Dario IT Solutions Blog

Microsoft’s Virtualization UA team has put together some great Hyper-V clustering guidance on TechNet. 

Content includes:

1. Design for a Failover Cluster in Which All Nodes Run Hyper-V – http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=129117
2. Requirements and Recommendations for Failover Clusters in Which All Nodes Run Hyper-V – http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=129110
3. Checklist: Failover Cluster in Which the Servers Run Hyper-V – http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=129123

Enjoy!

Check out these direct download links to a bunch of highly usable tools that can make your life easier:

• Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit


• Infrastructure Planning and Design Guides


• Microsoft Deployment 2008 Toolkit


• Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool


• Sharepoint Monitoring Toolkit


• Service Level Dashboard Management Pack


• Security Compliance Management Toolkit

Take a look at this picture:

Is there any chance it looks like a datacenter to you?

Well, believe it or not, but it is. it’s actually the 4th generation of Microsoft datacenter design. A couple of very interesting posts has been published by the design team, I highly recommend you check them out:

Our Vision for Generation 4 Modular Data Centers – One way of Getting it just right . . .

Microsoft’s Generation 4 Data Center Vision – the Architects’ Perspective

Two new IPD guides has been published:

1. Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 with R2
2. Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5

Download them from the following link.

MAP is a scalable and agent-less assessment platform designed to make it easier for you to adopt the latest Microsoft technologies.

In this version, MAP has expanded its assessment capabilities to include SQL Server 2008, Forefront/NAP, and Microsoft Online Services migration, as well as providing a Power Savings assessment to help you "go green."

In summary, MAP 3.2 assessment areas now include:

• SQL Server 2008 Migration Proposals and Reports (NEW!)
• Forefront/NAP Readiness Proposals (NEW!)
• Microsoft Online Services Migration Surveys, Proposals, and Reports (NEW!)
• Power Savings Proposals (NEW!)
• Server Migration Reports and Proposals (Windows Server 2008 and "virtualized guests by hosts" reporting) (NEW!)
• Server Consolidation Reports and Proposals (Virtual Server 2005 R2 and Hyper-V)
• Desktop Security Assessment to determine if desktops have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed and up-to-date, or if the Windows Firewall is turned on
• Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 Hardware Assessment Reports and Proposals

Following Microsoft announcement of App-v 4.5 RTM (known previously as “Soft Grid”) from the beginning of September, Microsoft just publish the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) for this version.

Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) is a series of planning and design guides created to clarify and streamline the planning and design process for Microsoft infrastructure technologies.

The App-v 4.5 RTM will be include as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2008 R2 that will be available in the next couple of weeks (for more information about MDOP 2008 R2 read our post).

You can find the new App-V 4.5 IPD guide as well as IPD guides for OpsMgr 2007, Active Directory, IIS and much much more at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD3921FB-8224-4681-9064-075FDF042B0C&displaylang=en.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 Update 1 unifies the tools and processes required for desktop and server deployment into a common deployment console and collection of guidance. The fourth generation deployment accelerator adds integration with recently released Microsoft deployment technologies to create a single path for image creation and automated installation. MDT’s tools and end-to-end guidance reduce deployment time, standardize desktop and server images, limit service disruptions, reduce post-deployment help desk costs, and improve security and ongoing configuration management.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit technologies eliminate interaction time required to install desktop and server operating systems. Interaction at the targeted computer may take a few moments using the Lite Touch Installation (LTI) method or it can be completely automated using Zero Touch Installation (ZTI). Zero Touch Installation utilizes Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 or Systems Management Server 2003 with the Operating System Deployment Feature Pack. Lite Touch Installation can be used when software distribution tools are not in place.
Microsoft Deployment Tookit 2008 Update 1 also uses Configuration Manager 2007’s stand-alone media-initiated operating system deployment feature. This release offers project management guidance for all deployment roles and separates technical documentation for the products and technologies to facilitate automation tasks.

