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System Center and Cloud Technologies showcase at SCU Australia
For the FIRST time ever, System Center Universe is coming to Australia in 2016! This is a first-class community conference where you can mingle with experts and fellow industry professionals to explore new technologies. The conference has been running for many years in Asia, typically Singapore and Malaysia and also in Europe and USA.
This one days event will be showcasing upcoming System Center solutions and Cloud Technologies with integration of the latest Windows 10!
Who should attend SCU?
System Center Universe Australia is a technical conference for administrators, engineers, architects, project managers and other technical-oriented people that are focused on Microsoft products and technologies. Less technical oriented people can still benefit from the conference by getting a broad overview of problem-solving solutions and of course by connecting to exhibitors and community specialists.
Why is SCU different from other conferences?
SCU is a first-class community conference that lives from inputs and ideas from people who are part of the community and knows about real-world requirements and solutions. That said, we are not marketing-driven but to present the latest and greatest content with the best speakers. Sessions are presented with lots of live demos and can go technically deep, mainly down to level 300 or 400 (advanced and expert). Attending SCU gives you ready-to-use knowledge and allows you to connect and build long-term relations with speakers and attendees from all over the world.
Conference Date
March 11, 2016
Conference Venue
Crown Promenade Melbourne, Australia
Conference Language
English
Device Management with the NEW System Center Configuration Manager
Microsoft announced a new release (version 1511) of System Center Configuration Manager and Endpoint Protection.
This release provides key new capabilities:
- Comprehensive support for Windows 10, giving you multiple options to deploy, update, and manage Windows 10 in the way that makes sense for your business:
- It enables “in-place upgrade” to move systems from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 directly to Windows 10 much faster than before.
- It enables IT to keep Windows 10 devices up-to-date and get a better insight into the Windows 10 deployments with new configurable deployment rings and the servicing dashboard as well as identify devices that are managed via Windows Update for Business.
- More frequent and easier to install updates.
- More choice for managing Windows devices: now, you can use ConfigMgr to manage Windows 10 devices via MDM directly, without needing to store data in the cloud.
- Improved unified device management. ConfigMgr provides an improved unified device management platform for customers using System Center Configuration Manager integrated with Microsoft Intune to manage PCs, servers, and mobile devices. This release enables faster updates to bring new Intune features to your hybrid deployments. Some of the new hybrid features that you can expect to see in this release are support for Mac OS X MDM, Windows 10 Edition Upgrade, customized terms of use, and more.
Click here to watch an Overview of ConfigMgr
It can be downloaded from the Microsoft Evaluation Center, MSDN, and Volume Licensing Service Center.
What are your prefered Operations Manager Management Pack? What are the TOP 5?
The System Center community is large and continually growing. For new users that are just getting to grips with the new software, there is an abundance of additional management packs that need to be installed before getting the full benefit. These Management Packs (MPs) take the form of updates from Microsoft, free software from 3rd party vendors, and paid-for solutions from 3rd party vendors.
We want to know what your top 5 must-have MPs are in each category. Whether you are an IT Manager, Administrator, consultant, or MVP, this is your chance to share your experience and let others know what MP’s everyone should have. We will publish the results in a later blog highlighting the top 5 System Center MPs. Whether you are a new user with Microsoft System Center or a seasoned professional, the survey is completely anonymous
N.B. All Management Packs included were available on Microsoft Pinpoint or Microsoft Technet at time of writing: Vendor Management Packs, Microsoft Management Packs
Matthew Carr
Posted by Savision https://www.savision.com/resources/blog/vote-your-top-system-center-management-packs
Make your voice heard and improve Windows Server 2016
The public download for Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 2 (TP2) is here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-technical-preview
Now it is your time to give your feedback to the Microsoft Product team and help them improve Windows Server 2016
- Virtualization: http://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295050-virtualization
- Clustering: http://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295074-clustering
- Storage: http://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295056-storage
- Networking: http://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295059-networking
- Nano Server: http://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295068-nano-server
- Linux Support: http://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295062-linux-support
- Windows Server in general: http://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295047-general-feedback
What’s new in Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 2: (Please note that this is pre-released software; features and functionality may differ in the final release, that’s why YOUR FEEDBACK IS VERY IMPORTANT)
Compute and Virtualization: Simplified upgrades, new installment options, and increased resilience, helping you ensure the stability of the infrastructure without limiting agility.
