Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Stalled Server Room - The Daily WTF

 

Jen was kind enough to snap a picture of their just-finished server room entrance.

The Stalled Server Room - The Daily WTF

DPM 2007 Feature Pack Available...

 

Download: DPM 2007 Feature Pack Available...

We are happy to inform you that the Update Feature pack is now available for download here:

x86: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e9e1fe35-b175-40a8-8378-2f306ccc9e28&DisplayLang=en

x64: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ad5cd1a2-9b87-4a2c-90a2-9dbaf1024310&DisplayLang=en

The features included in this release are:
· Tape library sharing across multiple DPM servers
· Katmai (SQL 2008) support
· Clustered virtual server support
· Protection of Windows Server 2008
· DPM install on Windows Server 2008 – Using improved VSS infrastructure, shrinking of  
         volumes, RemoteApp support etc.
·  Co-location of data from multiple PGs onto a single tape

- Balaji Hariharan

Published Sunday, June 29, 2008 8:00 PM by dpm

Ctrl P - The Data Protection Manager Blog! : Download: DPM 2007 Feature Pack Available...

Thursday, June 26, 2008

From Jose Barreto's Blog : Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V released today! (includes a list of main Hyper-V related links)

 

Hyper-V is here!

As you can confirm on the press release linked below, the final release of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V was just announced.
You can download the final version (number 18016) immediately from the Microsoft download web site.
This version will also go to Windows Update on July 8th.

HVV

Below you will find a collection of links about Hyper-V.

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V RTM information

Press release on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V RTM
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2008/jun08/06-26hyperv.mspx

John Howard's blog post about Hyper-V RTM
http://blogs.technet.com/jhoward/archive/2008/06/26/hyper-v-rtm-announcement-available-today-from-the-microsoft-download-centre.aspx

Hyper-V RTM Guest Operating System Support Note
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954958

Jose Barreto's Blog : Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V released today! (includes a list of main Hyper-V related links)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Exchange Server 2007 and Hyper-V

 

Exchange Server 2007 and Hyper-V

Published 15 June 08 08:15 PM | Scott Schnoll

While at TechEd IT Pro North America 2008, I also had the opportunity to attend Brent Alinger's session on Exchange Server 2007 and Hyper-V.  Brent is a Senior Test Lead on the Exchange Team at Microsoft, and he's leading our testing efforts around Hyper-V.

Brent described a number of terms, such as the Hyper-V root (which is the parent or the host machine), Hyper-V guest (which is the child or virtual machine), virtual hard disks (VHD), passthrough disks, fixed and dynamic disks, and virtual machine state files.  Some of the more noteworthy bits of info from the session are:

  • Within 60 days of Hyper-V's RTM, the Exchange team will publish a detailed support statement for Hyper-V, and a TechNet article with best practices. I'm part of the Exchange Virtualization Working Group and will be helping to deliver some of this content.
  • Customers should not deploy Exchange on Hyper-V until our support guidance is available.
  • Early results show that performance of Exchange 2007 on Hyper-V is quite good, and that it scales very well from 1-4 processors per VM.

In terms of best practices and requirements, Brent shared the following:

  • We're only supporting guests running Exchange Server 2007 SP1 on Windows Server 2008.
  • We're only supporting fixed disks, and not dynamic disks.
  • Storage should be on spindles that are separate from the Guest operating system VHD physical storage.
  • Storage must be SCSI passthrough or iSCSI (with a preference of SCSI passthrough for queues, databases and log files).
  • All Exchange server roles, except for the Unified Messaging server role, will be supported.
  • For backup, hardware VSS should be used.
  • There's a limit on VHD size of 2040 GB.

Brent also mentioned that Hyper-V is a good fit when Exchange servers in branch offices cannot be consolidated to a central datacenter (for example, because of bandwidth or connectivity issues).

