Showing posts with label Windows 8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows 8. Show all posts

Sunday, April 15, 2012

System Center 2012 CTP for Windows Server "8" Beta

Have done some preliminary readings about CTP and its material.

What is CTP
Community Technology Preview (“CTP”) enables System Center customers to jointly evaluate System Center 2012 and Windows Server “8” Beta. Customers should use this CTP for their evaluations of Windows Server “8” beta, and to provide Microsoft with feedback on both products. The CTP includes updates to the Virtual Machine Manager and Data Protection Manager components of System Center 2012.


What are the technology available now in CTP
As of now, there are only 2 products available in CTP program, these are:-
  • Virtual Machine Manager 2012
  • Data Protection Manager 2012

What do I get out of SC2012 CTP

Virtual Machine Manager
The CTP enables the Virtual Machine Manager component's management server to run on Windows Server “8” as well as managing virtual machines (VMs) hosted on Windows Server “8”. The CTP also enables management of new Windows Server “8” features in Virtual Machine Manager:

  • Creation of Hyper-V Virtual Networks using Hyper-V Network Virtualization
  • Creation of virtual machines using the VHDx format
  • SMB 2.2 file servers as storage for virtual machines in a clustered and non-clustered environment
  • Live migration and live storage migration
Data Protection Manager The CTP enables the Data Protection Manager component's repository and agents to run on Windows Server ‘8” as well as providing protection in Windows Server “8” environments. The CTP also adds protection for new features in Windows Server “8”:

  • Hyper-V Virtual Machines on Cluster Shared Volumes 2.0 (CSV2.0)
  • Hyper-V Virtual Machines on remote SMB share
  • Files on De-Duplicated Volumes

What are the system requirements


Supported operating systems: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 8 Beta

Data Protection Manager:
Windows 2008
Windows 2008 R2
Windows "8" Beta

Virtual Machine Manager:
 
Windows “8” Beta (Management Server, Console, Library Server, VM Hosts)
Windows “8” Beta or Windows Server 2008 R2 (Database Server)
Windows Server “8” is the only supported guest operating system

Other Software: SQL Server 2008 R2 with SP1, Standard, Enterprise or Datacenter Edition, 64-bit edition only

Pre-requisite Software: .NET 3.5

Hypervisor:  Data Protection Manager: Not applicable
Virtual Machine Manager: Hyper-V on Windows Server "8" only

Where can I get CTP
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=29099


Saturday, April 7, 2012

Hyper-V Replica of Windows Server 8 Beta

I have blogged about Hyper-V replica a while ago when Windows Server 8 release as Developer Preview. And here comes the Windows Server 8 Beta released not long ago, Hyper-V Replica is everywhere on the net most exciting part of it, more and more detailed technical documentation make available by Microsoft to the public particular to this piece of Hyper-V components.
My first look is on the Windows Server 8 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and my first expression was…………<speechless>………..and WOW !!!! IMPRESSIVE!

Windows Server "8" Beta Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster

"Hyper-V Replica is an asynchronous virtual machine replication technology that is included in Windows Server "8" Beta. It is designed for business continuity and disaster recovery. It works with any server, network, or storage vendor. It does not require any shared storage. It enables you to replicate individual or multiple virtual machines. Hyper-V Replica is tightly integrated with Hyper-V and Failover Clustering. You can replicate virtual machines from one computer running Hyper-V at a primary site (the primary server) to another computer running Hyper-V at a Replica site (the Replica server). The Replica server accepts incoming replication traffic from one or more primary servers." - Windows Server "8" Beta Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster

Figure 1: Windows Server "8" Beta Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster

Technical Write Up
A document on Understand and Troubleshoot Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server "8" Beta is available for you if you are looking for the detailed bits of Hyper-V Replica in Windows Server 8. I personally find that this document is very useful for someone like me who involves in proposing Hyper-V design.

Hyper-V Replica with Powershell
For some of you would like to deploy Hyper-V with Server Core installation, you may be looking into managing Hyper-V Replica using Powershell. The below 2 blogs you may be interested in :

Technical Diagram of Hyper-V Replica



My previous testing and blog of Hyper-V Replica
You may refer to :-
How-To: Enable Hyper-V 3.0 Replica (Part 1)

More testing on the way when I secured hardware for testing :-)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

How-To: Enable Hyper-V 3.0 Replica (Part 2)

As promise in my previous blog How-To: Enable Hyper-V 3.0 Replica (Part 1), I have capture a full video of my testing on Hyper-V 3.0 Replica. Below are the videos and it is best view at 720p resolution:-

Hyper-V 3.0 Replica Highlights During Testing
As usual, i did quite number of things that may be does not make sense with the purpose to see how is the Hyper-V manager handle this. Below are some of the things that I have tried to perform during the testing.

