Core Configurator 2.0 is released

Posted by DH on 4th December 2009

The CoreConfig Team is pleased to announce the latest version of Core Configurator built and designed for Windows Server 2008 R2 Core edition!

It is completely open source so it can be amended and change to fit your requirements, this version has been a year in the making and has been written in powershell with a reference to Winforms so that a GUI format is displayed.

The primary focus of this project is to try and get feedback and contributions back from the community to make this a tool the best/ free tool everyone will want in there toolkit, so if you have some code or features that you might want included then please leave a comment and we will get in touch.

Core Configuration tasks include:

  • Product Licensing
  • Networking Features
  • DCPromo Tool
  • ISCSI Settings
  • Server Roles and Features
  • User and Group Permissions
  • Share Creation and Deletion
  • Dynamic Firewall settings
  • Display | Screensaver Settings
  • Add & Remove Drivers
  • Proxy settings
  • Windows Updates (Including WSUS)
  • Multipath I/O
  • Hyper-V including virtual machine thumbnails
  • JoinDomain and Computer rename
  • Add/remove programs
  • Services
  • WinRM
  • Complete logging of all commands executed

Please Download the latest release and run Start_CoreConfig.wsf.  Download: http://www.codeplex.com/CoreConfig

If you require the previous release for Windows Server 2008 R1 then please see the download section for Core Configurator 1.1 as Core Configurator 2.0 requires Powershell 2.0 and NetFx.

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MOF 4.0 updated guides released

Posted by DH on 4th December 2009

MOF 4.0 is practical guidance for IT organizations. With the release of version 4.0, MOF now reflects a single, comprehensive IT service lifecycle—it helps IT professionals connect service management principles to everyday IT tasks and activities and ensures alignment between IT and the business.

New!  Getting Started with MOF 4.0: An Implementation Guide.

This new extension of the MOF core content speaks to three targeted audiences—the CIO/IT director, IT managers, and individual contributors. The guide is the first step to a more efficient MOF implementation. It provides role- and situation-specific guidance, focused on helping users understand where to apply MOF and how to get the most from its recommendations.

MOF Action Plan: Release Readiness for Windows 7.

The latest release in the MOF Action Plan series addresses the challenge of validating people-readiness for Windows 7 deployment. Building upon guidance from the MOF Release Readiness Management Review, this action plan asks the reader to evaluate four distinct aspects of release readiness. The action plan provides key considerations to determine organizational preparedness, as well as guidance for creating a tailored deployment checklist.

MOF Action Plan: Redistributing the Workload.

This new series of MOF Action Plans was created to address the many challenges faced by IT pros. These resources provide IT pros with concise, actionable solutions that address real-world IT problems. The first release in this new series addresses the challenge of redistributing the workload due to staffing cuts. It asks readers to consider and reconfigure responsibilities and work distribution, based on key principles and best practices from MOF 4.0 core content.

Microsoft Operations Framework 4.0.

MOF 4.0 is designed to help IT professionals quickly access useful, relevant content. It contains practical guidance—not just theory—and its streamlined approach makes it possible to use either the entire framework or one process from a particular service management function (SMF).

Using MOF for ISO/IEC 20000.

This guide will help IT management, staff, and service providers to understand ISO/IEC 20000 requirements and help them use MOF as a means to streamlined and efficient implementation. The guide enables users to take informed steps toward ISO/IEC implementation, make cost-reducing process improvements, and increase organizational efficiency and flexibility. Ultimately, the steps outlined in this guide will help an organization meet ISO/IEC 20000 requirements and deliver effective IT services.

Cross Reference ITIL V3 and MOF 4.0.

This guide compares the similarities and differences between two of the leading service management frameworks—the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Microsoft Operations Framework. In an environment where IT organizations are challenged as never before to deliver better IT services at lower costs, these service management frameworks offer best practice guidance for service improvement. This guide provides background information on IT Service Management (ITSM), introduces ITIL and MOF, and then discusses the two frameworks’ alignment, cross referencing, and application. It will enhance readers’ understanding of the main characteristics of these frameworks and how they align.

Planning for Software-plus-Services: A MOF Companion Guide.

This guide provides a framework for considering and planning a software-plus-service strategy, using concise guidance and strategies from MOF 4.0 core content. The steps in this guide can be used to evaluate how software-plus-services will best help an organization. This is the first of the MOF companion guides, which apply MOF 4.0 principles to specific activities—making MOF’s guidance even more practical and usable.

