Archive for Virtualization
Third Tier offering Technical Training at SMBNation PreDay Event!
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been dying to announce this. I’m so excited! We’re doing a pre-day event at SMBNation in Vegas on October 21st. Make your flights accordingly. Very soon we will be posting a registration form. You must register in advance so keep an eye out for it.
Speakers are our own fabulous staff: Dave Shackelford, Cliff Galiher, Eriq Neale and Wayne Small
Our content has been selected by the guys to reflect the growing concern over compliance, business continuity, manageability and issues surrounding these that our customers are contacting us for help with. Case studies and examples will abound and they guys will show you how to configure the products they will be working with which including Exchange, Sharepoint, Terminal Services and Hyper-V. Expect the sessions to be intense with advanced material. Your brain will be exploding by the end of the day.
I’ll be posting more and more specifics about the content as the event gets closer. Let’s have a look at what Eriq is going to cover first:
Configuring and Using Remote Desktop Services Remote Apps – A Love Story
Many people have heard of Remote Desktop Services Remote Apps (formerly Terminal Server Remote Apps) but either haven’t had an opportunity to implement the solution or just are not sure how to. In this session, Eriq Neale will show how to configure RDS Remote Apps on a Remote Desktop Server and then go over several real-world deployment scenarios. We will also go over how to set up RDS Remote Apps to work with Remote Web Workplace on an SBS Server. Eriq will include case studies on when and why this technology is used.
Configuring RDS Remote Apps
Publishing an Application through RDS Remote Apps
Publishing an Application with multiple configuration options through RDS Remote Apps
Publishing an RDS Remote App through Remote Web Workplace
Please make your flights accordingly and plan to join us for a full day of intense training on October 21st.
Shout Out to Hewlett Packard, Symform and Storagecraft. Without awesome vendors that get the small business space and are willing to invest in partner education, this event would not be possible.
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Q&A from Hyper-V 101 Webinar
Posted by: | CommentsHere is the Q&A from April’s Hyper-V 101 Webinar hosted by Wayne Small
Question: How does Hyper-V deal with servers where memory is “assigned” to a specific processor? Is all the memory and the cores just accumulated automatically or is there something that needs to be configured?
Answer: It is a configurable option. Wayne is actually going to cover this later in the presentation.
Question: Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 (the free edition) does not have the memory limitations as the non-R2 version had.
Answer: thank you for that information
Question: check http://www.microsoft.com/hyper-v-server/en/us/default.aspx for a R2 Comparison Chart.
Answer: Thanks Tim!
Question: You no longer need to know command line to run the free Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, check out the Core Config tool at http://coreconfig.codeplex.com
Answer: This is a community created add-on, not a feature of the product but a good reference none the less. Very few people are good at command line server management anymore.
Question: Is it ok to put a file share – not app – on the Hyper-V host without license issues?
Answer: I will ask Wayne this question at the end.
Question: Charlie Russel and Craig Zacker’s “Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2″ book is available as a free eBook – http://blogs.technet.com/eec/archive/2009/10/30/3290424.aspx
Answer: Free is good. Thanks for the tip.
Question: How soon will the recorded meeting be available for review….or do I need to take notes. 
Answer: The recording will be posted in a few days.
Question: how to create an isolated network (from a dhcp point of view, eg for creating an sbs test environment without affecting the live sbs environment) but for it to still have internet access – http://mundy.net.au/Hyper-V/testing-sbs-in-hyper-v-isolating-dhcp-while-allowing-full-internet-connectivity
Answer: Thanks for the link.
Question: Not clear on the IDE part – have Proliant ML350 servers running with NO IDE drives – just SCSI
Answer: The IDE drives are virtual not physical. Your physical server can be scsi, while the virtual disks are IDE. That’s how I run mine. Same as Wayne.
Question: Can Wayne address the advantages of one large striped and mirrored drive vs separate spindles for each guest O/S
Answer: I will ask him at the end of the session
Question: So when you create a few snapshots and your testing is completed how do you merge all of the changes that you have made into the parent VHD?
Answer: We’ll address this question at the end of session.
Question: can you delete snapshots to increase the performance again?
Private Answer: Yes you can.
Question: Can y’all recommend some “how-to” videos on Hyper-V?
Answer: I used the Microsoft eLearning tools and virtual labs. We will ask Wayne for his suggestion.
Question: I just saw Waynes Tweet on this, So I’m 1hr late, is there going to be a slide deck download available? Thanks
Answer: The presentation is being recorded and will be available on our website in a few days
Question: what about memory allocation for the TS server?
Answer: Recall that Wayne said that they added 8 more GB’s of ram to bring the server to 24GB total. The added 8GB went to TS. It was not reflected in the slide.
Question: The folder on host in question is an Install share used by all of the lan users.
Answer: yes that would be a violation on the licensing agreement
Question: What is Wayne’s take on joining the host to the SBS domain as a member server?
