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 Time time of year everyone is rushing to get things done both work and in their home life. As you rush to the get ready for the holidays – you might also be like a lot of IT folks who relish the time in-between December 25th and new years eve. This slower / quieter time at work could open up an opportunity – a brief window of time - where you can try some things out before the new year.
(I personally loved this break when I worked as an IT admin – I literally had the run of the office and time to try out new things.)
If you are in this situation and are looking for something to try out and expand your skill base to make you into a Hero at work – might I suggest checking out our System Center 2012 product line? It’s currently in Pre-Release RC mode (Release Candidate) that will be upgradeable to Full product when it goes RTM in the new year. Management solutions like our System Center release of products put you in the drivers seat of your datacenter.
- Need to manage the plethora of new devices coming into your office after the workers return with shiny new tablets, slates, iWhatevers – System Center Configuration Manager 2012 has you covered for those Consumerization of IT woes.
- Backups slowing you down? Need something more effective then tape, in multiple geographic locations? System Center Data Protection Manager has you covered.
- Want some down and dirty consultant-in-a-box performance monitoring and optimization across all your datacenter and non Microsoft devices like routers, switches and mystery distributions? System Center Operations Manager 2012 has your back
- Grappling with your physical AND virtual worlds with multiple hypervisors? Living in the land of VMware, Citrix and Hyper-V? System Center Virtual Machine Manager simplifies your virtualization woes and gives you a silver lining to your Private Cloud.
If this isn’t enough to get you interested in getting the jump on your skills adjustment and checking out our latest offerings before they RTM (I mentioned they are upgradeable to RTM, right?) – how about I sweeten the deal for you, while they are downloading?
Let me simplify it for ya.
- Use this link to get started
- Sign in with your WindowsLive ID (to pre-populate your data)
- Verify your SHIPPING details to your mailing address and other pertinent data. (you will want to ensure it is correct)
- click FINISH – the download manager will start to download your evals in one click.
Why was step #3 so important?
We’ll ship you a gift card from a famous Canadian coffee retailer (rhymes with Jim Morton’s) for about 5 double-doubles for your troubles and enjoyment as you work through the evaluations and how they’ll make you a Management guru in your work environment. Heck – you can even check out some of the free online training at www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com while you are waiting for them to complete their DL.
What are you waiting for? Don’t Delay – we’ve only set aside a certain number of cards. Once they are gone – they are gone! That link again is http://www.microsoft.com/canada/technet/system-center/
oh – and before anyone asks – this offer is valid and available to ALL CANADIAN Citizens in Canada, INCLUDING Québec! 
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Dave Kawula knows his stuff when it comes to Virtualization. When I asked him to put together some screencasts, we came up with a short series of them following the flow from planning through to deployment and management. I wanted to call each one out individually and wrap it together into a series – so we called it “Demystifying Microsoft’s Virtualization Stack” and here we go. Great stuff in here that Dave pulls in from his consulting experience with real world CANADIAN customers who are checking out Hyper-v and how it can integrate into their existing VMware solutions. Once they see how easy it is to use AND how cost effective it is for what they use their current solutions for – The next obvious question is how to Manage / Migrate from VMware to Hyper-V… Don’t worry – that’s in an upcoming series. Get the software you need TODAY to try this out from the www.microsoft.ca/evalcenter Get additional information and Training for VMware Professionals at www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com with over 15 hrs of specific VMware Admin training. 
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Dave Kawula knows his stuff when it comes to Virtualization. When I asked him to put together some screencasts, we came up with a short series of them following the flow from planning through to deployment and management. I wanted to call each one out individually and wrap it together into a series – so we called it “Demystifying Microsoft’s Virtualization Stack” and here we go. Great stuff in here that Dave pulls in from his consulting experience with real world CANADIAN customers who are checking out Hyper-v and how it can integrate into their existing VMware solutions. Once they see how easy it is to use AND how cost effective it is for what they use their current solutions for – The next obvious question is how to Manage / Migrate from VMware to Hyper-V… Don’t worry – that’s in an upcoming series. Get the software you need TODAY to try this out from the www.microsoft.ca/evalcenter Get additional information and Training for VMware Professionals at www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com with over 15 hrs of specific VMware Admin training. 
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Hot off the press! Get yourself setup with some hands on experience while you are DOWNLOADING the RC for use in your lab and test environments. These are remote connections to our hyper-v enabled hosting services with pre-built and documented step by step labs you can try. They are also GREAT for play time in a sandbox where you don’t have to colour inside the lines. There are four new ones. Go Check Them OUT! 
