Realtime EDGE

2014-10-02T10:32:00.001+05:30

Next Baby at Microsoft

Windows 10

It’s a humbling and amazing thing to work on Windows, which is used by over 1.5 billion people in every country of the world. From kids playing with computers for the first time, to writers and journalists, to engineers, to gamers, to CEOs, at some point Windows has empowered all of us.

In the Windows team, we’re proud of this – but we also know that the world today is very different from the one in which Windows grew up. Today, devices outnumber people. Connectivity is like oxygen. The tension between the desire for agility versus stability poses a huge challenge for IT Pros. Experiences – no matter what device you’re on – just need to work. The only thing that hasn’t really changed is the situation for developers – still too much to do, and not enough time.

One way to look at it is that Windows is at a threshold :-). It’s time for a new Windows. This new Windows must be built from the ground-up for a mobile-first, cloud-first world. This new Windows must help our customers be productive in both their digital work and their digital life. This new Windows must empower people and organizations to do great things.

That new Windows is Windows 10.

Windows 10 represents the first step of a whole new generation of Windows. Windows 10 unlocks new experiences for customers to work, play and connect. Windows 10 embodies what our customers (both consumers and enterprises) demand and what we will deliver.

Windows 10 will run across an incredibly broad set of devices – from the Internet of Things, to servers in enterprise datacenters worldwide. Some of these devices have 4 inch screens – some have 80 inch screens – and some don’t have screens at all. Some of these devices you hold in your hand, others are ten feet away. Some of these devices you primarily use touch/pen, others mouse/keyboard, others controller/gesture – and some devices can switch between input types.

We’re not talking about one UI to rule them all – we’re talking about one product family, with a tailored experience for each device.

And across this breadth of devices, we are delivering one application platform for our developers. Whether you’re building a game or a line of business application, there will be one way to write a universal app that targets the entire family. There will be one store, one way for applications to be discovered, purchased and updated across all of these devices.

Windows 10 will deliver the right experience on the right device at the right time. It will be our most comprehensive platform ever.

Now, during the design of a new Windows, we spend time with many diverse customers. One of the most important of these customers is the enterprise. In the past year I’ve talked to dozens of enterprise customers and listened to how they are using and deploying Windows, and what they need from us.

These customers are betting their businesses on Windows – in the first half of this year, shipments of enterprise PCs grew 14%. In that same time period, shipments of Windows enterprise tablets grew 33%.

These customers have a need to evaluate Windows early, so we are starting our dialog with them today. For more details about what Windows 10 will have for these customers, check out this blog post on the Windows for your Business blog.

Tomorrow, we are excited to announce the Windows Insider Program, where PC experts and IT Pros can get access to a technical preview of Windows 10 for desktops and laptops. Soon after, we’ll also be releasing technical previews of Windows Server and our management tools.

With the Insider program, we’re inviting our most enthusiastic Windows customers to shape Windows 10 with us. We know they’re a vocal bunch – and we’re looking forward to hearing from them.

The Windows Insider Program is intended for PC experts and IT pros who are comfortable using pre-release software with variable quality. Insiders will receive a steady stream of early builds from us with the latest features we’re experimenting with.

This week’s announcements are just the first chapter of our conversation with customers about Windows 10 – with a focus on enterprise features (because enterprises have a need to evaluate software early on) and the desktop/laptop experiences. Early in 2015 we’ll introduce the consumer chapter and talk much more about other device types and more consumer features. We’ll then continue the conversation with the developer chapter at our Build conference, and later in the year we’ll release Windows 10 and look forward to some amazing new devices.

Today was an important beginning for our customers and partners as we embark on the Windows 10 journey together. I encourage everyone reading this to sign up for the Windows Insider Program, download the technical preview, and let us know what you think. Check here tomorrow for specific details – but in the meantime, here’s a peek at some of the new features you can test drive once you become an Insider:

Start menu: The familiar Start menu is back, but it brings with it a new customizable space for your favorite apps and Live Tiles.

Everything runs in a window: Apps from the Windows Store now open in the same format that desktop apps do and can be resized and moved around, and have title bars at the top allowing for maximize, minimize, and close with a click.

Snap enhancements: You can now have four apps snapped on the same screen with a new quadrant layout. Windows will also show other apps and programs running for additional snapping and even make smart suggestions on filling available screen space with other open apps.

New task view button: There’s a new task-view button on the taskbar for quick switching between open files and quick access to any desktops you create.

Multiple desktops: Create desktops for different purposes and projects and switch between these desktops easily and pick up where you left off on each desktop.

Find files faster: File Explorer now displays your recent files and frequently visited folders making for finding files you’ve worked on is easier.

Watch the below video from Joe Belfiore to see many of these features in action. Immediately you’ll see how Windows 10 carries forward a sense of familiarity, while providing new capabilities to help you way the work you want to and be more productive.

What is a CMOS battery, and why does my computer need one?

2012-04-30T22:20:00.000+05:30

All personal computers require a small battery on the system board that provides power to the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) chip, even while the computer is turned off. This chip contains information about the system configuration (e.g., hard disk type, floppy drive types, date and time, and the order in which the computer will look for bootable disks). The CMOS battery allows the CMOS to preserve these settings.

The purpose of the CMOS battery most often today is simply to allow your computer to remember what time it is. If the battery dies or removed then when your computer boots it will have forgotten the current date and time.

Most CMOS batteries will last the lifetime of a motherboard but will sometimes need to be replaced. Incorrect or slow system date and time and loss of BIOS setting are major signs of a dead or dying CMOS battery. When we are trying to change the CMOS battery for that we first have to know what model of CMOS battery you are using.

