brazil to win this challenge. Frequently some Oracle DBA told me that Linux didn’t work very well on Hyper-V, they were working more than a month trying to install Linux and nothing, nothing, nothing. I love to hear these customers that are not satisfied with our product because I always have a chance to change the game and improve their satisfaction.

So I decided to do step by step all procedures to install Oracle Linux on Hyper-V, of course first step was to make a download of ISO of Oracle Linux from Oracle Web Site (www.oracle.com), I’ve used the version Release 6 Update 3 64 bits. I didn’t to try to use oldest versions but feel free to validate it.

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Download of LIS 3.4 HERE http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34603

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The next step is to create a Virtual Machine without Network Interfaces (Yes! No NICs synthetic OR legacy). So create a VM into Hyper-V normally after remove Network Adapter, attach ISO and start it. Take a look VM settings below :

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After that install the operating system using default values.  During the installation you will observe that Network Settings will be not available to set IP address; don’t worry and continue and finish installation. Select “Install or upgrade an existing system”

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Everybody knows that Oracle Linux is a copy of Red Hat Linux.  In the past the companies had contractual agreements broken because all customers that decided to use Oracle on Linux, Red Hat always was recommended.  Both companies won and had revenues.

Leaving disagree between these companies, let’s go back to this article, Configure Network button will not be available, don’t worry and go, click Next.

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Wait for the process to complete, then log on as root and configure your password.  If you use VI editor it is easier and simple. If you do not know how to do this visit http://www.linux.org/article/view/using-the-vi-editor

Edit /etc/grup.conf

# vi /etc/grub.conf set default = 1

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# vi /etc/sysconfig/kernel,

(delete –uek from last of DEFUALT KERNEL..line)

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Reboot (it is mandatory).

Insert ISO LIS 3.4 into virtual DVD.

login as root.

# mount /dev/cdrom /media

# cd /media/RHEL63

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To Install Hyper-V Integration Services, execute ./install.sh

# ./install.sh

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Shutdown virtual machine (#halt)

Add a Network Adapter (not legacy)

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Start the VM.  The Integration Services should be fine.  Before editing configure network settings below:

# cd /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts

# cp ifcfg-lo ifcfg-eth0

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Edit ifcfg-eth0 and define your configurations (ip, mask, device name…)

#vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0

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DEVICE=eth0

BOOTPROTO=static

IPADDR=YOUR IP

NETMASK=YOUR MASK

ONBOOT=yes

NAME=eth0

Now create or edit /etc/sysconfig/network and include below information, gateway is yours

# vi /etc/sysconfig/network (if it does not exist create it )

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NETWORKING=yes

HOSTNAME=<your hostname>

GATEWAY= <your IP Gateway>

Edit /etc/resolv.conf and put at least one DNS IP server

# vi /etc/resolv.conf

nameserver 8.8.8.8

(or use the system-config-network utility)

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Select Device Configuration

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Finally, execute # ifup eth0 to start network interface 0 and after # ifconfig, observe that network interface eth0 is now shown:

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Linux Integration Services provides support for the modinfo command. To get module information for each installed kernel module, run the following command :

#/sbin/modinfo hv_vmbus

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This command can be repeated for all kernel modules (hv_vmbus, hv_netvsc, hv_storvsc, hv_blkvsc, and hv_utils).

To verify that all subcomponents are running as the root user, issue the following command at a shell prompt :

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Don’t forget that if your VM is highly available and you want to do Live Migration, MAC Address needs to be Static rather than Dynamic.

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Change it on Advanced Features on Network Adapter Properties VM.

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Well done! Welcome to Linux on Hyper-V!! Interoperability is here!

Note: Officially Oracle Linux is not supported by Microsoft, but it works perfectly. To learn more about which operating systems are officially supported, please visit : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794868(v=ws.10).aspx

Windows Server 2012: The Definitive Cloud OS

Filed under Hyper-V, Linux, System Center Tagged with ,

Windows Server 2012: Roles & Features

April 16, 2013 Leave a comment

A colleague asked me earlier today if I knew off the top of my head how many roles and features there are in Windows Server 2012, and I had to admit that I did not know.  As Albert Einstein once said, why memorize what you can reference.  However as a quick exercise I decided to not only count them, but type them up into an article for Kalvin… and for all of you!