Networking: Continued investment to make networking as flexible and cost-effective as possible while ensuring high performance.
Storage: Expanding capabilities in software-defined storage with an emphasis on resilience, reduced cost, and increased control.
Security and Assurance: Protecting against today’s threats with a “zero-trust” approach to security that is rooted in the hardware.
Management: Ongoing advances to simplify server management and increase consistency in approach.
- PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) for easier, consistent and faster deployment and updates.
- PowerShell Package Manager for unified package management and deployment
- Windows Management Framework 5.0 April Preview and DSC Resource Kit (available online simultaneously with TP2)
Enhancing Operations Manager with Savision Dashboards
Several key IT trends have been reshaping the industry, notably Cloud and Big Data. As business innovations drive the need for enhanced systems, the data that IT must track grows exponentially and creates significant challenges. Without the right tools for visualizing data, significant and valuable insights remain unknown. In fact, the utter volume of data prevents organizations from capturing, analysing and presenting information that is significant…
Click here to read the full version of this article.
Web-based dashboard solution for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager
Recently Savision release a web-based dashboard solution for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, easily customizable that gives you access to the critical information you need accessible in any device, anywhere.
Savision is running a ‘Dashboards by Savision’ introduction webinar
Join Steven Dwyer, Savision’s VP of R&D, for the ‘Dashboards by Savision‘ introduction webinar. During the webinar, you will learn how to view key performance metrics for your most critical applications so that you can proactively respond to changes in load or behaviour.
You can download the free Dashboards by Savision here !
Register here for the webinars:
US Webinar – Tuesday, April 21st at 2:00 PM EDT | 8:00 PM EST
EU Webinar – Thursday, April 23rd at 10:00 AM EDT | 4:00 PM EST
Deploying System Center Operations Manager vNext
Recently Microsoft released the preview version of their next release of Windows Server, Hyper-V and System Center as did Savision with Live Maps for System Center.
Note: This blog post was first published here : http://www.savision.com/resources/blog/installing-system-center-opsmgr-vnext-and-savision-live-maps-part-i-mvp-alessandro
You can download System Center vNext Preview here and Savision Live Maps from here.
To start, make sure of the following:
- You installed the SQL Server 2014 as the database server for the System Center vNext preview edition. To note, I run into SQL connectivity issues when I tried to use an SQL 2012 version, with a message stating that I did not have a compatible version of SQL installed. Whereas the documentation says that SQL 2012 is supported for vNext preview it is not the case.
- If the SQL Server is installed on a dedicated machine (recommended), that the host firewall is configured to allow inbound connections on port 1433 (SQL) , 80(http) and 443 (https)
- You installed Reporting Services (SSRS), Analysis Services and Full Text Search as it is required by Operations Manager.
- You created an account to install System Center and it is member of local administrators. For this post, I created an account named “sc-admin”.
- Logon on the machine you plan to install System Center with the “sc-admin”
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The “sc-admin” account has permissions to create a database in the installed SQL server. You can achieve this by either adding the account to the SQL server administrators when install SQL Server, of by adding the account using SQL Server Management Studio, by expanding Security->Logins and then creating a new login, adding the “sc-admin” account and selecting “sysadmin” as permission under Server Roles (preferable). You can also, if security is a concern, create a OperationsManager database and give the account DB Owner (dbo) permission.
If the credentials you are using to install do not have permission to create the database you will receive the following message:
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The SQL Server Agent is started and set to automatic:
Or else the following error will appear when the Reporting Services configuration times come in the Operations Manager installation wizard.
