Archive for the ‘Microsoft Azure’ Category

Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine Readiness Assessment #azure #cloud

Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine Readiness Assessments for Active Directory, SharePoint Server and SQL Server. Also available on Windows Azure Portal here: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/downloads/vm-readiness-assessment

Automated Assessment

  • This tool will provide a high level checklist and a detailed report.
  • The checklist outlines areas which are ready to move and areas which may need additional configuration or design changes.
  • The detailed report offers expert guidance and advice tailored to your environment.
Expert Advice
  • Your report shows areas that are ready to move and areas that need additional configuration or design changes.
  • Click into each area to get expert guidance and advice tailored to your specific situation.

 

The installation is real easy but I noticed that the discovery is not always working. In my case I did run this on the SQL server.

 

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When the Installer is finished I ran the Assessment toolkit.

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In this case I used SQL server the method is the same only the result is different.

 

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Two easy steps with some questions and basically there is no right and wrong ( I checked unsure )

 

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Yes it is not the MAP toolkit just one server at the time.

Windows  Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit makes it easy to assess your current IT infrastructure for a variety of technology migration projects. This Solution Accelerator provides a powerful inventory, assessment, and reporting tool to simplify the migration planning process.

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after a little coffee break the scan is done and the report is ready. You can save and edit this as it is a Word file.

 

 

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As I did the Next Next method I need some planning when I migrate this SQL server to Azure.

the report is in detail and 62 pages long. It could be handy if you don’t know anything about this server.

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But if you want to test the migration and already running VMM and have a S2S VPN to Azure read my other blog post.

http://robertsmit.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/azure-site-recovery-service-asrs-hyper-v-to-azure-recovery-mvpbuzz/

Posted September 12, 2014 by Robert Smit in Microsoft Azure

Tagged with

Azure Site Recovery Service #ASR #Hyper-v to #Azure #Recovery #mvpbuzz

Azure Site Recovery can help you protect important services by coordinating the automated replication and recovery of System Center private clouds at a secondary location. The ongoing asynchronous replication of each VM is provided by Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Replica and is monitored and coordinated by Azure Site Recovery. In the event of a site outage at the primary datacenter, VMs can be brought up in an orchestrated fashion to help restore service quickly. This process can also be used for testing recovery, or temporarily transferring services.

Now you can replicate virtual machines from your primary site directly to Azure, instead of your own secondary site. In the event of an outage at the primary site, the service orchestrates the recovery of virtual machines in Azure.

As there is already Azure Recovery manager using Azure to protect you VM between two VMM Servers. and now there is in a preview a new option Failover to Azure.

This is a great new option and will open the door to new options for your private cloud.

You can use Azure Site Recovery in the following scenarios:

  • On-premises to cloud: Replicate Hyper-V virtual machines on a source VMM server or cluster to another VMM server or cluster located in the same datacenter or in a different site. You can also replicate between clouds on a single physical or virtual VMM server.
  • On-premises to cloud: Replicate Hyper-V virtual machines on a source VMM server or cluster to Azure storage.

In this step by step I show you what steps to take for a working situation.

We need a VMM Server and An Azure Account with the Site Recovery Preview.

Azure Site Recovery - on-premises to Azure

When opening the ASR ( azure Site Recovery ) We can select the recovery option. Lets pick hyper-v to Azure Recovery.

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If you do not have a Certificate in place already below is the line to create a Self signed certificate.

This Certificate us needed to talk to and from the VMM Server to Azure.

makecert.exe -r -pe -n CN=Certmvpvmm12 -ss my –sr localmachine -eku 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.2 -len 2048 -e 01/01/2016 c:Certmvpvmm12.cer

Azure Site Recovery - on-premises to Azure

Now that we have created the Certificate We import this in the Azure portal , On manage Certificate we can import the Cer file

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Import the Cer file

Azure Site Recovery - on-premises to Azure

I already did the Hyper-v vs Hyper-v See my blog post.

http://robertsmit.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/windowsazure-hyper-v-recovery-manager-azure-hyperv-recovery-msteched-tee13-draas/

but now we pick Hyper-v to Azure. In the Dashboard step 2 there is a link for downloading the Recovery Provider for VMM

Download Microsoft Azure Site Recovery Provider and install it on VMM servers

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We are installing this on the VMM Server!

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After downloading we kick the setup and as we do not read all the text, I need to stop the VMM services!

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So there is downtime keep this in mind VMM can also takedown your Windows Azure Pack

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The setup does not need many words it is a basic next next finish setup.

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However we need to use the certificate that we created and imported in Azure in the first step. I have already multiple Certs in my VMM I just need to pick the right one. So naming convention is important!

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After Selecting the Key we need a vault key ! this key is in Azure generated and can be copied from azure to the VMM server.

In the Azure portal in Step 1 there is a line get your vault key

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We copy the Key and past the key in the setup an Next.

