How to back up Hyper-V virtual machines from the parent partition on a Windows Server 2008-based computer by using Windows Server Backup

This article describes how to back up Hyper-V virtual machines from the parent partition on a Windows Server 2008-based computer by using Windows Server Backup.

To back up Hyper-V virtual machines from the parent partition on Windows Server 2008 by using Windows Server Backup, you must register the Microsoft Hyper-V VSS writer with Windows Server Backup.

To register the Hyper-V VSS writer with Windows Server Backup, follow these steps.

Installing SQL Server 2008 on a Windows Server 2008 Cluster

In a previous tip on SQL Server 2008 Installation Process, we have seen how different SQL Server 2008 installation is from its previous versions. Now, we have another challenge to face: installing SQL Server 2008 on a Windows Server 2008 Cluster. Windows Server 2008 has a lot of differences from its previous versions and one of them is the clustering feature. How do I go about building a clustered SQL Server 2008 running on Windows Server 2008?

Achieving High Availability for Hyper-V

Server virtualization is poised to make a significant impact in enterprise IT departments, and Hyper-V with Windows Server 2008 can make it a reality. The consolidation of servers onto fewer physical machines has huge advantages in resource and cost savings, but two key factors need to be considered during the planning process. Users have increasing expectations regarding the availability of their software, including both line-of-business (LOB) applications and tools such as messaging and collaboration platforms. Furthermore, problems or failure on servers can have a significantly greater impact on operations. Windows Server 2008 and Hyper-V provide solutions that can be implemented to provide high availability (HA) of virtual machines (VMs) as well as to the workloads being hosted inside the VMs.

An Introduction to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008

There has been quite a lot of talk about virtualization recently, and most of the discussion is specifically about server virtualization. This is one of the most exciting trends in the industry and one that has the potential, over the next few years, to change the paradigm of how IT systems are deployed. But server virtualization will not only change how IT administrators and architects think about servers and system utilization, it is also going to affect the processes and tools used to manage what will certainly become an increasingly dynamic environment.

Virtualization has actually been around for some time now, but the technology is still evolving. In fact, the word itself still means different things to different people. In broad terms, however, virtualization is about abstracting one layer of the technology stack from the next layer, like storage from servers or the OS from the applications. Abstracting the different layers, in turn, enables consolidation and better manageability.

As a concept, virtualization applies to storage, networks, servers, applications, and access. When you look at storage and networks, the goal of virtualization is to aggregate a set of different devices so the total pool of resources looks and acts like a single entity. For example, you can configure a 40TB storage solution instead of a set of 20 2TB storage devices. But with other components, virtualization acts in the opposite direction, helping you to make a single system appear as though there are multiple systems. The most common example of this is server virtualization, where you host multiple OS instances and environments on a single server.

Microsoft has approached virtualization at several different levels, extending from the desktop to the datacenter with solutions for server virtualization, application virtualization, presentation virtualization, and desktop virtualization. The common thread across all of these is the management piece with Microsoft System Center. For this article, I am focusing on the server virtualization component and specifically on how Hyper-V, a key feature of Windows Server 2008, fits into the equation for a dynamic datacenter.

Right click to mount/unmount VHD in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

Tool to mount / unmount VHDs by right clicking on a VHD file. This new tool will work on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 systems with or without Hyper-V role. This one uses diskpart commands available within this new OS and hence there is no dependency on Hyper-V WMI interfaces. So, you can use this new script only if your system has Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows Image to Virtual Hard Disk Converter (WIM2VHD)

WIM2VHD is a tool that will create a bootable VHD from a specified Windows 7 or 2008 R2 WIM image (like the INSTALL.WIM file that ships on the installation DVDs) without having to run Windows Setup.  That means that you can a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 virtual machine up and running much, much faster.

Powering Server Core - Configuring UPS Devices

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 came with built-in support for serial and USB connected Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) devices. From within the Power Options you could manage your UPS and the shutdown behavior of the box.

About UPS Devices

UPS devices help prevent loss of data from power loss (“black-outs) by shutting down the server properly instead of abruptly. The device also helps protect the server hardware from power surges, brown outs, drop outs and voltage fluctuations, extending the life of the hardware.

Continues on...

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Security Guide – beta now available

For organizations that seek cost-effective operations, the benefits of virtualization are more evident than ever. Microsoft® Hyper-V technology allows consolidation of workloads that are currently spread across multiple underutilized servers onto a smaller number of servers. This capability provides you with a way to reduce costs through lower hardware, energy, and management overhead while creating a more dynamic IT infrastructure.

Virtualization technologies are causing enterprise organizations to shift their thinking about IT. The Hyper-V Security Guide can help you elevate the security of virtualized Windows Server® environments to meet your business-critical needs. This accelerator provides IT professionals like you with recommendations to address your key security concerns around server virtualization. The guide provides authoritative guidance that relates to the following strategies for securing virtualized environments.

Disk Subsystem Performance Analysis for Windows

Analyzing storage subsystem performance is an art, not a science. Each rule has an exception; each system designer or administrator has a different combination of hardware configurations and software workloads to consider. This paper examines the performance of storage subsystems used by computers running the Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 family of operating systems.
This paper considers performance from both the hardware and software perspectives. In addition, it discusses tools for storage subsystem analysis and design and provides rules of thumb and guidelines for system design and to solve the performance bottlenecks in specific configurations.

Native VHD booting on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

If you have been testing Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, you must have come across native VHD booting feature. This allows us to boot OS from VHD file residing on the hard drive. You don’t need a Hypervisor to boot from VHD. Windows 7 boot architecure changed a bit to accomodate this. In fact, Windows Server 2008 has the option to boot from a file.

Adding a Server Running Windows Server 2008 to a Windows Small Business Server 2003 Network

This document describes how to join a computer that is running the Windows Server® 2008 operating system to your Windows® Small Business Server 2003 (Windows SBS) network.