Maximum number of recovery point
Notice that the Store additional recovery points have a maximum value of 15.

Figure 1: Maximum value of Store additional recovery point is 15

Schedule Initial Replication
You can only schedule the Initial Replication not later than 7 days.
Figure 2: Schedule of Initial Replication must be within 7 days


Power up the VM during replication
When you try to power up the VM during the Replication in progress, This is the error you will get.
Figure 3: Error when power up VM during replication
Network Utilization During Initial Replication
The network utilization at 95% of 100Mbps during Initial Replication. Looking forward to test again when i got 1Gbps switch.
Figure 4: Network utilization
Report of Replication Health
Report is available to tell you the statistics and status of VM replication.
Figure 5: Replication Health Report
Failover test
You can use failover test to test the functionality of the replicated VM. The Test Failover feature will create a test VM of the replicated VM with just a click away.
Figure 6: Test Failover

Plan Failover must turn off production VM
Your planed failover will not work if the production VM is still running.
Figure 7: Planned Failover failed
Figure 8: Planned Failover started
Reverse Failover
Reverse Failover is necessary when the production Hyper-V host is running and you want your VM return to that host.
Figure 9: Reverse Replication for VM that was failover to DR Hyper-V host



Thursday, January 26, 2012

How-To: Enable Hyper-V 3.0 Replica (Part 1)

Challenges of Replication in those days
In previous day, replication is complex to configure and setup and often requires expensive proprietaty hardware or software. Due to this,not many of us could afford replication of VMs for disaster recovery copy. Well what about to change the way we design our DR center in the next few months is that Microsoft's Hyper-V 3.0 is to bundle with Hyper-V Replica.

Hyper-V Replica
Hyper-V Replica is asynchronous, application consistent, virtual machine replication built-in to Windows Server 8. With Hyper-V Replica, you can replicate a virtual machine from one location to another with Hyper-V and a network connection. Hyper-V Replica works with any server vendor, any network vendor and any storage vendor. In addition, we will provide unlimited replication in the box. With Hyper-V Replica, we could now design our disaster recovery site in a more cost effective way.

Setup
Figure 1: My test environment

This setup require:-
2. Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

*Note: The Hyper-V Replica of Hyper-V 3.0 which bundle in Microsoft Server 8 Developer Preview and its feature are subject to changes when Windows Server 8 RTM released.

Enabling Hyper-V Replica
If you have not have your test server install with Windows Server 8 DP, you may follow my blog How To: Windows Server 8 Boot from VHD to install Windows Server 8 DP on VHD and How-To: Install Hyper-V Role on Windows Server 8 to install Hyper-V role on Windows Server 8 DP.


1. Click Start and launch Hyper-V Manager
2. Select the VM that you want to enable replication, right-lick and select Enable Replication.
Figure 2: Select Enable Replication...
3. Specify Replica Server with FQDN of the target Hyper-V server where you want to move the VM. Click Verify Configuration
Figure 2: Enable Replication of Hyper-V server
4. If this is the first time replication is enable for the server, click Configure server.
Figure 3: Enable replication for first time
5. Select Replication Configuration on the left pane of Hyper-V Settings page. Check Enable this computer as replica server, check Use Integrated Windows Authentication (HTTP) and make sure it use port 80, check Allow replication from specified servers and select the source Hyper-V server and storage location.

Figure 4: Replication Configuration on target Hyper-V Server
6. Select Virtual Machine Move Configuration on left pane. Check Enable this computer to receive Virtual Machine Migrations. Click Apply.
Figure 5: Virtual Machine Move Configuration
7. Click Next until Summary. Click Finish. Upon Finish is clicked, the initial replication will kick start.
Figure 6: Finish enabling Hyper-V Replica
I am currently working on capturing data and video when the initial replication take place and I will post them as How-To: Enable Hyper-V 3.0 Replica (Part 2).

Update 29 January 2012 :-
How-To: Enable Hyper-V 3.0 Replica (Part 2) is available.




Wednesday, January 25, 2012

How-To: NIC Teaming with Windows Server 8 Developer Preview

NIC teaming are now bundle with Microsoft Windows Server 8. With this exciting bundle, IT engineer will no longer suffer in configuring teaming software which proprietary to hardware vendors most occasions. AND this also means the NIC teaming of Windows Server 8 is applicable to NIC of diferrent manufacturers.

