UGVs at Microsoft Ignite #MsIgnite

UGV or Unmanned ground vehicles is a military term for An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is a vehicle that operates while in contact with the ground and without an onboard human presence. UGVs can be used for many applications where it may be inconvenient, dangerous, or impossible to have a human operator present. Generally, the vehicle will have a set of sensors to observe the environment, and will either autonomously make decisions about its behavior or pass the information to a human operator at a different location who will control the vehicle through teleoperation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_ground_vehicle

 

Sounds quite serious but it’s true in a way. Microsoft has a couple of robots that will be roaming around Microsoft Ignite operated from a distance. In my case form the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in Stockholm, Sweden. That is in a straight line a distance of 7488.70 km (4653.26 miles).

The operation of the robot is handled using a PC, I haven’t yet tried it out but I will in a couple of hours. The time difference will take it’s toll since its 11 PM over here and I will get control over the robot in three hours from now at 2 AM and will run it for a couple of hours.

The robot comes from Suitable Technologies https://www.suitabletech.com/ and is a BeamPro.

Check out this Video to see what they look like Patch and Switch – Interactive Remote Experience 

This might sound like another gadget that techies like, but imagine when the prices of this things go down. (I don’t know the price of this but I assume it’s expensive.)

Let’s say some child is recovering from some illness, with a remote operated robot he/she could still interact with her friends and teachers at school. Universities could have professors giving classes all over the world. Doctors could help each other in a completely new way.

Think of all the minefields across the world, radioactive environments the list goes on and on.

I am proud to be a little part of that development this week when I wheel myself around the Microsoft Ignite conference.

When technology helps people is when technology is at its best.

To my friends in #TheKrewe see you tonight 🙂

Azure AD and Microsoft Accounts

I often get questions about Microsoft Azure accounts and best practices around setting upp access to a Microsoft Azure Subscription. Today I read a really useful article explaining the whys and the whats about how to adress the challange many have with Azure Accounts.

Ariel Gordon (Twitter: @askariel) summons it up and gives really good advidvice around when and how to use Azure AD accounts and Microsoft Accounts.

I added Ariels conclusion and reccomendations from his article, make sure to follow him on Twitter, i just did 🙂

Conclusion and recommendations

These changes are part of bigger investments we’re making to converge our identity systems. We’ll share more details later this year.

If you’re an IT pro, do not bulk create personal Microsoft accounts for your employees. We’ve helped many customers through hard usability and security problems because they had done this. If you’re configuring Windows devices for your employees, you should take advantage of the self-service set up and automatic MDM enrollment we’ve built into Windows 10 using Azure AD.

If you’re an IT pro, don’t ask your employees to create personal Microsoft accounts with their work email address. It creates confusion about who owns the associated content and resources. We understand that there are still a few Microsoft services that require creating personal accounts with a work email address, and as mentioned above we’re working hard to address this and have short-term exceptions in place.

If you’re an end user who has created a personal Microsoft account using your work email at of convenience, please consider renaming your account.

If you’re an app developer, you should probably support both personal and work accounts from Microsoft. Check out this post to learn more about the work we’re going to converge our identity stacks.

Read the full article for more details: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/enterprisemobility/2016/09/15/cleaning-up-the-azure-ad-and-microsoft-account-overlap/

Day Of Containers – Stockholm

25 Aug 2016 I will be speaking at DOC-STHLM (Day Of Containers – Stockholm)

DOC-STHLM is a different conference, more workshops than presentations. Don’t just listen – work and learn. Bring your laptop; we’ll be hacking containers all day

Getting your hands dirty with Windows Containers

Windows Containers in Windows Server 2016 is a new big thing – Get a solid introduction to the upcoming Windows and Hyper-V Containers that will be part of the next release of Windows Server.

Free training resources.

The Windows Server 2016 release is getting closer.

Jeffrey Snover told the attendees at PowerShell Conference EU that the next Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview (TP) is coming soon and that it will be the last TP before the release version.

I have gathered some resources for you to get started.

First and foremost I would urge you to download the Free E-book Introducing Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/microsoft_press/2016/04/20/free-ebook-introducing-windows-server-2016-technical-preview/

Then head over to the TechNet Virtual Labs and take a look at:

• OMS-Hybrid-Management
• Windows Server 2016: Configuring Storage Spaces Direct, Storage Quality of Service, and Storage Replication
• Installing and Managing Nano Server
• Managing Windows Server Containers with Docker
• Managing Windows Server Containers with Windows PowerShell

One you have done that start investigating on your own by signing up for the FREE Microsoft IT Pro Cloud Essentials annual subscription

This is a fantastic resource that enables you to learn. What do you think about this?

With IT Pro Cloud Essentials, you receive free access to cloud services, training, and expert-level support:

•	Cloud services—get your hands on the cloud with Microsoft Azure and extended trials of Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility Suite.
•	Education benefits—increase your cloud knowledge with Pluralsight and Microsoft Virtual Academy training courses and get certified.
•	Expert support—take advantage of a free support incident and expert assistance on TechNet forums to help you succeed.

Looking to evolve your career in cloud technologies? Make sure your skills are relevant and marketable with the Microsoft IT Pro Career Center—an online resource to help you map your career and follow a learning curriculum at your own pace.

Nested virtualization why should I care?

One thing I get asked a lot, is why I care so much about nested virtualization and the use case of such technology.

To understand nested virtualization we first need to look at traditional server virtualization.

Traditional Virtualization overview

In a traditional virtualization solution, the physical hardware is abstracted and presented to a guest operating system. The Virtual Machines (VM) are guests of the physical server and communicates with the physical hardware via the hypervisor.

Image 1

One physical server, hosts isolated Guest VMs

To provide high availability to the virtualizations solution we add clustering, Storage Area Networks (SAN) and duplicate of dependent peripheral configurations like network hardware and its configuration etc. The physical servers and attached configurations becomes a virtual datacenter that hosts the virtual machines. If we transition from one hypervisor vendor to another we need to convert the workload VMs to fit the new hypervisor. The conversion is sometimes a time-consuming and an expensive job that involves a lot of coordination.

This is something that we nowadays are quite familiar with.

Why nested virtualization then?

What if you wanted a copy of that configuration for testing or development purposes? How do you evolve and enhance your implementation? Do you have the possibility to test changes without impact to your production environment?

To install a virtual datacenter involves quite a lot of hardware that can be expensive and hard to move around.

You might need different configurations, developers for instance often have the need for many isolated environments with different settings. Building physical environments for each could be really expensive.

Nested Virtualization overview

In a nested virtualization solution, the physical hardware is abstracted and presented to a guest hypervisor VM as configurations. The guest hypervisor VM is a guest of the physical server.

The Guest VMs within the Guest hypervisor is unaware of the fact that the hypervisor is virtual and acts in the same way as if the hypervisor was installed in physical hardware.

Image 2

One physical server, hosts two separate hypervisors with separate isolated Guest VMs

To provide high availability to the virtualizations solution we use the same setup as in a traditional virtualization solution but we are able to emulate quite a lot of the periferal solutions such as SAN, Networks etc

Further possibilities with nested hypervisors

In a cloud solution, if a cloud vendor supports nested virtualization the format of the workload VM becomes irrelevant.

In a DevOps world the need to quickly build entire configurations becomes even more necessary. No more we can’t afford to have an expensive test environment J

What If we could build those configurations in Azure! the possibilities involved becomes mind blowing.

Microsoft Nested Virtualization

Microsoft has released a preview of nested virtualization in Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10565

At the moment only Windows 10, Hyper-V is possible to nest but I expect that to change in the near future. Imagine the Host Hypervisor in Image 2 as a Nano Server with Hyper-V. The Guest Workload VMs as Docker/Windows Containers and full OS VMs. The future looks really interesting J

How to get started

How do I start exploring the possibilities with nested virtualization?

First you need the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10565.

Once you have installed it you need to enable Hyper-V, if you are unfamiliar with Client Hyper-V check out this MSDN article Hyper-V on Windows 10

Once you are done check out the article on how to enable Windows Insider Preview: Nested Virtualization

Image 3

 In my lab I installed a Windows 10 host hypervisor with two Windows 10 Guest Hypervisors. Within each guest hypervisor I installed a Guest VM workload with Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3

I tried to get the nesting to work in Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3 as well but I get an error message in the event log and the Hyper V Service wont start. “This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)”

In a PPT from Microsoft https://t.co/ZqCkN16MIr the roadmap for System Center is reviled. The Windows Server 2016 Technical Previews has previously been released at the same time as System Center, so I hope I we will see Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 4 in November as well.

Azure Backup updates

We will soon be able to get backup of Microsoft SQL Server, Hyper-V VM, SharePoint Server and Windows Clients in Microsoft Azure Backup without System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM).

I assume that the binaries will be released during or after the Microsoft launch event October 6th 2015

The Agent isn’t accessible yet but the download links are there with a link to a text file.  Stay tuned for an updated post once the binaries are released.

Update
Marius Sandbu has covered this in an excellent post. New Azure backup “agent”

New Azure backup “agent”

Microsoft Ignite: Content Catalog Deep Dive

I have been playing around with the Microsoft Ignite Content Catalog and  must say I like what I see.

There are currently 274 282 371 Ignite Sessions listed in the Catalog and I think there will be more then a thousand sessions when the conference kicks of on Star Wars Day, May the 4:th.

So back to the Content Catalog with that huge amount of sessions there needs to be a great way to sort out the sessions. The session catalog of Microsoft Ignite is the best I have seen so far.

The catalog is dynamic in multiple dimensions and will automatically react to the settings you define. The result is a personalized list of sessions.

The Search Session Catalog function gives you the ability to search the entire catalog for keywords.

A quick look in the Products list displays 0 Azure Pack sessions but the search returns two hits at the moment. So don’t be alarmed if the topic you are looking for isn’t displayed, do a search for it. 🙂

Dynamic filters

On the left side are the filters sorted into six areas, Audiences, Topics, Formats, Products, Themes and Levels

Simply click the area/areas of interest and  the list will dynamically change to display the sessions associated with your selection.

Lets say you want to learn the best practices in upgrading SQL Server. You click SQL Server in the Products section, Best Practices in the Formats section and Level 400 in the Levels section. That will direct you to the session “Upgrading and Migrating Microsoft SQL Server”

Each area displays several related categories

The Audiences area displays the sub categories, IT Influencers and Implementers, Enterprise Developers, IT Decision Makers and Architects

In Topics we find Deployment & Implementation, Usage & Adoption, Development, Security & Access Management, Architecture, Operations & Management, Governance & Compliance, Upgrade & Migration

Formats lets you choose; Overview, Best Practices, Deep Dive, How to, What’s New, Pre-Day Sessions, Business Value, Strategy, Customer Showcase

Products, listed at the moment are:
Office 365, Azure, Exchange, SharePoint, Windows, Skype for Business, SQL Server, Visual Studio, Office Client, Yammer, Windows Server, OneDrive, Delve, System Center, Project, Surface, Visual Studio Online, Microsoft Intune, Application Insights, Team Foundation Server, Visio, .NET, ASP.NET, Azure Pack, Dynamics

Themes lists Productivity and Collaboration, Cloud, Big Data, Mobility, Unified Communications, Security and Compliance, Social and Internet of Things

• 

All sessions are graded into Levels, 400, 300, 200, 100

Level 100;
is an introductory and overview session. Assumes little or no expertise with topic and covers topic concepts, functions, features, and benefits.

Level 200;
means intermediate leveled content will be presented. Assumes 100-level knowledge and provides specific details about the topic.

Level 300;
this session contains advanced material. Assumes 200-level knowledge, in-depth understanding of features in a real-world environment, and strong coding skills. Provides a detailed technical overview of a subset of product/technology features, covering architecture, performance, migration, deployment, and development.

Level 400;
this is the expert session often with detailed material. Assumes a deep level of technical knowledge and experience and a detailed, thorough understanding of topic. Provides expert-to-expert interaction and coverage of specialized topics.

This concludes my initial explanation of the Microsoft Ignite Catalog. I will continue this exploration when future functions are reviled. The schedule building process very much involves knowledge of the content catalog.

Have you registered yet? Go to the Microsoft Ignite Registration page and do it today

I hope we meet in Chicago…

Ahh I also found a currently hidden section in the content catalog when I poked around. The hidden section called Roles and I expect it to be reviled soon, perhaps in combination with the schedule builder function of the catalog. The list contains sub categories that will add further filtering options.

• IT Generalist
• CIO, CTO, CISO, or Chief or Sr. Architect
• Cloud Services Architect/Administrator
• Director of MIS, IS, or IT
• Technical or Business Consultant
• Mgr, Cloud Services, Planning, & Support
• Cloud Services Support
• Cloud Services/Business Systems Analyst
• Security/Storage/Web Admins
• Mgr, App Development & Support
• Systems/Network/Datacntr Admin
• Technology Trainer or Teacher
• Chief or Sr. Architect
• Mgr, Infrastructure, Networking, or Datacenter
• CEO or CFO or COO
• Help Desk/Call Center Support
• Power Users
• VP of MIS, IS, or IT
• Business Analyst
• Journalists
• LOB Managers
• Researchers
• VP or Executive/Senior Vice President
• Database, BI & Data Warehouse Admin
• Owner/Partner
• President/Chairman
• Sales
• Unofficial IT Person (Office Manager, SMB Owner)
• Chief Officer
• Social Manager

Windows 10 and new Windows Server and System Center just in time for TechEd Europe

Microsoft announced on the Server and Cloud Blog that they will be releasing a Technical Preview of the next version of Windows and System Center on October 1.

Didn’t I say it would be an awesome autumn

I really cant wait for TechEd in Barcelona and learn about the Cloud OS updates, you are registered right?

Find your DevOps sessions at TechEd Europe

DevOps is one of the most written-about terms in the world of agile development and continuous delivery. The lasted Countdown to TechEd Europe Show are focusing on the DevOps and the Spotlight feature of the schedule builder.

Check it out here aka.ms/tee14cd07

To learn more about DevOps don’t miss upcoming Jump Start Training on October 9, 2014.
Azure Resource Manager DevOps Jump Start

While you are waiting for that make sure you check out the Microsoft Virtual Academy Training

DevOps: An IT Pro Guide

and the DevObs Blog and the latest blogpost from Volker Will
CIO Guide – Eight Steps to Enterprise DevOps – Step 1

If you haven’t registered yet, why not use the DevOps trainings available in Barcelona to boost your arguments 🙂

You will find the registration page and some help convincing your boss and much more by visiting the TechEd Europe website.

If you have any questions or comments about TechEd Europe you can post them in the TechEd Europe Forum or use Twitter or Facebook and reach out to:

• Twitter: @teched_europe (hashtag #TEE14 )
• Facebook: TechEd Europe
• Forum: TechEd Europe Forum

Twitter handles for the people behind the Countdown Show:

• Follow @TechEd_NA
• Follow @JoeySnow
• Follow @RicksterCDN
• Follow @Golnaz89

Until next time,

C’Ya all in the binary space that’s 4zure

How to add a product key when you are installing System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager.

Once your installation is complete it’s time to make sure you apply your license key. As you know there isn’t any prompt for adding the license key during the installs.

Instead it’s a Post-installation task you must perform.

The process I really simple. We use the PowerShell Set-SCOMLicence cmdlet.

1. Open an elevated PowerShell prompt. (Run as Administrator).

2. Type import-module operationsmanager.

3. Type New-SCOMManagementGroupConnection to connect your management group

4. Run the command Set-SCOMLicense -ProductId “<yourlicensekey>“

5. Check the settings by running the command:

Get-SCOMManagementGroup | ft skuforlicense, version, timeofexpiration –a

You may have to restart the Management server/-s to make sure that these changes are registered correctly.