In terms of workload, not every workload is a candidate for virtualization.  For example, server roles such as Client Access and Hub Transport can be good candidates, but a more heavy hitter like the Mailbox role (which often uses all available resources on a physical server) might not be the best candidate for virtualizing.

It was a great session, and you can expect to hear a lot more about Exchange 2007 and Hyper-V over the coming months.

Is this thing on? : Exchange Server 2007 and Hyper-V

Monday, June 23, 2008

Microsoft SQL Server Community & Samples RSS - Home

SQLRSS Community Application

Introduction
The SQLRSS community application is designed to expose changes made to SQL Server 2008 tables as an RSS or ATOM feed. The application is useful as is. Many enhancements are possible and community contributions to this project are encouraged.
Click on the Releases table and then click on SQLRSS.zip to download the code.
Implementation
This application is based on the following features:
  • Change Data Tracking (CDT) feature of SQL Server 2008
  • Reporting Services
  • The syndication feed feature of WCF
  • LINQ to XML
  • ADO.NET

The use of Reporting Services is optional, but is a handy way to display the changed data.

Microsoft SQL Server Community & Samples RSS - Home

Hyper-V Monitor Gadget for Windows Sidebar

 

Hyper-V Monitor Gadget for Windows Sidebar

clock June 21, 2008 18:41 by author Tore Lervik

I've created a sidebar gadget so I can see what the Hyper-V server is doing from my workstation.
The gadget can list multiple servers at once and also support vmconnect when double clicking on a VM.
PS: The gadget uses WMI to connect to the server so the user need remote WMI access (Step 5) on the Hyper-V server.

Hyper-V Monitor.gadget (15.27 kb)

Hyper-V Monitor Gadget
Version history

2.2 - Minor changes in the settings dialog

2.1 - First public version

How to use vmconnect

- Go to settings in the gadget
- Browse for vmconnect
- Locate and select the vmconnect (should be in your Program Files/Hyper-V/ folder)
- Save the settings
- Now you should see a hand when you hold the mouse over a VM, try double clicking on it.

Feel free to spread the gadget around the world, but link to this site and not directly to the gadget :-)

Hyper-V Monitor Gadget for Windows Sidebar

Sunday, June 22, 2008

What's New in Service Pack 1 and R2 for Configuration Manager 2007?

 

What's New in Service Pack 1 and R2 for Configuration Manager 2007?

What's New in Configuration Manager 2007 SP1
  • Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 introduces a new feature for out of band management.
  • Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 provides significant enhancements to the Asset Intelligence feature introduced in Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 and included in Configuration Manager 2007.
  • The length of the evaluation period has changed in Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 to be more consistent with other Microsoft products. In Configuration Manager 2007, the evaluation period is 120 days. In Configuration Manager 2007 SP1, the evaluation period is 180 days.
  • The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Connector and the System Center Updates Publisher are no longer included with the Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 installation media.
  • Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 provides support for Windows Server 2008 as clients and site systems.

Note

Windows Server 2008 does not include WebDAV by default, which is required for Configuration Manager 2007 management points and distribution points. For more information, see the release notes.

What's New in Configuration Manager 2007 R2
  • Application Virtualization management support
  • Forefront Client Security Integration
  • SQL Reporting Services Reporting - Allows you to report on Configuration Manager activity using SQL Reporting Services
  • Client Status Reporting - Provides a set of tools and Configuration Manager 2007 reports to assess the status of client computers, sometimes referred to as "client health." Clients that show a change in activity patterns might need administrative intervention.
  • Operating System Deployment Enhancements
    • Unknown computer support
      In Configuration Manager 2007 R2, you can deploy operating systems to computers using a PXE service point without first adding the computer to the Configuration Manager database.
    • Multicast deployment
      Previously, all operating system deployments used unicast. Multicast can make more efficient use of network bandwidth when deploying large images to several computers at the same time.
    • Running command lines in task sequences with credentials other than the local system account.