Jut got a little time to test out how does this work. Thanks to Noel i got my chance to get my hands on the a pair of CISCO UCS C series, and these server are as shown below
Figure 1: CISCO UCS C-Series Rackmount
My setup was having 2 x NIC of the server connects to my home router, a very common Belkin ADSL router. And here goes the configuration steps :-

1. Click Start and select Server Manager.
2. Click Disable at the NIC Teaming.
Figure 2: NIC Teaming at Server Manager pane
3. Click OK at Manager Servers window.
Figure 3: Managed Servers
 4. Select HV2 (or the server you are about to configure) and notice that there are 2 x NIC present.
Figure 4: NIC Teaming window
 5. The diagram below shows my NICs speed. 100Mbps... =(
Figure 5: NIC Speed
 6. Click Tasks and select New Team.
Figure 6: Teams pane
 7. Type in prefer Team Name and Team Interface Name. Select the NICs you want to team.
Figure 7: Add Team
 8. Select Advanced on the left pane and select Switch Independent for Teaming Mode and Address Hash for Load Distribution Mode. Click Apply.
Figure 8: Add Team (advanced)
 9. New teamed NIC created.
Figure 9: NIC Teaming
 10. Check the created NIC.



Sunday, January 22, 2012

How-To: Install Hyper-V Role on Windows Server 8

If you have not install Windows Server 8 Developer Preview yet, you may also follow guide which i have blogged earlier at How To: Windows Server 8 Boot from VHD. Upon the installation of Windows Server 8, you may proceed with the steps below for Hyper-V V3 role installation:-

1. In Windows Server 8 Developer Preview, launch the Server Manager Console.
2. If you have not launch the Server Manager, click on Start > Server Manager.
3. At the Dashboard, click add roles
Figure1: Dashboard of Server Manager
4. At the Add Roles and Features Wizard page, select Role-based or Feature-based Installation.
Figure2: Add Roles and Features Wizard
5. Click Next until Server Roles.
6. At the Select Server Roles page, select Hyper-V.
7. Click Next until Confirmation.
8. At the Confirm installation selections page, check Restart each destination server automatically if required.
Figure3: Confirmation
Figure4: Role installation in progress
9. After the server has completed rebooting, log back on to the Windows Server 8 Developer Preview with following credentials:
10. Close the Server Manager window.
11. Launch the Server Manager, click on Start > Server Manager.
12. Click on Hyper-V Manager.
Figure5: Hyper-V Manager from Start
Figure6: Hyper-V Manager

Saturday, January 7, 2012

How To: Windows Server 8 Boot from VHD

Lately have been trying out Windows Server 8 on Hyper-V and decided to boot up Windows Server 8 directly from my notebook. What I discovered is that it seem like the sysprep-ed of the OS on VHD are not bootable by using the similar way what we have for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

My current running OS is Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 on physical partition and a boot from VHD with Windows 7.

Found out blogs on the net which use this concept:
1. Boot machine with Windows Server 8 Developer Preview DVD
2. Bring out the 'Command Prompt'
3. Use 'Diskpart' to create and attach an empty VHD
4. Continue the installation of Windows Server 8

Below are the set of steps and commands you need:-
1. Insert 'Windows Developer Preview' to your DVD-Rom. If you have not had a copy go here to download a copy.
2. Boot your computer with the 'Windows Developer Preview' DVD.
3. At the first Setup page, press 'Shift + F10' to bring out 'Command Prompt'

4. Type 'diskpart'
5. Type 'list disk'. This guide assume your computer has 1 hard drive, so the expected result is you get 'Disk 0' listed.
6. Type 'select disk 0'
7. Type 'list volume'. you should see all your existing partition on the hard drive with 'Drive Letter'.
8. Type 'create vdisk file=<drive:>\windows8.vhd maximum 80000 type expandable'. Replace <drive:> with the drive letter where you want to store the VHD. This will  create a VHD with size 80GB.
9. Type 'select vdisk file=<drive:>\windows8.vhd'.
10. Type 'attach vdisk'
11. Type 'exit'
12. Continue with the installation step.
13. You will see 'Disk1' during the disk and partition selection.

UPDATE:
22 January 2012
To install Hyper-V V3 role on Windows Server 8, you may use my guide at How-To: Install Hyper-V Role on Windows Server 8