What’s New in MDT 2008 Update 1?
MDT 2008 Update 1 includes new capability for OEM preload scenarios, a revised System Center Operations Manager Management Pack, bug fixes, and revised documentation. The installer package of this updated version provides guidance only in the .chm help file format.
MDT 2008 Update 1 enables deployment of the following Microsoft products:

• Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate (32 and 64 bit) RTM and SP1
• Office Professional, Professional Plus, Enterprise, and Ultimate 2007
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2003 R2 (32 and 64 bit)
• Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3 (32 and 64 bit) or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

Download details: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 Update 1

The Service Level Dashboard integrates with Operations Manager to collect and process performance and availability data, as shown in the following figure:

The Service Level Dashboard uses a distributed application model to compile health information for application components into a service report

The Service Level Dashboard is designed to work with an existing Operations Manager infrastructure that is already configured to monitor business-critical applications. Configuring the Service Level Dashboard involves adding the following components to gather and process additional data:

• SLA definitions. The IT service manager identifies and defines the SLA agreement for a given business-critical application or service.
• Web application monitors and synthetic transactions. The IT administrator configures and deploys watcher nodes to perform synthetic transactions, such as connecting to the Web site or querying the database. A Web application monitor runs on the watcher node and uses these synthetic transactions to check availability and to measure performance of a Web page, Web site, or Web application. It monitors the Web application and then changes the health state of an object associated with the Web application based on the results of the synthetic transaction.

  It is this change in health state that the Service Level Dashboard records and reports on. The IT administrator configures the thresholds for identifying an error or warning state during a synthetic transaction. For the Service Level Dashboard, an error is equivalent to an availability exception, and a warning is equivalent to a performance exception. Because an unavailable application is, by definition, not performing as expected, availability exceptions are also factored into performance exceptions.

• Distributed application model. The IT administrator uses an Operations Manager distributed application model to define the application or service. Using the distributed application model, the IT administrator groups Web application monitors and other monitors into applications and regions for the dashboard.

  Operations Manager derives availability and performance percentages independently for each component object in the application model tree, based on the Operations Manager time in state for that object. Any rollup calculations are controlled by the standard distributed application model health rollups.

• Dashboard interface. As soon as the Service Level Dashboard components are configured and operating, you use the interface to analyze the SLA compliance data. The Service Level Dashboard evaluates each application over the defined reporting period, determines whether the application was in or out of compliance during that time (and for how long). It then lists the application as compliant or non-compliant, based on defined service level targets.

You can access the Service Level Dashboard on the Microsoft Download Center.

Monitor the security compliance state of your IT environment for computers running Windows.

To help organizations address these challenges, Microsoft has created the Security Compliance Management toolkit. The toolkit provides best practices from Microsoft about how to plan, deploy, and monitor a security baseline. In addition, the toolkit provides remediation recommendations to address security baseline issues. The toolkit also offers a proven method that your organization can use to effectively monitor the compliance state of recommended security baselines for Windows Vista®, Windows® XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), and Windows Server® 2003 SP2.

The Security Compliance Management toolkit includes the following components:

• The Overview document, which describes the overall security compliance management process and the steps that the toolkit recommends to achieve security compliance using prescribed security baselines.
• The DCM Configuration Pack User Guide, which describes how to load and operate the Configuration Packs in the desired configuration management (DCM) feature of System Center Configuration Manager 2007.
• The Security Compliance Management DCM Configuration Packs that provide security baseline checks for each of the following operating systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, and Windows Server 2003 SP2.
• Informational Materials: These include a Security Compliance Management Data Sheet and a FAQ that explain how the guidance for the toolkit can benefit your organization.

Toolkit Scope

The information in this toolkit applies to the following operating system, applications and tools:

• Windows XP SP2 or later
• Windows Vista
• Windows Server 2003 SP2 or later
• GPOAccelerator tool.
• System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and the DCM feature.

Download from here – Security Compliance Management Toolkit.

Automate software updates for Virtual Machines with the Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool

This new Solution Accelerator helps you keep offline virtual machines that are stored in Microsoft System Virtual Machine Manager with the latest operating system updates.

Learn more about the Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool

Monitor business application performance with the Service Level Dashboard

The Service Level Dashboard for System Center Operations Manager 2007 monitors line-of business application performance from the end-user’s perspective by simulating user interaction. It then collects performance data and reports on the experience — all in near real time.

Learn more about the Service Level Dashboard

Plan, deploy, and monitor a security baseline with the Security Compliance Management Toolkit

This toolkit makes monitoring security baselines for the computers in your environment easier. It also provides best practices from Microsoft for planning, deploying, and monitoring a security baseline. In addition, the toolkit provides information about how to correct security baseline issues, and offers a proven method you can use to effectively monitor the compliance state of the recommended security baselines for Windows Vista®, Windows® XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), and Windows Server® 2003 SP2.

Learn more about the Security Compliance Management Toolkit