What is the difference between .pst and .ost ?

2012-04-15T07:35:00.001+05:30

.pst files are all the emails (and files attatched to those emails), calendar, contacts, tasks, etc. stored locallyon your machine .pst are created when using Outlook to manage your email (Gmail, hotmail, yahoo, aol,etc.) they can also be created within an Exchange environment, however, Microsoft doesn't recommend this due to the .pst being very unstable and if your PC were to crash you would loose all of your emails. In an Exchange environment, using .pst removes the emails from the Exchange server and stores them locally.

.ost files are simply a copy of your mailbox that is stored on the Exchange server. Think of this as a type of email cache file. This leaves the emails on the server, but also stores a copy of emails since your last sync on the local machine.

An error ocurred while attempting to change the state of virtual machine XXX.

2012-04-14T09:39:00.004+05:30

Microsoft Hyper-V Server

How to solve this problem.. The solution seems very simple...

Why this solves the problem I do not know, but here are the steps (with some pictures) to walk you through the process:

What is Cloud Computing?

2012-04-05T23:13:00.000+05:30

What is Cloud Computing? A General Overview about the Cloud Computing

Have you ever heard the phrase cloud computing? You must have heard this in one point, but you really aren't sure of what is cloud computing and what does it mean, right? Anyway, in this page, we will try to answer all of your questions about the said topic and hopefully educate people about the real meaning of cloud computing.

What can you expect from having a personal cloud computing?

All of your gadgets (PC, mobile, tablet, iPod etc) will be synchronized at all times.
You can access your stored information any time you like.
Organizing mine data online.
Sharing of data instantly regardless of type and size.

So with the given benefits of using cloud computing, you are probably thinking now that you could have been using it already, but you are just not aware. To give you an example, of what is cloud computing, have you ever used Gmail? If yes, then maybe you are aware of how they share files with their Google docs, right? With Google docs, you get to share information whether written document or spread sheet file. Anyone with permission to view and edit the file can do so. That is a classic meaning of cloud computing, we just don’t use the term for it more often.

Personal cloud computing

Personal cloud computing on the other hand is to make all of your personal information easily accessed by you or anyone you want to share it with. A classic example for personal cloud computing is by using your social networking site like Facebook wherein you enter your personal details like name, address, employment information, companies you have worked with, schools you have attended, personal pictures and of course your current insights about things through your wall posts. Anyone from your friend’s list will be able to get and see all these information of you because you want to share it with them. This is now what we call personal cloud computing.

We might be expecting something like: our gadget knowing what we like and what we want to do even without our command. It may sound weird today, but the possibility of it happening in the near future is crystal clear.

Characteristics of cloud computing

The cloud computing shows the following characteristics: agility, API, cost efficiency, device independence, multitasking, reliability, scalability, consistent performance monitoring, secured, and easy maintenance.

Today, cloud computing is getting all the rage. Cloud computing is still a very young technology and we still having more room for improvement. Although the meaning of cloud computing may be differ from one point of view of a person to another, it still all boils down to sharing one meaning which is delivering information over the internet. It is very similar to: autonomic computing, client server model, grid computing, mainframe computer, utility computing, peer to pee and service oriented computing.

What is Active Directory?

2012-04-05T21:39:00.000+05:30

Active Directory is a database that keeps track of all the user accounts and passwords in your organization. It allows you to store your user accounts and passwords in one protected location, improving your organization's security.

Active Directory is subdivided into one or more domains. A domain is a security boundary. Each domain is hosted by a server computer called a domain controller (DC). A domain controller manages all of the user accounts and passwords for a domain.

Domains and the Domain Name System (DNS)!

Domains are named using the Domain Name System (DNS). If your company is called Microsoft Corporation your DNS name would be (for example) microsoft.com. This is the top-level domain name for your company. The security domain in Active Directory maps directly to the DNS domain name. For larger organizations you can subdivide Active Directory into child domains (based on on geography for example). If Microsoft Corporation has three divisions named West, Central, and East, the sub-domains can have the DNS nameswest.microsoft.com, central.microsoft.com, and east.microsoft.com. Each domain requires a server computer. In the above scenario you would need at least four servers to host Active Directory as follows:

microsoft.com
east.microsoft.com
central.microsoft.com
west.microsoft.com

Windows 8 Consumer Preview Apps

2012-02-23T22:32:00.001+05:30

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8
Consumer Preview will come packed with pre-installed apps and games..

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview, set to launch sometime within the next few weeks, will come packed with pre-installed Metro-style apps. These will reportedly include Camera, Messaging, Mail, Calendar, SkyDrive, People, Photos, Video and Music. There may also be additional pre-installed apps as well, all updated via the new Windows Store.

Microsoft is reportedly working on enabling SMS support for the Messaging app which is supposedly Windows Live Messenger in disguise, but without the Windows Live branding. Mail, Calendar and People will also be designed as core Windows communication apps, thus tossing out the Windows Live branding.

Sources clam that the Video and Music apps were built by the Xbox team and branded with Zune, but this may be changed to Xbox Live for Windows before the Consumer Preview goes live. Xbox Live for Windows will reportedly be the entertainment brand for Video, Music and Games.

On the gaming front, Pinball and Solitaire are currently slated to be pre-installed in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. A Metro version of the Xbox Live Companion app, similar to the one currently available on Windows Phone, is also slated as a pre-installed app.

In addition to the pre-installed apps, the Windows Store will offer 11 games at launch. These include Angry Birds, Ms. Splosion Man, Toy Soldiers, Hydro Thunder, Reckless Racing, Ilomilo, Rocket Riot, Full House Poker, Tentacles, Crash Course, and Wordament.