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Dave Kawula knows his stuff when it comes to Virtualization. When I asked him to put together some screencasts, we came up with a short series of them following the flow from planning through to deployment and management. I wanted to call each one out individually and wrap it together into a series – so we called it “Demystifying Microsoft’s Virtualization Stack” and here we go. Great stuff in here that Dave pulls in from his consulting experience with real world CANADIAN customers who are checking out Hyper-v and how it can integrate into their existing VMware solutions. Once they see how easy it is to use AND how cost effective it is for what they use their current solutions for – The next obvious question is how to Manage / Migrate from VMware to Hyper-V… Don’t worry – that’s in an upcoming series. Get the software you need TODAY to try this out from the www.microsoft.ca/evalcenter Get additional information and Training for VMware Professionals at www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com with over 15 hrs of specific VMware Admin training. 
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As I mentioned yesterday in the introductory blog post about Dave Kawula – he knows his stuff when it comes to Virtualization. When I asked him to put together some screencasts, we came up with a short series of them following the flow from planning through to deployment and management. I wanted to call each one out individually and wrap it together into a series – so we called it “Demystifying Microsoft’s Virtualization Stack” and here we go. I know I posted the link yesterday for this video – but I wanted to call it out specifically here as well. Great stuff in here that Dave pulls in from his consulting experience with real world CANADIAN customers who are checking out Hyper-v and how it can integrate into their existing VMware solutions. Once they see how easy it is to use AND how cost effective it is for what they use their current solutions for – The next obvious question is how to Manage / Migrate from VMware to Hyper-V… Don’t worry – that’s in an upcoming series. Get the software you need TODAY to try this out from the www.microsoft.ca/evalcenter Get additional information and Training for VMware Professionals at www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com with over 15 hrs of specific VMware Admin training. 
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(I know that word doesn’t exist – but I had a mental block and didn’t know what to use, so it stuck) As you may or may not know – I participate in the LinkedIn group called Canadian IT Folks – thought the name was a good fit for this series – one thing lead to another and bang – here ya go. Continuing in the series of Canadian IT Folks, I’d like to introduce you to my next Guest Blog post subject. Who`s the subject matter expert? Dave Kawula from Tricon Technical Services in Calgary, Alberta. He and I collaborated on a screencast series called Demystifying the Microsoft Virtualization Stack earlier this year and it’s going to be posted this week here on the Canadian IT Pro Blog. Dave also helped me out immensely being the main anchor for the Virtualization content area by shouldering the load of 3 sessions on Hyper-V, VMware and Virtualization Performance tuning. These will be available online at TechDays.ca in the not too distant future. Here’s Dave’s Bio and Post. 
Dave Kawula is the CEO and Chief Architect of TriCon Technical Services Inc. based in Calgary. Since 2004, Dave has been working with Microsoft’s internal technical SMSGR and GTR departments to create internal Microsoft training materials. To date he has helped author over 40 courses for Microsoft. Though Dave’s extensive virtualization expertise, TriCon has launched itself into the Hosted Solutions space with its TriCONNECT offering which features products such as Hosted Exchange, Virtual Desktops and Virtual Services On-Demand. Dave recently took on the role of Datacenter Virtual Technology Specialist at Microsoft – a recognition that he’s knows his stuff on all things virtual and helps out customers and partners where possible! You can follow Dave on twitter at @DaveKawula --- === --- === --- === --- Hello Hyper-V and System Center faithful. One of the jobs I took on over the summer was to do a screencast series on the Microsoft Virtualization Stack and how it compares to VMware. I am now done 4 parts of my Screen Cast Series. In the first Video you will get a great overview on how to start your Hyper-V Virtualization Project Properly. It’s all about the planning. Get your Trial Software to try this out yourself from www.microsoft.ca/evalcenter Check out www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com for free training on HyperV for VMware Administrators (among other things). Finally - Check out the video below… 
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Something I’d like to start off with this Guest Blog post is the ability to get to know some of the fantastic speakers and partners in the technology space here in Canada. I created / participate in the LinkedIn group called Canadian IT Folks – thought the name was a good fit for this series – one thing lead to another and bang – here ya go. Colin Smith was more then happy to help out with this post on the topic he`s rather passionate about. If you didn’t have a chance to catch his sessions at TechDays – they will be available ONLINE at www.TechDays.ca once we flip the switch to the Online mode.
 Here’s Colin’s Bio and Post.
Colin Smith is an IT professional with over 20 years of experience deploying Microsoft-based solutions for the private and public sector with a focus on desktop and data center management.
