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Archive for the ‘microsoft’ Category

The virtualization community, my employer, and every Virtualization Service Provider I know is neck deep in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Already important because of Windows 7 migrations, the announcements last week from Microsoft and Citrix seemed to have raised the intensity of an existing white hot spotlight on VDI. When Microsoft, the world’s leader in the desktop operating system market, decides to change their position to make it easier to implement and license virtual desktops then we all have to stop and understand what has happened. There has been a significant change, and there are good things in the future for those moving to virtualized Windows desktops. However, understanding exactly what these changes are and how they impact us continues to be a moving target changing rapidly each year.

This post is my summary of research about the latest Microsoft and Citrix announcements. I’m linking and quoting several bloggers and analysts to help VM /ETC readers (and myself!) digest the details of the new licensing and promotions. I also the outline the actual products that make up the Microsoft and Citrix VDI solution, and then finally point to some interesting reactions and perspectives published over the last several days. 

New Microsoft VDI Licensing

Most importantly, Microsoft declared a new licensing policy where Windows desktops will no longer need a separate license to be accessed via VDI by companies with Software Assurance. Although I could not specifically find it stated anywhere I looked, I assume this means whether accessed on any Microsoft VDI solution, VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop, or any other vendor’s VDI product. Here’s some additional information on the new licensing as intrepreted by others:

Desktop Virtualization: Microsoft, VMware in Cost Smackdown

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/031910-desktop-virtualization-microsoft-vmware-in.html?page=1

“One key part of the sweeping announcements, covered in an hour-long Webcast, is a simpler and cheaper model for licensing Windows in a virtual desktop environment. Specifically, on July 1, Software Assurance customers will no longer have to buy a separate license to access Windows via a VDI.

Moreover, for customers that use devices that don’t qualify for Software Assurance, such as thin clients and PCs used by contractors, there will be a new license called Windows VDA (virtual desktop access) available for $100 per device per year. This license will allow users to still have access to their complete virtual desktop outside the corporate network on devices such a personal laptops and airport kiosks.”

Maybe Microsoft is finally starting to abandon the concept of anchoring a Windows license to hardware and hopefully beginning to consider introducing virtualization editions of their operating systems? We are definitely not there yet, but at least it’s movement in the right direction.

Microsoft and Citrix VDI Promotions

Along with the new VDI licensing Microsoft and Citrix has also introduced some competitive promotions not only stimulate VDI migration but hopefully capture back some market share in the process. A new web site, citrixandmicrosoft.com, details these new offers.

First is the VDI Kick Start

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TrainSignal, makers of popular computer training DVDs and current sponsor of VM /ETC, is not only a great training resource for admins learning VMware vSphere, but now for a limited time you can get a free Server 2008 R2 training DVD with any other DVD purchase. What may not be obvious from the 2008 R2 DVD title (at least it wasn’t to me!) is that scattered in the 6 hours and 12 2008 R2 videos are episodes on how to configure some of the new Microsoft virtualization and Hyper-V features such as Hyper-V dynamic storage and clustering. This DVD training course also explains using the new Remote Desktop Services for creating personal virtual desktops.

What I personally find great about TrainSignal videos is that the training is provided to you in multiple formats – .mp4 (video) and .mp3 (audio) for portable media players, PDFs, as well as DVD. Upload the portable formats to your favorite media player and learn on the road. Print out the PDFs if that’s a better learning style for you.

If you are used to vExpert David Davis training you on the vSphere videos, then you’ll be glad to know Certified Instructor, Benjamin “Coach” Culbertson (MCT, MCITP, MCTS, MCSA, MCDBA, CIW, A+, Net+, MOS) walks you through each 2008 R2 video in the same, easy to follow and learn TrainSignal style.

Check out the rest of this post for the 2008 R2 DVD Course outline and then browse through the many other technology training options from TrainSignal. Make your purchase and get the 2008 R2 DVD for free while the offer lasts! The 2008 R2 DVD is normally a $297 value. 

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On the TechRepublic Servers and Storage Blog, Scott Lowe (not this Scott Lowe) posted his objective feature comparison table of VMware vSphere and Hyper-V on Server 2008 R2. Two things from Lowe’s Microsoft’s Hyper-V R2 vs. VMware’s vSphere: A feature comparison caught my eye and made it worth pointing out to VM /ETC readers:

1. Lowe currently runs ESX but, in his words: ” As Microsoft continues to improve Hyper-V R2, we will monitor its progress to determine if and when it might be able to replace VMware.”
2. Lowe actually compares the latest editions of both vSphere and Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V

Read the entire post for Lowe’s explanation of each feature row, but I am posting a screen shot of his table here. Read the rest of this entry »

I finally took the time to get technical details about how to enable Microsoft Hyper-V Live Migration.  My experience with the product has been limited to stand alone, “Rock Box” instances of Microsoft’s hypervisor only, but I recently attended a Lunch and Learn where I received a good understanding of what steps to take in order to create a Hyper-V Cluster for Live Migration. It’s Tricky if you are used to VMware, but not exactly “Hard Times“.

