Technical HELP for a System Administrator

Update: 7 More Free Virtualization Tools

2012-02-01T11:43:00.001+05:30

Recently updated in Webinar about what's new in the free virtualization tools landscape. Over time, older free tools disappear and new free tools are launched. In many cases the newer tools are better and more innovative but, on the other hand, there are always free tools that are the de facto standard for that task.

There are well over 50 free tools available for vSphere, but I'm not covering all of them here. Instead, here are some of the more interesting new ones recently released for vSphere and Fusion.

Nick Weaver's Uber Network Fuser -- This is the virtual network editor that's missing from VMware Fusion on the Mac. I tried it in my lab and showed how it
works in this video I just posted on my Website. If you want to try it for yourself, download the Uber Network Fuser here.

Nick Weaver's UberAlign -- UberAlign comes as a two-piece tool made up of a virtual appliance server and a Windows GUI client. The tool is used to align virtual machine disk files of both Windows and Linux VMs. By properly aligning virtual disk files that were mis-aligned, you can gain significant performance. Nick's tool is on the scale of an expensive commercial tool with its virtual appliance, remote console, and support for multiple simultaneous alignments across multiple virtual machines at the same time. For more information, read about and download UberAlign here and watch some of Nick's how-to videos on how to use it.

Solarwinds VM-to-Cloud Calculator -- This Solarwinds tool compares the cost of moving to the cloud across multiple providers including Rackspace, Amazon EC2, and Windows Azure.

ESXi Customizer -- Allows you to customize the VMware ESXi 5 installation ISO to include drivers that are not originally included. Start customizing here.

vKernel vSCOPE -- A virtual appliance that analyzes your virtual infrastructure and tells you whick virtual machines have performance issues using a heatmap where the VMs with the greatest problems rise to the top. Look for those hotspots now by clicking here.

ESX System Analyzer -- From VMware labs, ESX System Analyzer is used to help you plan a migration from ESX to ESXi. It analyzes information like hardware compatibility, registered VMs, any modifications to the service console, and environmental summary information.

I/O Analyzer -- Here's another one from VMware labs, I/O Analyzer is a virtual appliance that measures storage performance.

A couple of notes: VMware Labs has 30+ free tools with many of them being released or updated in the last six months. Also, Kendrick Coleman has a list of just about all the free tools you'll find for vSphere on the Web. You can also check out the "Top Free vSphere Tools" Webinar we hosted recently, posted here.

Memory Limits for Windows Releases

2012-01-31T16:24:00.002+05:30

This topic describes memory limits for supported Windows releases:

Limits on memory and address space vary by platform, operating system, and by whether the IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE value of the LOADED_IMAGE structure and 4-gigabyte tuning (4GT) are in use. IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE is set or cleared by using the/LARGEADDRESSAWARE linker option.

4-gigabyte tuning (4GT), also known as application memory tuning, or the /3GB switch, is a technology (only applicable to 32 bit systems) that alters the amount of virtual address space available to user mode applications. Enabling this technology reduces the overall size of the system virtual address space and therefore system resource maximums. For more information, see What is 4GT.

Limits on physical memory for 32-bit platforms also depend on the Physical Address Extension (PAE), which allows 32-bit Windows systems to use more than 4 GB of physical memory.

Memory and Address Space Limits

The following table specifies the limits on memory and address space for supported releases of Windows. Unless otherwise noted, the limits in this table apply to all supported releases.

Memory type	Limit in on X86	Limit in 64-bit Windows
User-mode virtual address space for each 32-bit process	2 GB Up to 3 GB with IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE and 4GT	2 GB withIMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWAREcleared (default) 4 GB withIMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWAREset
User-mode virtual address space for each 64-bit process	Not applicable	With IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWAREset (default): x64: 8 TB Intel Itanium-based systems: 7 TB 2 GB withIMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWAREcleared
Kernel-mode virtual address space	2 GB From 1 GB to a maximum of 2 GB with 4GT	8 TB
Paged pool	Limited by available kernel-mode virtual address space or thePagedPoolLimit registry key value. Windows Vista and above: Limited only by kernel mode virtual address space. Starting with Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP1), the paged pool can also be limited by the PagedPoolLimit registry key value. Windows Home Server and Windows Server 2003: 530 MB Windows XP: 490 MB	128 GB Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP: Up to 128 GB depending on configuration and RAM.
Nonpaged pool	Limited by available kernel-mode virtual address space, theNonPagedPoolLimit registry key value, or physical memory. Windows Vista: Limited only by kernel mode virtual address space and physical memory. Starting with Windows Vista with SP1, the nonpaged pool can also be limited by the NonPagedPoolLimit registry key value. Windows Home Server, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP: 256 MB, or 128 MB with 4GT.	75% of RAM up to a maximum of 128 GB Windows Vista: 40% of RAM up to a maximum of 128 GB. Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP: Up to 128 GB depending on configuration and RAM.
System cache virtual address space (physical size limited only by physical memory)	Limited by available kernel-mode virtual address space or theSystemCacheLimit registry key value. Windows Vista: Limited only by kernel mode virtual address space. Starting with Windows Vista with SP1, system cache virtual address space can also be limited by the SystemCacheLimit registry key value. Windows Home Server, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP: 860 MB with LargeSystemCache registry key set and without 4GT; up to 448 MB with 4GT.	Always 1 TB regardless of physical RAM Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP: Up to 1 TB depending on configuration and RAM.

Physical Memory Limits: Windows 7

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows 7.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64
Windows 7 Ultimate	4 GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Enterprise	4 GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Professional	4 GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
Windows 7 Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
Windows 7 Starter	2 GB	N/A

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2008 R2

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows Server 2008 R2 is available only in 64-bit editions.