Colin has been a consultant, solutions architect, and systems engineer with Microsoft, Statistics Canada, Configuresoft, and is currently the Manager of the Microsoft Consulting Practice at Cistel Technology Inc., a Microsoft Gold Partner in Ottawa, Canada.
 Public cloud providers have been touting the many financial, flexibility, and agility benefits of their offer for quite some time. Many organizations are salivating at the potential to reduce costs and increase efficiency but regulatory, security, and jurisdictional issues are preventing them from taking advantage of the public cloud offerings.
Public clouds are the necessary first wave of cloud services. It is in these large scale environments with thousands of customers and stiff competition that consolidation and maturation will occur and standards (de facto and formal) will emerge. Additionally, toolsets that increase efficiency will be created to help create an edge in the competitive public marketplace. We are seeing the emergence of these tools and technologies right now and they can bring some of the benefits of the public cloud to on premise data centers.
Benefits of Cloud Computing
So what are some of the benefits of Cloud Computing? The following table outlines some of them.
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Benefit
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Description
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Reduced Cost
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Cloud technology is paid incrementally, saving organizations money and shifting Capital costs (CapEx) to operational costs (OpEx)
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Scalability
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IT departments that anticipate a change in load can add and subtract capacity as needed.
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Easy Implementation
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Without the need to purchase hardware, software licences, or implementation services, organizations can react quickly
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Flexibility
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Cloud computing offers increased flexibility because follows a utility model in which service costs are based on consumption.
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More Mobility
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Employees can access information wherever they are, rather than having to remain at their desks.
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Allows IT to Shift Focus
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No longer having to worry about constant server updates and other computing issues, IT organizations will be free to concentrate on innovation that drives business value
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Table 1 – Benefits of Cloud Computing
In the rest of this post I will describe some of the technologies available from Microsoft[1] right now to help your organization realize some of the benefits of the cloud in your on-premise data center. You may even find that you already use many of these tools today and have a private cloud in the closet just waiting to emerge.
Definition of Cloud Computing
First of all, let’s review the five essential characteristics of cloud computing according to the NISTdefinition:
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Characteristic
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Definition
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On-demand self-service
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A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider.
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Broad network access
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Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and workstations).
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Resource pooling
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The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). Examples of resources include storage, processing, memory, and network bandwidth.
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Rapid elasticity
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Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be appropriated in any quantity at any time.
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Measured service
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Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.
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Table 2 – NIST Definition of Cloud Computing[2]
So how do we provide these five essential characteristics in our on-premise data centers? The following sections illustrate how they can be achieved using existing off the shelf Microsoft products and technologies. In some cases, a product may address more than one characteristic while in other cases, more than one product or technology can be used to address the same issue while achieving slightly different results.
Broad Network Access
Broad network access has been available for a long time. Remote access to an application, platform or infrastructure can be accomplished in many ways including a web browser/server (http(s)) or a remote session using protocols that have been around for over a decade such as RDP, VNC, and RFB. The extension of these types of protocols to mobile devices and the build out of wireless networks has created a computing environment that can easily provide broad network access if it is desirable and appropriate. Microsoft has been providing web browser (IE), web server (IIS) and remote desktop protocols (RDP) for well over a decade.
On-Demand Self Service
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM or VMM) has a self-service portal that can be used to provide system administrators and developers, (or anybody that has a need) a quick and easy way to request a virtual machine. It can be setup to use quotas based on resource or licence “points” to help manage the impact to infrastructure and can even have VMs that time out after a specified period of time. If templates are used, to configure VMs as they are provisioned (E.g. Windows Server 2008 R2, SP1 x64 with SQL 2008 R2), a fully working environment can be provisioned with no human intervention once a valid request from the self-service portal is received. In case you didn’t know, SCVMM can also be used to help manage VMware hosts.
Resource Pooling
Using SCVMM and clustered Hyper-V hosts, gives you the ability to dynamically move workloads between clustered hosts based on current resource requirements based on Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO) settings . Additionally, SCVMM provides the ability to manage the “fabric” that the VMs share. Although this is not a fabric in the sense that resource nodes can reside on physically separated hosts, this further decouples computing resources from the actual hardware and is move towards a true fabric.
Rapid Elasticity
In a similar fashion to how a VM created from the self-service portal, exceeding a threshold in System Center Operations Manager (SCOM - see the next section for more) or System Center Orchestrator (formerly Opalis) can trigger SCVMM to provision a VM. If the threshold is designed to be predictive, then a VM can be provisioned and left dormant until a second threshold is exceeded at which time the VM is brought online. Of course, a simpler option would be to always have a dormant VM on had but this is a less scalable solution, when dealing with many different server configurations. Additionally, the task sequence tools found in the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) can be used to automate the provisioning, updating and deployment tasks to the point where it takes less than 10 minutes to provision a server from start to finish.
