Jun 03

Private Cloud with HP and Microsoft

HP not only offer a private/public cloud based on its amazing HP Bladesystem Matrix & VMware, but also on a Hyper-V platform as well, and its part of the Microsoft Hyper-V Cloud Fast Track program (see here for more information of the Fast Track program and how it can help accelerate your journey to the cloud).

HP’s Cloud Foundation for Hyper-V is a reference architecture that combines HP BladeSystem Matrix with Microsoft System Center to help you build the key components required for implementing a private cloud infrastructure. It also includes a step-by-step guidebook for implementing usage scenarios that take advantage of the joint value of Microsoft Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center products.

For more information see:

http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/us/en/partners/microsoft-cloud-foundation.html?jumpid=ex_r2858_us/en/large/tsg/microsoft_cloud

Jun 02

vCD – Hardening Guide

Came across an interesting read here.  For all those looking at deploying a VMware vCloud Director theres a white paper produced by VMware, definately worth a read, guidelines & best practise for configuration and installation of vCD.

Jun 02

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 SP1

What extras are include in SP1 Hyper-V Server 2008 R2?

  • Dynamic Memory: better utilize memory resources by balancing how memory is distributed between virtual machines.  It can be dynamically reallocated between these virtual machines in response to greater workload demands within these VM’s.  It allows consistent workload scalability and performance therefore making more efficient use of memory.
  • Remote FX: Basically, media rich user environments for virtual & session based desktops, while doing server side graphics processing.

I’ve always been a massive fan of vSphere, but is it time to move to Hyper-V now?  With each new service pack and update Hyper-V’s features bring it nearer and nearer to those of vSphere.

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, now with Service Pack 1 (SP1) provides new virtualization technologies that enable you to deliver more advanced capabilities to your business for increased IT efficiency and agility. Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 SP1 adds new features like Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX allowing you to better utilize memory resources of Hyper-V hosts and provide rich end user experience for VDI and session virtualization.

For more information visit the Microsoft Hyper-V website

Jun 01

Exchange 2010 – DAG & HA/DRS

It used to be if you introduced DAG’s into a virtual Exchange 2010 environment then you’d have to disable HA/DRS as that could cause all sorts of issues, oh, and wasn’t supported by Microsoft, a big problem i’d say, but now DAG’s are supported in this scenario!

The following support scenarios are being updated, for Exchange 2010 SP1, and later:

  • The Unified Messaging server role is supported in a virtualized environment.
  • Combining Exchange 2010 high availability solutions (database availability groups (DAGs)) with hypervisor-based clustering, high availability, or migration solutions that will move or automatically failover mailbox servers that are members of a DAG between clustered root servers, is now supported.

If you are doing this, make sure the solutions are configured correctly and in a fully supportable environment, not only from VMware’s point of view, but also Microsofts.

But, think carefully about using HA/DRS in an Exchange 2010 DAG environment, do you really need it? Isn’t DAG enough?

May 31

vSphere cluster – Cluster Operational Status

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but under the summary tab on a vSphere cluster is a little used link called ‘Cluster Operational Status’.  This pops up a nice window that shows you any configuration issues that are occuring within the cluster, a nice easy snapshot of what problems there are, if any, if the screen is gray then you are in luck and the cluster isn’t reporting any issues at all 🙂