Version	Limit on X64	Limit on IA64
Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter	2 TB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise	2 TB
Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems		2 TB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation	8 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard	32 GB
Windows HPC Server 2008 R2	128 GB
Windows Web Server 2008 R2	32 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2008

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2008. Limits greater than 4 GB for 32-bit Windows assume thatPAE is enabled.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64	Limit on IA64
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter	64 GB	1 TB
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise	64 GB	1 TB
Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition		128 GB
Windows Server 2008 Standard	4 GB	32 GB
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems			2 TB
Windows Small Business Server 2008	4 GB	32 GB
Windows Web Server 2008	4 GB	32 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Vista

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Vista.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64
Windows Vista Ultimate	4 GB	128 GB
Windows Vista Enterprise	4 GB	128 GB
Windows Vista Business	4 GB	128 GB
Windows Vista Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
Windows Vista Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
Windows Vista Starter	1 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server is available only in a 32-bit edition. The physical memory limit is 4 GB.

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2003 R2

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2003 R2. Limits over 4 GB for 32-bit Windows assume that PAE is enabled.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64
Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition	64 GB (16 GB with 4GT)	1 TB
Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition	64 GB (16 GB with 4GT)	1 TB
Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition	4 GB	32 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2)

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2). Limits over 4 GB for 32-bit Windows assume that PAE is enabled.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64	Limit on IA64
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Datacenter Edition	64 GB (16 GB with 4GT)	1 TB	2 TB
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Enterprise Edition	64 GB	1 TB	2 TB
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Standard Edition	4 GB	32 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1)

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1). Limits over 4 GB for 32-bit Windows assume that PAE is enabled.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64	Limit on IA64
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), Datacenter Edition	64 GB (16 GB with 4GT)	X64 1 TB	1 TB
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), Enterprise Edition	64 GB (16 GB with 4GT)	X64 1 TB	1 TB
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), Standard Edition	4 GB	32 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2003

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2003. Limits over 4 GB for 32-bit Windows assume that PAE is enabled.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on IA64
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition	64 GB (16 GB with 4GT)	512 GB
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition	64 GB (16 GB with 4GT)	512 GB
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition	4 GB
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition	2 GB
Windows Small Business Server 2003	4 GB
Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003		32 GB
Windows Storage Server 2003, Enterprise Edition	8 GB
Windows Storage Server 2003	4 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows XP

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows XP.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64	Limit on IA64
Windows XP	4 GB	128 GB	128 GB (not supported)
Windows XP Starter Edition	512 MB	N/A	N/A

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Embedded

The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Embedded.

Version	Limit on X86	Limit on X64
Windows XP Embedded	4 GB
Windows Embedded Standard 2009	4 GB
Windows Embedded Standard 7	4 GB	192 GB

Installing Hyper-V and Deploying Windows Server 2008 as Your First Virtual Machine - Part II

2012-01-27T13:38:00.002+05:30

Introduction
In part I of this article, I pointed to you the prerequisites to install Hyper-V, the differences between Hyper-V and Virtual Server 2005 R2, and then installed Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008. In this part of the article, I will use Hyper-V Manager to create my first Virtual machine and then install on it Windows Server 2008 as a guest operating system.

Once you install the Hyper-V role on Windows Server 2008, a new console will be installed on your machine, and it is called the Hyper-V Manager. Everything related to Hyper-V is done using this MMC console.

To open Hyper-V, click on Start > Administrative Tools > Hyper-V Manager

The first time you open Hyper-V, an End User license Agreement (EULA) page will open, take a moment to read it and then enable the checkbox beside I have read and agree to the terms of this EULA, then click on the Accept button. If you clicked on the Cancel button, then you will not be able to connect to any server running Hyper-V until you accept the EULA, which will keep popping up whenever you open Hyper-V or even try to connect to a server that has the Hyper-V role installed on.

The Hyper-V Manager console will open

From the right side pane, under Actions, click on Connect to Server . Hyper-V is installed locally on the machine you are working with, so keep the default selection on Local Computer (the computer this console is running on) and then click on OK

The server name will be displayed in the left side pane, and now we have more Actions to select from the right side pane

To Create a new virtual machine, From the right side pane, click on New > Virtual Machine

On the Before You Begin page, click Next

On the Specify Name and Location page, type a meaningful name for your Virtual Machine, as for the location where the virtual machine will be stored, either keep the default location as shown, or change it to another path and then Click Next. I will name the virtual machines as
ELMAJ-DC-01 and will store it in the D drive inside the Hyper-V folder.

On the Assign Memory page, specify the amount of memory to allocate to this virtual machine. This depends on how much memory is installed on your system. Either keep the default displayed memory, or increase it. As I'm going to install Windows Server 2008, I am going to set the memory to be 2 GB. Click Next

Select a Virtual Network from the drop down list on the Configure Networking page. You can keep the virtual machine disconnected by not selecting any Virtual Network, Click Next

For Every Virtual Machine, you will need to connect it to a Virtual Hard Disk, on the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, we will need to create a new virtual hard disk, as we do not have any existing virtual hard disk ( you can use existing virtual hard disk if you already have created virtual hard disk before , or if you have downloaded a virtual hard disk from Microsoft site )

I will keep the default settings ( name, location, size ) and click Next

On the Installation Options page, you have multiple options to choose from where you are going to install the operating system, or you can even postpone this operation by choosing Install an operating system later. Insert the Windows Server 2008 DVD inside the DVD Drive, and select to install an operating system from a boot CD/DVD-ROM, if you have multiple DVD Drives, make sure to select the one which has the Windows Server 2008 DVD into it. Click Next

On the Completing the New Virtual Machine Wizard, take a moment to review your selections and then click Finish. If you need the virtual machine to be automatically started after it is created, then select the checkbox Start the Virtual Machine after it is created

Windows Server 2008 files will start to load

Select the language to install, Time and currency format and the keyboard language, and then click Next

Click on Install Now

Enter the product key, and keep the checkbox Automatically activate Windows when I'm online to activate your Windows copy when you are online, if you wish not to activate it, as this might be a test lab on your Hyper-V, then deselect this option and then click Next

Accept the license terms and click Next

Click Custom (advanced), on the Type of installation page

Select the drive / partition you want to install Windows Server 2008 on it and then click Next.
If you want to divide the virtual hard disk into two partitions, you can do this by selecting the drive , and then clicking on the Drive options (advanced) option

To divide the drive into different partitions, click on the New option, enter the new partition size, then click on the Apply button

Once you are done with creating the partitions, select the one that you want to install Windows Server 2008 on it, and then click on Next

Installation will start

The machine will reboot several times until the installation is completed.