Measured Service
The ability to measure the resource usage of systems has been around for a long time. There are dozens of products that have been around for decades that measure performance, availability and resource usage. Microsoft has had such a product for over a decade. System Center Operations Manager (SCOM previously known as Microsoft Operations Manager or MOM) can monitor workloads and provide both real-time and historical reports on how resources are consumed by specific users or workloads. While this is not a true bill-back solution, coupled with the SCVMM quota system, it is still a powerful way to measure and control service usage.
Summary
Using currently available products and technologies it is possible to build an on-premise data center solution that meets all of the definitional requirements to be called a cloud service. The table below summarizes the essential characteristics of a cloud from the NIST definition and the corresponding technology or product that can be used to provide it.
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Characteristic
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MS Technology / Product
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Broad Network Access
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RDSH/RDP/HTTP
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On-Demand Self-Service
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Self-service Portal/ SCVMM Templates
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Resource Pooling
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Hyper-V/SCVMM
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Rapid Elasticity
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MDT/SCCM/SCVMM Templates
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Measured Service
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SCOM/SCE
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Table 3 – Cloud enabling Technologies
To take some of these ideas to the next level, you might find it interesting to look at the Dynamic Data Center Toolkit that is intended to help hosting providers build cloud solutions based on Windows Server and Hyper-V.
If you are trying to build efficiencies into your data center using the Microsoft System Center suite of products, you may have already built a private cloud.
[1] Microsoft is not the only vendor offering solutions in this space. I am limiting this post to examples of Microsoft technologies because their wide deployment and familiarity helps to illustrate the point that these technologies are already in place in many data centers and available from a single vendor
[2] NIST Special Publication 800-145 The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, Peter Mell & Timothy Grance, Computer Security Division, Information Technology Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930, September 2011, U.S. Department of Commerce 
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Each big conference attendee who’s signed up for conferences is looking for a Keynote. TechDays Montreal is no exception. After batting around a number of ideas over the last while, the team decided that it would be a GREAT idea to find a local superstar and personality who is well versed in Microsoft technologies to present – ALSO who’s a native of Montreal! It’s with great pleasure that we can announce that local expert Guy Barrette has agreed to keynote in Montreal!!! He’s a well known developer personality in Montreal who is very active in the local community and has been doing so for a number of years. He’s been the fearless leader of the .NET Community of Montreal for 15 years running and is a well skilled presenter. He’s currently the Regional Director for the greater region of Montreal and is an MVP in Windows Azure. If that wasn’t enough to keep him busy – he’s a host of the Visual Studio Talk Show as well as expert consultant and architect on all things .NET. But we’re also MIXING THINGS UP a bit. It won’t just be Guy on stage – we’re going to have Myself (Rick) and Frédéric Harper also co-presenting the keynote to get all sorts of perspectives for Developers, Architects AND INFRASTRUCTURE professionals – something for everyone. I don’t want to talk more about it just yet – it would give too much away, so we’ll leave it at that. If you haven’t yet bought your tickets, HURRY UP – it’s next Tuesday! If you can’t be there in person – the Keynote will be streamed live on the TechDays site. Add it to your agenda so you don’t forget! 
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 Chaque conférence qui se respecte a un “keynote”, une présentation principale. TechDays Montréal n’y échappe pas. Après quelques réflexions sur la personne que nous pourrions approcher, une idée s’est imposée comme un incontournable. Pourquoi ne pas trouver une étoile locale, quelqu’un qui est facilement abordable après la présentation et qui connait les enjeux du coin.
C’est donc avec un grand plaisir que je vous annonce que Guy Barrette, bien connut des développeurs à Montréal sera le présentateur principal. Guy est très actif dans la communauté, et ce, depuis plusieurs années. Fearless leader, comme il aime bien dire, de la Communauté .NET de Montréal depuis plus de 15 ans, il est un présentateur d’expérience. En plus d’être MVP (Most Valuable Professionnal) Azure, il est aussi directeur régional (RD – Regional Director) pour la grande région de Montréal. Ce n’est pas tout, Guy anime aussi le Visual Studio Talk Show tout en étant à son compte avec .NET Expertise. On peut donc dire que Guy connait son affaire… Guy, en compagnie de Frederic Harper et moi-même vous parlerons du Cloud Computing du point de vue des architectes, des développeurs et des professionnels des TI (IT Pro). Je ne vous en dis pas plus, car nous voulons garder la surprise entière en ce qui a trait au type de présentations et sur les détails des sujets abordés. Je peux toutefois vous promettre que vous ne le regretterez pas. Si vous n’avez pas encore acheté vos billets, dépêchez-vous! Si vous ne pouvez y être en personne, le keynote sera diffusé en direct sur le site de TechDays. Ajoutez le à votre agenda pour ne pas l’oublier. Un moment à ne pas manquer, soyez des nôtres! 