Answer: All of Wayne’s hyper-v hosts are not joined to the domain because there is no other domain controller besides that hosted SBS server. You can join it to the domain when you have a non-virtual domain controller.
Third Thursday Webinar: Hyper-V 101 with Wayne Small
Posted by: | CommentsWayne Small , Third Tier consultant and owner of SBSFAQ.com has been deploying Hyper-V based solutions to 80% of his clients. Hyper-V can be simple to deploy, yet powerful enough for high availability applications. It is also technology that your clients really don’t understand at all. So how does he sell it to them? Wayne will tell us how to get up and running, the impact this technology can have your business and how to sell the idea to your clients.
Heard all the hype about Hyper-V? Want to get your clients up and running on Hyper-V in an hour? Want to know the key things to look out for with Hyper-V and how to avoid the pitfalls? This session will run through all of the basics on Hyper-V as it relates to our SMB clients. It will cover the various flavours of Hyper-V available, what to use when and how to get your first Hyper-V client quoted, and installed. I’ll walk through a typical scenario that we’ve deployed in the past and how we’ve addressed the clients concerns and taken advantage of Hyper-V to save the customer money, and increase their uptime.
Join us on Thursday April 15th at 5:00pm.
Third Tier has invited you to attend an online meeting using Microsoft Office Live Meeting.
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/harborcomputerservices/join?id=WQFW5K&role=attend&pw=92X%2C%24Rs*t
Meeting time: Apr 15, 2010 5:00 PM (EDT)
Add to my Outlook Calendar:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/harborcomputerservices/meetingICS?id=WQFW5K&role=attend&pw=92X%2C%24Rs*t&i=i.ics
Third Thursday Webinars
Posted by: | CommentsWhile you’re waiting for today’s Third Thursday Webinar on Windows Server 2008 Foundation Server at Noon EST (https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/harborcomputerservices/join?id=5ZTH8D&role=attend&pw=jj%7D%3E%3F%4093X), you can head over to the Store (http://www.thirdtier.net/store) and download last week’s Friends of Third Tier webinar on Virtualization with Dave Sobel!
Hyper-V 2008 R2 Partner Day Hosted by Microsoft – February 6th – Redmond
Posted by: | CommentsOn Saturday, February 6th, Microsoft & the Puget Sound Small Business Server User Group is holding its Hyper-V 2008 R2 Partner Day: Practical Knowledge for Successful Deployments at Microsoft’s Corporate Headquarters, register now, space is limited.
This is day of Live Builds; Instruction; Demonstration; and, Tips & Tricks on Hyper-V for fellow Microsoft partners who want to use Hyper-V within their practice. You will see deployment, optimization and management of Hyper-V, all with a focus for how to use Hyper-V within a Microsoft focused IT practice from a fellow practicing Microsoft partner. Watch & Learn as the Hyper-V Role is deployed on a Windows Server 2008 R2 and while Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 is installed.
This is not a Hyper-V versus VMware day.
This is not a hands-on day.
This is not a test preparation day.
This is an “I can do ‘that’” day.
This is a Partners sharing with Partners day.
Schedule:
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9:00 AM |
- |
9:30 AM |
Registration |
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9:30 AM |
- |
11:30 AM |
Morning Session |
|
11:30 AM |
- |
12:20 PM |
Lunch Break |
|
12:20 PM |
- |
1:50 PM |
1st Afternoon Session |
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1:50 PM |
- |
2:10 PM |
Break |
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2:10 PM |
- |
3:30 PM |
2nd Afternoon Session |
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3:30 PM |
- |
4:00 PM |
Wrap Up |
Here is a list of the topics we will be covering:
Deploying Hyper-V Role via:
· Windows Server 2008 R2 (Full Installation) with Hyper-V ß Live Build
· Windows Server 2008 R2 (Core Installation) with Hyper-V
· Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 ß Live Build
Managing Virtual Machines:
· Hyper-V Manager ß Live Demonstration
o Virtual Network Manager
o New Virtual Machine Wizard
o New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard
· System Center Virtual Machine Manager
Practical Tips & Tricks:
· Virtualizing Windows Small Business Server 2008 ß Live Demonstration
· Virtualizing Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services)
· Performance Optimization ß Live Demonstration
· Backups
Overview of Advanced Topics:
· Power Shell Hyper-V
· Managing Virtual Machine Storage
· Quick Migration
· Live Migration, Failover Cluster & Cluster Shared Volumes
· System Center Essentials and how it integrates into the System Center Virtual Machine Manager
· Hyper-V and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
The primary person in front for this event is Tim Carney. Tim a MCP and Small Business Specialist is President of EBT Solutions / SFBay-Link Network Services, Inc. Since 2002, Tim has been providing technology consulting services to emerging San Francisco Bay Area businesses and assisting other IT Professionals in designing Secure Infrastructure. During the 15 years prior to establishing his consulting business, he was the CFO and CTO for a 45 person Copier Sales and Services Business in Silicon Valley. Tim was the technical force in changing its sales focus from Telex to Facsimile, Fax to Copiers, Analog to Digital, and Stand-Alone to Connected. Tim’s areas of expertise include Small Business Server, Secure Infrastructure, Virtualization and Mobility Enablement. Tim is an Eagle Scout and has a B.S. degree in Business Management. As a leader in the local community, Tim has co-founded BASBiTS.org a San Francisco Bay Area users’ group for Small Business Information Technology Specialists. Follow Tim on his blog at SBS-Mobility.blogspot.com and on Twitter as TechmoTim.