To create a password and logon to Windows Server 2008, read my article : How To Log On To Windows Server 2008

One last note, in step # 10 , if you did not select to start the virtual machine after it is created, then to start and connect to the virtual machine, right click on the Virtual machine name inside Hyper-V Manager and click on Start, this will turn on the Virtual machine

Then right click on the Virtual machine name and click Connect, this will open the Virtual machine window.

SummaryIn part 2 of this two parts article, I showed you how to use Hyper-V Manager to create your first Virtual Machine, and then installed Windows Server 2008 as a guest operating system. Now that you know how to install and use Hyper-V, start building your own test labs and experience the next level of virtualization. Start using a virtualized computing environment to improve the efficiency of your computing resources by utilizing more of your hardware resources. Enjoy Hyper-V !

Related Links
Download Hyper-V RTM
Identifying Hyper-V Version
Installing Hyper-V and Deploying Windows Server 2008 as Your First Virtual Machine - Part I
Installing Hyper-V and Deploying Windows Server 2008 as Your First Virtual Machine - Part II

Installing Hyper-V and Deploying Windows Server 2008 as Your First Virtual Machine - Part I

2012-01-27T13:28:00.002+05:30

Introduction

Hyper-V is the next level of virtualization, with Windows Server 2008 you no longer need to deploy an application such as Virtual Server 2005 or Virtual PC or other virtualization technology in order to build your virtual machines.
Hyper-V is one of the new roles available with Windows Server 2008 where you can install it and then start creating your virtual machines, take different snapshots for every virtual machine and much more. You can use a virtualized computing environment to improve the efficiency of your computing resources by utilizing more of your hardware resources.

In this two parts article, I will show you how to install the Hyper-V role and then in part two I will install Windows Server 2008 as a virtual machine with Hyper-V.

Hyper-V requires specific hardware. You will need the following:

An x64-based processor. Hyper-V will be available only in the x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008, the x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 Standard, Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, and Windows Server 2008 Datacenter.

Hardware-assisted virtualization. This is available in processors that include a virtualization option; specifically, Intel VT or AMD Virtualization

Hardware Data Execution Protection (DEP) must be available and be enabled. Specifically, you must enable Intel XD bit (execute disable bit) or AMD NX bit (no execute bit).

Before installing Hyper-V, let me show you a table that will summaries the differences between Hyper-V and Virtual Server 2005 R2

	Hyper-V	Virtual Server 2005 R2
Performance / Scalability
32-bit VMs	Yes	Yes
64-bit VMs	Yes	No
Multi-Processor VMs	Yes	No
VM Memory Support	64 GB per VM	3.6 GB per VM
Resource Management	Yes	Yes
Availability
Guest to Guest Failover	Yes	Yes
Host to Host Failover	Yes	Yes
Host Migration	Yes	Yes
VM Snapshots	Yes	Yes
Management
Scriptable/Extensible	Yes, WMI	Yes, COM
User Interface	MMC 3.0 Interface	Web Interface

Perform the following steps to install Hyper-V

Click Start > Server Manager

From the left side panel inside Server Manager, click on Roles

The Roles page will open, where it shows you the number of roles you have installed on your machine, Click on Add Roles

The Add Roles Wizard page will open, click on Next

From the list of roles available, select Hyper-V > Click Next

The Introduction to Hyper-V page will open, take a few moments to read it , and then click on Next

The Create Virtual Networks page will open, You can create many virtual networks on your virtualization server to provide a variety of communications channels. For example, you can create networks to provide the following:

Communications between virtual machines only.

Communications between the virtualization server and virtual machines.

Communications between a virtual machine and a physical network by creating an association to a physical network adapter on the virtualization server.

You can either select the Network Adapter that will be attached with the Virtual machines now, or you can do this later using the Virtual Network Manager , Click Next
You use the Virtual Network Manager to add, remove, and modify the virtual networks. The Virtual Network Manager is available from Hyper-V Manager.

As a best practice, it is recommended that you have at least two network adapters on your machine, so that one of the Network adapters is used by the host, and the other network adapter is used by the guest virtual machines

On the Confirm Installation Selection page, click Install

Installation will be initialized and once completed, you will be informed that a restart is required, click Close

You will be asked if you want to restart your server now, click Yes

Once you log on again to your machine, the installation will resume, and then on the installation result page, you will get notified if the installation encountered any errors or it was completed successfully > Click Close

SummaryIn part 1 of this two parts article, I showed you what are the differences between Hyper-V and Virtual Server 2005, also what are the requirement for Hyper-V, and then finally installed Hyper-V on our Windows Server 2008. In part 2 of this article, I will install Windows Server 2008 as a virtual machine using Hyper-V

Identifying Hyper-V Version

2012-01-27T12:54:00.004+05:30

Introduction: You installed Windows Server 2008, and you intend to Install Hyper-V role, but you are wondering which version of Hyper-V is included with your Windows Server 2008 DVD ? is it the Beta version that is included with the RTM version of Windows Server 2008 ? Or is it the RTM version of Hyper-V?

You might be in a situation also, where you have already installed Hyper-V role, but does not know which version you are running. In this article, I'm going to show you two methods to identify which hyper-V version your Windows Server has .

When Windows Server 2008 was RTM back in February 2008, Hyper-V was included in Beta version.

And then we had two release candidates, RC0 and RC1, till Hyper-V was RTM on June 26- 2008.

If you already had Hyper-V role installed , then you can identify the version you are running by :

Using the Command line
Using the Hyper-V Manager Console

Using the Command Line

Open CMD, and then type the following line and hit the Enter key

wmic datafile where name="c:\\windows\\system32\\vmms.exe" get version

and the result would look like :

If you have the RTM version of Hyper-V , the version would be 6.0.6001.18016

If you have Release Candidate 1, the version would be 6.0.6001.18010

If you have Release Candidate 0, the version would be 6.0.6001.18004

and it would be 6.0.6001.17101 if you have the beta version of Hyper-V that was included with the RTM version of Windows Server 2008

Using Hyper-V Manager Console

The second method is by using the Hyper-V Manager console. Open Hyper-V Manager Console, click on Help > About Hyper-V Manager ...

