Tools to Help Convert from VMware

Are you interested in the benefits of Microsoft virtualization with Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2, and how they compare to VMware virtualization with vCenter 5.5? Watch Microsoft's Matt McSpirit, as he provides an overview of several solutions that can convert VMware virtual machines to Hyper-V (or Microsoft Azure) virtual machines. 

Review different migration options in more depth, with experts in each technology, including Microsoft and partners 5nine Software, NetApp, Vision Solutions, and Xtreme Consulting Group. Don't miss this opportunity to get the details on Hyper-V migration.

Modules

1. Introduction to VMware to Hyper-V Migration & Partner Solution Overview
2. Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC) 2.0 for VMware to Hyper-V & Azure Migration
3. Xtreme VM Migrator for VMware to Hyper-V Migration
4. NetApp MAT4SHIFT for VMware to Hyper-V Migration
5. 5nine Software V2V Easy Converter 4.0 for VMware to Hyper-V Migration
6. Vision Solutions DoubleTake Move for VMware to Hyper-V & Azure Migration

Take the course for free on the Microsoft Virtual Academy: http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/vmware-to-hyper-v-migration 

Also, don't forget to check out the Azure Migration Accelerator (in Preview):  http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/features/migration-accelerator/?linkId=9516861

If you need some additional suggestions for things to watch on MVA, don't miss out these as well:

• Moving to Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure
• Virtualizing Your Data Center with Hyper-V and System Center
• The Microsoft Hybrid Cloud: Best Practices Guidance

More From TechEd - Tuesday Sessions

It's Tuesday, so a perfect time to flashback to some sessions that looked interesting to me from Day 2 of  TechEd 2014. These are all available on Channel 9.

• Effortless Migration from VMware to Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V (DCIM-B412)
• Best Practices for Integrating On-Premise Datacenters with Microsoft Azure IaaS (DCIM-B330)
• Security and Microsoft Azure IaaS (DCIM-B385)
• TWC: Data Privacy and Protection in the Cloud (OFC-B233)
• Group Policy: Notes from the Field - Tips, Tricks and Troubleshooting (WIN-B328)
• TWC: Social Engineering: Manipulations, Targeted Attacks, and IT Security (PCIT-B319)

Go forth and learn something today!

Become an Early Expert in Virtualization

In an increasingly multi-hypervisor world, more and more IT organizations are using Microsoft Hyper-V and Microsoft Azure to achieve superior performance and workload flexibility at the best possible price. With nearly two-thirds of businesses on more than one virtualization platform, adding Microsoft virtualization and cloud skills to your technical repertoire can improve your career options and prepare you to face new IT demands.

What is Early Experts?

Microsoft Early Experts is a free, online study group for virtualization professionals who want to extend their Microsoft Hyper-V, System Center and Microsoft Azure knowledge with official Microsoft certifications. We've organized our high-impact learning resources into online Knowledge Quests that include concise videos, prescriptive study materials and hands-on practice with real products. Complete the weekly quests at your own pace and enjoy the flexibility to stop and review certain topics when you need more time.

Rewards and Prizes (U.S. Only)

Complete the online Quests and receive a completion badge suitable for printing or sharing online to showcase your new skills with Microsoft virtualization! In addition, IT Pros located in the U.S. are eligible to win one of several cool prizes during monthly prize drawings in April, May and June 2014. **

If you're located outside of the U.S., you're certainly still welcome to join us and take advantage of the Early Experts study materials to help you prepare for certification.

The clock is ticking … Join us today!

Early Experts study groups are forming now for existing VMware / Virtualization professionals targeting the following Microsoft certification:

• Specialist: Server Virtualization with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center (Exam 74-409)

**NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to IT Professionals who are legal residents of the 50 U.S. states or D.C., 18+. Sweepstakes ends on June 30, 2014. See Official Rules.

From my Friends over at Microsoft Virtual Academy

9/23/2014 Update - This event is available on demand, when you need it.  If you are just starting to take a closer look at Windows Server and Hyper-V, this is a great way to get a jumpstart.

