Archive for the ‘Virtualization’ Category

Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 3.0

What’s new in the Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 3.0?

If you’ve used version 2.1, you know that it offers free, tested guidance and automated tools that let you safely service offline virtual machines in your SCVMM library. VMST 3.0 builds on this functionality, adding powerful new features designed to streamline the process of keeping your offline virtual machines, templates and VHDs up-to-date with the latest operating system and application updates, without introducing vulnerabilities into your IT infrastructure.  VMST 3.0 helps you effectively manage the workflow of updating your offline virtual machines according to their individual needs. Using VMST 3.0, customers can also keep users productive during updates and maintenance of physical hosts: VMST 3.0 now automates the servicing of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V host clusters, leveraging live migration.

Using new features in VMST 3.0, customers can now service:

  • Offline virtual machines in a SCVMM library.

  • Stopped and saved state virtual machines on a host.

  • Virtual machine templates.

  • Offline virtual hard disks in a SCVMM library by injecting update packages.

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 failover clusters running Hyper-V.

VMST 3.0 works seamlessly with other Microsoft technologies.

VMST 3.0 is designed to work with Microsoft® System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008 or SCVMM 2008 R2, and with the following technologies:

  • Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 SP1 or WSUS 3.0 SP2.

  • System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 SP1, SCCM 2007 R2, or SCCM 2007 SP2.

  • VMST 3.0 also provides the option to manually copy updates to service offline VHDs.

  • The tool works with Windows Task Scheduler to enable scheduling the servicing job.

Virtual Machine Servicing Tool

During your participation in the Beta Program, you can receive support by contacting us at vmoff@microsoft.com.  

Note: VMST 3.0 is not localized to any non-English languages.  It is supported in the English language only.

Tell us what you think! Download the beta materials and send us your feedback

Posted May 4, 2010 by Robert Smit in Virtualization

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Hyper-V Best Practices Analyzer is now available for Windows Server 2008 R2

In Windows management, best practices are guidelines to configure a server as defined by experts. For example, it is considered a best practice for most server technologies to keep open ports that are required for the technologies to communicate with other networked computers and also block unused ports. Whereas best practice violations, even very important best practice violations, are not necessarily problematic, they indicate server configurations that can result in poor performance, poor reliability, unexpected conflicts, increased security risks, or other potential problems.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Feature Components Poster

What is Best Practices Analyzer?

Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) is a server management tool that is available in Windows Server 2008 R2. BPA reports best practice violations to the administrator after BPA scans the roles that are installed on Windows Server 2008 R2. Administrators can filter out unnecessary information or exclude results from BPA reports. Administrators can also perform BPA tasks with either the Server Manager GUI, or Windows PowerShell cmdlets. For more information about Best Practices Analyzer and scans, see the Best Practices Analyzer Help.

 

The update described in this article contains best practice benchmarks against a computer that is running Hyper-V on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2. After this update is installed on a server that is running Windows Server 2008 R2, you can run a series of Best Practices Analyzer scans on Hyper-V that will help you to bring the role into compliance with best practices.
You can use Hyper-V Best Practices Analyzer to scan a server that is running the Hyper-V role, and help identify configurations that do not comply with best practices for this role. BPA scans the configuration of the physical computer, the virtual machines, and other resources such as virtual networking or virtual storage. Scan results are displayed as a list that you can sort by severity, and include recommendations for fixing issues and links to instructions. No configuration changes occur automatically by running the scan. More information about Hyper-V is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=48557

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

DownloadDownload the update package now.

Featured Content

Hyper-V Best Practices Analyzer is now available for Windows Server 2008 R2

In Windows management, best practices are guidelines to configure a server as defined by experts. For example, it is considered a best practice for most server technologies to keep open ports that are required for the technologies to communicate with other networked computers and also block unused ports. Whereas best practice violations, even very important best practice violations, are not necessarily problematic, they indicate server configurations that can result in poor performance, poor reliability, unexpected conflicts, increased security risks, or other potential problems.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Feature Components Poster

What is Best Practices Analyzer?

Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) is a server management tool that is available in Windows Server 2008 R2. BPA reports best practice violations to the administrator after BPA scans the roles that are installed on Windows Server 2008 R2. Administrators can filter out unnecessary information or exclude results from BPA reports. Administrators can also perform BPA tasks with either the Server Manager GUI, or Windows PowerShell cmdlets. For more information about Best Practices Analyzer and scans, see the Best Practices Analyzer Help.

 

The update described in this article contains best practice benchmarks against a computer that is running Hyper-V on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2. After this update is installed on a server that is running Windows Server 2008 R2, you can run a series of Best Practices Analyzer scans on Hyper-V that will help you to bring the role into compliance with best practices.
You can use Hyper-V Best Practices Analyzer to scan a server that is running the Hyper-V role, and help identify configurations that do not comply with best practices for this role. BPA scans the configuration of the physical computer, the virtual machines, and other resources such as virtual networking or virtual storage. Scan results are displayed as a list that you can sort by severity, and include recommendations for fixing issues and links to instructions. No configuration changes occur automatically by running the scan. More information about Hyper-V is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=48557

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

DownloadDownload the update package now.

Featured Content

Posted May 3, 2010 by Robert Smit in Virtualization

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