If you have the RTM version of Hyper-V , the version would be 6.0.6001.18016

If you have Release Candidate 1, the version would be 6.0.6001.18010

If you have Release Candidate 0, the version would be 6.0.6001.18004

Finally, if you have the Beta version of Hyper-V that was included with the RTM version
of Windows Server 2008, then the version would be 6.0.6001.17101

But what if you have installed Windows Server 2008 and intend to install Hyper-V role
( you have not installed Hyper-V yet ), and you are wondering which Hyper-V version
your Windows Server 2008 has ! Is it the Beta version that was included with Windows
Server 2008 that was RTM back in February-2008, or is it the RTM version of

Hyper-V ( Hyper-V RTM might be slipstreamed with Windows Server 2008 ) ? To
identify the version of Hyper-V before it is being installed on your machine, then follow the
below steps:

Open Server Manager, expand the Diagnostic node and then click on Device Manager

Expand the System devices node, and select one of the Virtual Machine (vmBus) devices,
open its Properties,

click on the Driver tab, and check the driver version.

If you have the RTM version of Hyper-V , the version would be 6.0.6001.18016

If you have Release Candidate 1, the version would be 6.0.6001.18010

If you have Release Candidate 0, the version would be 6.0.6001.18004

and it would be 6.0.6001.17101 if you have the Beta version of Hyper-V that was included
with the RTM version of Windows Server 2008.

Summary

Either you have installed the Hyper-V role or not yet, you can identify which version
of Hyper-V your Windows Server 2008 has. This can be done either by using the command
line, the Hyper-V Manager Console, or by checking the driver version of one of the
vmBus devices.

Introducing Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 - Part 2 : Configuration

2012-01-27T12:36:00.002+05:30

Introduction
In part 1 of this article, I installed Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008. Today I'm going to configure Hyper-V Server 2008 by using the Hyper-V ConfigurationWindow.

As shown in part 1 of this article, the desktop of the Hyper-V server contains only two windows; the Command Line window and the Hyper-V Configuration window. If by mistake you closed any of these windows, you can easily re-open anyone of these windows by following the below steps:

Opening the Command Line window

Click CTRL+ALT+DEL > click on Start Task Manager
Click on New Task...
Type cmd > click Enter or OK

Opening the Hyper-V configuration window

In the command line window, type hvconfig and then click Enter

Now lets start configuring our Hyper-V Server. The Hyper-V Configuration window has a list of configuration that you can go through any of them by typing the number of that item and clicking Enter, you are not obliged to go through them in sequence ( ex. from option 1 download to option 13) . But some options can not be completed, before configuring an option that it depends on. For example, you can not join a domain ( option 1 ) or download updates (option 6) if you have not configured your network settings first ( option 3 ). That's why I will configure the options in the way I prefer.
The following configurations are available with the Hyper-V configuration window

Computer Name

Type 2 and click Enter to change the computer name.

Type the new computer name and click Enter

You will be prompted with The computer needs to be restarted in order to complete the operation. The command completed successfully. Click OK

You will be prompted with You must restart your computer to apply these changes. Restart now? , click Yes

After the machine reboots and you logon, you will see the new computer name.

Network Settings

Hyper-V Server network settings can be assigned by a DHCP Server or an IP Address can be assigned manually.

Type 3 and click Enter to configure the Hyper-V Server network settings.
The Network cards that are attached to your machine will be listed
Type the Index# of the adapter you want to configure and click Enter. I only have one network adapter in my server, so I will type 1
You will be presented with the current configuration for the network adapter you selected.
Type 1 and click Enter to configure the IP address for the selected network adapter

To set the network card to receive its IP address from a DHCP Server

Type D and click Enter

To set a static IP address

Type S and click Enter
Type the IP address then click Enter
Type the subnet mask then click Enter, the default subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 , so you can leave this entry blank and just click Enter
Type the default gateway then click Enter

To configure DNS Server settings for the selected network adapter

Type 2 then click Enter
Type the IP address of the DNS server then click Enter
Click OK on the pop up message box : Preferred DNS server set
If you have an alternate DNS server, then type its IP address then click Enter. If you do not have an alternate DNS Server, then keep this entry blank and click Enter
If in the previous step you had configured an Alternate DNS Server, then click OK on the pop up message box : Alternate DNS server set

To Clear DNS Server Settings, follow these steps:

In the Network Adapter Settings option, type 3 then click OK
Click OK when the pop up message DNS servers removed. DNS servers will be automatically obtained from network is displayed

Add Local Administrator

This option adds a user as a local administrator in the server itself. This option does not create a new user. If your server is on a workgroup and you want to create a new user on the server, then you will need to use the command : Net user username /add

If the server is joined to a domain, then you can set a domain user as a local administrator on this server.

To add a local administrator, follow these steps :

Type 4 and click Enter

Type the username and click Enter, if you the server is joined to a domain, then the username would be domain\username , example : elmajdal\tarek. If the server is in a workgroup, then type the username only as shown in the below image

When prompted, type a password for the user and click Enter

When prompted, type the password a second time and click Enter

Click OK on the confirmation message box User added to local Administrators group. Username.

Domain/Workgroup

By default, Hyper-V Server is joined to the workgroup : WORKGROUP, you can either keep it in the same workgroup, joined it to another workgroup or join it to a domain. In my case, I will keep it in its default workgroup.

If you want to join it to another workgroup, do the following :

Type 1 and click Enter

Type W and click Enter

Type the name of the workgroup you want to join your server to and click Enter

Click OK on the pop up message Welcome to the workgroup: NEW WORKGROUP NAME

To join the server to a domain, do the following :

Type 1 and click Enter

Type D and click Enter

Type the domain name ( ex. ELMAJDAL.NET ) and click Enter

Type the domain username in the following format: domain\user ( ex. ELMAJDAL\TAREK), make sure that this user has the needed permissions to join this server to the domain ( ex. domain admin )

When prompted, type a password for the user and click Enter

You will receive a pop up message You must restart your computer to apply these changes. Restart now? , Click Yes and the server will be restarted

Remote Desktop

Type 7 and click Enter.
Here you have a choice to either selection option 1 or option 2. Option 1 is to allow only clients running remote desktop with Network Level Authentication ( XP SP3, Vista SP1 & Windows Server 2008 ), whereas option 2 to allow clients running any version of remote desktop.
Once you made you selection and clicked on Enter, you will be prompted with a pop up message showing your selection. Click OK
You will notice that the status beside 7) Remote Desktop inside the Hyper-V Configuration window is now displaying as Enabled ( your selection ), where your selection is replaced either by less secure (option 1) or more secure clients only (option 2).