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Free Online Event: Virtualizing Your Data Center with Hyper-V and System Center

Free online event with live Q&A: http://aka.ms/virtDC

Wednesday, February 19^th from 9am – 5pm PST

If you're new to virtualization, or if you have some experience and want to see the latest R2 features of Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V or Virtual Machine Manager, join us for a day of free online training with live Q&A to get all your questions answered. Learn how to build your infrastructure from the ground up on the Microsoft stack, using System Center to provide powerful management capabilities. Microsoft virtualization experts Symon Perriman and Matt McSpirit (who are also VMware Certified Professionals) demonstrate how you can help your business consolidate workloads and improve server utilization, while reducing costs. Learn the differences between the platforms, and explore how System Center can be used to manage a multi-hypervisor environment, looking at VMware vSphere 5.5 management, monitoring, automation, and migration. Even if you cannot attend the live event, register today anyway and you will get an email once we release the videos for on-demand replay! 

Topics include:

• Introduction to Microsoft Virtualization
• Host Configuration
• Virtual Machine Clustering and Resiliency
• Virtual Machine Configuration
• Virtual Machine Mobility
• Virtual Machine Replication and Protection
• Network Virtualization
• Virtual Machine and Service Templates
• Private Clouds and User Roles
• System Center 2012 R2 Data Center
• Virtualization with the Hybrid Cloud
• VMware Management, Integration, and Migration

 Register here: http://aka.ms/virtDC 

Also check out the www.MicrosoftVirtualAcademy.com for other free training and live events.

Wanna Build Your Own Virtualization Lab? Don't Miss THIS...

I just kicked off the first of several Northern California IT Camps yesterday and the registration for my next three events are packed full.  I wish is wasn't so I could invite you to attend.

Most people have enjoyed the hands on labs but often want more time to "kick the tires" or want to share the experience with colleagues back in the office.  We can't really extend the access to the system since it's gets recycled each event, but my friend and IT Pro Evangelist colleague, Kevin Remde, has taken the time to break down exactly how you can build a lab yourself, on ONE BOX.  (That box does need to have at least 16GB of RAM and at least 200GB of free disk space.)

Then you can take your lab manual from class and run through it again, or test out whatever you need to test that fits your organization.  Kevin has everything you need except the setup to do patching from WSUS. Say hello to my own next side project, because doing this looks like fun!

If you did happen to join me yesterday and want access to slides and other resources from the day, please visit my resources page in the navigation on the right.

Also, if you want to learn more about Hyper-V, check out this introductory JumpStart from Microsoft Virtual Academy.

Be Part of Microsoft's Customer Research Team for the Cloud!

Microsoft Windows Server and Systems Center Customer Research team is looking for ITPros to participate on an IT Pro panel about virtualization.  If you are experienced with virtualization and cloud technologies, this is your chance to share your opinions with Microsoft.

As a member of the panel, you will have the opportunity to provide vision and feedback to the Cloud and Data Center Management Product team through surveys, focus groups, usability sessions, early design concept reviews, and customer interviews.

The research team is looking for very specific expertise profiles. Use of Microsoft products IS NOT required. To help identify if you qualify, start by completing a short survey.

Please note, this is only for customers located in the US but there is work toward extending to an international audience soon. Once again, you DO NOT have to use Microsoft products to participate.
Interested? Want to learn more? Click to access the survey.

Build a Hyper-V Lab for a Chance to Win a Surface Pro!

This is for US residents only, but here's a chance to get in on the "IT Pro Cloud OS Challenge" and will some nice prizes while learning about Hyper-V Server. The content runs through the month of November and you can find all the details below!
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Build your very own Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 for FREE and Enter for a chance to win* one of the following fantastic prizes:

• Three Grand Prizes: One of three Microsoft Surface Pro 64GB devices with Type Cover keyboard cover ($828.99 USD Retail Value)
   
• Twenty-Five First Prizes: One of twenty-five Microsoft Certification Exam Vouchers ($150.00 USD Retail Value)

You could win a Microsoft Surface Pro or Certification Exam Voucher!