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Yes – you can have this feeling of accomplishment these two guys are feeling when we took this picture. Do you want to have that feeling of fulfillment and spontaneous celebration like these two dudes? You can get it after you take the leap of faith and attend one of our Hands On Labs at TechDays Montreal in order to know that you have maximized your time and experience at TechDays! As we try to improve upon what we have done in the past in order to make a better experience – we added Hands On Labs to the schedule – denoted with an ILL in the session code. These sessions are delivered by the same experts who are delivering the technical sessions. There is at least one Hands On Lab per content area – focusing on current or soon to be released technologies you can walk away with today. You will have the opportunity to go through one of 9 labs while you are attending the conference. At the start of the session, the instructor / expert will review the different steps, concepts and tasks required to complete the lab. You will then have your turn while they (along with the proctors) can assist you if you have issues. This gives you the most flexible time to complete each lab in the allocated time while understanding all the important concepts. Oh yeah – this is a BRING YOUR OWN COMPUTER/LAPTOP event. There will be instructions on how to connect up to the network and launch each virtual hands on lab using your own computer. Minimal configuration is Windows Vista SP1, wireless network card, Internet Explorer 7 or higher and a resolution minimum of 1280 x 800. We will supply the internet connection for the lab as well as a desk and power connections. There WILL be a LIMITED NUMBER of computers that are setup in the room – first come first served – for those of you who do not have laptops – but their numbers are limited. Note: manuals and instructors are English for the hands on lab. There are bilingual proctors to assist as well as bilingual slides and simultaneous english/french translation services in the room. Here are the different Hands On Labs available: ARCILL201 Introduction to Test Planning with Microsoft Test Manager 2010
In this lab, you will learn how to create and configure a new Test Plan in Microsoft Test Manager 2010. This test plan can be used, for instance, to test the new release of your software. Next, you will learn how to add test suites and existing test cases to a test plan and finally, you will learn how to create a new requirement and add that requirement to your test plan. You will also learn how to create a new test case for the new requirement. CLDILL200 Introduction to Windows Azure
In this hands-on lab, you will explore the basic elements of a Windows Azure service by creating a simple GuestBook application that demonstrates many features of the Windows Azure platform, including web and worker roles, blob storage, table storage, and queues. DATILL301 Bare Metal Business Intelligence Part 2
In this Hands-On Lab you will configure the integration of SQL Server Reporting Services in Sharepoint 2010 by enabling Reporting Services and configuring a Report Library. Next you will configure SharePoint 2010 for PowerPivot and test the PowerPivot Client in Excel 2010. Finally you will configure PerformancePoint and enable a Business Intelligence Center. DATILL402 Bare Metal Mission Critical Part 2
This lab discusses the various options available in SQL Server 2008 R2 database mirroring configurations and demonstrates how to configure and maintain a database mirroring solution. By the end of this lab, you will understand: - The benefits of database mirroring.
- How to configure database mirroring in high-performance mode.
- How to configure database mirroring in high-availability mode.
