TechNet Flash - Volume 15, Issue 24: October 22, 2013
Top News Worldwide
Microsoft’s Cloud OS solutions available now to transform the datacenter
Download free trials of new Microsoft Cloud OS products
Windows 8.1 Enterprise final version now available: Download the free evaluation
Top Downloads
New: System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
New: SQL Server 2014 Express CTP2
New: Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
Your Featured Content
Microsoft has launched several new web pages that introduce the new server and management offerings. Check out these new resources to get you up to speed quickly:
Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
StorSimple cloud-integrated storage
What’s New in System Center 2012 R2: Free on-demand MVA Jump Start training
System Center 2012 R2 is here. Watch this on-demand Jump Start to get up to speed. Microsoft Senior Technical Evangelist Symon Perriman and several other presenters show how the new release of System Center delivers an end-to-end cloud management stack through advanced integration with Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Azure. Watch it hereand download the free trial.
Building your hybrid cloud with Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Foundation
Technical Evangelist Keith Mayer and Matt Hester kick off a new series on how you can build your hybrid cloud environment with Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center 2012 R2, and Windows Azure . In this first episode, they provide an overview of what you can expect from the series and then they dive into the new features found in Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Foundation. Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2 are now available. Download a free evaluation.
IT Pro Guru: Windows Server 2012 R2 launch blog series
With the release of Windows Server 2012 R2, Dan Stolts is starting a new blog series on the IT Pro Guru blog. It will provide deep technical content and step-by-step tutorials covering Windows Server 2012 R2, storage, cloud integration, VDI, Hyper-V, virtualization, replica, DNS, Active Directory, DHCP, high availability, backup, PowerShell, and more.
Immerse yourself in a virtual lab to experience these new products first-hand. Or jump into the guided experiences and click your way through a tour of product features. It is a fast, simple, and risk-free way to try products without complex setup or installation. Check out these new virtual labs:
Windows Server 2012 R2 Network Infrastructure
Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Infrastructure
Windows Server Essentials in Windows Server 2012 R2
What’s New in Windows Server 2012 R2: Free on-demand MVA Jump Start training
Now is the time to view this demo-rich Jump Start that covers the new capabilities and features you’ll find in Windows Server 2012 R2. Microsoft Senior Technical Evangelist Rick Claus and Lead Architect and President of holSystems Corey Hynes demonstrate these new capabilities via numerous scenarios and demos. Register here and download the free product trial.
This ebook provides info about the new features available in Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012. It provides guidelines to help IT pros and developers verify the compatibility of their existing and planned apps with the new operating systems.
Edge Show: Microsoft Remote Desktop app for iOS, Mac OS X, and Android
In this video, Senior Product Manager Adam Carter answers common questions about the new Remote Desktop app and demos common scenarios. Learn about things like how to configure the Remote Desktop published list from Windows Server 2012 R2 VDI deployment, connecting to Excel remote app, playing a YouTube video over RDP, and more. You will also hear about some of the new enhancements with Windows Server 2012 R2 VDI.
New MVA course: Scale data growth with minimal costs using Windows Server 2012 R2
Learn how the new tools in Windows Server 2012 R2 can help you move workloads to less costly and more robust storage solutions with the free Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage course from Microsoft Virtual Academy. Learn more about automated tiering, data de-duplication, scale-out file server, shared VHDX files, and Hyper-V live migration over the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.
Building Clouds: A look at virtual machine migration tools
Kevin Remdewelcomes “Migration Mark” from the Building Clouds blog series to discuss best practices for migrating your virtual machines to Microsoft Hyper-V , and free tools to help get the job done. Check out this great discussion on Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.5, Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC), and the Migration Automation Toolkit (MAT).
Training and Books
Free on-demand MVA Jump Start training: What’s New in Windows Server 2012 R2
Now is the time to view this demo-rich Jump Start that covers the new capabilities and features you’ll find in Windows Server 2012 R2. Microsoft Senior Technical Evangelist Rick Claus and Lead Architect and President of holSystems Corey Hynes demonstrate these new capabilities via numerous scenarios and demos. Register here and download the free product trial.
Free on-demand MVA Jump Start training: What’s New in System Center 2012 R2
System Center 2012 R2 is here. Watch this on-demand Jump Start to get up-to-speed. Microsoft Senior Technical Evangelist Symon Perriman and several other presenters show how the new release of System Center delivers an end-to-end cloud management stack through advanced integration with Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Azure. Watch it here and download the free trial.
Free on-demand MVA Jump Start training: Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage
Learn how the new tools in Windows Server 2012 R2 can help you move workloads to less costly and more robust storage solutions with the free Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage course from Microsoft Virtual Academy. Learn more about automated tiering, data de-duplication, scale-out file server, shared VHDX files, and Hyper-V live migration over the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.
Events
More than 70 percent of businesses now run at least two virtualization platforms in their IT environment. Get the edge in your technical career by upgrading your virtualization skills for free with a full-day, hands-on workshop in a city near you. You’ll leave ready to build your own lab environment for further evaluation and testing. Register for a workshop in a city near you, and download the free evaluation of Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.
Save the date: Visual Studio 2013 virtual launch
Please join us on November 13 for the worldwide launch of Visual Studio 2013. Watch the live keynote, view product demos, and hear customer success stories. You will also be able to watch technical sessions provided by the Microsoft product teams themselves. And, for the first time, this event will be available in multiple languages and on multiple devices.