But Wait! There’s More! In addition to a chance to win one of the prizes above, EVERY ENTRANT will receive our Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 enterprise-grade bare-metal hypervisor software completely free.  This is a fully functional virtualization hypervisor that supports scalability up to 320 logical processors, 4TB physical RAM, live migration and highly-available clustering. Hyper-V serves as the virtualization foundation for Private Clouds leveraging Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2.

You can enter the IT Pro“Cloud OS Challenge” Sweepstakes by completing all of the THREE EASY TASKS below to download and build your Private Cloud foundation with Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.  Be sure to complete the last task to submit your proof-of-completion for entry into this sweepstakes.

• Entries must be received between November 1, 2013 and November 30, 2013 to be eligible. One entry per individual.
• This Sweepstakes is open to all IT Professionals Age 18 and over that are legal residents of the United States.
• Estimated Completion Time: 20 minutes

TASK 1 – Download Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Download the Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 installation bits using the link below.

DO IT: Download Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

TASK 2 – Install Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Install Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 in your lab environment using the installation steps linked below.

DO IT: Install Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

TASK 3 – Submit Proof-of-Completion

Complete the steps in this task to submit your proof-of-completion entry into the IT Pro “Cloud OS Challenge” Sweepstakes for a chance to win one of the exciting prizes listed above.

1. At the console command prompt of your new Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 server, run the following command to collect your server's configuration:
   
   systeminfo >CloudOSConfig.txt
    
2. Copy the CloudOSConfig.txt file created in Step 1 above to a USB storage device or other location that is accessible for sending an email.
    
3. Send a new email message to CloudChallenge@microsoft.com
    
4. IMPORTANT: In the body of the email, include this exact text:
   “I’ve completed the Microsoft IT Pro Cloud OS Challenge for Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.”
    
5. IMORTANT: Attach the file created in Step 1 into the body of the new email message created above.
    
6. Click the Send button in your email client to submit the email message as your proof-of-completion and sweepstakes entry.

Upon submitting your entry, you will receive a confirmation email within 24-hours.

COMPLETED! But … Want more?
Now that you’ve installed Hyper-V Server 2012 R2, continue your learning and evaluation with these additional resources.

• Want to learn more about Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 and Microsoft Private Cloud?
  • COMPLETE this Step-by-Step Guide for Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.
  • MANAGE Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 with local console tools.
  • CLUSTER Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 for highly available virtual machines.
  • MIGRATE Virtual Machine workloads to Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.
  • BUILD Your Private Cloud with System Center 2012 R2.

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*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to IT Professionals who are legal residents of the 50 U.S. states or D.C., 18+. Sweepstakes ends November 30, 2013.  For Official Rules, see http://aka.ms/CloudChallenge201311Rules.

VMware or Microsoft?–The Complete Quick List

The VMware or Microsoft blog series has come to an end, for now.  Below is the complete list of posts for your convenience.  You'll find lots of great information and you can never be too informed when making decisions that affect the company and services you support.

1. Series Introduction
2. What is a “Purpose-Built Hypervisor?
3. Simplified Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 Host Patching = Greater Security and More Uptime
4. Reducing VMware Storage Costs WITH Windows Server 2012 Storage Spaces
5. Does size really matter?
6. Let’s talk certifications!
7. Virtual Processor Scheduling
8. FREE Zero Downtime Patch Management
9. Agentless Protection
10. Site to Site Disaster Recovery with HRM
11. Destination: VMWorld
12. Get the “Scoop” on Hyper-V during VMworld
13. VMWorld: Key Keynote Notes
14. VMWorld: Did you know that there is no extra charge?
15. VMWorld: A Memo to IT Leadership
16. Moving Live Virtual Machines, Same But Different
17. Not All Memory Management is Equal
18. Can I get an app with that?
19. Deploying Naked Servers
20. Automated Server Workload Balancing
21. Thoughts on VMWorld
22. Shopping for Private Clouds
23. Dynamic Storage Management in Private Clouds
24. Replaceable? or Extensible? What kind of virtual switch do you want?
25. Offloading your Storage
26. VDI: A Look at Supportability and More!
27. Agentless Backup for Virtual Environments
28. How robust is your availability?
29. VM Guest Operating System Support
30. How to license Windows Server VMs
31. Comparing vSphere 5.5 and Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V At-A-Glance
32. Evaluating Hyper-V Network Virtualization as an alternative to VMware NSX
33. Automation is the Key to Happiness
34. Comparing Microsoft’s Public Cloud to VMware’s Public Cloud
35. What does AVAILABILITY mean in YOUR cloud?