Previous reports claimed that all apps available at the Windows Store launch would be free, and that retail paid apps will be sold once Windows 8 lands on store shelves this fall. Paid apps will cost between $1.49 and $999, with Microsoft initially taking 30-percent of the proceeds, then 20-percent once the app reaches $25,000 in sales. That said, there's a good chance the 11 launch games will be packed with ads, or will be limited demos.

Windows 8 new Blue Screen New sad face

2012-02-16T18:22:00.001+05:30

Windows 8 is sporting a new Blue Screen of Death. The sweeter, friendlier version features a sad face emoticon and plain language error explanations.

The Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) has always been a screen we dread to see. It’s blue, of course, and usually filled with lots of text telling you about the crash your operating system just experienced. To 99% of people viewing it, it makes absolutely no sense and is dismissed with a mandatory reboot.

The BSoD has been included with every version of Windows I have ever owned, and I think I’ve seen it appear on every Windows system I’ve used in anger. But for Windows 8 we were expecting it to disappear, replaced by a Black Screen of Death.

With the unveiling of Windows 8 yesterday at the Build conference, that turns out not to be the case, but the BSoD has at least had a major revamp.

As you can see in the images above, the uninformative page of text has gone. Instead you get a sad face depicted in text characters followed by a message telling you your PC couldn’t handle a problem.

A reboot is going to happen at this point, but if you want to find out what caused the problem you need to write down or remember the search term it presents you with. The two search terms I have seen suggested so far are “System Service Exception” and “HAL Installation Failed.” I doubt either will return that much useful information as they are both quite generic terms. While it’s nice not to have to look at a blue screen full of text, it’s a shame Microsoft still hasn’t found a way to refine the error reporting process further and present users with a very clear description of why Windows 8 fell down.

Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

2012-02-16T07:58:00.000+05:30

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is the latest Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. R2 SP1 is the right foundation for today’s businesses to design tomorrow’s automated, secure datacenters and cloud computing solutions. And for today’s datacenter concerns, it can immediately reduce operating costs and increase efficiencies via features like enhanced management control, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced workload performance through full support for 64-bit computing. It also provides improved branch office capabilities, exciting new remote access experiences, streamlined server management, and a powerful new in-box virtualization solution spanning both clients and servers.

#1. Powerful Hardware and Scaling Features

Windows Server 2008 R2 was designed to perform as well or better for the same hardware base as Windows Server 2008. In addition, R2 is the first Windows Server operating system to move solely to a 64-bit architecture.

Windows Server 2008 R2 also has several CPU-specific enhancements. First, this version expands CPU support to enable customers to run with up to 256 logical processors. R2 also supports Second Level Translation (SLAT), which enables R2 to take advantage of the Enhanced Page Tables feature found in the latest AMD CPUs as well as the similar Nested Page Tables feature found in Intel’s latest processors. The combination enables R2 servers to run with much improved memory management.

Components of Windows Server 2008 R2 have received hardware boosts as well. Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 can now access up to 64 logical CPUs on host computers. This capability not only takes advantage of new multicore systems, it also means greater virtual machine consolidation ratios per physical host.

#2. Reduced Power Consumption

Windows Server 2008 introduced a 'balanced' power policy, which monitors the utilization level of the processors on the server and dynamically adjusts the processor performance states to limit power to the needs of the workload. Windows Server 2008 R2 enhances this power saving feature by adding more granular abilities to manage and monitor server and server CPU power consumption, as well as extending this ability to the desktop via new power-oriented Group Policy settings.

Active Directory Domain Services Group Policy in Windows Server 2008 already gave administrators a certain amount of control over power management on client PCs. These capabilities are enhanced in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 to provide even more precise control in more deployment scenarios for even greater potential savings.

#3. Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2 also holds the much-anticipated update to Microsoft’s virtualization technology, Hyper-V. The new Hyper-V was designed to augment both existing virtual machine management as well as to address specific IT challenges, especially around server migration.

Hyper-V is an enabling technology for one of Windows Server 2008 R2’s marquee features, Live Migration. With Hyper-V version 1.0, Windows Server 2008 was capable of Quick Migration, which could move VMs between physical hosts with only a few seconds of down-time. Still, those few seconds were enough to cause difficulties in certain scenarios, especially those includling client connections to VM-hosted servers. With Live Migration, moves between physical targets happen in milliseconds, which means migration operations become invisible to connected users. Making this even easier is a new feature called processor compatibility mode, which allows administrators to migrate machines between different generations of same-brand CPUs.

Customers employing System Center Virtual Machine Manager for Hyper-V will also enjoy additional management and orchestration scenarios, including a new VM-oriented Performance and Resource Optimization feature and updated support for managing failover clusters.

The new Hyper-V also has core performance enhancements, including the previously mentioned ability to take advantage of up to 64 logical processors and to beef up that CPU performance with host support for Second Level Translation (SLAT). Finally, VMs can also add and remove storage without requiring a reboot and also boot from VHD as well.

#4. Reduced Desktop Costs with VDI

Much of the interest in virtualization solutions is in the server world. However, equally exciting advances are being made in presentation virtualization, where processing happens on a server optimized for capacity and availability while graphics, keyboard, mouse, and other user I/O functions are handled at the user’s desktop.

Windows Server 2008 R2 contains enhanced Virtual Desktop Integration (VDI) technology, which extends the functionality of Terminal Services to deliver certain business programs to their employee’s remote desktops. With VDI, programs that Remote Desktop Services sends to a computer are now available on the Start menu right alongside programs that are locally installed. This approach provides improved desktop virtualization and better application virtualization.