When: Saturday, February 6th
Registration starts at 9:00 am
Main Event is from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
Wrap-Up Event by 4:00 pm
Where: Microsoft Corporate Headquarters
3350 157th Ave N.E., Building 9, Room 1001 – Tahoma
Redmond, WA 98052
You Give: $20 per person
You Get: Relevant & Useful Information
Food & Drinks provided
RSVP: Register for the event by clicking:
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032439175&Culture=en-US
See you all there!
Steve
Friends of Third Tier: SMB Virtualization next Thursday, January 14th Noon Eastern
Posted by: | CommentsRemember this press release from December 9th? http://www.thirdtier.net/2009/12/smb-virtualization-and-third-tier-partner-to-support-computer-network-virtualization/ We’re very excited to be working for the best SMB Virtualization brain in the industry. Dave owns an IT consulting business in the Washington DC area and he’s been implementing virtualization projects for his clients for a couple of years now. Recently he formed SMB Virtualization to help any IT firm in this space bring virtualization projects into their business successfully. Dave’s success was recently noticed by Microsoft and he received an MVP in Virtualization.
Dave is going to talk about the opportunity to add high margin virtualization to your practice and the value is brings to your client. We will also squeeze in conversation on the new skill sets required to support virtualization and how our partnership can help you go forth with confidence.
Third Tier has invited you to attend an online meeting using Live Meeting.
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/harborcomputerservices/join?id=TJ3PKB&role=attend&pw=RzT%2F-5%3A%2Bz
This meeting takes place on January 14th at Noon eastern time. (-5 GMT)
SMB Virtualization and Third Tier Partner to Support Computer Network Virtualization
Posted by: | Comments
Fairfax, Va. — December 9, 2009 — SMB Virtualization, a firm providing virtualization information and training for small and medium sized information technology (IT) businesses, has partnered with Third Tier, a leading provider of remote support services for IT professionals, to offer advanced incident and project support services for virtualized networks.
SMB Virtualization supplies IT firms with the knowledge to sell and implement virtualization projects for their clients through training via whitepapers, books, videos and DVD sets. Third Tier will provide these same firms with the project and incident support needed to implement these projects successfully from a technical perspective.
By leveraging this relationship, IT firms can enter into this lucrative market, ready to sell virtualization tools and equipped with the technical backing and expertise needed to succeed.
“In my view, virtualization stands out as one of the most important vertical markets,” said Dave Sobel, CEO, SMB Virtualization. “As such, SMB Virtualization is pleased to partner with Third Tier to provide IT service providers with the comprehensive training and solutions needed for implementing a successful virtualization practice.”
“We’re excited about the opportunity this partnership presents to assist small and medium IT firms in delivering state of the art virtualization solutions to their clients. With this partnership behind them IT firms of all sizes can confidently move into virtualization.” comments Amy Babinchak, Managing Partner of Third Tier. “By combining our services, IT firms can deliver new and exciting solutions to their customers.”
About Third Tier
Third Tier’s expertise includes a wide range of SMB technologies including Exchange, SQL, SharePoint, Active Directory, DNS, Hyper-V, System Center, Macintosh, Calyptix Access Enforcer, SBS, EBS and general networking. See www.thirdtier.net.
About SMB Virtualization
SMB Virtualization is a Fairfax, Virginia-based firm providing virtualization information and training for small and medium sized IT businesses. The company’s products include white papers, DVDs and books as well as pertinent industry information delivered via the company’s blog. Please visit us at www.smbvirtualization.net for the latest virtualization news.
But my dilemma didn't stop there. I obviously don't want to access the internet via the Windows Server 2008 platform. That's what my Windows XP virtual machine is for. So what I did was to add an Internal virtual network using Hyper-V's Virtual Network Manager. This will create another network adapter on the host operating system - in this case, Windows Server 2008. I've renamed this WiFi-Guest-Bridge. Next, I've added a network adapter on the Hyper-V guest and mapped it to this virtual network. Once, I've done both of these, I've bridged the wireless network adapter and the WiFi-Guest-Bridge network adapter, thereby, providing wireless connectivity to my Hyper-V guest.
Keith Combs provided a step-by-step procedure (with screenshots) on how to configure wireless networking with Hyper-V guests in his blog
It is very important to name your network adapters accordingly as Windows does a real good job of using a generic naming convention (i.e. Local Area Network x) which adds confusion especially if you are dealing with a ton of virtual networks from within a single Hyper-V (or other virtualization) platform