If you haven't already joined, to get access to the program, which includes the ability to provide feedback, download pre-release bits, and use newsgroups for discussing product topics, please apply for the program here:
https://connect.microsoft.com/programdetails.aspx?ProgramDetailsID=1829

What's New in Service Pack 1 and R2 for Configuration Manager 2007?

Operations Manager Product Team Blog : Update 5/28 - OpsMgr 2007 with SP1 Support for Windows Server 2008 update!

 

Update 5/28 - OpsMgr 2007 with SP1 Support for Windows Server 2008 update!

Please note the change in date.

The OpsMgr team is working with the Windows team on getting the necessary hotfixes ready for release. Links for these hotfixes will be available on the KB article that will be published end of June.

Here is a heads up on what we are tentatively planning on supporting

  1. In place upgrade from Windows Server 2003 with SP1 (x86 and x64) and above to Windows Server 2008 (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter) supports the Agent component with hotfixes.

Note: The Windows Server 2008 ia64 operating system does not support upgrading from Windows Server 2003.  Additional information can be found here - http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/8519f859-7159-4dae-ba4c-8ed791c01be01033.mspx?mfr=true

  1. Installing OpsMgr 2007 SP1 Server components (x86 and x64) on a clean install of Windows Server 2008 (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter) is supported with hotfixes.
  1. Installing OpsMgr 2007 SP1 Agent component (x86, x64, ia64) on a clean install of Windows Server 2008 (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter) is supported with the following hotfixes.
  1. Installing OpsMgr 2007 SP1 Agent component (x86, x64, ia64) on a clean install of Windows Server 2008 (Server Core) is supported with hotfixes.
  1. Installing OpsMgr 2007 SP1 Operational Database, Data warehouse, Audit Collection Database and Root Management Server components (x86 and x64) on a clean install of Windows Server 2008 (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter) Cluster is supported with hotfixes.
  1. Installing OpsMgr 2007 SP1 Server component (x86, x64, ia64) on a clean install of Windows Server 2008 (Hyper-V) will be supported when Hyper-V releases following hotfixes.
  1. Installing OpsMgr 2007 SP1 Agent component (x86, x64, ia64) on a clean install of Windows Server 2008 (Hyper-V) will be supported when Hyper-V releases with hotfixes.

Windows Server 2008 Management Packs

Windows Server 2008 Base OS MP will be available around the same time as we release the hotfixes for Windows Server 2008. 

- Rob Kuehfus

Operations Manager Product Team Blog : Update 5/28 - OpsMgr 2007 with SP1 Support for Windows Server 2008 update!

Deploying Microsoft Forefront Client Security at Microsoft technical white paper

 

Deploying Microsoft Forefront Client Security at Microsoft technical white paper

Microsoft IT Showcase is pleased to announce the publication of Deploying Forefront Client Security at Microsoft, which discusses how Microsoft IT migrated from a third party solution to FCS on 40,000 PCs.

Deploying Microsoft Forefront Client Security at Microsoft
Technical White Paper added: 06/11/08
Microsoft IT details the planning, deployment, and ongoing management of the largest current deployment of Forefront Client Security with a supported node population of 40,000.

Technical White Paper

PowerPoint Presentation

IT Pro Webcast

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Download details: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008

 

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008

Brief Description

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 is the next version of Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007. It is the recommended process and toolset to automate desktop and server deployment. This release includes updates to support Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 in addition to previously supported platforms.

 

Version: 4.1

Date Published: 3/21/2008

Language: English

Download Size: 241 KB - 60.6 MB Download size depends on selected download components.

Overview

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008 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 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.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 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 (32 and 64 bit) or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition


Choosing the Right Version
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 is offered in two versions to support Solution Accelerator component installation on x64 or x86 hosts. Select the version that corresponds with your host hardware type. Both versions of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit support deployment of x86 and x64 Windows operating systems.
The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Quick Start Guides are available as a separate download on this page for those who want to quickly evaluate MDT by viewing condensed, step-by-step instructions for using it to install Windows operating systems.
The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 Informational Materials file also is available as a separate download on this page for anyone who wants to learn more about the accelerator before downloading the full package. It includes a Getting Started Guide and Release Notes.