In light of other bloggers Raising Hell with clustered file system discussions in the V12N blogisphere recently, This post is not attempting to proclaim one solution is the “King of Rock.” I am simply listing the prerequisites as I understand them and providing useful links to configuration details for an administrator charged with evaluating/ building a Microsoft Hyper-V environment including Live Migration.

I do not want anyone to say to me “Rich, You Be Illin’“. I’m just sticking with a “It’s Like That” approach to posting this information. Hopefully, this post will help others plan for a Hyper-V implementation that goes so well they will be Krush Groovin’ like it’s Christmas In Hollis when finished.

I also want to point out I have not actually created a Hyper-V Cluster with Live Migration yet. I’m posting my notes and some links for when I might eventually have to put on My Addidas (without the laces) and Walk This Way. Please let me know in the comments if I have some of these details wrong.

Before you get serious, I suggest you use this YouTube Playlist as the soundtrack for the rest of this post.

I’ll use the overview of steps to implement Live Migration provided in the Microsoft TechNet Guide titled Hyper-V: Using Live Migration with Cluster Shared Volumes in Windows Server 2008 R2 to organize the rest of this post.

Steps for implementing live migration

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The Microsoft Virtualization Team wants you to follow them while they are at VMworld 2009 next week in San Francisco, CA. The post Update: What you won’t see at VMworld 2009 not only explains the booth exhibit and sets the record straight on what Microsoft will be doing, but it also introduces the MS virtualization experts that will be tweeting from the conference at and around the Moscone Center next week.

“So we’ll have Microsoft virtualization experts in the booth. These experts will be there to answer your questions. They’ll also be Tweeting about their experiences and impressions as they talk to customers and attend sessions. I encourage you to follow them on Twitter –  see the table below for their usernames.

Expert in	Name	Twitter Username
Disaster Recovery, Backup	Allen Stewart	dynamic_dc
Desktop Virtualization	Ben Armstrong	virtualpcguy
App & Desktop Virtualization	Jeff Johnson	JJ_VDI
Virtualization Management	Stuart Schaefer	Sshaffer_MS
Cloud	Isaac Roybal	DDACloudGuy
Business value	Edwin Yuen	edwinyuen
Workloads, partners, licensing	Kenon Owen	MS_Int_Virt
Server Virtualization	Vijay Tewari	vtango

Interestingly enough, the Microsoft booth will be right next to the Blogger Lounge on the Solutions Exchange floor (exhibit hall).

As I usually like to do when following the social networking at a large event, I’ve created a custom Tweetgrid with all of the twitternames in the table above so I can easily keep an eye on the Microsoft team and follow thier reactions to the conference happenings – VMworld 2009 Microsoft Virtualization Team Tweetgrid

For those that don’t already know, Tweetgrid is a web page Twitter client that allows anyone to follow Twitter users. You don’t even need a Twitter account. I used the 1 x 10 Tweetgrid column format, so be sure to scroll right to see all of the tweets! Bookmark the link or this post to join me in keeping an eye on Microsoft at VMworld.

SQL Server 2008 R2: Virtualization for Databases is a post by Brent Ozar that I had to read slowly and multiple times. Not because it was hard to understand or read, but because the idea it provoked for me gave me the sensation of riding “The Merry Mixer” at the annual traveling amusement park. Ozar’s post explains that SQL Server 2008 R2 introduces the concept of a SQL Server Utility which groups multiple SQL servers as a pool of resources. Ozar explains:

“Looking ahead, Microsoft wants us to start thinking of databases as being less connected to physical servers, and to think of our physical servers as a resource pool.  Imagine if databases were self-contained packages that could be moved from server to server – just like virtual servers can be moved from host to host today.”

The SQL Utility will be managed by a Control Point Server that will collect and monitor configuration and performance data. This server will also facilitate moving SQL databases between Utility members. Apparently this migration of SQL databases will be able to happen live.

SQL 2008 R2 is planned to be released in the first half of 2010.

When I considered how virtual infrastructure (VI) could be impacted by this new technology is when I got a little motion sickness. What if Read the rest of this entry »

If comparing the v12n community to a religion makes sense, then using Sir Issac Newton’s Laws of Motion to explain Veeam Global “Scientist” Doug Hazelman’s guest post on the Windows Virtualization Team Blog shouldn’t be a stretch either. Hazelman, one of the VM /ETC Q2 UGH recipients, announced the following in the post R2 Veeam Too:

“While Veeam has continued to build some of the best software for data protection and management of VMware infrastructures, we realize that customers are now faced with more virtualization choices. By fully supporting Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware vSphere, Veeam can help you manage heterogeneous hypervisor deployments and clouds with the innovative solutions you’ve come to expect from Veeam. The management and R&D teams at Veeam have a long history of working with Microsoft going back to the Aelita days, and we’re all excited to be working with Microsoft again.”

Imagine your favorite Physics teacher or professor at the chalkboard in an UGLY GREEN lab coat explaining:

Newton’s Laws of Motion are:

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