Quick Note: You will notice that although you are installing System Center Operations Manager vNext, the initial screen will show 2012R2 🙂
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To initiate the installation, click on Install and the Preview logo will appear
I also recommend selecting the Download the latest updates to the setup program checkbox.
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Select the System Center features you want to install. For this post, I am selecting: Management Server, Operations Console and Reporting Server. Click Next to continue.
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In the Select Installation location, provide the path for Operations Manager installation and click on Next.
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Your system will now be checked for hardware and software against System Center requirements. If some requirements are missing it will appear on the screen for your resolution.
The below example, Report Viewer is missing. To fix the issue, click on the
to expand
Note that in the above example there are two warnings: the first one about the system not having the recommended 4GB of memory and the second one about a pending restart. As I am installing this for a demo purpose, I can safely ignore the 1st warning, but I will have to click on Cancel and restart the machine in order to proceed the installation.
Click on the link to download and install Report Viewer
- If no error is reported, click on Next to continue.
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In the Specify the installation option, select Create the first Management server in a new management group and provide the name. For this post I am using the name “lab” for the management group name.
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Click on Next to continue and accept the License terms and click on Next to proceed.
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In the configure operational database, type the SQL server name and port (if different for the default 1433)
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Click on Next to progress and to the next step where you will need to provide the Data Warehouse database configuration
- Click on Next to continue and in the next step confirm the SQL Server instance that is running the SQL Reporting Services and then click on Next to proceed.
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In the Configure Operations Manager accounts, provide the accounts details and click on Next to proceed.
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In the Help improve Operations manager, select the desired options and click on Next to proceed.
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In the Update screen select the desired option (On is recommended) and click on Next to proceed.
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On the Installation Summary, click on Install and wait for the installation to complete.
Now we have System Center Operations Manager successfully installed.
It’s time for a new Windows. Announcing Windows 10 : One Product with a tailored experience for each device
Windows 10 represents the first step of a whole new generation of Windows. Windows 10 unlocks new experiences for customers to work, play and connect. Windows 10 embodies what our customers (both consumers and enterprises) demand and what we will deliver
Microsoft promise that Windows 10 will deliver the right experience on the right device at the right time. It will be our most comprehensive platform ever
more details about what Windows 10 will have for these customers, check out this blog post on the Windows for your Business blog.
Check out the Windows 10 Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=84NI5fjTfpQ
And form Windows Server and System Center perspective:
Infrastructure upgrades: Rolling upgrades for Hyper-V clusters to the next version of Windows Server without downtime for your applications and workloads. This includes support for mixed versions as you transition your infrastructure.
Networking: New components for our software-defined networking stack that enable greater flexibility and control, including a network controller role to manage virtual and physical networks.
Storage: New synchronous storage replication that enhances availability for key applications and workloads plus storage Quality of Service to deliver minimum and maximum IOPS in environments with workloads with diverse storage requirements.
Remote Desktop: Enhanced application compatibility with OpenGL and OpenCL support.
Identity and Access Management: New scenarios to reduce the risk profile of administrators with elevated rights, including time-based access with fine-grained privileges, and new application publishing capabilities.
The DOWNLOAD it is not yet available but if you want to download the bits or try them on Azure, it will be published here http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=404281
DATA as a power enablement
Cloud Management improving business agility
If you’re building a cloud solution you understand that getting expert advice rapidly better enables you to build solutions that address your business’ or customer’s needs.
I have been working with System Center and Cloud implementations for quite a while now as well as writing books about System Center. Deploying cloud management solutions like System Center requires an approach that takes advantage of the opportunities and features offered by the virtualization layer.
Beyond IT productivity, cloud management can dramatically improve business agility. However, an evolving cloud architecture can also lead to waste and inefficiency. Has the efficiency of your cloud architecture been reviewed overtime? Are you optimally defining the placement of workloads?
One of the concerns I always raise when speaking with decision makers and cloud adopters is ongoing management, especially with respect to increasing virtual machine density, preventing resource exhaustion, and tuning your environment to build a tailored virtualized infrastructure for your organization that will stand the test of time.