Send questions or feedback to us directly at SATfdbk@microsoft.com

Download details: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008

Download details: Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides

 

Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides

Brief Description

These step-by-step guides help IT Professionals learn about and evaluate Windows Server 2008.

These documents are downloadable versions of guides found in the Windows Server 2008 Technical Library. (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=86808)

Download details: Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Very Serious 9/11 Untruths - CommonDreams.org

 

Published on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 by The Rocky Mountain News (Colorado)

Very Serious 9/11 Untruths

by Paul Campos

Every month I get a few e-mails from people who want to reveal to me the real truth about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The truth, according to my correspondents, always involves some incredibly elaborate conspiracy theory in which the U.S. government staged the attacks to justify the so-called war on terror and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

These theories are invariably absurd on their face (for one thing, they assume a genuinely superhuman level of malevolent competence on the part of the Bush administration). Yet despite all their superficial absurdity, the claims of the 9/11 Truthers touch on a deeper truth, which is as ironic as it is disturbing.

That deeper truth is contained in their claims that the real meaning of 9/11 has very little to do with the standard account given by our government and media. While the 9/11 Truth movement is easy to dismiss as a product of various paranoid delusions, the irony is that the respectable version of what happened on 9/11 is itself a reflection of strikingly similar patterns of thought.

The respectable version — the version that was more or less accepted by all Very Serious People at the time of the invasion of Iraq — goes like this: The 9/11 attacks were merely an early strike in a war against the United States. This war is being carried out by something called Radical Islam, of which the al-Qaida terrorist network is only one small branch.

Radical Islam is a global conspiracy, made up of a significant minority of the world’s more than 1 billion Muslims. It includes the governments of nations like Iran and Syria, and one of its key supporters was Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime.

The goal of Radical Islam is world domination through the creation of a global caliphate, which requires, among other things, the complete destruction of the United States and the conversion of our surviving population to the most extreme form of Islamic fundamentalism, as practiced in nations such as Saudi Arabia.

Iraq had to be invaded because Saddam Hussein was trying to build atomic weapons — weapons that he might well give to terrorist groups that were his allies in Radical Islam’s quest to destroy America.

This, I repeat, was (and to a significant extent still is), the respectable interpretation of the meaning of 9/11. When anyone questioned the evidence for this view, Very Serious Politicians like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would say things like “we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.”

Meanwhile, Very Serious Opinion Makers like Charles Krauthammer of The Washington Post argued (and continue to argue) that America must also go to war against Iran because we could wake up one day to the news that nuclear weapons have been detonated in several American cities, by order of suicidal mullahs who turned over their soon-to-be-acquired nuclear arsenal to the vast shadowy global jihadist network.

That the respectable interpretation of 9/11 remains respectable in so many important places should not obscure the fact that it is a paranoid fantasy of the first order — one as utterly unhinged from reality as the most extravagant imaginings of the 9/11 Truthers.

It’s easy to lose sight of this because while the 9/11 Truthers remain quarantined on obscure Web sites, the paranoid conspiracy theorists currently in charge of American foreign policy continue to appear regularly on network television and on the opinion pages of our leading newspapers.

There, they make crazy arguments, such as that denying the president the right to throw people in prison for the rest of their lives without ever having to explain why exposes our nation to the risk of annihilation by terrorists. Meanwhile, almost nobody ever points out that these arguments are actually insane.

And that’s the real truth about 9/11.

Paul Campos is a professor of law at the University of Colorado. He can be reached at paul.campos@colorado.edu.

Very Serious 9/11 Untruths - CommonDreams.org

Preface to Broken Laws, Broken Lives

 

Preface to Broken Laws, Broken Lives

By Major General Antonio Taguba, USA (Ret.)