Desktop virtualization will benefit from features including improved personalization management, a near-invisible integration of virtualized desktops and applications in Windows 7, better audio and graphics performance, a seriously cool Web access update and more. VDI provides more efficient use of virtualized resources and better integration with local peripheral hardware as well as powerful new virtual management features.

#5. Easier and More Efficient Server Management

Although increasing the capabilities of your server operating system is always a good thing, the perceived downside has always been additional complexity and workload for day-to-day server managers. Windows Server 2008 R2 specifically addresses this problem with lots of work evident across all of its management-oriented consoles.

Features in these tools include:

· Improved datacenter power consumption and management, as evidenced earlier

· Improved remote administration, including a remotely-installable Server Manager

· Improved identity management features via the updated and simplified Active Directory Domain Services and Active Directory Federated Services

Windows Server 2008 R2 also improves on the popular PowerShell feature introduced in Windows Server 2008. PowerShell 2.0 significantly enhances the earlier version with the inclusion of more than 240 new pre-built cmdlets as well as a new graphical user interface (GUI) that adds professional-level development features for creating new cmdlets. The new GUI includes colored syntaxing, new production script debugging capabilities, and new testing tools.

#6. Ubiquitous Remote Access

Today’s mobile workforce is increasing the demand on IT to provide remote access to corporate resources. However, managing remote computers is an ongoing challenge; with low wide are network (WAN) bandwidth and sporadic connection and re-connection processes interfering with lengthier desktop management tasks such as Group Policy changes and up-to-date patching.

Windows Server 2008 R2 introduces a new type of connectivity called DirectAccess—a powerful way for remote users to seamlessly access corporate resources without requiring a traditional VPN connection and client software. Using technologies that shipped in Windows Server 2008, Microsoft has added simple management wizards that enable administrators to configure SSTP and IPv6 across both R2 and Windows 7 clients to enable the basic Direct Access connection, and then augment that connection with additional R2 management and security tools, including management policies and NAP.

With Direct Access, every user is considered remote all of the time. Users are no longer required to distinguish between local and remote connections. Direct Access handles all of these distinctions in the background. IT professionals retain precise access control and full perimeter security, helping to ease both desktop security and management headaches on both sides of the connection.

#7. Improved Branch Office Performance and Management

Many branch office IT architectures have relatively low bandwidth. Slow WAN links impact the productivity of branch office employees waiting to access content from the main office, and costs for branch office bandwidth allocation can amount to as much as 33% of overall corporate IT spending. To address this challenge, Windows Server 2008 R2 introduces a feature called Branch Cache™, which reduces WAN utilization and improves the responsiveness of network applications.

With Branch Cache™, clients who request access to data on the organization's network are sent directions to the file on the local (branch office) network if the file has ever been requested there before. If the file is stored locally, those clients get immediate high-speed access. Such files can be stored either on a local Branch Cache™ server for larger branch offices or simply on local Windows 7 PCs.

#8. Simplified Management for SMBs

With Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft is focusing more attention at the SMB and mid-market customer. This new focus provides these customers with a rich landscape of Microsoft product offerings, from Small Business Server up to Windows Essential Business Server and now Windows Server 2008 Standard. All SKUs are being outfitted with new management tools to make SMB IT Pro life easier.

Active Directory’s new Active Directory Administration Center is one example—all those disparate management GUIs now hosted in a single interface and all based on PowerShell. Additionally, there are the Best Practice Analyzers, which Microsoft has extended to every server role to keep all your server configs in sync with the latest best practices.

And last but not least, there’s the new Windows Server Backup utility. Long a second-class citizen, this updated, in-the-box backup app has been significantly upgraded to include more granular support for designing backup jobs, including support for system state operations; and, it has been optimized to run both faster and to use less disk space.

#9. Foundation for Cloud Computing

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the foundation for Microsoft’s private cloud computing offerings. Combining core technologies, including Hyper-V for advanced virtualization, Active Directory for identity management, PowerShell for customizable automation and R2’s flexible remote access features, you can use this server platform to construct pools of virtualized compute resources and securely extend those resources cross-premises, securely and with custom and automated management.

Whether you’re building a dedicated private cloud or attaching such a cloud to a hosted or public cloud resource, Windows Server 2008 R2 is the right bedrock on which to build your organization’s cloud infrastructure. Best of all, everything you need to get started with basic cloud computing is included in the box!

#10. Managing Data Not just Managing Storage

Managing storage isn’t just about managing disks. Storage volume is increasing at a 51% compounded annual growth rate between 2008 and 2012 according to IDC.* To keep pace and stay competitive, organizations must begin managing data, not just disks. Windows Server 2008 R2 gives IT administrators the tools for precisely this kind of initiative with the new File Classification Infrastructure (FCI). This new feature builds an extensible and automated classification mechanism on top of existing shared file architectures; this enables IT administrators to direct specific actions for specific files based on entirely customizable classification. FCI is also extensible to partners, which means Windows Server 2008 R2 users can expect to see additional capabilities around FCI being delivered by ISVs in the near future.

Windows Server 8 Some Features removed

2012-02-08T15:16:00.000+05:30

Windows Server 8 Some Features removed

Cluster.exe

Good old cluster.exe will be replaced by failover cluster powershell cmdlets. Cluster.exe won’t be installed by default but it is an optional component. 32 bits DLL resources are no longer supported also.

XDDM

Hardwire drivers’ support XDDM has been removed in windows server 8. You may still use the WDDM basic display only drive that is included in this OS.