Date and Time

Type 9 and click Enter to configure or modify the Hyper-V Server Date and Time options.

The Date and Time applet will open, configure the desired settings and then click on OK

Regional and Language Options

Type 8 and click Enter to configure or modify the Hyper-V Server Regional and Language options.

The Regional and Language Options applet will open, configure the desired settings and then click on OK

Set Automatic Windows UpdateThe current Update settings are displayed in the default Hyper-V Configuration window.

To set updates to automatic

Type 5 and click Enter.

Type A and click Enter

You will be prompted with Windows Update set to Automatic. System will check for and install updates every day at 3:00AM

Click OK

You will notice that the Windows Updates Settings status has changed to Automatic

Download and Install Updates

The current Update Status is displayed in the default Hyper-V Configuration window.

Type 6 and click Enter to search for updates. Searching for updates will start and if any updates are available, they will be listed.

If there was no updates to download, then just click on any key to exit from the above window, else type Y and click Enter, this will download the updates and then they will be installed.

Log Off User

Type 10 and click Enter

You will be prompted with Are you sure you want to log off?

Click Yes

Restart Server

Type 11 and click Enter

You will be prompted with Are you sure you want to restart?

Click Yes

Shut Down Server

Type 12 and click Enter

You will be prompted with Are you sure you want to shut down?

Click Yes

Exit to Command Line

Type 13 and click Enter to exit to the Command Line.

SummaryIn part two of the article Introducing Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, I configured Hyper-V Server so that it is set on the network. In the next and last part of this article, part three, I will show you how to connect to the server remotely so that you can start creating your virtual machines.

Introducing Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 - Part 1 : Installation

2012-01-27T12:28:00.005+05:30

Introduction

The stand-alone version of Hyper-V is now available and is called Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008. So now if you want to work with Hyper-V and does not have a copy of Windows Server 2008, then download Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, which is absolutely free, easy to install and easy to configure.

Since day one of introducing Hyper-V with Windows Server 2008, people on the TechNet forums were wondering if a stand alone Hyper-V server would ever be released and how much would it cost. People were very excited for Hyper-V, but not all of them had a hand on experience on Windows Server 2008 With Hyper-V ! For those people who have been waiting, the day had came and Microsoft released Hyper-V Server 2008, which in absolutely free !

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 requires specific hardware ( they are the same as Hyper-V that is available with Windows Server 2008).
You will need the following:

An x64-based processor
Hardware-assisted virtualization. This is available in processors that include a virtualization option; specifically, Intel VT or AMD Virtualization
Hardware Data Execution Protection (DEP) must be available and be enabled. Specifically, you must enable Intel XD bit (execute disable bit) or AMD NX bit (no execute bit).

Before installing Hyper-V Server 2008 , let me show you a table that will summaries the differences between Hyper-V Server 2008 and Hyper-V role that is available in the different versions of Windows Server 2008.

Virtualization Needs	Microsoft Hyper-VServer 2008	Windows Server 2008 Standard	Windows Server 2008 Enterprise	Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
Server Consolidation
Test and Development
Mixed OS Virtualization (Linux and Windows)
Local Graphical User Interface
High Availability—Clustering
Quick Migration
Large Memory Support (Host OS) > 32 GB RAM
Support for > 4 Processors (Host OS)
Ability to Add Additional Server Roles
Virtualization Rights per Server License	Each VM Guest requires a server license	1 Physical + 1 VM	1 Physical + 4 VMs	1 Physical + Unlimited VMs

Download Hyper-V Server 2008 from this link : http://www.microsoft.com/servers/hyper-v-server/how-to-get.mspx

Once you download the ISO image file, burn it to a DVD disk.

Ready to install Hyper-V Server ? Then boot your machine with the DVD disk inserted into the DVD-Rom, make sure that the DVD-Rom is higher than the Hard disk in the boot sequence of the BIOS.

Enter

You will be asked to choose the language of the Wizard, then will select the language that will be installed for your Hyper-V server 2008, the time and currency format and the keyboard language. Once you have made your selections, click on Next
Click on Install now
Accept the license terms, by selecting the checkbox beside I accept the license terms, then click on Next
On the Installation type page, click on Custom (advanced). You will notice that the Upgrade option is grayed out, as Hyper-V Server 2008 can not be upgraded from any previous Windows Operating Systems.
Choose the drive/partition that you wish to install Hyper-V Server on, and then click Next
Installing Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 will start, which will include several restarts during installation
Once installation is completed, press CTRL+ALT+DEL to log on.

Click on Other User

Type administrator as a username and keep the password textbox empty, then hit the Enter key or click on the arrow button
You will be asked to change the administrator password, click OK
The new password must meet the following minimum requirements:
Type the new password and confirm it, then click You will get a confirmation message that your password has been changed, click OK
The administrator account desktop will be prepared and in few seconds you will be logged in.
You will noticed that the desktop of Hyper-V Server 2008 looks as Windows Server 2008 Server Core but with a new windows called Hyper-V Configuration. Now you can use the blue background screen ( Hyper-V Configuration ), where you can easily configure your basic server settings, instead of memorizing different commands as we did with Windows Server 2008 Server Core.

In the second part of this article, I will configure Hyper-V Server 2008 ( computer name, domain membership , etc .. ) and then in the last and third part of this article, I will show how to connect to it using the Hyper-V management console using a remote computer.

SummaryA stand alone Hyper-V Server is now available and it is free. You install it on a physical machine and configure it using the Hyper-V Configurationwindow, then after that, everything that you need to do with the Hyper-V server such as creating new virtual machines, is done using the Hyper-V management console using a remote machine.