Virtualization Strikes the Bay Area

I’m serious, you can’t turn around without finding yourself in range of an upcoming event around virtualizing your datacenter.

If you missed the free Azure IT Camp in San Francisco on September 5th, you can join me in Mountain View on October 8th from 9-4pm. Register at www.technetevents.com. 

Also in October, PacITPros will be bringing Steve Evans and Nick Hawkins back for a full TechDay of “Hyper-V in the Real World”. This low cost event ($99) doesn’t pull any punches and gives you the lowdown on how to use Hyper-V effectively in your datacenter. Register at www.techdays.org.  Stay tuned for a two-day Hyper-V TechDays event in mid-November, as well.

Sadly, the October PacITPros meeting is cancelled for October.  There is a perfect storm of calendaring events that have Doug, Ed, Jochen and I all out of town.  Hope to see you on October 11th instead.

On the Heels of VMworld!

Today, I'm playing catch up, which always happens after a multi-day conference. I always think I'll have enough downtime during the conference to keep my inbox and to-do list under control, but it never happens.

I do have an official "post-VMworld" post brewing in my head (vCloud, VSAN, NSX, oh my!) but first here is a couple Azure and Hyper-V related events that are coming up soon, really soon!  Both events will be held in the San Francisco Microsoft office.

PacITPros September Meeting (9/3, 6pm) - Hyper-V in the Real World!  Join Steve Evans and Nick Hawkins as they give a preview of a day long class they will be doing in October. Please be sure to RSVP if you'll be attending.

Cut past the hype and let’s talk about the real world design decisions you need to make when building your Hyper-V infrastructure. We won’t just prescribe the solution, but talk through the decisions and the pros and cons of the different options. The event will cover networking, storage, management and lessons learned.

** If you want more than an hour of Hyper-V, consider the full day event on October 11. It's $99. **

Azure IT Camp (9/5, 8:30am - 4pm) - Discover Key Hybrid Cloud Solutions for IT Pros. Late notice I know, but the Azure IT Camp has some extra seats available and you are welcome to them!  One of my IT Pro Evangelist colleagues, Brian Lewis, will be presenting. 

You CAN have the best of both worlds! With Windows Azure, IT Pros can easily extend an on-premises network to embrace the power and scale of the cloud – securely and seamlessly. You’ll hear the latest on the Microsoft cloud platform, dive deep into Windows Azure Infrastructure Services, and participate in hands-on labs that demonstrate the power of this on-demand, scalable compute infrastructure. Includes Windows Azure Storage, Virtual Machines and Virtual Networking. If participants complete all of the hands-on labs, they have a fully functional Windows Server 2012 cloud-based test lab running Windows Azure.

VMWare vs. Microsoft?

For the next 6 weeks, the US Microsoft Evangelists are teaming up to do a blog series comparing VMware technologies to Microsoft. We'll be tackling the myths and mysteries surrounding the virtualization technologies and then you can decide which one is best for your organization. 

Kevin Remde is keeping the full list of them in this "Complete Series" post, but you'll be touring the blogs of all the evangelists as the topics are posted.

Enjoy!

Don't Miss Out on some Fun Stuff

Please tell me you've seen the tweets and gotten the emails! 

I'm co-chairing PacITPros 2nd TechDays SF - two days jam packed with a crazy menu of sessions to choose from, brought to you by some great speakers - many of which you'd pay 6 times the amount to see at TechEd.