Hyper-V TCP Offload

TCP offload feature for Hyper-V VMs will be removed. Guest OS will not able to use TCP chimney.

Token Rings

Token ring network support is removed in windows server 8, who needs it anyway?

SMB.sys

This file has been removed, now OS uses the WSK, Winsock kernel to provide the same service.

NDIS 5.x

NDIS 5.0,5.1 and 5.2 APIs is removed. NDIS 6 is supported.

VM Import/Export

In hyper-v, the import / export concept of transporting VM is replaced by “Register / unregister” command / method.

SMTP

SMTP and the associated management tools are deprecated. You should begin using System . Net .Smtp. With this API, you will not be able to insert a message into a file for pickup; instead configure Web apps to connect on port 25 to another server using SMTP.

WMI Namespaces

SNMP service and its WMI components will be removed.

Win32_serverfeature namespace is removed.

wmic command line tool is now replaced with get-wmiobject

Windows Server 8

2012-02-08T14:43:00.000+05:30

Next Release of Windows Server codenamed Windows Server 8

Benefits

It takes you beyond Virtualization

Windows Server 8 offers a dynamic, multitenant infrastructure that goes beyond virtualization technology to help deliver a complete platform for building a Microsoft private cloud. Going beyond virtualization lets you scale and secure workloads, cost effectively build the cloud, and securely connect to cloud services. Windows Server 8 will help you provide:

A complete virtualization platform that delivers a fully isolated, multitenant environment with tools that can guarantee service-level agreements, enable chargebacks through usage-based billing, and support self-service delivery.

Increased scalability and performance through a high-density, highly scalable environment that can be modified to perform at the optimum level based on your needs.

Connectivity to cloud services using a common identity and management framework for secure and reliable cross-premises connectivity.

It delivers the power of many servers, with the simplicity of one

Windows Server 8 offers you excellent economics by integrating a highly available and easy-to-manage multiserver platform. Windows Server 8 helps IT professionals cloud-enable their infrastructure while satisfying business needs faster and more efficiently by providing a highly available, easy-to-manage multiserver platform with the following benefits:

Continuous availability: New and improved features offer cost-effective, high IT service uptime. They are designed to endure failures without disrupting services to users.

Management efficiency: Windows Server 8 helps automate an even broader set of management tasks and simplifies deployment and virtualization of major workloads, which provides a path to full lights-out automation.

Cost efficiency: Windows Server 8 leverages commodity storage, networking, and server infrastructure, as well as offering increased power efficiency for superior acquisition and operating economics.

It opens the door to every app on any cloud

Windows Server 8 is the broadest, most scalable and elastic web and application platform, giving you the flexibility to build and deploy applications on-premises, in the cloud, and in a hybrid environment, using a consistent, open set of tools and frameworks. Windows Server 8 will help you deliver:

Flexibility to build on-premises and in the cloud: Developers can use the same languages and tools to build on-premises and cloud applications, allowing them to build applications that use distributed and temporally decoupled components.

An open web platform: Windows Server 8 combined with Internet Information Services (IIS) offers a solid platform for both open-source web stacks and ASP.NET, opening up a wide range of choices for application development.

A scalable and elastic web platform: Hosting providers can use new features in Windows Server 8 to increase density, simplify management, and achieve higher scalability in a shared web-hosting environment.

It enables the modern workstyle

Windows Server 8 empowers IT to provide users with flexible access to data and applications, anywhere on any device, while simplifying management and maintaining security, control, and compliance. Windows Server 8 will help you offer:

Access anywhere on any device: Seamless, always-on access to virtualized work environments from anywhere, including branch locations and public connectivity services.

A full Windows experience anywhere: By enabling a personalized and rich user experience from any device while adapting to different network conditions quickly and responsively.

Enhanced data security and compliance: Central audit and access policies enable granular access to data and corporate resources based on strong identity, data classification, and simplified administration for remote access.

TOP FEATURES FOR IT PROS

While Windows Server 8's interface negligibly deviates from Server 2008 R2, except for an updated Server Manager and Active Directory Administrative Center, the capabilities and features that have been added are far-reaching and affect every facet of the server OS including, storage, networking, virtualization, performance, and management. Yet, among all that extended functionality are some killer features that IT departments should get acquainted with first and foremost.

Although different IT departments and datacenters have varying needs for certain technologies and tools, there are several new capabilities in Windows Server 8 that most system administrators will appreciate. There is so much that is new or tweaked in Windows Server 8, it is really easy to get lost in the noise of the vast feature set. Here, I name the most impressive and critical among them. These are features most IT departments across the board can benefit from, no matter what their size or industry:

AD Recycle Bin: The Active Directory Recycle Bin is a new GUI add-on with the Active Directory Administrative Center. With it, admins can view and restore any deleted AD objects. Objects can be restored to their original location or to a new container. Although the ability to restored deleted AD objects is not a new capability, it was done in 2008 R2 with scripting. Now, admins can quickly get accidently deleted items restored with the AD Recycle Bin.

Cluster Aware Updating: Another feature implemented due to customer demand, Cluster Aware Updating (CAU), provides much management relief for system admins. Previously, when performing Windows updates on clustered machines, all or some of those machines typically had to be taken offline. Updating clusters involved much planning and possible scheduled downtime. Windows Server 8 updating tools now feature cluster-awareness. CAU updates all nodes in a cluster in an automated way with no downtime of machines in the cluster.

Claim Definitions: Claim definitions are used in Windows Server 8 for controlling access and auditing information. With this feature, files can be identified to have sensitive information—for example, documents that contain the word "confidential" or have social security numbers. Admins can use Group Policy and Active Directory to setup the users who should or should not have access to these sensitive files.