- How to manage database mirroring configurations
DEVILL301 Building a LightSwitch Control Extension
In this Hands-on Lab you will be walked through the creation of a LightSwitch custom control. This control will be used to display an address in a Silverlight BingMap control. Through this process you will learn the solution structure that is required to create LightSwitch extensions, the various interfaces that should be implemented to make the custom control similar to a native control, and how to package this extension as a VSIX installer. MGTILL305 Getting Started with System Center Orchestrator
The objective of this lab is to provide a basic overview of the Orchestrator architecture and functionality, and an introduction to the process of creating and running runbooks. By the end of this lab you will: - Understand the basic Orchestrator architecture
- Be able to build, test, and monitor simple runbooks
VIRILL300 Getting Started with System Center Virtual Machine Manage 2012
In this lab, you will explore System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2012 Beta. This lab is designed to walk you through a configured VMM infrastructure to help you understand the new concepts, terms, UI elements, and configuration tasks. You will accomplish this by exploring the three key elements: Clouds and Services, Fabrics, and the Library. Clouds and Services are collections of virtual workloads which provide services on slices of infrastructure. The fabric is a collection of hardware based resources including virtualization hosts, storage, and network devices which provide the physical implementation of clouds and services. The library is a collection of predefined objects which are the building blocks for clouds and services VIRILL301 iSCSI Software Target 3.3 - Enabling Hyper-V Storage on Windows Server 2008 R2
This lab will help you learn how Windows Server 2008 R2 provides economical, highly-available storage that can scale to meet any business requirements. The exercises in this lab include: Exercise 1: Managing iSCSI LUNs. In this exercise you will learn how to manage iSCSI LUNs in the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target. You will learn how to manage iSCSI LUNs using the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target console and Windows PowerShell™ cmdlets. Exercise 2: Using iSCSI LUNs with Virtual Machines. In this exercise you will learn how to connect virtual machines to iSCSI LUNs using three different methods. You will use the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator to connect to the iSCSI LUNs you created in the previous exercise. Exercise 3: Booting Virtual Machines from iSCSI LUNs. In this exercise you will learn how to boot diskless virtual machines directly from iSCSI LUNs. You will use a network boot program to connect to an iSCSI LUN and initiate the boot process for Windows Server 2008 R2 from the iSCSI LUN. Exercise 4: Deploying a Highly-Available Microsoft iSCSI Software Target. In this exercise you will learn how to make the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target highly-available using Windows Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2008 R2. You will observe how an iSCSI LUN can be accessed continuously without interrupting a script running in the active cluster node. WINILL201 Using SketchFlow for Windows Phone
In this lab you discover principles of good UX design. You also discover how to start and build your prototype using the SketchFlow Template for Windows Phone. Along the way, you find out how to add sample data, and customize the look and feel of your data. You also find out how to add interactivity with objects that you create right in Expression Blend, or that are imported from other sources, such as Adobe Illustrator. I you don’t have the time to try or finish off one of these Hands On Labs – don’t worry. They will ALL be available ONLINE from the Techdays.ca website once it switches over to our new “TechDays Online” site. That being said – the HOL opportunity at Techdays is not one to be missed – you get the experts in the room and the dedicated time to focus on the tasks at hand. 
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Vous aussi vous aimeriez avoir cet effet d’accomplissement que l’on peut voir sur la photo de cet article? D’avoir le goût de célébrer une victoire tels ces deux jeunes hommes? C’est ce bonheur que vous obtiendrez après avoir participé et terminer un laboratoire pratique: le sentiment d’avoir repoussé ses limites et d’avoir profité au maximum de l’expérience TechDays! Toujours dans le but d’offrir une expérience des plus enrichissante, nous avons ajouté cette année des laboratoires pratiques animés par des experts. En effet, TechDays étant une conférence technique qui vise les technologies actuelles, nous avons pensé que d’ajouter des laboratoires serait fort intéressant pour les participants. Vous aurez accès à 9 laboratoires durant les deux jours de la conférence. Au tout début, un instructeur, expert de cette technologie, passera en revue les différentes étapes de ce dernier. Cela vous permettra de voir l’exercice fini et d’y comprendre chaque élément crucial. Par la suite, par vous-même, vous suivrez les différentes étapes d’un manuel en mettant le tout en pratique dans un environnement prêt à cet effet. Pour se faire, veuillez amener votre ordinateur portable. Les instructions pour vous connecter à une machine virtuelle vous seront données sur place. Les configurations minimales requises sont Windows Vista SP1 et Internet Explorer 7 ou plus. Une résolution de 1280 X 800 est préférable pour une expérience agréable. Pour ceux d’entres-vous qui ne possèderait pas d’ordinateur portable ou qui n’ont pas les configurations requises, quelques ordinateurs seront mis à votre disposition. Veuillez notez que nous n’avons pas assez d’ordinateurs pour tous, alors il est très important d’apporter le vôtre si vous en possédez un. Veuillez noter : les manuels et les instructeurs pour les laboratoires pratiques sont en anglais. Les assistants de laboratoire et les diapositives sont bilingue et il y a des services de traduction simultané dans la salle. Voici les différents laboratoires: ARCILL201 - Introduction à la planification de test avec Microsoft Test Manager 2010 Au cours de cet atelier, vous apprendrez à créer et configurer un nouveau plan de test dans Microsoft Test Manager 2010 pour tester la nouvelle version de votre logiciel. Vous découvrirez aussi comment ajouter des suites de test et des cas existants à un plan, en plus de créer de nouvelles exigences pour les ajouter à votre plan de test. Vous apprendrez également à créer un cas pour votre nouvelle exigence. CLDILL200 - Introduction à Windows Azure Cet atelier pratique explore les éléments de base d'un service Windows Azure par la création d'une simple application GuestBook pour démontrer les nombreuses fonctionnalités de la plateforme Windows Azure, y compris les rôles Web et Worker, le stockage en blobs, le stockage de tables et les files d'attente. DATILL301 - Matériel vierge pour intelligence d'affaires Au terme de cet atelier pratique, vous serez en mesure de configurer l'intégration de SQL Server Reporting Services dans Sharepoint 2010 en activant Reporting Services et en configurant une bibliothèque de rapports. Vous pourrez ensuite configurer SharePoint 2010 pour PowerPivot et tester le client PowerPivot dans Excel 2010. Enfin, vous pourrez configurer PerformancePoint et mettre sur pied un centre d'intelligence d'affaires. DATILL402 - Matériel vierge pour activités critiques Cet atelier présente les différentes options de mise en miroir de la base de données SQL Server 2008 R2 et explique comment configurer et maintenir une solution de mise en miroir de base de données. Au terme de cet atelier, vous comprendrez : - Les avantages de la mise en miroir de base de données.