NOTE: I included all of the sub-roles and sub-features as well for all except for the Remote Server Administration Tools, which would show a tool for all of the roles and features.

Roles:

1. Active Directory Certificate Services

2. Active Directory Domain Services

3. Active Directory Federation Services

4. Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services

5. Active Directory Rights Management Services

6. Application Server

7. DHCP Server

8. DNS Server

9. Fax Server

10. File and Storage Services

a. File and iSCSI Services

i. File Server

ii. BranchCache for Network Files

iii. Data Deduplication

iv. DFS Namespaces

v. DFS Replication

vi. File Server Resource Manager

vii. File Server VSS Agent Services

viii. iSCSI Target Server

ix. iSCSI Target Storage Provider

x. Server for NFS

b. Storage Services

11. Hyper-V

12. Network Policy and Access Services

13. Print and Document Services

14. Remote Access

15. Remote Desktop Services

16. Volume Activation Services

17. Web Server (IIS)

Features:

1. .NET Framework 3.5 Features

a. .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)

b. HTTP Activation

c. Non-HTTP Activation

2. .NET Framework 4.5 Features

a. .NET Framework 4.5

b. ASP.NET 4.5

c. WCF Services

i. HTTP Activation

ii. Message Queuing (MSMQ) Activation)

iii. Named Pipe Activation

iv. TCP Activation

v. TCP Port Sharing

3. Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)

a. IIS Server Extension

b. Compact Server

4. BitLocker Drive Encryption

5. BitLocker Network Unlock

6. BranchCache

7. Client for NFT

8. Data Center Bridging

9. Enhanced Storage

10. Failover Clustering

11. Group Policy Management

12. Ink and Handwriting Services

13. Internet Printing Client

14. IP Address Management (IPAM) Server

15. iSNS Server Service

16. LPR Port Monitor

17. Management OData IIS Extension

18. Media Foundation

19. Message Queuing

a. Message Queuing Services

b. Message Queuing DCOM Proxy

20. Multipath I/O

21. Network Load Balancing

22. Peer Name Resolution Protocol

23. Quality Windows Audio Video Experience

24. RAS Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK)

25. Remote Assistance

26. Remote Differential Compression

27. Remote Server Administration Tools

28. RPC over HTTP Proxy

29. Simple TCP/IP Services

30. SMTP Server

31. SNMP Server

a. SNMP WMI Provider

32. Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (Deprecated)

33. Telnet Client

34. Telnet Server

35. TFTP Client

36. User Interfaces and Infrastructure

a. Graphical Management Tools and Infrastructure

b. Desktop Experience

c. Server Graphical Shell

37. Windows Biometric Framework

38. Windows Feedback Forwarder

39. Windows Identity Foundation 3.5

40. Windows Internal Database

41. Windows PowerShell

a. Windows PowerShell 3.0

b. Windows PowerShell 2.0

c. Windows PowerShell ISE

d. Windows PowerShell Web Access

42. Windows Process Activation Service

a. Process Model

b. .NET Environment 3.5

c. Configuration APIs

43. Windows Search Service

44. Windows Server Backup

45. Windows Server Migration Tools

46. Windows Standards-Based Storage Management

47. Windows System Resource Manager (Deprecated)

48. Windows TIFF IFilter

49. WinRM IIS Extension

50. WINS Server

51. Wireless LAN Service

52. WoW64 Support

53. XPS Viewer

Now: Adding roles and features in Windows Server 2012 is easier than it was previously… either use the Add Roles and Features Wizard (See my article and video here).  Or you can use Windows PowerShell (which is the preferred way to do it) by using the cmdlet Install-WindowsFeature.  Even though there is a distinction between Roles and Features, the cmdlet to install them is the same for both.

Now go forth and serve, my fellow IT Pros!

Filed under Server, Server Manager, Windows Server 2012 Tagged with

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Windows Server 2012: More than Virtualization!

April 16, 2013 1 Comment

Since it was in pre-release I have been evangelizing Windows Server 2012.  I have gone from sea to shining sea talking about it at Launch events, at Partner showcases, in IT Camps, at user groups talking about how much better it is than Windows Server 2008, but more importantly I chiefly discuss the improvements to Hyper-V over previous versions, and how it (and System Center 2012) compares to VMware’s vSphere 5.1 and vCenter Server.