Live Migration: Windows Server 8's Hyper-V VM Mobility migrates virtual machines between hosts within a datacenter or on separate networks. Migrations happen with no downtime and no disruption of connected clients. Sys admins can perform migrations without having to implement clustering or

without any shared infrastructure.

DC replication: Windows Server 8 allows for fast deployment of Domain Controllers (DC) with virtual DC cloning. You can create replicas of DCs by cloning an existing one. DC can also be physical or virtual. DC replication is a great disaster recovery option—you can quickly recover an entire forest. A new option, "Allow this DC to create a clone," makes a machine replicable. Admins can also run a PowerShell cmdlet to check if there are any unrecognized services running on a DC that cannot be cloned.

Flexible Deployment: With Windows Server 2008, admins had the option to install a full version of the OS, or a more lightweight core version. Once you chose one install mode, you had to do a complete reinstall to get the server into another mode. Not so with Windows Server 8. Install modes can switch from full, to core, to full server without parts of the graphical shell. You can move back and forth between these modes without having to do a reinstall of the OS. This is ideal if, for example, the server is in core mode but you need the full GUI to install a third-party application.

Hyper-V Network Switch: Hyper-V now has a virtual switch that handles traffic between VMs, the external network, and the host machines. It's more than that, though. It's extensible, which means extensions and solutions can (and very likely, will) be created to offer extra Hyper-V functionality, such as content security and filtering, customized management interfaces, traffic monitoring, and more.

Intellisense Powershell: Microsoft is advocating sys admins using PowerShell to manage Windows environments. A few advantages include the ability to manage remotely, and being able to manage tasks at a very granular level—more so that with the GUI. Plus, scripting allows admins to perform batch runs and schedule tasks. The problem is there are sys admins who are unfamiliar with PowerShell. Microsoft has incorporated Intellisense in PowerShell, which auto fills-in appropriate command line syntax as admins type, taking a lot of the guess work out of what appropriate PowerShell syntax should be.

NIC Teaming: This is a much desired feature in datacenters: the ability to team multiple network adapters to aggregate bandwidth and provide failover. Previously, in order to deploy this feature in Windows Servers, sys admins had to rely on third-party vendors. For example, for fault tolerant NIC teaming, Microsoft had advised that network adapter vendors were the ones to go to for support. In Windows Server 2008 R2 NIC teaming is also achieved by installing the Microsoft Failover Cluster Virtual Adapter. However, based on demos Microsoft previewed, this is the first time Microsoft offers in-the-box NIC teaming of up to 32 NICs (theoretically) with no dependency on the type of network cards installed.

Storage across Remote SMB 2.2 File Shares: In Windows Server 8 access to shared storage is done by accessing file shares. The latest Windows OS does not employ logical unit numbers (LUNs) to identify logical units in a storage system. By using shared storage across SMB 2.3, admins have easier provisioning and management of shared storage by using regular file shares. This means you can have sophisticated shared storage of data from a variety of file servers—client files, VMs, databases—without a storage guru.

Interested in Windows Server 8 for IT Pros? Read This Blog !

2012-02-07T15:37:00.000+05:30

What is Active Directory?

Active Directory is subdivided into one or more domains. A domain is a security boundary. Each domain is hosted by a server computer called adomain controller (DC). A domain controller manages all of the user accounts and passwords for a domain.

Domains and the Domain Name System (DNS)!

Domains are named using the Domain Name System (DNS). If your company is called Microsoft Corporation your DNS name would be (for example) microsoft.com. This is the top-level domain name for your company. The security domain in Active Directory maps directly to the DNS domain name. For larger organizations you can subdivide Active Directory into child domains (based on on geography for example). If Microsoft Corporation has three divisions named West, Central, and East, the sub-domains can have the DNS nameswest.microsoft.com, central.microsoft.com, and east.microsoft.com. Each domain requires a server computer. In the above scenario you would need at least four servers to host Active Directory as follows:

microsoft.com
east.microsoft.com
central.microsoft.com
west.microsoft.com

Microsoft Windows 7 (RTM)

2012-02-05T17:06:00.000+05:30

Microsoft Windows 7 (RTM)

All you need to know about Windows 7

When is Windows 7 launching?

October 22^nd

Which version of Windows 7 is currently available?

Windows 7 RC ( Release Candidate ) is the current officially available version although a lot of internal builds have leaked after that. Windows 7 RC is still available for download from Microsoft.

What is RTM?

It stands for Release to Manufacturers. RTM means that the code for Windows will be finalized and partners will receive it and start preparations to launch new PCs.

When will Windows 7 RTM?
Windows 7 will hit RTM this August.

When will Microsoft Partners, OEMs and businesses get Windows 7?

ISV (Independent software vendor) and IHV (Independent hardware vendor) Partners will be able to download Windows 7 RTM from Microsoft Connect or MSDN on August 6th.

Microsoft Partner Program Gold/Certified Members will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English through the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) Portal on August 16th. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download.

Microsoft Action Pack Subscribers will be about to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 23rd. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download.

OEMs will receive Windows 7 RTM software images beginning approximately 2 days after we officially RTM, as a little time is required to release and distribute these images.

For Business Customers: Volume License (VL) customers with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 7th via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). The rest of the languages for Windows 7 RTM should be available within a couple of weeks after that.

When will MSDN and TechNet subscribers get Windows 7?

MSDN and TechNet subscribers will get Windows 7 RTM on 6th August.

What is Windows 7 Family Pack?