Major General Antonio Taguba (Ret)

Maj. General Taguba led the US Army’s official investigation into the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal and testified before Congress on his findings in May, 2004.

This report tells the largely untold human story of what happened to detainees in our custody when the Commander-in-Chief and those under him authorized a systematic regime of torture. This story is not only written in words: It is scrawled for the rest of these individuals’ lives on their bodies and minds. Our national honor is stained by the indignity and inhumane treatment these men received from their captors.

The profiles of these eleven former detainees, none of whom were ever charged with a crime or told why they were detained, are tragic and brutal rebuttals to those who claim that torture is ever justified. Through the experiences of these men in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, we can see the full scope of the damage this illegal and unsound policy has inflicted—both on America’s institutions and our nation’s founding values, which the military, intelligence services, and our justice system are duty-bound to defend.

In order for these individuals to suffer the wanton cruelty to which they were subjected, a government policy was promulgated to the field whereby the Geneva Conventions and the Uniform Code of Military Justice were disregarded. The UN Convention Against Torture was indiscriminately ignored. And the healing professions, including physicians and psychologists, became complicit in the willful infliction of harm against those the Hippocratic Oath demands they protect.

After years of disclosures by government investigations, media accounts, and reports from human rights organizations, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account.

The former detainees in this report, each of whom is fighting a lonely and difficult battle to rebuild his life, require reparations for what they endured, comprehensive psycho-social and medical assistance, and even an official apology from our government.

But most of all, these men deserve justice as required under the tenets of international law and the United States Constitution.

And so do the American people.

Broken Laws, Broken Lives » Preface to Broken Laws, Broken Lives

Fiddler HTTP Debugger - A free web debugging tool

 

Introducing Fiddler

What is Fiddler?

Fiddler is a HTTP Debugging Proxy which logs all HTTP traffic between your computer and the Internet. Fiddler allows you to inspect all HTTP Traffic, set breakpoints, and "fiddle" with incoming or outgoing data. Fiddler includes a powerful event-based scripting subsystem, and can be extended using any .NET language.

Fiddler is freeware and can debug traffic from virtually any application, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and thousands more.

QuickStartVid

Fiddler HTTP Debugger - A free web debugging tool QuickStart Video

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

US Dynamics GP Field Team : Announcing the release of the Rapid Implementation Tools for Microsoft Dynamics GP!

 

Announcing the release of the Rapid Implementation Tools for Microsoft Dynamics GP!

Microsoft Dynamics GP releases new tools that streamline Customer implementations and increase Partner productivity

Designed to shorten deployment time and enable greater Partner productivity by reducing the time required for routine implementation tasks, Microsoft Dynamics GP has released new tools that help you quickly and reliably install the system, quickly set up core Business Essentials functionality, and efficiently update and then migrate customers’ legacy Intuit QuickBooks data.

In conjunction with the recent launch of the Smart Move campaign, this breakthrough toolset will help redefine how core implementations are performed while enabling you to increase your deployment capacity and accelerate new customer adds. These tools are available to all Partners and Customers at no additional charge, and can be downloaded TODAY from the Microsoft Download Center!

US Dynamics GP Field Team : Announcing the release of the Rapid Implementation Tools for Microsoft Dynamics GP!

The Data Platform Insider : 24 Hours of SQL Server 2008

 

24 Hours of SQL Server 2008

With so much news and information competing for attention, it's easy to miss great opportunities to learn about SQL Server 2008. We recently created an extensive 24-hour video series for IT Pros and Developers that follows Contoso as it uses SQL Server 2008 and other Microsoft Data Platform technologies to expand their ability to manage and process information. Each video is 60-90 minutes long.

advt-24hours

The Data Platform Insider : 24 Hours of SQL Server 2008

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Windows PowerShell : PowerShell & OpenXML

