Tag Hyper-V

Microsoft Virtualization launch

Attend the Microsoft® Virtualization Readiness Launch and Take Home the Latest Software*

Get hands-on with virtualization—on us.
Attend the event that lets you touch, talk about, and experience Microsoft® virtualization solutions. Hear from Microsoft virtualization experts on how Microsoft uses virtualization in its own data centers. Dive into robust hands-on labs and gain a technical understanding of the Microsoft virtualization strategy. Then, take home a valuable set of free products and readiness-focused giveaways to help get you started:*

• A one-year evaluation copy of Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
• A copy of Understanding Microsoft Virtualization from the Desktop to the Data Center, by Mitch Tulloch**
• Vouchers for Microsoft Server Virtualization Certification exam (70-652) and preparation course (a $316 value)

Find out all about Microsoft virtualization.
Spend a day learning how a well-designed virtualization strategy can help you control costs, improve service levels, and drive business agility. See solutions built on the Windows Server® 2008 operating system with Hyper-V™ technology, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007, and Microsoft Desktop and Application Virtualization. And learn how you can leverage end-to-end virtualization to unlock benefits from the data center to the desktop.
The day’s agenda is simple.

• Begin your day with 300-level technical seminars:
  • Session I: Server Virtualization and Management
  • Session II: How Microsoft Builds Dynamic Data Centers
  • Session III: Understanding Virtualization at the Desktop Level
• Spend the afternoon with experts and technology partners in our Solutions Pavilion, and experience Microsoft virtualization via hands-on labs.
• Go home with the knowledge and products you need to start putting Microsoft virtualization into place in your organization.*

*Free Microsoft evaluation software for all event attendees! You’ll take home an evaluation kit with versions of the latest virtualization products. The Microsoft Virtualization Evaluation Kit is available only for attendees of 2008 Microsoft Virtualization Launch event.
**Registered attendees must be an IT Professional or IT Decision Maker and 18 years old by September 8, 2008 to attend this event. Limit one kit per person. All kits must be claimed at the event. This offer is non-transferrable and expires on December 31, 2008 while supplies last. Offer is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient.

And ofcourse, the fair Platinum Sponsors of the event! Oh, look there’s NetApp and Citrix! :)

I want to make special mention of Vaughn Stewart of of the Virtual Storage Guy blog.

This guy is sharp, smart, and quite possibly one of the best resources you can tap regarding Virtualization as a technology for the past, present and future.

If you have virtualization involved in your datacenter, small, medium or large.  I’d keep a close watch on what he has to say :)

So, welcome his re-entry to the blogosphere with a visit to his blog! :)

Recently I received an email stating "The word is not out yet on scores for 071-652 – Stay tuned for details!"

Well, the details are HERE!

For those of you took the beta exam of TS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring (071-652) you can now login to Prometric and find out your score!

It’ll look similar to this below!

For those of you who passed – Congratulations!

For those of you who didn’t, there will likely be a lot of good and viable collateral to take the exam going forward, so keep your Hyper-V skillz up to par!

So, as seen here NetApp Expands Storage and Data Management Solutions Supporting Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Physical and Virtual Environments this can mean a lot for environments which want high resiliency, modern systems (Server 2008, Hyper-V) and helping to further consolidate Server sprawl as well as Storage sprawl.

But what does this mean for you or I?

Oh, this is where the fun gets started!

It’s one thing to have supported SnapManager products on the latest Apps:

• Windows Server 2008
• SQL Server 2008
• Exchange Server 2007

But to also be able to support them instanced within Hyper-V, I have to add ‘coolerific’ to the equation.    What this means is that even I in my lab/sandbox/testbed/Laptop ;) will be able to actually simulate any of these environments as well!

My testbed happens to be a Lenovo T61P, 4gb of ram, running Server 2008 (Enterprise), Hyper-V enabled, Also running the NetApp Data ONTAP Simulator for local-side simulated (yet real) storage!

I’ll be able to run rig with all scenarios of apps, dependencies and then replicated it back to my actual real filers, along with the older apps (while not mentioned, but not less important) such as MOSS, Exchange 2003, SQL 2005, and beyond!

Yea, I think it’s pretty damn cool that the support is there, and gives me something even *I* can take advantage of, let alone large scale enterprises!

*Update – Be sure to check out the free Training Courses for 70-652! *

5 Free Virtualization Training Courses for the Holidays! (HyperV)

and

How much does Free Microsoft Learning Cost? (Hint: Free!)

Now continue to this old post :)

You’re signed up, you’re in the beta! with 12 days left to take the test!
You get out there, study study study… wait, what am I supposed to study?

Well, first of all you decide to check out that Microsoft E-Learning I mentioned before here:
https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/courseDetail.aspx?courseId=92459

And let me tell you, this E-learning is very useful, if you’ve never touched ESX, XenServer, or Hyper-V.
If you’ve played with Hyper-V at all, and read the help file you will find it isn’t ALL that useful.
I’m not saying don’t give it a whirl, give it a try… But do NOT expect that to be your keys to the kingdom. You’ll be lucky if it can be used as a dowsing rod to find the moat!
(Wait, do castles even have keys?!)

Okay, so what do I do now?

Here is the first and most important thing you should do.
Read this: Test Information and Support

If ever there was a time in your life to read something like this, read it, look at it, read it again.
Go line by line, if there is something you do not understand (WTF? winrm?!) Learn about it, read about it, study it. Because that little bit of guidance there is one of the first things you ought to do, as you’ll be on a tough road without it.

Now it is pertinent that you get face time, hardcore time spent playing with the following: