Canadian IT Pro Blog

Hands-On With Private Cloud Technology - IT Virtualization Boot Camp Dates for Ottawa & Calgary

2012-02-06T14:30:00Z

Getting hands on with Private Cloud technologies and one of its key technical elements – virtualization – is turning out to be pretty popular with many of you out there. When I first announced the IT Virtualization Boot Camps we kicked off in Toronto on January 20 and 21 those events sold out within days . Immediately we heard from many of you asking for IT Virtualization Boot Camps in your area and we are delivering. We have managed to organize additional IT Virtualization Boot...(read more)

Busting the Myth: You cannot cluster Windows Small Business Server

2012-02-02T14:30:00Z

The following article is written by Mitch Garvis ( @MGarvis ) and also appears on The World According to Mitch . Microsoft created Windows Small Business Server as a one-box solution for companies that did not need more. It has always been a hobbled product, based on Windows Server Standard, but limited in things like domain trusts, FSMO roles , and more. Of course even if it were based on Windows Server Enterprise, the idea of creating a failover cluster for a product designed to be a single-server...(read more)

“The SQL Guy” Post #14: The Myth Behind Stored Procedure Behaviour

2012-02-01T14:30:00Z

You are a trusted database developer for your company. You developed a Stored Procedure that will perform some important functions on the database. You tested the Stored Procedure and everything looks great. The Stored Procedure runs the way you expected and within the anticipated timeframe. Everything looks great and now you are ready to deploy the code to the production environment. The production environment has same hardware as development/test environment therefore, you are confident that your...(read more)

One of the Many Reasons Why We Support Communities!

2012-01-31T23:28:16Z

The following article is written by Mitch Garvis ( @MGarvis ), who wanted to share the story of an individual who spoke of the value of getting involved with user groups and community and the benefits of doing so. It is also a great example of why my team here at Microsoft Canada is so passionate about working with your local user group and community association. Check it out! Last week I met a man at the Microsoft Virtualization Boot Camp who nearly made me cry. His name is Andrew...(read more)

You Only Need One Tool to Get System Center 2012 RC Installed!!

2012-01-30T20:42:18Z

Talking to individuals who downloaded the System Center 2012 RC from the TechNet Eval Center in December or early January, one of the pieces of feedback I received is that in order to get everything running you needed to install each component individually and that just took too long and also meant that you were potentially responding to over 450 screens of information. I get it. That’s a lot of work to test out a Pruvate Cloud solution and its components. Looks like the product...(read more)

Free Learning Resources for Microsoft Virtualization & Private Cloud

2012-01-27T14:30:00Z

In the last little while as we have started to deliver the IT Virtualization Boot Camps as well as go out to various user groups and talk about the Microsoft Virtualization and Private Cloud offerings, I have often been asked where IT Pros can find resources to learn about how our products work, especially by those individuals who are familiar with VMware but not so much with Hyper-V and System Center. Here are some that I would recommend: Microsoft Virtual Academy Microsoft Virtual Academy...(read more)

Virtualization Infrastructure: Which platform is right for you?

2012-01-26T15:00:00Z

The following article is written by Mitch Garvis ( @MGarvis ) and also appears on The World According to Mitch . Over the past year as a Virtual Partner Technology Advisor for Microsoft Canada I have heard a lot of people say a lot of things about Hyper-V, and not all of it has been from people who work for (or are otherwise strongly invested in) VMware. Some of those arguments are reasoned, others emotional, but there are still a lot of people who argue that because Hyper-V is free, it cannot be...(read more)

Hey Vancouver IT Pros!!! IT Virtualization Boot Camps Are Coming to Your City Feb 10 & 11!!

2012-01-26T05:03:28Z

Wow! When we announced the IT Virtualization Boot Camps in the TechNet eNewsletter last week, the response from you has been overwhelming. Many of you emailed me saying you wanted an IT Virtualization Boot Camp in your city. The folks on the West Coast, were especially vocal. Well, I am happy to announce that we will be holding IT Virtualization Boot Camps in Vancouver on Friday, February 10th and Saturday, February 11th . IT Virtualization Boot Camps are brought...(read more)

“The SQL Guy” Post # 13: Changes to Location of Startup Options in SQL Server 2012

2012-01-25T15:00:00Z

Many users have hated the way SQL Server supported configuring startup parameters in previous versions. It was confusing and buried in a single text box under the Advanced Tab of SQL Server services in Configuration Manager. The only way you could separate different options is by using a semicolon(;) between the options. With the introduction of SQL Server 2012, this is no longer an issue. The Startup Parameter option has been relocated to its own tab and can be easily accessed from SQL Server...(read more)

Lots of Learning & Team Spirit at IT Virtualization Boot Camps in Mississauga

2012-01-25T03:09:56Z

Yesterday, we wrapped up the second IT Virtualization Boot Camp brought to you by Microsoft TechDays Canada and your local user group - IT Pro Toronto . Both on Saturday and on Monday, we had a full house with 40+ attendees taking part in a hands-on journey to a highly-available virtualization infrastructure on the Microsoft platform . On top of that, all proceeds from registration fees for the event went to benefit IT Pro Toronto and allow it to continue to serve IT professionals in...(read more)

Licensing software in the cloud

2012-01-23T19:03:00Z

A girlfriend of mine called me up this weekend looking for a DVD copy of an older piece of software. She was rebuilding a computer for a family member who had the product key but no installation media. I’m sure many of you have similar stories trying to fix or repair computers for your family and friends. One of the nice things about using software online or “in the cloud” so to speak is that if your computer goes belly up and you need to rebuild it, the software will be there waiting...(read more)

What’s a Layer 1 or Layer 2 Hypervisor and Where Does Hyper-V Fit In?

2012-01-23T14:15:00Z

The following article is written by Mitch Garvis ( @MGarvis ) and also appears on The World According to Mitch . Expect to see more articles from Mitch in the future. In the world of Server Virtualization, there are two types of hypervisors: Layer 2 hypervisors are installed as an application (or service) on an existing operating system (such as Microsoft Windows). Layer 1 hypervisors are in and of themselves operating systems that are installed on the ‘bare metal’ – directly on the hardware....(read more)

Microsoft Online learning opportunities: February 2012

2012-01-18T15:48:25Z

Hello folks, This is my compilation of some of the online resource available to you in February 2012 . This list featuring both live and on-demand content including webcasts, videos, virtual labs, and podcasts by product and topic. this is not the WHOLE list of the available content. but these are the ones i thought were relevant to customers and IT pros. Microsoft webcasts are 30-90 minutes in length and feature interactive presentations, product demonstrations, and question-and-answer sessions....(read more)

“The SQL Guy” Post # 12: Understanding Data Hashing Techniques in SQL Server

2012-01-18T14:30:00Z

I don’t often deal a lot with the business intelligence side of SQL Server preferring to spend most of my time on the relational side of the house. However, once in a while topics about optimizing a data warehouse or helping to secure BI data peak my interest. I ran across this article by Don Pinto, a SQL Server Security Product Manager at Microsoft and thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy!! A common scenario in data warehousing applications is knowing what source system records...(read more)

Important Webcast Tomorrow: Learn About Exciting Developments in Microsoft’s Private Cloud Strategy

2012-01-16T17:14:53Z

Tomorrow (January 17th) at 8:30am PST / 11:30am EST there is a really important webcast featuring Satya Nadella , the President of Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business. If you are interested in hearing developments about Microsoft’s Private Cloud strategy including the System Center product line, Hyper-V, and Windows Server, you need to register for the webcast . During the webcast you will Hear from other senior IT professionals about how cloud computing can help you gain maximum competitive...(read more)