As an automated solution for infrastructure reviews, I definitely recommend Savision Cloud Advisor which provides an impact analysis for each problem it discovers and identifies savings for your business.
At TechEd NZ 2014 keynote speaker James Whittaker, talked about DATA as a power enablement. That’s exactly what this tool is about. It analyses the information VMM stores in the SQL database, using statistical techniques with the goal of discovering useful information, providing tips for your Private Cloud implementation.
Get tips for your Private Cloud implementation
A big plus for the tool is that it does not impose any load on the hosts or virtual machines. All information used in tip generation is retrieved from the System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) database.
To install Savision Cloud Advisor on VMM 2012 R2 follow the following steps:
- Download Cloud Advisor (http://www.savision.com/free-tuning-and-optimization-recommendations) as a zip file (don’t extract it).
- Save it to a location on the VMM Console machine (i.e. c:\Savision)
Note: the add-in should be installed on each machine running the VMM console. - Create an empty .txt file under ‘%PROGRAM FILES%\Microsoft System Center 2012\Virtual Machine Manager\bin\AddInPipeline\AddInViews’ folder
Note: All required files are distributed with the add-in, but a bug in VMM causes it to not always recognize this fact, that’s why you need to create the empty .txt file
4. On the VMM 2012 R2 Console, logon as VMM Admin, click on Settings and then click on Import Console Add-In.
5. Click on Browse and select the file Savision_Cloud_advisior.zip
6. Click on Continue after receiving the message “Add-in is valid but has warnings.”
7. Make sure Continue installing this add-in anyway is checked.
8. Click on Next and then click on Finish.
9. Close the VMM Console and then re-open it.
10. The Cloud Advisor add-in will appear on the VMM ribbon bar when a host, cluster, or cloud is selected.
Note: The first time you run the add-in, it will prompt you for credentials to the SQL Server database in which VMM stores performance data.
This performance data is used to assist in generating tuning tips. Provide the credentials of a user that has read access to the SQL database and click Connect.
For more information, read more about Savision’s Cloud Advisor FREE tool for free tuning and optimization recommendations for System Center VMM or visit Savision’s training center.
Note:
Post originally published on http://www.savision.com/resources/blog/data-power-enablement-mvp-alessandro-Cardoso
System Center 2012 Operations Manager. How to quickly become more efficient
Recently when working on a System Center 2012 R2 project I found some very useful videos that will help you speed your learning curve on Operations Manager and will help you become more efficient.
System Center 2012 Operations Manager Dashboards: Visualizing Alert Data. Richard Pesenko, Microsoft Senior Support Escalation Engineer who works on Operations Manager support team, published a video out that walks you all through visualizing alert data in OpsMgr 2012.
Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKVvjeQAGm0&feature=player_embedded
Private Cloud Demo Extravaganza : Deep Application Diagnostics & Insight with System Center 2012. how to analyze and isolate a problem impacting an application using System Center 2012. Adam Hall and Symon Perriman show you System Center 2012 Operations Manager along with some of its features:
- Application advisor web component
- Understand the problem distribution analysis
- Navigate problem reports to see the line of code that caused the problem
- View detailed events and alerts from a component of the application
- See which transactions happened when the problem occurred
- Understand related events to a particular issue
- View the application diagnostics at the developer level
Video URL: WMV | MP4 | WMV (ZIP) | PSP
Private Cloud Demo Extravaganza 12: Enabling Application Performance Monitoring with System Center 2012 : How to enable Application Performance Monitoring (APM) with System Center 2012. Adam Hall and Symon Perriman show you System Center 2012 Operations Manager along with some of its features:
- Discover an application
- Configuration an application for APM
- Use a template to add a monitoring Management Pack (MP)
- Enable a .NET APM configuration
- Create a new MP
- Search and filter to discover applications across servers
- Set custom thresholds
- Review exception options
Recommended Books
System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 Cookbook
Cloudtidings.com 