PowerShell & OpenXML

Eric White just posted an amazing set of Cmdlets on CodePlex.  They allow you to use PowerShell to manipulate OpenXML documents to do all sorts of fun things, like create graphs from the output of PowerShell, automatically generate documents from XML, and extract comments from a document.  Below is an 8-minute video introducing you to the technology and a blog post with more details.

clip_image001
PowerTools for Open XML Introduction
(Video)

Blog:

http://blogs.msdn.com/ericwhite/archive/2008/06/11/processing-open-xml-documents-server-side-using-powershell.aspx

Get PowerTools For Open XML

Windows PowerShell : PowerShell & OpenXML

Windows PowerShell : Working With Web Services (Post CTP2 V2 Feature)

Blog of Windows PowerShell team. Improving the world one-liner at a time.

Working With Web Services (Post CTP2 V2 Feature)

Let me start by first apologizing for sharing some information that you are not going to be able to go out and try right away.  During one of the interactive Q&A sessions at TechEd, people asked about working with Web Services.  I referred to a feature that we were working on and then Hal Rottenberg asked me to blog about some of the details.  I'm not sure that this is a good idea because while we have it coded up and in the nightly builds, that is not a guarantee that it will make it into the next version (we often have to cut features in order to create bandwidth to increase the quality of other features).  That said, I'm going to go out on the limb a bit and share with you what we are working on.

First let's start with motivation (you should always start with motivation.  If you know WHY someone  is doing something, it is easier to get things in focus and provide meaningful feedback).  PowerShell is ALL about helping you get your job done with the minimal amount of effort (I've been thinking about calling this the "Cheap EATs" model where EAT stands for "Effort to Accomplish Task").   With that comes the observation that we live in an evolving world.  To accomplish your task, you need to easily access a wide range of technologies.  That is why we invest in giving you great access to WMI, ADSI, COM, XML, .NET, ADO, etc etc.  More and more things are now available as Web Services so we want to make it easy for you to get at them as well. 

As such, we have speced and implemented the cmdlet:  New-WebServiceProxy.    This command connects to a Web Service and generates a .NET proxy to that service.  Let me show you how it works using a web service which works with USZIP codes

See PowerShell Blog Post for code!

Windows PowerShell : Working With Web Services (Post CTP2 V2 Feature)

Taylor Brown's Blog : Hyper-V WMI – Configuring Automatic Startup/Shutdown/Recovery Action’s For Virtual Machines

 

Hyper-V WMI – Configuring Automatic Startup/Shutdown/Recovery Action’s For Virtual Machines

Hyper-V virtual machines have configuration options that control what happens when the parent/host server shuts down, start’s up, or if a virtual machine’s worker process terminates unexpectedly.  The first two conditions (parent/host shutdown, startup) are pretty self explanatory but what would cause a worker process to terminate?  There are a couple reasons, one would be if someone terminates the process, another would be if the process detects an security attack coming from the virtual machine, others reasons could be if there was bad hardware or a programming error (i.e bug) in either Hyper-V or another component in the system…

The default Automatic Startup Action is to start the virtual machine if it was running when the server was shutdown.  Another option is to always startup the virtual machine irrespective of the state of the virtual machine when the server was shutdown. The last option is none – this translates to leave the virtual machine off or saved when the server starts up.

The default Automatic Shutdown Action is to save any running virtual machines.  There are two other options, first is to turn off any running virtual machines and second is to shutdown any running virtual machines using the shutdown integration component.  The shutdown is forced – so any open/running programs will be terminated.  If the shutdown request fails the vm will be turned off – this can happen for many reasons primarily because the IC’s aren’t installed or if the guest is in safe mode/booting up.

The default Automatic Recovery Action is to restart the virtual machine, the other options are to revert to the last snapshot if one exists or none – which again equates to leaving the virtual machine off.

There is one additional option that I wanted to discuss briefly is Automatic Startup Action Delay, this is the amount of time to wait after the server reboot before taking the automatic startup action.  The default is zero – meaning take the action immediately.  This option could be very helpful for some servers – if you have lower and higher priority virtual machines you might want to delay the startup of your low priority virtual machines.