Convert MS Outlook Contacts to vCard File

2012-01-18T12:39:00.000+05:30

vCard Export Software is designed to convert MS Outlook contacts to vCard, MS Excel and Outlook Express Address Book. vCard Export provides a complete solution to export Outlook Contacts.

Software Features

Converts MS Outlook Contacts to MS Excel file.
Converts MS Outlook Contacts to vCard file (compatible with many email clients).
Converts MS Outlook Contacts to WAB file.
Converts Ansi Format (MS Outlook 2000/2002/XP), Unicode Format ( MS Outlook 2003/2007) to vCard, WAB & Excel File.
Do not require any special skills.
Software run successfully with MS Office 2007. SysTools vCard Export.

While using vCard Export to convert Outlook contacts, You must have the following installed on your PC:

Configured profile of MS Outlook 2007/2003/2002/XP/2000.

Download Here Link1 Link2

Also share the link in your facebook or twitter

A Portable Antivirus Software from Microsoft

2012-01-17T15:53:00.001+05:30

Is your computer infected with a virus that is preventing you from downloading security updates from the Internet or from running any antivirus program on that machine? Or are your looking for an antivirus software that can be carried on a USB drive to quickly scan any disconnected computer(s) for viruses or malware?

You should check out Microsoft Safety Scanner. This is a free antivirus software, always updated with the latest definitions, and requires no installation - all you need to do is copy the program executable msert.exe to an infected computer and double-click that file. If it detects a problem, the infected files will be quarantined.

You may either do a thorough scan - check every file and folder - or a quick scan that checks a limited number of folders that are most likely to contain viruses, malware or spyware.

Microsoft Safety Scanner is available as a free download for both 32-bit and 64-bit version of Windows. You may use on Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 machines and, unlike Microsoft’s other antivirus software, Safety Scanner doesn’t perform a check for genuine Windows.

The program expires after 10 days but you can always re-download it with the updated virus definitions. It won’t however scan your Outlook emails or your network drives for any possible infections.

Access Facebook on any Mobile Without the Internet

2012-01-17T14:14:00.002+05:30

Do you have an old mobile phone, like the Nokia 1100, that has no browser and can do little more than make phone calls? Or are you stuck in some remote place where there’s no Internet or no other form of data (EGDE/GPRS/3G) connectivity is available?

Not a problem. You can still use your Facebook account in India by dialing *325# (or *fbk#) from your mobile phone – this service requires no data plan or Internet and it will even work on phones of the Stone Age. Here’s a quick tour:

Use Facebook without the Data Plan

Facebook India has partnered with Fonetwish to bring Facebook on every mobile phone without requiring any apps or even the Internet.

You dial the *325# number, then enter your Facebook username and password and you are in. You can then send number based commands to access various features of Facebook, chat with friends who are online, add new people to your friends list, and more.

I played with the service for some time and it was a nice experience overall. If there were a Unix-like shell interface for Facebook, it would be much similar. Fonetwish says that this service is currently available for Airtel, Aircel, Idea and Tata Docomo users in India.

It may be too much work to read your Facebook news feed stories one by one but this is a good option to quickly update your Facebook status or for chatting with friends who are online. The price is reasonable too – you just have pay a subscription fee of 1.00 per day for unlimited usage.

Related: If you have an old mobile phone, you can search Google by SMS without requiring a data plan.

Search Google on your Mobile Phone via SMS Text Messages

2012-01-17T14:13:00.000+05:30

This is something for mobile phone users in India who don't have a web-enabled phone – you can now search for information on Google using SMS. The service has been around for a while but Google is no longer charging a premium fee for sending you the SMS message.

The Google SMS search service may be used for finding movie timings, weather, nearest pizza restaurant, currency conversion, train schedules, cricket scores and a host of other things.

One of the very useful features in SMS search is language translation. For instance, I could SMS "say hello in French" to 9-77-33-00000 to get the right French word.

Google SMS Search could be real bad news for the business of services like Indiatimes that charge a premium fee for delivering news or astrology updates on the mobile phone using short codes.

For details go to the Google Mobile website or check their help center for more details.

The Google blog says that you only need to pay the standard SMS text charges for sending the SMS query to Google – there's no fee for the incoming messages from Google. The service is available for all popular cellular networks including Airtel, BSNL, Idea, Reliance, Spice, Tata Indicom and Vodafone.

A very simple free download manager by Microsoft

2012-01-17T14:00:00.001+05:30

The Microsoft Download Manager enables you to download files simply and easily. It also makes downloading large files such as application and multimedia files quick and reliable.

File Name Size
MSDownloadManager.msi 1.3 MB DOWNLOAD

The Microsoft Download Manager enables you to download files simply and easily. It also makes downloading large files such as application and multimedia files quick and reliable. It was specifically designed to help users manage file downloads from supporting Microsoft Web sites. Once started, the Microsoft Download Manager’s easy-to-use interface displays the status of downloads and enables you to suspend active downloads or resume downloads that have failed.

System requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista Service Pack 2, Windows XP Service Pack 3

The Microsoft Download Manager has specific system requirements in order for it to operate normally. See below for a list of Operating System and Web browser requirements. The Microsoft Download Manager requires one of the following operating systems: Windows© XP with Service Pack 3 Windows Vista© with Service Pack 2 Windows 7 Windows Server© 2008 R2 The Microsoft Download Manager supports the following Web browsers: Windows© Internet Explorer© 6 Internet Explorer 7 Internet Explorer 8 Internet Explorer 9 Mozilla© Firefox© 3.6

TuneUp Utilities makes Windows faster (Download)

2011-12-28T17:41:00.001+05:30

Get the brand-new TuneUp Utilities™ 2012!

The Most Powerful TuneUp Utilities of All Time!

Boosts PC speed by up to 50%, all thanks to Program Deactivator™ 2012
Extends battery life with an all-new TuneUp Economy Mode
Saves power by up to 30% and upgrades PCs with an enhanced power management
over 30 tools in 1: more speed, better stability, less problems

Download TuneUp Utilities™ 2012

OR Download : Here

Download : Here

ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Download

2011-12-28T15:52:00.001+05:30

Award winning and in 5th Place on all Photo editor Software's in 2011.