Windows 7 Family Pack will allow users to install Windows 7 Home Premium (in selected markets) on up to 3 PCs at an expected price of less than $150.

Should I get a 32 bit copy of Windows 7 or 64 bit?

If you’re a novice user, I suggest you get the 32 bit version or stay with the version of Windows 7 you’ll get pre-installed on your new machine since 64 bit has some rare compatibility issues that can be troubling unless you are capable of troubleshooting.

If you’re an experienced user and have more than 4 GB RAM and the processor to support a 64 bit OS, you should go for Windows 7 64 bit as it’ll provide better performance and stability specially in number crunching tasks.

How do I buy Windows 7?

Windows 7 can be pre-ordered from the Microsoft Store or from Amazon. Or you can buy a copy from a store after 22nd October. You’ll also get a copy of Windows 7 preinstalled if you buy a Windows 7 PC after 22nd October.

Why should I get Windows 7?

Windows 7 comes with new features that make it easier to get your work done faster. It handles media much better than previous version of Windows as well as provide superior performance. It provides better security as well. Check out all the new features here.

Is it better than Windows Vista?

Indeed. It fixes a lot of performance issues that were present in Vista. It also improves on features that were first introduced in Vista. Development of Windows 7 has been based on feedback from users.

Is it better than Windows XP?

Yes. It’s way better than Windows XP and provides a lot of new and improved functionality that just wasn’t present in Windows XP.

Which edition of Windows 7 should I get?

If you’re a home user or a student, Home Premium is the best version of Windows 7 for you. If you’re a developer or a business user, Professional is a better choice. If you’re looking for all the features of Home Premium and Professional, you should get Professional. Windows 7 Ultimate provides BitLocker and a choice of 35 language packs along with all the features of Professional. Check out the comparison chart of different Windows 7 editions.

What is Windows 7 E?

Windows 7 E will ship in Europe without a browser due to EU legalities. A browser will be provided by the PC manufacturer on a CD or DVD or pre-installed by them on the PC.

What is Windows 7 N?

Windows 7 N is similar to E but it doesn’t include Windows Media Player – again due to EU legalities.

What are the hardware requirements for Windows 7?

1 GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)

1 GB of RAM (32-bit); 2 GB of RAM (64-bit)

16 GB of available disk space (32-bit); 20 GB of available disk space (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Will Windows 7 work with my hardware?

If Windows Vista worked on your PC or notebook, Windows 7 will run much faster on it. It is compatible with all your current hardware. In most cases it doesn’t even require you to manually install the driver, as it downloads them automatically from Windows Update.

Update: As Manan pointed out in the comments, you can download and run Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7.

Can I run Windows 7 on my netbook?
It should run well on your netbook if it matches the requirements for Windows 7. To find out how it’ll perform, you can try installing Windows 7 RC on it.

Will my current software work with Windows 7?

Most software should work fine with Windows 7. Some might require updates from their developers, but during Windows 7 testing, most developers and companies have updated their software. By launch, you shouldn’t have any compatibility issues with your software if it’s developed by a responsible company or developer.

Windows 8 Release Date

2012-02-04T21:22:00.000+05:30

The next version of Windows has already generated enough heat in the cyber space. The upgrade from Windows 7 is much talked about already, with techno websites taking a dive into what possibly could be the things Windows 8 could offer.

Needless to say, Windows 7 was one of the most successful releases from Microsoft – after a debacle with its Vista. However, Windows 8 seems to build straight from the interface bliss of 7 and has some awesome features in store for the user.

Windows 8 did not premier in any of the press meets at the CES 2012 and that was something everyone knew would happen. But the Windows 8 interface on a tablet was eye-candy. Microsoft, however, stated that this February would see a milestone public beta release – which fairly puts the Windows 8 release date closer than previously speculated.

In another report, it looks like there has been a mention of the 3-year gap between subsequent releases. The time frame seems to suggest the Windows 8 release date to be quite positively in October as the last release was three years earlier, in October 22nd 2009, when Windows 7 was released.

Windows PR Director Janelle Poole was quoted as saying:

“One of the things that I think is a good guideline though is we’ve always said that Windows releases come round about every three years and this year will be three years in October since we launched Windows 7. So I think that’s a good guideline to consider.”

That ‘good guideline to consider’ has raised a lot of hopes on an October release. So Windows 8 release date – most probably October 2012!

Windows Task Manager

Personalized lock screen

The tiles of the Start screen

Touch keyboard

Windows Server 2008 R2 for Hyper-V Role

2012-02-01T23:21:00.000+05:30

Hello Friends This is My First Post This post will help you go through a simple but elementary checklist of all the actions that you need to perform prior to installing the Hyper-V role on your Windows Server 2008 R2 machine.

These are the settings and changes that need to be made prior to installing the Hyper-V role on your machine:

Make the necessary BIOS changes.
Install Windows Updates
Change the default Host Name.
Configure the host's product key and activate it.
Change the IP to static addresses.
Enabled RDP support.
Join the host to a domain.
Configure Remote Management.
Enable remote disk management.

When you're done, continue to my Installing Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008 R2 article.

1. BIOS changes

You must enter the BIOS setup of the server and make sure that “Virtualization Technology” and “Execute Disable” are both set to Enabled. In most cases, the required BIOS settings can be found in these BIOS sections (actual names may differ, based upon your server's BIOS settings):

Security > Execute Disable (set to On)
Performance > Virtualization (set to On)
Performance > VT for Direct I/O Access (set to On)
Performance > Trusted Execution (set to Off)

Here are some screenshots of the BIOS settings on a Dell R610 server:

Directly in the server's BIOS:

Enable Virtualization Technology:

Enable the Execute Disable option:

Or through the Dell setup guide:

Request from my readers: Can you send me pictures of the same BIOS settings on other brands of servers?
With your assistance we will build a bigger image gallery. Please use the Feedback form, or e-mail me directly at "daniel" at "this domain name". Make sure you send the screenshots in PNG/JPEG format.