Not going to TechEd?  Then this is the place for you to get the much of what you need to know about Cloud, Azure, PowerShell, plus some extra goodies on SharePoint 2013, Lync, Remote Desktop and Hyper-V!

The fine folks at Xantrion are sponsoring us and we've got our schedule available as a mobile app by EventBoard.  So go register now.  Otherwise, you are making me feel bad.

Speaking of Azure, if you haven't done the 90 day free trial, it's totally worth looking at.  Microsoft is even running a Virutal Networking challenge where you can win some pretty decent prizes, like a Surface Pro. 

Upcoming TechNet Event – Happening Near You!

The TechNet Events team is hitting the road again, bringing you presentations on Windows Azure, Hyper-V and demonstrations on simplifying Windows 7 deployments.

TechNet Events are free and with over 35 dates in cities across the United States, there’s bound to be one near you. The San Francisco session will be held on March 2nd. Registration is open now.

My 2010 Reading List: So Far

It's unfortunate that I feel like I'm starting the year already behind on my "tech" reading list. Here's a quick list of I have within arms reach.

• Mastering Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 by C. A. Callehan - This has been a great resource for my first attempt at implementing SharePoint. It's a hefty book, I wish it included a PDF version I could convert onto my Kindle.
  
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 : The Complete Reference by Richard Luckett, William Lefkovics, Bharat Suneja and MCITP: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Messaging Design and Deployment Study Guide - These have been part of my Exchange certification study materials, as well as a starting point for deciding if its worth migrating to Exchange 2007 or skipping to Exchange 2010.
  
• Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V: Insiders Guide to Microsoft's Hypervisor by John Kelbley, Mike Sterling and Allen Stewart - Would you believe I got this free from NetApp? It got several good reviews on Amazon, so I'm looking forward to getting a chance to sit down with it.
  
• Group Policy: Fundamentals, Security, and Troubleshooting by Jeremy Moskowitz. I've read his Windows 2000 Group Policy book years ago, so I much appreciated winning this one from him via Twitter.

In addition to books, I've downloaded several whitepapers onto my Kindle for those free moments on the subway:

• Implementing and Administering Certificate Templates in Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Certificate Services Step-By-Step Guide
• Exchange Server 2010: What's New and What's Changed by Allan Jacobs

Getting Back in Touch with Hyper-V

Some days I feel really behind the eight ball, so today I spent some time getting back into Hyper-V. The office runs VMWare for our production items, but I'm really trying to make time to give Hyper-V a fair shake. Since all of our lab machines are segregated off into various nooks and corners of the server room, physical access while working on them is less than ideal. I'm happy to remotely connect to servers from the comfort of my desk.

Conveniently my co-worker already has a Hyper-V host server set up, so that saved me from having to hunt down hardware and get going from scratch. In order to get started configuring my guest server, I'm connected to my Hyper-V host machine via Remote Desktop and then connecting to my guest server with a Virtual Machine Connection. Because the mouse might "behave erratically" without Integration Services in this particular scenario, the mouse controls are intentionally blocked.

While one of my many random goals in life may be to navigate Windows without a mouse, it's not something I'm very proficient at currently. In order to install the Integration Services, one needs to be handy with keyboard commands, particularly the alternate versions used in the virtual enviroment. Here are a few that I found useful. The traditional key command is listed first, followed by it's Hyper-V VM equivalent.

• CTRL + ALT + DEL = CTRL + ALT + END
• ALT + TAB = ALT + PAGE UP
• ALT + SHIFT + TAB = ALT + PAGE DOWN
• ALT + ESC = ALT + INSERT
• CTRL + ESC (Start button) = ALT + HOME
• Right-Click (to get to context menus) = SHIFT + F10

Ultimately, I'll be using this guest server to play around with SharePoint 2007, but today I'm happy to have just gotten the OS configured and Windows Updates installed. SharePoint will have to wait until after Turkey Day.