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I pick enable encryption just to make sure I do have a secure line.

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Pick the VMM server name in FQDN

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And your VMM server is ready make sure the services is started again.

The next step would be install the Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent on your Hyper-v Server

You can download this in step 3

Download the Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent, and install it on Hyper-V host servers.

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The installation is just a quick install no screens to capture or things to do.

The next step is Configure a cloud that needs the protection Selecting the Vault and the Protection name as you can see the current status is not configured

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Select Configure Protection

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here we can select a target and we pick Microsoft Azure

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A new screen with lots of settings opens

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The copy Frequency is the Hyper-v Replica between Hyper-v and Azure In windows Server 2012R2 there is the option 30sec,5&15 minutes Azure is not changing this.  pick any option you want but In my case I use 15 min that is more enough for me.

one this is really nice that is the Replication time most thing are starting just wen you press enter ;-( but here you pick a scheduler.

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Pick any time you want but I pick do this now, there is a 60GB VM that needs to get uploaded to Azure.

Then Click on Save! image ( replication will start immediately !!! )

the next step is wait for Azure to finish the settings  image This can take a few Minutes.

yes you can configure other steps but I like to make sure this step is successful.image

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Now the Cloud is Configured We enable protection for My VM’s.

Select the Name and we pick enable protection in the Virtual Machines

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When selecting this option and you will see no VM’s you did something wrong ! think…

Yes you are protecting a Cloud so your VM must be in a cloud on this VMM server I have only one cloud and in this cloud are 3 vm’s

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and you can see this 3 vm’s here in azure

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I’ll pick the MVPAZU2 VM and again I’ll wait until Azure is finishing it process.

After this the window will show you the VM and unprotected.

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You can select more VM’s but for this demo I’ll use just one VM.

When selecting the VM we can adjust the CPU and Memory in Azure

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I’ll pick medium and hit the save button at the bottom!

In the Resources of the Vault we need to link the Networks. If you don’t have a network in azure you will need to create one.

Pick the VMM server as Source and the Target is Azure. The screen will list all your networks that are connected

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Pick the network from the Protected network and link it to the Azure network. In my case the azure network is connected with a S2S VPN to my private network So I’ll use this network. the IP stack is showing.

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As I picked Immediately as replication lets see Oh ok it is running

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In the Hyper-v Manager you can see the progress. It would be nice to have it also in Azure.

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My internet connection is a 1 GB but the internal routers and the networking on my Hyper-v Server needs some attention.

And if we are checking in VMM the Recovery Settings it is set to 15 minutes just as we set in Azure.

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And we need to wait until the replication is done from Hyper-v To Azure this can take some time It all depends on your Internet connection

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After the Replication is ready You can see that there is one VM protected and we can create a recovery plan.

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Now that we have created a recovery plan this is just a step to link the VM to a recovery plan from or to Azure and what VM.

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Now that the Recovery Plan is is ready we can test this with a test failover.

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As we check the test failover a popup ask me on witch network the VM should connect.

image  As this is a TEST you can not connect to the real network that is picked in the VM

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In the VM you can see the test VM is build but you can’t connect to the VM. There is a DNS name  image

Azure Site Recovery - on-premises to Azure

In the Job status you can see a step by step overview and for completing you have to check the complete option on the bottom.

a Popup is shown where you can put in comments and set the checkbox complete. After this step the test will continue

Azure Site Recovery - on-premises to AzureAzure Site Recovery - on-premises to Azure

Azure Site Recovery - on-premises to Azure

With these Easy steps you can use Microsoft Azure As your failover DataCenter and even With One Hyper-v Server you can be always up.

If you need more info then go to the MSDN site see below for the URL

Azure Site Recovery - on-premises to Azure

The walkthrough consists of the following steps:

  1. Deployment prerequisites: On-premises to Azure. Check deployment requirements, and complete the planning steps before you begin deployment.
  2. Step 1: Create and configure an Azure Site Recovery vault: On-premises to Azure— Create a vault and specify a vault key. Upload a management certificate (.cer) to the vault.
  3. Step 2: Install the Azure Site Recovery Provider: On-premises to Azure— Install the Hyper-V Recovery Manager agent on the VMM servers you want to register in the vault.
  4. Step 3: Install the Azure Recovery Services Agent: On-premises to Azure— Install the Azure Recovery Services agent on Hyper-V host servers located in the VMM source clouds you’re protecting.
  5. Step 4: Configure protection settings for VMM clouds: On-premises to Azure— Specify protection settings for the cloud, including source and target settings, recovery points and snapshots, and initial replication settings.
  6. Step 5: Configure network mapping: On-premises to Azure—Create mappings between VM networks on the source VMM server and destination Azure networks.
  7. Step 6: Enable protection for virtual machines: On-premises to Azure— Enable protection for virtual machines.
  8. Step 7: Create and customize recovery plans: On-premises to Azure—Create and customize recovery plans that specify how virtual machines should be grouped and failed over.