- Comment configurer une mise en miroir de base de données en mode haute performance.
- Comment configurer une mise en miroir de base de données en mode haute disponibilité.
- Comment gérer les configurations de mise en miroir de base de données.
DEVILL301 - Conception d'une extension de contrôle LightSwitch Dans cet atelier pratique, vous serez guidé à travers la création d'une commande LightSwitch personnalisée qui vous sera utile pour afficher une adresse dans une commande BingMap Silverlight. Au cours de ce processus, vous découvrirez la structure de solution requise pour créer des extensions LightSwitch, les différentes interfaces à implanter pour que votre commande personnalisée soit similaire à une commande native ainsi que la façon d'extraire cette extension en tant qu'assistant d'installation VSIX. MGTILL305 - Premiers pas avec System Center Orchestrator L'objectif de ce laboratoire consiste à offrir un aperçu de base à l'architecture et à la fonctionnalité d'Orchestrator tout en présentant le processus de création et de fonctionnement des livres d'exécution. Au terme de ce laboratoire, vous serez en mesure de : - Comprendre l'architecture de base d'Orchestrator
- Construire, tester et surveiller de simples livres d'exécution
VIRILL300 - Premiers pas avec System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 Au cours de cet atelier, vous explorerez la version bêta de System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2012. Ce laboratoire est conçu pour vous guider à travers une infrastructure VMM configurée pour vous aider à comprendre les nouveaux concepts, termes, éléments UI et tâches de configuration.
Pour ce faire, vous découvrirez trois éléments clés : nuage et services, Fabric et bibliothèque. L'élément nuage et services est une collection de charges de travail virtuelles offrant des services sur des tranches de l'infrastructure. Fabric est une gamme de ressources matérielles comprenant des hôtes de virtualisation ainsi que des appareils de stockage et de réseau pour l'implantation physique du nuage et des services associés. La bibliothèque regroupe des objets prédéfinis servant de fondements au nuage et aux services associés. VIRILL301 - iSCSI Software Target 3.3 – Activer le stockage Hyper-V sur Windows Server 2008 R2 Cet atelier vous aidera à constater comment Windows Server 2008 R2 offre une solution de stockage abordable et hautement disponible pouvant répondre aux exigences de toutes les entreprises. Cet atelier comprend les exercices suivants : - Exercice 1 : Gestion de LUN iSCSI. Cet exercice vous apprendra à gérer des LUN iSCSI dans Microsoft iSCSI Software Target. Vous serez en mesure de gérer des LUN iSCSI au moyen de la console Microsoft iSCSI Software Target et de cmdlets Windows PowerShellMC.
- Exercice 2 : Utilisation de LUN iSCSI avec des machines virtuelles. Au cours de cet exercice, vous apprendrez à connecter des machines virtuelles à des LUN iSCSI de trois façons différentes. Grâce à Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator, vous connecterez les LUN iSCSI créés lors de l'exercice précédent.
- Exercice 3 : Exécution de machines virtuelles à partir de LUN iSCSI. Au cours de cet exercice, vous apprendrez comment exécuter des machines virtuelles sans disque à même des LUN iSCSI. À l'aide d'un programme d'exécution en réseau, vous vous connecterez à un LUN iSCSI et lancerez le processus d'exécution pour Windows Server 2008 R2 à partir du LUN iSCSI.
- Exercice 4 : Déploiement de Microsoft iSCSI Software Target. Au terme de cet exercice, vous serez en mesure d'accroître grandement la disponibilité de Microsoft iSCSI Software Target à l'aide de l'outil Windows Failover Clustering de Windows Server 2008 R2. Vous découvrirez comment accéder à un LUN iSCSI de façon continue sans interrompre de script dans le nœud actif d'un cluster.