While all of that is true, to say that virtualization is the only benefit to Windows Server 2012 is doing it a disservice.  Don’t get me wrong, Hyper-V officially rocks; but if virtualization was the only benefit to the new Server, couldn’t companies simply deploy the new version on their host hardware, and leave their virtual machines running Windows Server 2008 R2?

Going forward when someone asks me what is new and exciting in Windows Server, I am going to start with the improvements to Hyper-V… but then we can go into the real meat of the product, and see where it takes us.  Improvements such as:

Storage Spaces (or Storage Pools), which I have equated to software-RAID after ten generations of improvement.  With Storage Spaces you can build your volume from multiple disks of equal or disparate size, on similar or disparate architecture.  Imagine having three SAS disks of 450GB, 146GB, and 72GB combined into a single volume of 668GB… or a 146GB SAS disk, a 500GB SATA disk, and a 2TB USB disk combined into a 2.46TB volume.  Add to that the ability to hot-add drives on the fly (in a recent demo I added two disks in under 30 seconds), and have your volume protected by Mirroring or Parity. All of this is built into Windows Server 2012, and we have written about it extensively.  Try it for yourself by following my article here.

Data Deduplication is built into the operating system.  Previously a tool that storage-conscious companies would pay thousands of dollars to third-party vendors for, is now a check box away when creating your volume.  Once it is enabled on your volume you can either use the GUI tool or, if you are efficient, Windows PowerShell to either schedule your dedup or run the job immediately on either your local or remote systems.

Software iSCSI Target was exclusively a feature of Microsoft Storage Server until April of 2010 when Microsoft released it as a fully supported free download.  Now integrated in Server 2012, it gives you the ability to create a software SAN device on your server with all of the functionality of most hardware SANs, but at a fraction of the cost.  While I will still not replace my hardware SAN devices in large organizations, it brings that functionality to smaller businesses without the budget for the extra hardware.  Couple this feature with Storage Spaces and Data Dedup and you have yourself a real ballgame!  To get started check out our article here.

MinShell is the new ‘compromise’ step between the full GUI Server installation and the Server Core installation.  It allows you to have a sort of ‘safety net’ of the GUI management tools, without actually having the Windows GUI environment installed.  You will save tons of resources across your virtualized environment because you no longer need the GUI on hundreds of virtual machines, as we wrote about here.

Server Manager was introduced to Windows Server 2003 R2 with all of the ho-hum yawning that it deserved.  Okay, a lot of our tasks were brought into one app, but that was about it.  That is why I was so surprised that the modern Server Manager in Server 2012 blew me away with its true multi-server management, the Dashboard functionality that gives the administrator a birds-eye view of the health of all of his or her systems, and the ability to manage… well, everything from one console.  Install roles and features on your local or remote servers with the same ease.  Manage multiple servers from the same console – add them by simply right-clicking the All Servers context, and then without any more work see that all of the services running on that (or those) remote server(s) are instantly added to your Dashboard.  I recorded a video of some of the great functionality in Server Manager for our blog here.

PowerShell 3.0 is the breakout version of this already incredible scripting environment, with nearly ten times the cmdlets than previously available (out of the box).  Add to that the Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE) and you have a powerful scripting environment that is even easier to learn and use than before!

Active Directory Administration Center is a new all-encompassing tool for Active Directory management.  No longer will admins have to open one of several different consoles depending on what they wanted to do, the ADAC is it… plain and simple!

Active Directory Recycle Bin was introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2, and is now even easier to use to use.  Enable it in the ADAC (remember that once enabled it cannot be disabled).  To lean how to enable it read our article here, and the to use it to restore an object we have another article here.

Windows PowerShell History Viewer records the underlying Windows PowerShell commands when action is taken in the Active Directory Administrative Center so that the admin can copy and reuse the scripts.  This is also a great way for admins to start learning PowerShell!

Cloning and Snapshotting Domain Controllers, along with DCs that are fully aware of virtualization, mean that we no longer need to maintain a physical domain controller in our fully virtualization (or cloud-based) organization.  I can rapidly deploy new domain controllers (either in an existing or new domain), and quickly and easily restore business continuity during disaster recovery.  I can rapidly provision test environments and quickly meet increased capacity needs in branch offices.  Our virtualized domain controllers will detect snapshot restoration and non-authoritatively synchronize the delta of changes for Active Directory and the SYSVOL, making DC virtualization safer.

