Longer term, though, I suspect there’ll also be lots of interest in and traffic toward the various Microsoft deployment tools that can accommodate Windows 7. Interested enterprise desktop professionals will surely want to check out (and keep an eye on) the Microsoft Solution Accelerators Web page, where they will find links to the following items of special interest:

• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010: This is still in Beta (Beta 2, actually) and it looks like access may be limited, so keep an eye on this item because it will surely change to production status around the Windows 7 GA date (10/22/2009).
• Microsoft Operations Framework 4.0: Developing guidelines and documents on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 deployment efforts. Access to this beta is still wide-open and may be worthwhile for enterprise admins.
• Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit: Includes tools and guidance to assess IT infrastructures and plan for introduction of Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2, among numerous other items of potential interest. This beta is still wide-open, too.

Here are some other items of related and potential interest as well, already widely available:

• You can already download the MED-V V1 Planning, Deployment, and Operations Guide, and the toolkit itself should also be available by the GA date (but only to MS Assurance customers). Still some interesting into in here, however.
• The TechNet Library includes an interesting offering  entitled “What’s New in Deployment Tools” that includes coverage of the new Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) and in Windows Deployment Services.
• The MS Download Center offers a document entitled “Windows 7 Desktop Deployment Overview.”
• You’ll also want to dig into the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (requires a subscription through the Microsoft Volume Licensing program), if that’s relevant to your enterprise.
• The TechNet Deployment Tools Technical Reference is a great place to go looking for information on all the various tools and capabilities that MS provides to help admins automate Windows deployment efforts.

There’s plenty more where all those things came from, but this will be more than enough to get you started, and to help you zero in on the items most likely to do your enterprise some good during upcoming deployment planning and implementation efforts. Enjoy!

I now understand that XP Mode is a kind of do-it-yourself or roll-your-own version of what MED-V provides as an adminstrator-handled and centrally managed capability for businesses at all scales (though it started with an enterprise target specifically in mind), Microsoft Product Manager Ron Oelgiesser told me yesterday that “even businesses with 100 or 200 users who want to run virtualization” can benefit from MED-V technology. Simply put, it’s designed to allow trained IT professionals (administrators) to design, build, and maintain standard VM images, and to make delivering those images to end users as simple as opening a utility and picking a virtual machine by some readily intelligible name for use (for example “accounts payable” or “call center”). Behind the scenes, the admins are responsible for putting those VM’s together, and updating them as new drivers, updates, and other changes come down the road. Users simply load them and use them as needed, which represents a technique for making good use of virtualization that’s just about as easy as it gets.

From the admin side, things aren’t too shabby either. Microsoft provides a QuickStart guide that shows them how to put VMs together, and test them to make sure they work as desired, then make them available for general access and use with the MED-V client components on end-user desktops. MED-V comes as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack that is only available to customers who sign up for Microsoft Customer Assurance. Best of all, according to Oelgiesser, the incremental cost of adding a MED-V component to an existing Assurance subscription is “less than $10 per seat per year.” Considering that this includes an XP SP3 license on which to run legacy apps, as well as a nifty set of tools for packaging, distributing, and managing VMs, this is a fantastic value.

Thus, even though MS will be giving away the XP Mode components with higher-end Windows 7 licenses, I predict that MED-V will also enjoy considerable adoption and use, even from SMBs. Oelgiesser confirms that MS feels bullish on MED-V as well, and indicates that some adoption for Vista has already begun among existing Assurance program participants. Should be interesting to see how this all turns out, once Windows 7 goes commercial.

The old aphorism: “When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail” resonates with the first of my recent Lessons Learned with Virtual PC 2007. I’ve recently set up a baker’s rack in my office, and now have all of my test and experimental machines racked up next to my desk. Ordinarily, I use Remote Desktop Connection to access and work with those other machines from the comfort and convenience of my dual-screen-outfitted desktop. One of the first lessons I learned with Virtual PC 2007 is that the number of levels of indirection for mouse and keyboard when installing an OS into a new virtual machine is limited. That is, I actually have to use the mouse and screen on the Virtual PC 2007 host machine to install a guest OS onto that machine. I can open and load an existing VM via a remote session, but no joy in performing installation tasks. Good to know.

At this point, the biggest benefit to using VMs is that I can create a reference machine for some target environment, install all the patches and updates, add whatever other scaffolding I want (antivirus, antispyware, necessary apps, and so forth), then save that machine for re-use. I just need to remember to load that VM from time to time to update it, then save it again so it becomes my point of reference for continued/continuing reuse. I’ve also learned to be very specific in naming the virtual drives I create for such machines, so I can tell them apart, and to copy the “reference versions” (for later reuse) to another hard disk, so I can always get back to a pristine state by copying over the backup version from that drive to its primary location as needed.