WINILL201 - Utiliser SketchFlow pour Windows Phone Durant cet atelier, vous découvrirez les principes d'une bonne conception UX. Vous apprendrez aussi à construire votre prototype à l'aide d'un modèle SketchFlow pour Windows Phone. En cours de route, vous verrez comment ajouter des échantillons d'information et personnaliser l'apparence et le style de vos données. Vous découvrirez également comment ajouter de l'interactivité au moyen d'objets créés à même Expression Blend ou importés à partir d'autres sources telles qu'Adobe Illustrator. Si jamais vous n’avez pas le temps de participer à un ou plusieurs laboratoires, ne vous en faites pas, ils seront disponibles en lignes. Toutefois, utilisez ce moment privilégié pour mettre vos nouvelles connaissances en pratique, car vous aurez accès à un instructeur et des experts du milieu pour vous aider. Prenez note des laboratoires dans l’horaire et venez faire un tour pour mettre vos connaissances à l’œuvre. 
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After having the pleasure of talking about technology and connecting with people in Toronto and Vancouver – it’s now Montreal’s turn. Techdays Montreal is coming quickly and the whole team is giving 200% effort to finish things up with a Bang. This year – lots of diverse sessions are on hand to choose from. If you are interested in Agile, Cloud Computing, Application Testing with Visual Studio, HTML5 or Mobility and consumerization of IT – everything is here for you. Yes – there are even 3 tracks dedicated to Infrastructure, Virtualization, management and client deployment – it’s not just for Devs. You can now access the PDF version of the schedule – or download this iCal format schedule for all the sessions in Montreal. I don’t know about you – but when I attend conferences like TechDays – there are normally multiple sessions at the same time that I am interested in attending. I need to make a personal schedule. There is an online schedule builder you can use that you can create your own schedule – or you can use the iCal schedule and delete what doesn’t interest you. Take some time to browse around and read the full abstract of each sessions that is in conflict to make the right choices. Once at TechDays – you are free to move about and switch on the fly – but it’s always good to know your options. Don’t forget – you are encouraged to explore the partner fair, connect with attendees and local experts – it’s also about networking, not just the content. We’ve made up a cool conference with local speakers from Montreal as well as experts from across the country. TechDays Montreal will be quite the event. We’ll see you next week! 
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Après avoir eu le plaisir de discuter technologies avec les gens de Toronto et de Vancouver, c’est maintenant le tour d’aller à Montréal. TechDays Montréal arrive à grands pas et toute l’équipe donne son 200% pour finaliser le tout, question de vous donner une expérience plus qu’intéressante. Cette année encore plusieurs sujets de l’heure sont au menu. Que l’on s’intéresse à l’agilité, à l’infonuagique (Cloud Computing), aux tests avec Visual Studio, à HTML5 ou à la mobilité, tout y est. Nous avons du contenu pour plaire à tous, que vous soyez développeur ou IT Pro. Vous pouvez, dès maintenant, consulter l’horaire complet (fichier PDF) ou meme télécharger un copie au format .iCal. Je ne sais pas pour vous, mais lorsque j’assiste à des conférences tel TechDays et qu’il y a plusieurs sessions en même temps, il y a tellement de possibilités qui m’intéressent, que je me fais moi-même un horaire personnalisé. Pour ce faire, nous vous avons facilité la vie en mettant en ligne une application vous permettant de construire en quelques cliques, votre horaire personnalisé. Profitez-en pour lire la description des sessions et choisir celle qui vous intéresse le plus. Une fois à TechDays, vous serez emporté par le flot des présentations, des questions, des discussions avec les experts et avec vos pairs. C’est donc le bon moment de prendre quelques minutes pour regarder le tout et maximiser votre expérience à TechDays. On vous a concocté un horaire fort intéressant avec les experts de Montréal, mais aussi d’ailleurs. TechDays Montréal sera tout un évènement. On se voit la semaine prochaine! 
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{ This article also appears on The Regular IT Guy } I sat down with Richard Campbell from RunAs Radio podcast during TechDays Toronto to record an episode while waiting for lunch. He hit me up about my session called Diagnosing DNS (Based on the TechEd North America session by Mark Minasi). Some great chit chat and banter back and forth with Richard and I on all things networking and your Active Directory environment. The conversation dives into the tools you can use to understand what's happening with DNS on your machine and the common problems that crop up with DNS. It's a tour back to the fundamentals of networking! 
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