Fine-Grained Password Policies in Active Directory allows me to have better security for my infrastructure by making it easier for users with no access to sensitive information have more lenient password policies, while enforcing stricter policies for users with more access and for service accounts.  While everyone will still have to have password awareness, this will see a marked decrease in Post-It Note Security Violations.

Dynamic Access Control is a new way of securing your information, whether on file shares, in SharePoint Document Libraries, or even in e-mail.  It works with Rights Management Server using Central Access Policies to verify who is accessing what information from where (what device).  The expression-based access policies determine before decrypting the content that both the user and the device are trusted.  If you have highly sensitive information that should only be accessed on corporately managed devices this is going to be a great new security feature available to you!

DirectAccess was introduced in the 2008 era with a plethora of complex requirements and prerequisites needed to implement.  In 2009 Rodney Buike wrote an article that is a great explanation of DirectAccess on our blog which can be read here.  In Server 2012 it is so much simpler to plan for, deploy, and use.  Anthony Bartolo wrote the article about what it is, what it needs, and what it does recently, and you can read that article here.

…and the list just keeps going and going.  I urge you to download the evaluation software and try it out by clicking on the appropriate link:

Windows Server

System Center 2012

Windows 8

In addition to downloading the software and reading our articles, you could have a chance in winning your lab computer by participating in free Microsoft offered Virtual Academy.  To have a chance to win an HP EliteBook Revolve and two chances to win 400 Microsoft Points enter here.  Complete two TechNet evaluations, and take the selected Microsoft Virtual Academy courses for your chance at a $5,000 grand prize!

Filed under Server, Windows Server 2012 Tagged with

Calgary Here I Come!

April 15, 2013 Leave a comment

Even before joining Microsoft Canada’s DPE team as a Virtual Evangelist (the Virtual part means I am a contractor in case you were curious, but I also specialize in Virtualization so it works in my favour!) I have had the opportunity to crisscross our great nation talking to audiences of all sorts and sizes – communities and user groups, enterprise customers, internal and external audiences, and more.  I have the greatest position I could imagine!

It continues today… I am heading to Calgary Alberta – a city that I have now visited a half dozen times in as many months, and one that I consider to be an important city for many reasons.  In October I had the opportunity to host a Windows 8 Launch Party for Calgary at Bottlescrew Bill’s, and have been back since for Windows 8, Office 365, Windows Server 2012, System Center 2012, and of course Hyper-V.  Every time I am there I am greeted by some of the greatest and most engaged and enthusiastic audiences.  Ever since I first spoke to the Calgary IT Community (CIC) in January of 2007, I have always been glad to go back to them.

While the CIC is going strong even today, a number of other user groups have popped up in that time.  The Calgary Systems Management User Group was founded in 2009 by Microsoft MVP Kevin Kaminski, and focuses on System Center, Desktop Deployment, and other topics of interest. 

The latest group to come about in Calgary is the Calgary Virtualization User Group (CVUG).  Founded by Marcos Noguiera, the group is one of the new breed of user groups that is technology agnostic and instead focuses on all topics related to virtualization.  The CVUG held their first meeting in February of this year, and they are building and growing, and from what I can tell all in the right direction.

Tonight (Monday April 15th) I will be speaking at CVUG for the first time.  For the first part of the meeting I will be comparing and contrasting VMware’s vSphere and Microsoft’s Virtualization & Private Cloud, and for the second part I will be discussing how to manage a heterogeneous virtualization environment using Microsoft’s System Center 2012.  Needless to say it should be an interesting meeting, hopefully evoking a lot of great conversation and debate between the members.

The event is free for all; all you have to do is register on their website.  I hope to see you there tonight and remember… make sure you say hi! –MDG

Filed under Hyper-V, System Center, Virtualization, VMware, vSphere Tagged with

The Virtualization Landscape

April 15, 2013 Leave a comment

Dan Stolts is a Senior IT Pro Evangelist with Microsoft. Earlier this month he sat down with Tony Asaro on TechNet Radio to discuss the Virtualization Landscape in a Heterogeneous World.  Listen in and let me know what you think! –MDG

Filed under TechNet Radio, Virtualization Tagged with

Repair, Replace, or Reimage

April 15, 2013 Leave a comment

Repair, Replace, or Reimage.

Filed under Uncategorized

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