MOF to COBIT/Val IT Comparison and Cross-Implementation Guide: How to Leverage MOF in a COBIT/Val IT Environment.

This guide connects MOF, COBIT, and Val IT, enabling IT operations managers and professionals to understand how to best meet the mounting challenge of managing IT services in a way that appropriately demonstrates compliance. The guide describes the three frameworks, discusses their relationship to each other, and offers tips and techniques on how to use MOF to achieve the governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) objectives defined in the COBIT and Val IT governance frameworks. This guide will ultimately help users understand how MOF aligns with and supports the governance frameworks as well as the vital role MOF plays in integrating GRC capabilities into the daily operations of delivering high-quality and reliable IT services. To launch the download of this guide, go to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=151989.

MOF Job Aids.

These templates, worksheets, and tools help IT pros apply MOF 4.0 guidance to specific scenarios and challenges.

IT Pro Quick Start Kit.

Save time and money by learning more about MOF 4.0. The IT Pro Quick Start Kit gives an overview of MOF 4.0 and provides the tools to start using it today. The kit includes links to presentations and data sheets, information on MOF, compliance, and training and certification, ready-to-use graphics, and supporting materials.

To learn more, visit www.microsoft.com/MOF.

Send questions or feedback to us directly at mof@microsoft.com.

Download files:          http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=457ed61d-27b8-49d1-baca-b175e8f54c0c

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Free Microsoft Virtualization E-learning courses.

Posted by DH on 20th April 2009

Microsoft App-V

This online course provides IT Professionals the knowledge to implement and manage Microsoft Application Virtualization. Topics covered in the clinic include:

  • Features and functionalities of Application Virtualization
  • Deployment and maintenance of Application Virtualization
  • Management of Application Virtualization by using the Application Virtualization Management console

 
Exploring Microsoft Application Virtualization

SCVMM 2008

This online course provides IT Professionals the knowledge to implement and manage Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008. Topics covered in the clinic include:

  • Features and functionalities of VMM
  • Implementation and management of VMM
  • Management of VMM library
  • Management of hosts by using VMM
  • Implementation of virtual machine Self-Services

Exploring Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
 
Terminal Services in Server 2008

This online course provides IT Professionals the knowledge to implement and manage Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008. Topics covered in the clinic include:

  • Implementation of Terminal Services
  • Working with Terminal Services RemoteApp, Terminal Services Web Access, Terminal Services Gateway, Terminal Services Session Broker, and Terminal Services Licensing

 
Exploring Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008

Microsoft Hyper-V

This 2-hour online course provides IT Professionals the knowledge to implement and manage Hyper-V in an IT environment. Topics covered in the course include:

  • Features of Hyper-V
  • Features of server consolidation
  • Hyper-V implementation
  • Creation of virtual machines
  • Dynamic datacenters
  • Clustering in virtual environments

 
Introducing Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008

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Beta of the Hyper-V management pack for System Center Operations Manager available for request.

Posted by DH on 14th April 2009

System Center Operations Manager management pack for Hyper-V.

A quick note that a beta of the Hyper-V management pack for System Center Operations Manager (2007, 2007 R2) is available. In combination with SCVMM (for advanced monitoring of VMs across your Hyper-V, ESX and Virtual Server environments), this SCOM management pack enables health/perf monitoring of the Hyper-V host. The management pack includes health diagram view of virtual machines, virtual components roll-up per host, critical Hyper-V Service monitoring, disk space threshold monitoring.

This beta management pack supports the following OS only (for now):

  • Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (Full Installation with Hyper-V Role enabled)
  • Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition (Full Installation with Hyper-V Role enabled)
  • Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition (Full Installation with Hyper-V Role enabled) 

To request an invitation to access this beta, you can send a message to the following address: MPCC@microsoft.com

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Pre-register for VMM 2008 R2 Beta

Posted by DH on 12th March 2009

UPDATE: SCVMM 2008 R2 now available for download. Go to your dashboard on http://connect.microsoft.com and download your beta version now!

Be first in line to get VMM 2008 R2 Beta when its ready. Enroll at MS Connect and receive an email with download instructions the moment VMM R2 beta is available. Sign in to LiveID and pre-register.

Read the rest of this entry »

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