Pros

The help and support options associated with this program are great.

Cons
This program is average in every area other than help and support.

The Verdict

Download from Here

If you want average photo editing software, we recommend this program.

Make the most of your photos with ACDSee Photo Editor 2008! It has all the tools, inspiration and clear instruction you need to turn your digital photos into truly captivating keepsakes. Create personalized greeting cards, scrapbook pages, invitations and more. With Photo Editor's easy to use artistic text, layout and editing features, you'll be amazed at what you can do with your photos.

Get Started Right Away

You don’t have to be a technical whiz to create beautiful layouts and gorgeous keepsakes. How-to lessons walk you through common tasks, with detailed and easy-to-follow steps. Antique a photo, apply a vignette, and create dazzling projects with ease. Spend less time guessing, and more time being creative with your photos.

NEW! If you need that extra boost of inspiration to get you started, Photo Editor comes packed with templates by top digital designers Andrea Gold, Maggie Lamarre and Vicki Stegall. You'll be on the fast track to creativity!

The ultimate tool for SQL developer productivity!

2011-12-28T15:41:00.000+05:30

The ultimate tool for SQL developer productivity!

SoftTree SQL Assistant 6.0
for Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, MS Access, PostgreSQL, and MySQL

SQL Assistant easily integrates with many widely used database editors and database management and development environments including native tools that come with your database systems. It provides assistance with code typing, automatic word completion and database object and attributes browsing.

It provides functions for quick entry of common SQL constructs and code snippets. It also provides integrated and fully interactive SQL code assistance system for instant help with SQL command syntax and options available in specific database versions, code syntax checker, spell checker and a number of other vital coding tools.

A database application that can be used with both very small and very large database systems.

Here are some key features of "SoftTree SQL Assistant":

· Doubles SQL developer productivity.
· Improves code quality and accuracy.
· Provides advanced SQL code intellisense features, including support for databases, objects, parameters, script variables, syntax elements.
· Provides interactive SQL reference and SQL code assistance systems.
· Provides advanced SQL code formatters and beautifiers; SQL syntax validation, code structure views for fast code navigation.
· Provides integrated real-time code syntax and spell checker
· Supports 8 major database systems: Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Sybase ASE, Sybase ASA, MS Access, and their SQL dialects.
· Integrates with many SQL and non-SQL editors .
· Fast and has small disk and memory footprint .
· Can be easily installed without interrupting any existing processes and used immediately.

Requirements:

· Oracle 8i, 9i, 10g, 11g
· Microsoft SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008
· DB2 UDB 7, 8, 9, 9.5
· DB2 UDB for iSeries
· MySQL 5.x
· Sybase ASE 12.x, 15.x
· Sybase ASA 7, 8, 9, 10
· PostgreSQL 8.x
· Microsoft Access 2003, 2007
· 12.5 MB disk space
· 128 MB RAM
· CPU Pentium or compatible

Limitations:

· 14 days trial But Download From here for Full Ver Download or Download or Download

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

New Features and Major Changes:
· New Schedule feature for scheduling runs of SQL code on single and multiple database systems using sequential and concurrent parallel runs.
· Completely rebuilt and greatly enhanced Database Code Refactoring engine now supporting the following smart-refactoring methods: Rename Table or View; Rename Table or View Column; Rename Procedure or Function; Rename Procedure or Function Parameter; Rename Local Variable; Add Table Column; Drop Table Column; Add Procedure or Function Parameter; Drop Procedure or Function Parameter; Drop Procedure or Function; Drop Table or View; Extract View; Extract Procedure; Qualify Object Names.
· Database refactoring coverage expanded from 3 to 8 different database system types.
· Lots of enhancements in database refactoring methods, including updating Oracle synonyms when renaming based objects; column renaming in 'return table' in table functions in SQL Server, and many others.
· Code formatter and beautifier now support...

Download WaveMaker 6.4 @ VMWARE Product

2011-12-28T12:22:00.000+05:30

WaveMaker is a visual development tool that lets everyone quickly build and deploy great-looking web and cloud applications. With WaveMaker, you can build a complete, 3-tier web application in minutes!

	Mac (Intel Only)
	Windows
	Linux DEB Package, 32-bit (Debian/Ubuntu)
	Linux DEB Package, 64-bit (Debian/Ubuntu)
	Linux RPM Package, All (RedHat/CentOS)

All users of the Select editor should check their restrictValues property after upgrade

The Select editor property "restrictValues" determines whether entering a value that does NOT appear in the menu is invalid. If restrictValues is true, then only values from the list are valid. If its false, then the menu is just a list of suggested values, but the user can type in anything. This incorrectly defaulted to false. We've changed the default to true. Please check your projects and verify that the restrictValue settings are correct for your editors.

IE 6 and IE 7 are no longer supported except via Chrome Frame

A new application-level property has been added called "promptChromeFrame" which has three possible values:

chromeframe.html: IE 6/7 users will be shown the contents of chromeframe.html which will be in your project/webapproot folder, and which initially contains links to various ways of upgrading to a supported browser. You can edit this file to show anything you want.
http://google.com/chromeframe: This immediately shows google's chromeframe download page
Allow IE 6 and 7 users: This option will allow users to run the application without requiring a chromeframe plugin or a modern browser. Use this at your own risk.

While WaveMaker applications can be run using IE 6 and 7, there are a number of bugs, and we no longer are working to support these browsers and fix these bugs.

Infrastructure

OSX requires JDK6

OSX installations of Studio now require JDK6. To ensure you are using Java6, use the Java Preferences application to specify the default JDK prior to starting Studio.

New Deployment Dialog

The deployment dialog has been rewritten. Besides being easier to use, it now provides the following new features

Deploy to CloudFoundry's cloud (you must first create an account at cloudfoundry.com)
You can now change your database settings before deploying. When you generate your WAR/EAR file and deploy it to your target server, you can change from using your development database to your production, QA, demo, or other database connection settings.
Save your deployment settings so that once you've deployed with a specific set of settings, redeploying to the same target server and same target databases is a one click operation.