So here’s some code:

$VirtualSystemManagemntService = get-wmiobject -class "Msvm_VirtualSystemManagementService" -namespace "root\virtualization"
foreach ($Vm in Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\virtualization -Query "Select * from Msvm_ComputerSystem Where Description='Microsoft Virtual Machine'")
{
   $SettingData = Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\virtualization -Query "Associators of {$Vm} Where ResultClass=Msvm_VirtualSystemGlobalSettingData AssocClass=Msvm_ElementSettingData"
   $SettingData.AutomaticStartupAction = 0 #None=0, Restart if Previously Running=1, Always Startup=2
   $SettingData.AutomaticShutdownAction = 0 #Turn Off=0, Save State=1, ShutDown=2
   $SettingData.AutomaticRecoveryAction = 0 #None=0, Restart=1, Revert to Snapshot=2
   $SettingData.AutomaticStartupActionDelay = [System.Management.ManagementDateTimeconverter]::ToDmtfTimeInterval((New-TimeSpan -Minutes 10))
   $VirtualSystemManagemntService.ModifyVirtualSystem($Vm, $SettingData.PSBase.GetText(1))
}

ENJOY!

Taylor Brown
Hyper-V Integration Test Lead
http://blogs.msdn.com/taylorb

Taylor Brown's Blog : Hyper-V WMI – Configuring Automatic Startup/Shutdown/Recovery Action’s For Virtual Machines

Windows Vista Help: Keyboard shortcuts

Windows Vista Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can make it easier to interact with your computer because you don't need to use the mouse as often.

Windows Vista Help: Keyboard shortcuts

Noah Coad : Windows Hot Keys with AutoHotKey

Windows Hot Keys with AutoHotKey

AutoHotkey_logoI’m a big fan of keeping my hands on the keyboard as much as possible and having real quick easy ‘one-touch’ access to my favorite apps, web sites, and tasks.  It’s just amazing how much more productive one can be when using the keyboard instead of the mouse.  Think of any common app you use in which you have a keyboards shortcut memorized, Ctrl-C to copy, Ctrl-V to paste, IE? Alt-D for the address bar, Word? Ctrl-S to save, Vista? Win key for the Start Menu, etc now imagine the power of having most all of your common tasks that quickly available, yup, pure power.

Now here’s the ultimate hotkey tool, AutoHotKey.  It is a simple ‘scripting’ like app.  Not only can you create hotkeys, but also script other parts of Windows, but I’ll focus this post on the hotkeys.  It is open source, been around a long time, is small, takes little memory, has a great help doc, a strong community, and is easy to use.

Noah Coad : Windows Hot Keys with AutoHotKey

 

Looks like a good tool!

Michiel Wories' WebLog : SQL Server Powershell is here!

- SQLPS – a minishell that gives you a complete pre-configured Powershell with all of SQL Server’s extensions preloaded.

- SQL Server Agent integration – A new job subsystem for Powershell

- SQL Server Management Studio Integration – context menus on every applicable node in Object Explorer (with connection context reuse. Including SQL security!)

- Four new Providers! – new providers for SQL Server relational engine, Registered Servers, Data Collection, and SQL Server Policy Management

- SQLCMD integration – SQLCMD compatible script execution within Powershell (reuses the SQL Server connection context, and even database context of the provider!)

- SQL Server Policy Management integration – Allows evaluation of any Policy

- Various other cmdlets – support the provider, such as conversion of a SMO Urn to a Powershell path, encoding and decoding of SQL identifiers.

- SQL Server Powershell redist – allows you to install SQL Server Powershell with your application or on any machine you need to have it on (this still being built so with the caveat it may be shipped later, or being cut altogether – don’t flame me yet).

Michiel Wories' WebLog : SQL Server Powershell is here!

Monday, June 9, 2008