Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Lex Thomas & Yong Rhee from Microsoft Premier Services did a recording around Windows Performance Toolkit that’s very insightful.

In particular, they answer the question, “Hey, my system is running slow.  Is there a set of tests that I can use to evaluate my PC?”

Windows Performance Tools are designed for analysis of a wide range of performance problems including application start times, boot issues, deferred procedure calls and interrupt activity (DPCs and ISRs), system responsiveness issues, application resource usage, and interrupt storms.

Join Lex Thomas as he welcomes Yong Rhee to show as they discuss some of the various tests you can run on your systems.

Check out the 45min recording here:

• TRAINING: Windows Performance Toolkit: How to Analyze and Remedy Performance Issues in Your Systems
  https://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Taste-of-Premier/WindowsPerformanceToolkit
• Windows Performance Toolkit Technical Reference Guide
  https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/hh162945.aspx

These are a few sources of information for understanding how to deploy Windows 10 for Businesses.  This forms a good basis for most deployments:

1. Windows 10 for Business Deployment Guidance
   https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/WindowsForBusiness/deploy
2. Windows 10 Servicing options for updates and upgrades
   https://technet.microsoft.com/itpro/windows/manage/introduction-to-windows-10-servicing
3. Windows 10 TechCenter: Deployment
   https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mt240567
4. Windows 10 Deployment for IT Pros
   https://technet.microsoft.com/itpro/windows/deploy/index

Also, these references are excellent for offline access:

• DOWNLOAD: Free MSPress eBook: “Deploying Windows 10: Automating deployment by using System Center Configuration Manager”
  https://kurtsh.com/2016/03/17/download-free-mspress-ebook-deploying-windows-10-automating-deployment-by-using-system-center-configuration-manager/
• DOWNLOAD: Windows 10 Deployment & Management Lab Kit
  https://kurtsh.com/2015/11/18/download-windows-10-deployment-management-lab-kit/

Via Morgan Stanley

Microsoft Azure’s usage in the Infrastructure as a Service space (IaaS) will exceed that of Amazon Web Services by 2019, according to the recently released 2016 CIO Survey report by Morgan Stanley.

Microsoft Azure already leads Amazon Web Services in Platform as a Service usage (PaaS) and this lead will be extended by a 1-2% going into 2019, according to the report.

To read more about the growth of Microsoft Azure in the Infrastructure as a Service space, read the Geekwire article at:

• GEEKWIRE: Azure rising: Microsoft will be largest Infrastructure as a Service vendor by 2019, says new Morgan Stanley survey
  http://www.geekwire.com/2016/azure-rising-microsoft-will-largest-infrastructure-service-vendor-2019-says-new-morgan-stanley-survey/

Windows 7 Professional “end of sales” is on October 31, 2016.

You hopefully know by now that Windows 7’s “end of support” date is Jan 14, 2020. (Having lost mainstream support back in Jan 13, 2015) However, it’s also important to know that Windows 7 Professional also has an “end of sales” date which is October 31, 2016.

End of sales refers to the date when a particular version of Windows is no longer shipped to retailers or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Examples of OEMs are Dell and Toshiba—PC manufacturers who often preinstall Windows software.

This means that Windows 7 Professional will not be preinstalled on machines from the OEM as of October 31, 2016 (or possibly earlier depending on the OEM), and instead a more current version of Windows can be installed/shipped.  Downgrade rights will be available from qualifying editions/versions of Windows however for individuals that wish to do so.

• SUPPORT: End of Sales & End of Support
  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet#section_2
• LICENSING: Downgrade Rights
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/learn-more/brief-downgrade-rights.aspx

Two major promotions for folks that are students are available at the Microsoft Store for a limited time.

• XBOX ONE/SURFACE
  Save $300 when students purchase an Xbox One and Surface at Microsoft Stores
• DELL PC
  Get a free 32” Samsung Flatscreen TV when you purchase a Dell PC over $699*. (TV valued at $320)

Read more about these promos here:

• DEALS: Study & Play Promotions for Students
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-to-school

If you’re into Containers & interested in the content Microsoft delivered at DockerCon, here’s where you can download the PowerPoint decks:

• POWERPOINT: Windows Server & Docker:  The Internals Behinds Bringing Docker & Containers to Windows
  https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=7DF0E65867EC4C8F!609979&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AAVWX4E2t-Av5Fc
• POWERPOINT: Dockerizing Windows Server Applications
  https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=7DF0E65867EC4C8F!609975&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AKWxLfcnZoCnCZA

Skype for Business User Tips & Tricks Step by Step for Anyone is over 100 pages of tips, tricks and hacks by Skype for Business MVP Matt Landis. This book will make any novice or expert user of Skype for Business (Lync) even more productive than they were before.

What some people are saying:
"My organization migrated to Office 365 last year. We’ve had a slow adoption to the full toolset, but the book "Skype for Business User Tips & Tricks Step by Step for Anyone" has certainly been helpful. It’s nice to have a document with a table of contents…much better than the help file within Skype!" –Rick Grams II, Operations & Technology Leadership

"[Skype for Business User Tips & Tricks] has a plethora of tips and tricks around utilizing Skype for Business! …this grouping of tips can you great workflows that you can share with your customers!" –Todd Sweetser, Microsoft TS2 Team more

You can also read a subset of the tips online here:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/search/label/LyncUserTip

Grab the eBook here:

• DOWNLOAD: Free eBook, “Skype for Business User Tips & Tricks for Anyone” (PDF, 200pgs, 3.88MB)
  https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Skype-for-Business-User-600b52ba

Installing & Upgrading Skype for Business Server Step by Step for Anyone is a free eBook by Skype for Business MVP matt Landis that takes a generalist IT person step by step through the process of installing and/or upgrading Skype for Business.

This book is in progress which means more chapters are in the works and coming soon!

Current Chapters

• Installing Skype for Business Server Standard Edition Step by Step
• Lync 2013 to Skype for Business Server 2015 Front End In-Place Upgrade  Step by Step
• Edge In-Place Upgrade Step by Step
• Enabling Enterprise Voice Features

Grab the eBook here:

• DOWNLOAD: Free eBook, “Installing & Upgrading Skype for Business Server Step by Step for Anyone” (PDF, 59pg, 2.83MB)
  https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Skype-for-Business-Server-f4dac647/view/Reviews

At Build 2016, we announced a limited preview of Azure Service Fabric on Linux, which you can use to build, deploy, and manage cloud applications by using the same core technology that Microsoft has used to build massively scalable solutions on Windows.

With this preview, you can create  Reliable Actors and stateless Reliable Services in Java on top of our runtime. Developers can build apps by using the tools with which they’re familiar, including Yeoman scaffolding, Gradle builds, and Vagrant-based setup.

The SDK and runtime also provide support for containers and guest executables, as well as the ability to create and deploy apps to a cluster on Azure or your development computer.

Read more here:

• BLOG: Service Fabric Preview on Linux
  https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/azureservicefabric/2016/06/16/service-fabric-preview-on-linux/

Sign up for our preview here:

• BETA: Azure Service Fabric for Linux
  http://aka.ms/servicefabriclinuxpreview

“Administrating Skype for Business Server 2015 Step by Step for Anyone” is written by Fabrizio Volpe and Matt Landis (Skype for Business MVPs).

It covers the following:

• Working with the Control Panel
• Adding Users
• Setting up Voice Policies
• Configuring a Dial Plan
• Managing Response Groups
• And much more.

Download the eBook here:

• Administrating Skype for Business Server 2015 Step by Step for Anyone (PDF, 87 pgs, 4.14MB)
  https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Administrating-Skype-for-ec6e4c62