Windows server

Azure, Dallas all the buzz at PDC 2009

The Professional Developers Conference is taking place in Los Angeles this week, and to no surprise, the Microsoft keynotes were all about the cloud. As we heard from Brent Ozar last month, developers are the company’s targets for its current and upcoming slate of cloud-based technologies, so what better place to show them off than PDC?

The crux of this of course is Microsoft’s Azure and SQL Azure programs, which will be available as a paid service starting Jan. 1, 2010. While much of the new improvements surrounding SQL Azure were already talked up during the PASS Community Summit earlier this month, there were also a few new Microsoft cloud developments that made news this week.
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Admins rejoice! Windows 2008 R2 will support Exchange 2007 after all

Who says peer pressure is a bad thing?

Over the summer it was reported that Windows Server 2008 R2 would be out in October — without native support for Exchange Server 2007. Needless to say, this decision had many customers calling for Microsoft’s heads mildly dismayed.

Well guess what? The people have prevailed.
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Windows Management Framework brings PowerShell 2.0 to the masses

Just days after the official release of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft has now made its new Windows Management Framework (WMF) available as well. The major component here is PowerShell 2.0, which is supported out-of-the-box for the two new operating systems. The download also includes WinRM 2.0 and BITS 4.0.

As Microsoft’s Lee Holmes said in a recent blog post, the Windows Management Framework provides “a consistent management interface across the various flavors of Windows.” What he means is that in addition to Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2, PowerShell 2.0 remoting can now also be used to manage machines running Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008.
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Are security concerns over cloud computing unfounded?

It seems the biggest reservation people have when it comes to the cloud involves the added security risks – the whole idea that “you can’t control what you can’t see.” But is that really the case, or is it more of a knee-jerk reaction from those unfamiliar with the cloud?

Last week I spoke with John Welch about how data warehousing fits into a cloud-based model. Welch is a chief architect with North Carolina-based business intelligence consulting firm Mariner, and he’s scheduled to speak at PASS 2009 on BI and cloud computing.

During our conversation, I asked him a general question about whether he thought the security risks associated with the cloud are myth or reality. Here’s what he had to say:
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Troubleshooting tops Windows admins’ most tedious tasks

For Windows admins, there’s always something to fix. In a recent SearchWindowsServer.com survey, over 800 IT administrators and managers named troubleshooting as far and away their most time-consuming task.

Nearly half of respondents ranked it number one (47%), followed by provisioning and configuration (37%), performance tuning (37%), backup and recovery (32%) and migrations (29%).

While these results are far from shocking, it doesn’t make them any less true. Here is a small collection of really great troubleshooting tips for a variety of common issues that will hopefully help speed up the process.
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News Roundup: AD turns heads, Exchange hits RTM

Lots going on in the world of Windows this month, as you might expect. Here’s a roundup of some of the top news from this past week:

1. Forget Live Migration; AD is king in R2
   While most of the attention around Windows Server 2008 R2 has been given to Hyper-V enhancements and brand new features like Direct Access, when it comes right down to it, Active Directory is still No. 1 on the priority list for admins.
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Ready to upgrade yet? Microsoft to end support for Windows 2000

Microsoft announced this week that public support for Windows 2000 Server will end in July — just another gentle nudge to organizations toward Windows Server 2008 R2.

The company will also be cutting back on Windows Server 2003 support at that time.

Microsoft’s Crissy House announced the news via the Windows Server Division Weblog on September 15. Extended support for Windows 2000 Server will remain available until the July 13, 2010 deadline, after which users will still have access to “Self-Help Online Support.” House noted that on the same day, Windows Server 2003 and 2003 R2 will shift from mainstream support to the extended phase.
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You can now follow the Windows team on Twitter!

A little late to the game? Perhaps. But you can now follow SearchWindowsServer.com on Twitter @WindowsTT. We’ll be posting news, tips, questions and commentary dealing with Windows servers, desktops – and everything in between.

Database folks can also follow us @SQLServerTT for all the latest from SearchSQLServer.com.

We follow many of our expert contributors as well, so be sure to check the list and get connected to those in the know.

Windows 7 now available to subscribers, VL customers

For those who didn’t know, this morning Microsoft made Windows 7 available to SA customers, and TechNet and MSDN subscribers were given access on Thursday.

Those looking to make the upgrade from XP or Vista after the October 22 launch date will definitely want to check out the new OS now. As you may recall, Vista hit a few snags in the hardware/software compatibility departments when it was first launched, so as Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc puts it, “Now is the time to work on your applications to make sure they are Windows 7 compatible.”
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Six patch updates released in July

This month’s Patch Tuesday saw the release of six new bulletins, two of which address zero-day flaws.
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