Greetings,

Robert Smit

http://robertsmit.wordpress.com/

Posted August 27, 2014 by Robert Smit in Microsoft Azure

Tagged with

Microsoft Azure Hybrid deployment of RemoteApp Step by Step @Azure #Microsoft #RemoteApp #MVPBuzz #RDS #HRDAAS

In this blog post I’ll show you how to create a Hybrid RemoteApp Configuration. It is still a Preview and Improvements  could be made.

If you want to run your own applications in Azure like on Citrix or with RDS till now it was not a build in services Microsoft provided.

But with RemoteApp you can easy deploy a default set as below or Create a Hybrid Environment. And there are lots of new options in a Hybrid RDS Azure Site #HRDAAS Hybrid Remote Desktop As a Service

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The Quick Create is no fun just hit Create Smile

Now Creating a Hybrid Environment. You will need a syspreped Template with no unattend.xml in it. There For I created a fresh new template clean install with Remote Desktop Session Host installed and most important you need to set a registry key if you don’t do this all will fail!

This is not in the Microsoft Guide !

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlFileSystem]
"NtfsDisableEncryption"=dword:00000001

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After everything is Set on the Golden Image we can do a Sysprep. And keep in mind Azure support only VHD files so do not use VHDX files.

C:WindowsSystem32sysprepsysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown

now that my golden Image is ready We can upload this image to azure.  ( I used a 50 Gb VHD file ) So If you don’t have a fast Internet connection You need to wait Winking smile a while.

 

So the next step is Create a RemoteApp With VPN. Pick a name and select create.

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A place holder is Created and We will upload the Golden Image To Azure. ( this could take a while so we do this now )

Select the image and pick image Upload

image A popup will Come and a PowerShell script is there for download

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Save this on place. Grab also the Command To run

Upload-AzureRemoteAppTemplateImage.ps1 -SAS "?sr=b&si=623fcaf1-63f6-406d-a749-48c2c3f0036b&sig=n%2FHLp5d1wfEgdi68hA%2FaVWOwyhDl35S1eKQ9dKxZdQg%3D" -URI https://cdvwe114758920rdcm.blob.core.windows.net/goldimages/623fcaf1-63f6-406d-a749-48c2c3f0036b.vhd

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Running this Script a Browser will open and you can select your Golden Image.  And the Upload will start first some checking

image I was happy with my Fiber internet connection.

Writing a blog and uploading Winking smile

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when the upload in done you will see a check and a ready state on the Image.

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Next Step is creating a network Is this also my improvement point Whay not using my Site to Site VPN that already is connected to my environment.

Therefor we create a new network that will host the Machines.

Create New network and pick a name.

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Fill in the IP networks and use the Internet address of your Router ( Same as S2S VPN )

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When the Network is created we can download the S2S Script and run this on your Gateway server. I use a Windows 2012R2 RRAS server but there are other options. image

After running the script the Gateway has an extra dail-in option On this gateway I have already a few connections but this is all configurable to your needs.

 

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Now that the network is ready We can start building. When opening the MYMVPAPP with VPN created in the beginning you will see the Status with check marks

Now I have to create a OU and a service account in my domain on-premise

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Next step is linking the Golden Image To the App. You can do all this is now with a upload but as we already did the we need only a connection this is a faster and fail save method.

So check the Link an existing Image

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You will see your 50Gb uploaded golden Image. This is only available if the Image is correctly uploaded !

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We are almost ready, while the provisioning can take up to 30 minutes. Second Improvement point. Show Some Status step 1 from 10 maybe. Now we have to wait.

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Please Note** during several test I change the name but the steps are the same

the next step is assign a user to the image , this must be a default Azure directory User.

 

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I created a demouser ( I deleted this user after this blog )

We assign this user to the Remote App

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Next we assign Applications of the Image I created earlier.  I did not install special apps in this image so it looks a bit basic.

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I published all the apps that Azure Scanned for me in my own image. but suppose you have installed office and other apps it will be there in the image.

Next step is login to the RDP session image

 

image The fun part is I configured MFA ( multi factor Authentication ) Really nice option

When Logged on We see all the Apps I made a Text change in de Word app

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However I logged on the session is still inactive

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This is still a Preview what I really like is using your own apps in your own domain there are still some issues with the creation of the RemoteApp but if you have configured all this and it is working you can even use this On a Android and or on your Surface how Cool is that.

I installed the latest version of RDP on my android phone I opened a CMD box on my phone totally useless but you can. It works much better on my Surface.

Running Published Apps on my Devices in Azure What will ne next ?

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#HRDAAS Hybrid Remote Desktop As a Service

Posted June 20, 2014 by Robert Smit in Microsoft Azure

Tagged with

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