This approach makes it much easier and safer for me to install and test software to write about it, and then to rid myself entirely of it after the work is done. I’m still running only one VM at a time and figuring out how to make things work, while discovering a whole new set of virtues for shared or networked drives (they’re easily accessible to both host and guest systems, and thus provide a perfect means of file/information transfer between the two otherwise distinct and independent systems). As I learn more about how to make this environment stand up and bark, particularly while working with Windows 7 (I’ll be installing Build 7001 shortly) I’ll keep reporting back with new observations and lessons learned.

But no sooner did I find myself in a situation where 64-bit Vista was an absolute necessity for setting up a virtual machine host platform that could host both 32- and 64-bit test environments for a book on Windows 7 I’m working on, than I also learned that “news” to the contrary notwithstanding, 64-bit Vista is both workable and pretty robust. To jump to the end of the story before returning to the middle for more details, I’ve now installed 64-bit Vista on a couple of notebook PCs (each with 4 GB of RAM) and a desktop PC (with 8 GB) without too much difficulty and with very good results. To me the biggest thrill of all comes from seeing this kind of display in Task Manager on a machine with 8192 MB of RAM:

Task Manager Performance tab Physical Memory pane shows 8190 MB RAM!

I don’t know where the “missing 2 MB” of RAM went, that being the difference between the amount installed 8192, and the amount showing here (8190), and I’m not sure I really care. What I do appreciate is access to nearly all the RAM (99.975% in fact) that I installed in the machine.

Why did I do this? Because I had to be able to install both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 on a platform that would let me shoot screenshots of the installation process at work. Today, this means one of three approaches to obtaining the needed screencaps:

• Photographing the actual screen itself (doable, but tricky because of lighting and reflections, especially when using a flash)
• Using special hardware to pipe graphics output from the target PC (where the install is underway) to a second PC (where an OS is already running, and can operate screen capture software; complex to set up and extra costs for graphics cards one must use to do this)
• Installing inside a virtual machine, so that the virtual machine window can be captured on the desktop of an operating and fully-functional OS (to make this scenario even more compelling, MS is still giving away its Virtual PC 2007 software, which worked like a charm for me)

Needless to say, I opted for the latter, and have now set up and run virtual machines (.vhd files) for both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Premium edition versions of the new beta OS. Throughout, the 64-bit Vista Business software I’m using has been stable, accommodating, and workable. I haven’t yet figured out how to create a VM greater than 4GB in size, so I’m thinking I may need to build a configuration with 12 or more GB of RAM to make that possible. Other than that, I’m a pretty happy guy right now.

In installing the 64-bit version on an MSI and HP notebooks with 4 GB of RAM I encountered exactly zero driver issues: everything came up with a working driver immediately upon the install, and I was able to use DriverAgent to get the default drivers updated to the most current versions without too much difficulty. I did hit a snag on my Asus P5K motherboard, primarily because the built-in GbE interface identifies itself as Attsanic but the most recent drivers are now from the renamed builder’s Website at www.atheros.com. Once I figured out that the L1 GbE Ethernet interface I wanted was now an Atheros product, I was able to find, download, and install the right drivers pretty quickly thereafter (though I was lucky to have access to other machines so I could download those drivers and read them from an easily-inserted UFD).

I’m working with the RC version of Windows Vista Business with SP2 slipstreamed, and I must also observe that I’m impressed with the stability and capability of the upcoming Service Pack, scheduled for release some time in May. Looks like this will be a worthwhile upgrade!

A commercial version of this software is expected later in 2009, and is based on technology that Microsoft acquired when it purchased desktop virtualization firm Kidaro in mid-2008. The idea, of course, is to spur upgrades and migrations to Windows Vista because previous obstacles to such motion are now mitigated by a solution that permits immovable legacy software to run in a back-rev Windows VM on top of Vista. This also lets enterprises impose centralized management and control over construction, deployment, and maintenance of system images, both virtual and real, and helps to add structure and organization to sometimes-chaotic desktop environments. Microsoft itself makes much of TCO improvements that switching to its Desktop Optimization Pack can confer. Above and beyond MED-V and application virtualization, this also includes an advanced Group Policy manager, an asset inventory service, a diagnostics and recovery toolset, and a tie-in to System Center for desktop error monitoring. It’s definitely worth checking out.

But if you’re fighting to migrate or upgrade systems to Vista, and legacy apps are getting in the way, MED-V may be just the lever you need to break that particular logjam. Give it a try!

There’s no end of ridiculous advice out on the web and in the newsstand magazines that cover Windows, and even Microsoft has published misleading recommendations. Almost all the suggestions are based on multiplying RAM size by some factor, with common values being 1.2, 1.5 and 2.