CloudFoundry Notes

Restrictions in support for other domains
The current version of CloudFoundry deployment lets you choose what cloudfoundry environment to deploy to, cloudfoundry.com, or a privately hosted version. Studio does not support switching back and forth between different cloudfoundry environments at this time. Users wishing to change the deployment domain musts clear browser cookies, or user a separate browser for each domain.

The list of currently deployed CloudFoundry apps only lists apps on cloudfoundry.com, and does not at this time show apps deployed elsewhere.

Experimental new print methods

A print() method has been added to 6.4 for all controls. You can call this.layoutBox1.print() or this.dojoGrid1.print() or print on any panel. This is a very experimental feature but is the easiest way to get basic printing working. For more information, reviewhttp://dev.wavemaker.com/wiki/bin/wmdoc_6.4/Printing#HExperimentalnewprintmethods

For more details find the link Here

Hardware Support and Software Pre-Requisites Data protector 6.2

2011-11-28T01:24:00.003+05:30

HP Data Protector software

Introduction

HP Data Protector software simplifies application protection in virtual and physical environments through unified recovery and advanced automation. Global, one-touch backup configuration and a wide range of disk-based recovery options across HP and non-HP arrays, including fully-automated application recovery, help you meet any SLA for up to 70% less total cost of ownership than competitive backup software solutions.

More than 41,000 customers around the world, and nearly half of the Global 500, rely on HP Data Protector software to protect their critical applications and data. Data Protector is a key component of the HP Information Management solution portfolio, which dramatically simplifies the management and governance of information for today's modern enterprise organization.

What's New

Extending the Power of HP - down-to-the-second recovery of application for HP P4000 arrays.

Only HP Data Protector software can recover virtual server applications and data to any point in time - down-to-the-second - from a centralized console without scripting. Data Protector 6.2 extends this functionality to the P4000. Together, Data Protector and P4000 achieve a highly cost-effective enterprise recovery solution ideal for virtual server deployments of applications such as Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server.

Data Protector allows backup administrators to select the point in time to which they'd like to recover into the Data Protector console. Data Protector accesses the application transaction log (where all of the application's transactions are recorded before they're processes and/or written to data files) and fills in the data gaps between snapshots. Data Protector then synchronizes the application with the data and restarts the application. This functionality is possible with any Data Protector recovery solution whether from snapshot, disk or tape.

Extending simplified snapshot functionality to non-HP arrays such as EMC CLARiiON and Network Appliance

Data Protector Zero Downtime Backup snapshot support has been extended to non-HP arrays through VSS integration. Global one-touch protection ensures snapshot configurations - as well as all backup methods - are automatically extended to new virtual machines, Microsoft databases, and Oracle databases as they're brought online. One click in the Data Protector console and Data Protector will automatically apply the chosen backup method to new VMs and databases. This level of automation extends to physical environments as well.

Reducing the burden of single item recovery on the backup administrator.

Data Protector Granular Recovery Extension empowers SharePoint and VMware vSphere administrators to recover single items directly from the application administrator's console, without asking for assistance from the backup administrator.

Data Protector allows application administrators to recover single items from Data Protector disk or tape backups - they don't need to know or use Data Protector, nor do they need to contact the backup administrator. For SharePoint environments, GRE allows application administrators to recover single items from ANY 3rd party snapshots.

NEW Data Protector Reporter software - sophisticated operational analysis, SLA compliance reporting across multi-site distributed geographies.

Data Protector software includes robust reporting capabilities, including a notification function which allows customers to forward events to HP or 3rd-party reporting or management tools such as HP Storage Essentials and IBM Tivoli. For customers who require the most advanced reporting capabilities, HP provides Data Protector Reporter software - which delivers enterprise reporting, designed specifically for Data Protector customers. HP Data Protector Reporter software is customer-installable software which delivers centralized, automated reporting to optimize operations and infrastructure - and realize up to 30% savings. It features a powerful reporting engine that drives global, multi-site backup and restore analysis. Data Protector Reporter features 35+ out-of-the-box reports including SLA and performance reporting. The optional current licensed module provides enhanced powerful customized ad-hoc query and analysis flexible reporting. For more information, please download the Data Protector Reporter QuickSpecs on hp.com/go/dataprotector.

Enhanced single-pass disaster recovery functionality - for no additional cost.

Data Protector 6.2 introduces new disaster recovery functionality which is included in the cost of Data Protector. Unlike some backup software solutions that require you to keep a separate image backup from which to initiate recovery, Data Protector provides "single-pass DR" - which enables customers to create a disaster recovery image from any existing full backup. You can restore from physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-physical servers across dissimilar hardware. In addition, once the backup administrator initiates the disaster recovery process, Data Protector automatically re-builds the system and the partitioning. Data Protector 6.2 supports both Linux and Windows operating systems - for specific support please check the compatibility matrix on hp.com/go/dataprotector.

In addition, Data Protector DR functionality is especially useful in remote and branch office environments. Data Protector is fully replication aware, and provides a single management console from which to oversee deduplication-enabled replication between local or geographically distributed sites. When Data Protector performs a backup in the remote office, the backup with the DR image can be replicated to the central data center, In the event of an outage, the DR image can be prepared and delivered to the ROBO site via FTP site or by shipping a USB drive for fast recovery.

IPv6 and NDMP

Data Protector 6.2 is fully IPv6 compliant. Data Protector IPv6 support is backward compatible for IPv4 environments. In addition, Data Protector 6.2 also provides NDMP snapmirror to tape support, which provides efficient backup of large files.

Hardware Support and Software Pre-Requisites

Hardware Support
Broad coverage of HP-UX, Windows, Solaris, Tru64, OpenVMS, NetWare, Linux, AIX, and other operating environments HP XP/EVA, and EMC Symmetrix disk array support for ZDB/IR Backup to disk supports any storage that the server's operating system supports HP Tape libraries, StorageTek, ADIC, IBM etc. For detailed information on HP Data Protector support matrices please visit: http://www.hp.com/go/dataprotector

Software Pre-Requisites
Cell Manager Requirements	The Data Protector Session Manager does not support the IDB on a file system that is mounted as NFS type.

On Systems Running
HP-UX (PA-RISC) - 11.11, 11.23, 11.31 and HP-UX (IA64) - 11.23, 11.31