TechNet Flash - Volume 10, Issue 26: December 17, 2008
Note from the Editor
Greetings and welcome to the TechNet Flash Special Virtualization Edition.
As we end the year with a financial crisis in full swing, and the specter of more IT budget cuts is glowing on the horizon, there’s no better time to discover the IT cost benefits of a solid virtualization strategy. Doing more with less… well, that’s what virtualization is all about, right? Absolutely - it’s about that and more. It’s about efficiency, a greener IT footprint, less management overhead and, yes, ROI. Microsoft has put together a great set of resources to help you build your virtualized environment.
If you haven’t done so, it’s time to figure out what all that unused server capacity is actually costing you. Use the Microsoft Integrated Virtualization ROI Tool to help build your business case. The tool is a return-on-investment calculator developed independently by ex-Gartner TCO/ROI experts at leading ROI tool developer Alinean, Inc.
Now also would be a great to time enhance your skills with key virtualization technologies by checking out the new training resources. See the training section below for special savings offers on virtualization training.
Speaking of savings, spend a few minutes watching this short new video and learn about the multiple ways virtualization can achieve cost savings. One example of savings is in the area of power consumption. Not only is electricity expensive, its increasing consumption is harmful to the environment. Determine the impact that virtualization can have on your green IT initiatives with the Hyper-V “Green” Toolbox. The tool helps you create a virtualization report that you can share.
To go beyond the savings inherent in virtualization technology, download this white paper to see how businesses today are already achieving additional cost savings due to the unique way that Microsoft built virtualization into our server, desktop, and management platforms, and through innovative pricing and licensing which lower both acquisition and ongoing ownership costs.
Then go hands-on with the technology by downloading and installing the free Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, a cost-effective solution that conveniently plugs into existing IT infrastructures, and allows you to leverage existing patching, provisioning, management and support tools and processes.
Virtualization is a game-changing concept, and with it comes changes in the way we think about administering and securing those virtual resources. Read on for more guidance on planning your virtualized environment and gaining the associated cost benefits.
Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash
Training
Free E-Learning Collection: Exploring Microsoft Virtualization Technologies
This collection of three 2-hour and one 1-hour online clinics provides IT professionals experienced in Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 with the knowledge and skills to implement and manage virtualization technologies.
Free E-Book: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions
Mitch Tullock provides a thorough look at the capabilities, features, and operations of Microsoft virtualization technologies from the desktop to the datacenter, and how to plan, implement, and manage virtual infrastructure solutions.
Prepare for Exam 70-652 for Free (US$159.99 value)
This collection of five 2-hour courses helps you develop the skills necessary for implementing and managing Hyper-V in an IT environment, as well as creating and managing virtual machines and hosts in a virtual environment. Use promo code 9350-Y2W6-3676 to receive your discount. Please note: you must use the link above to take advantage of this offer.
Get Certified Through Exam 70-652 with a 25% Discount
Once you’ve taken the preparation course, you can take the certification exam at a reduced price. This exam will test your skills in installing, configuring, and optimizing Hyper-V; and in deploying, managing, and monitoring virtual machines using System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008. Use the promo code USHYPERV at checkout to receive your discount.
Learning Snacks:
" Intro to Windows Server 2008 Virtualization
Microsoft Virtualization Learning Portal
Downloads & Evaluations
Download the Free Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008
The standalone Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 is a great choice for customers who want a basic and simplified virtualization solution for consolidating servers as well as for development and test environments. Hyper-V Server 2008 only offers a basic set of virtualization features, making it ideal for: Test and Development, Basic Server Consolidation, Branch Office Consolidation, and Hosted Desktop Virtualization (VDI). If you need a richer and more robust feature set, such as Quick Migration, multi-site clustering, large memory support (greater than 32 GB of RAM), and more than four processors on the host server, check out Hyper-V Update for Windows Server 2008.
Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Trial
Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 is a comprehensive virtual management solution optimized for Hyper-V, Microsoft Virtual Server, and VMware infrastructures, enabling easy and fast consolidation of physical servers onto virtual machine infrastructure and rapid provisioning of new virtual workloads.
Microsoft Assessment and Planning Tool
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning toolkit is a tool that makes it easy for you to assess your current IT infrastructure for a variety of technology migration projects. It includes the features previously provided with the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Solution Accelerator.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 Update 1
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 Update 1 is the recommended process and toolset to automate desktop and server deployment.
Managing the Virtualized Environment
Hyper-V How-to: Configure Hyper-V Remote Management in Seconds
John Howard blogs on “HVRemote,” a tool that automagically configures Hyper-V Remote Management. Check out John’s blog for other useful virtualization and Hyper-V how-to content.
TechNet Magazine: Manage Your Virtual Environments with VMM 2008
System Center Virtual Machine Manager provides a consolidated interface for managing your virtual infrastructure. The latest version adds support for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, as well as for VMware virtual machines. Explore the new features and get an overview of using VMM to centralize your management tasks.
TechNet Magazine: Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool
Virtual machines that are stored offline don’t automatically receive the necessary updates to keep them safe and compliant. This, in turn, can pose a risk to your entire IT environment. Find out how the free Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool lets you automate the process of updating virtual machines.
Running SQL Server 2008 in a Hyper-V Environment – Best Practices and Performance Recommendations
This white paper describes a series of test results on configurations representing a variety of possible scenarios involving SQL Server running in Hyper-V. It also presents best practice recommendations for configuration.
Virtualization Webcasts & Videos
Windows Server Virtualization 10-Minute Tour (Video)
Keith Combs discusses a general overview of Windows Server 2008 Virtualization including how you create and manage virtual machines.
How to Implement Microsoft Hyper-V Server and Intel Virtualization Technology
In this webcast, we discuss current and future Intel VT technologies and describe the Intel vision of hardware-assisted virtualization. We also address installation, management, and high availability of the Hyper-V Server role on an Intel server chipset platform.
Agile Desktops: Microsoft Application Virtualization and Intel vPro Technology
In this webcast, we explain how you can use these technologies to smartly apply desktop-focused virtualization and management strategies to a large network environment and improve overall workstation agility using technologies that your organization may already own.
Received TechNet Flash from a Friend?
The TechNet Flash is full of pointers to in-depth technical information that we encourage subscribers to forward to friends and co-workers. If you’ve received this issue from someone via e-mail and would like to receive the freeTechNet Flash newsletter biweekly, all you have to do is register.