2. Install Windows Updates

By default, a Windows Server 2008/R2 machine will receive IP address and other settings automatically from a DHCP (if there is one).With these settings, in most cases, it will be possible for you to access the Internet. If that is correct, one of your first tasks would need to be installing all critical Windows Updates. Read my Updating your Hyper-V Hosts article for more info.
This can be done through several methods including the UI and the command line, but in this article I'll describe the most common method - through the UI.
Use one of the following methods:
Open Server Manager - Click "Configure Updates".
In Initial Configuration Tasks - Click "Download and install updates".
On the Start menu - type "Update", then click "Windows Update".

You will need to reboot the server once the updates were installed.

3. Host name

By default, a Windows Server 2008/R2 machine will receive an automatically-generated host name. In most cases, we will want to change this host name to something more meaningful to us.
It is possible to change the host name through several methods including the UI and the command line (the NETDOM command), but in this article I'll describe the most common method - through the UI.
Use one of the following methods:
Open Server Manager - Click "Change System Properties".
In Initial Configuration Tasks - Click "Provide computer name and domain".
On the Computer icon - right-click and select "Properties", then click "Change Settings".
Enter a descriptive computer name (try to limit it to 15 characters if possible) and click "Ok".

You will need to reboot the machine in order to continue.

4. Product key and activation

Not required if server will be used for a short-period testing, however, in a production environment, you must activate the server.
Unlike older OSs, Windows Server 2008 R2 does not ask you for the product key during the setup. You need to provide it after the setup has completed.
To enter the product ID you can use the UI or the command line (using SLMGR.VBS command, which is useful for Server Core and remote installations). I will use the UI in this example.
Use one of the following methods:
Open Server Manager - Click "Activate Windows".
In Initial Configuration Tasks - Click "Activate Windows".
On the Computer icon - right-click and select "Properties", then click "Activate Windows".
Enter the correct product key and click on "Next".

5. Static TCP/IP settings

By default, a Windows Server 2008/R2 machine will receive IP address and other settings automatically. To add the server to a domain and to access it remotely you need to properly configure an IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS Server IP. These can be configured through DHCP, but since this is a server, you'd probably want to manually configure them.
To do so, you can use the UI or the command line (the NETSH command). I will use the UI in this example.
Use one of the following methods:
Open Server Manager - Click "View Network Connections".
In Initial Configuration Tasks - Click "Configure Networking".
On the tray area - right-click the network icon and select "Open Network and Sharing Center", then click "Change adapter settings".
On the Start menu, type "ncpa.cpl" and press "Enter".
In the Network Connections window, right-click the network adapter(s) that's connected to the network and select "Properties".
Click to select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click on "Properties".

Type in the assigned IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS settings.
Note that you will need to make sure you properly configure the host's DNS settings in order to add it to a domain.

6. Enabled RDP support

Once the server has an IP address it's most likely you'll want to continue the configuration work remotely. To do so, we need to enable Remote Desktop.
Use one of the following methods:
Open Server Manager - Click "Configure Remote Desktop".
In Initial Configuration Tasks - Click "Enable Remote Desktop".
On the Computer icon - right-click and select "Properties", then click "Remote Settings".

7. Join the host to a domain

Hyper-V hosts are best managed if they're a member of a domain. Domain membership is also required for other tasks that you might want to perform in the future (such as SCVMM 2008 R2 installation and others).
Like name changing, it is possible to add the host to a domain through several methods including the UI and the command line (the NETDOM command), but in this article I'll describe the most common method - through the UI.
Use one of the following methods:
Open Server Manager - Click "Change System Properties".
In Initial Configuration Tasks - Click "Provide computer name and domain".
On the Computer icon - right-click and select "Properties", then click "Change Settings".
Enter the domain name and click "Ok".
You will be asked to type your user name and password for the domain.

Once you are successfully joined to the domain, you will be prompted to restart your computer. You must restart your computer before the changes take effect.

8. Configure Remote Management

Remote Desktop is ok, but sometimes you do not need a full desktop to make a change or two, and you can use Server Manager or any other type of remote-connection MMC-snap-in (Note that in Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Manager can finally be used remotely).

To do so, open Server Manager - Click "Configure Server Manager Remote Management".
To let this computer to be managed remotely by using Server Manager, select "Enable remote management of this server from other computers". Click "Ok".

9. Enable remote disks management

This should be done in order to allow you to remotely connect to the host's disk subsystem and manage it. In order to connect to the disk subsystem remotely you need to set the Virtual Disk Service (VDS) to Automatic, and start it. Then you need to enable the remote-volume-management firewall exception.
To do so, follow these steps:
Open a Command Prompt window and type the following command:

sc config vds start= auto

Next, type:

net start vds

Next, type the following command to enable the remote-volume-management firewall exceptions:

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Remote Volume Management" new enable=yes

Very important note: Although this may not seem logical, you MUST also enable the same firewall exceptions on the machine you're connecting FROM!!! Otherwise, you'll get a "RPC Service Unavailable" message when you attempt to connect to the server's disk subsystem remotely.

Additional tasks

Additional tasks may include:
Adding and configuring iSCSI targets, joining the host to a failover cluster, installing various agents and more. These will be covered in an upcoming article. Stay tuned.