This comes from his November 17, 2008 blog entitled “Pushing the Limits of Windows: Virtual Memory,” wherein he also digs into process address spaces, explains how virtual memory gets mapped in the 32- and 64-bit worlds, and talks about committed memory that processes essentially get to own as they’re executing and the commit limit that sets the ceiling on such allocations. Along the way, he also uses his snazzy Testlimit (and Testlimit64) tool to demonstrate these principles in action.

All this detailed and exquisite discussion leads back to what’s really involved in sizing a paging file. It is best to understand that the commit limit imposes a ceiling on how much private (process-based) and pagefile (system-based) virtual memory can be allocated at any given moment by actively running processes. Thus the key comes from knowing the total sum of commit charges for all programs you’d like to have running concurrently. The commit limit must exceed that sum, or trouble will ensue.

His sizing approach is pretty simple: fire off all the applications you’d like to use together, then use SysInternals Process Explorer to measure the Peak Commit Charge. In fact, Russinovich recommends examining this value after running your target collection for a while to make sure you reach maximum load. After that, the formula is:

Size of Paging File = Peak Commit Charge – Amount of Physical RAM in system

If that number is negative, that doesn’t mean you want no paging file. It should be set to no smaller than whatever kind of memory dump you’ve got configured for crash reporting (default value is around 135 KB or miniscule, but a complete memory dump has to match the amount of accessible memory–same value that shows up as Total under Physical Memory in Task manager–for that memory dump to occur). By default Vista sizes the paging file to equal total memory plus 300 MB or 1 GB, whichever is larger. On my Vista machine my maximum commit limit runs at around 2.5 GB, but I’ve left the paging file alone at 3881 MB (equal to usable memory of 3,581 MB plus the aforementioned 300 MB) so I can generate a memory dump if and when I must.

On notebook and desktop PCs not quite so lavishly endowed with RAM, you can probably get by with cutting the paging file somewhat by following Mark’s formula. If you need to capture a memory dump at some point, you can always increase the paging file to accommodate that need for so long as you must capture memory dumps, then revert to earlier values after that exercise concludes.

This the first post to a three-times-a-week blog that will tackle Windows Vista desktop issues for the enterprise environment. My primary areas of focus will include topics of interest to IT professionals work with Windows Vista on large networks. Thus, it will address topics related to setup and configuration, release definition, deployment, migration from earlier Windows desktops (primarily XP), virtualization, terminal services, and security. I hope you’ll want to contribute your own ideas, issues, and information needs in the comments you can append to these blogs, or send to me via e-mail at edtittel@techtarget.com.

Here’s a list of topics I already have lined up to tackle. Feel free to help me adjust, add to, or remove elements as you see fit:

Checking upgrade viability with the Vista Upgrade Advisor
Dealing with failed Microsoft Updates
Managing Vista application compatibility (general)
Using the Vista Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0
Choosing compatible security software components (firewall, AV, anti-spyware, …)
Toward a more positive Vista application uninstall experience
Software as a Service (SaaS) on Vista: setup and configuration
Software as a Service (SaaS) on Vista: updates and maintenance
Software as a Service (SaaS) on Vista: uninstalls and changeovers
Vista changeover issues/Ensuring a smooth Vista transition
Working with the User State Migration tool
Vista deployment tools:
Volume Activation 2.0
Volume Activation Management Tool
Key Management Service for Windows Server
Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)
Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM)
Working with answer files and unattended installs
Working with catalogs and Windows images
Using the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)
Working with ImageX
Working with the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep)
About IE8: what’s new, different, and better
About IE8: working with the preview
Desktop virtualization benefits
Understanding desktop virtualization technology: virtual machines
Understanding desktop virtualization technology: virtual networks
Understanding desktop virtualization technology: virtual devices and their interfaces
Desktop virtualization tools: VirtualPC 2007
Desktop virtualization tools: VMWare
More Desktop Virtualization tools
Terminal services and Windows Vista
VPNs and Windows Vista
Enterprise desktop endpoint security

I also plan to share troubleshooting information that my own day-to-day adventures with Vista end up teaching me (often the hard way), and to help others research and address issues they choose to raise through comments here, or e-mails to me. Hopefully, we’ll all learn a few things along the way. At the barest minimum, which I hope to exceed by a wide margin, you’ll get exposure to the wealth of material that Microsoft itself provides about Vista on TechNet and in its Help and Support pages and forums.

Thanks in advance for your interest, support, and participation. Look for my first “real blog” on Wednesday, October 2. Please also check out my Website at www.viztaview.com, where you can get a good sense of the issues and problems I’ve been chasing down with Vista myself lately as well.

–Ed–