Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Annnnd if you’re looking to learn how to administer BizTalk Server 2010, you’re in luck.  Free training!

Announcing the BizTalk Server 2010 Administrator Training Kit!  This training kit contains a complete set of materials that will enable you to learn the core administrator capabilities in BizTalk Server 2010. This kit includes lab manuals, PowerPoint presentations and videos, all designed to help you learn about BizTalk Server 2010. There is also an option below to download a Virtual Machine that is ready for you to use with the training kit.

About This Hands-On Lab
This three-day instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills required to install and configure a computer running Microsoft BizTalk Server 2010. The course also shows you how to deploy and manage BizTalk applications in a production environment.
Audience Profile
This course is intended for systems engineers and network administrators with two to three years of experience managing an enterprise-level Microsoft Windows Server environment.
At Course Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the services and tools provided in BizTalk Server 2010.
• Install BizTalk Server 2010 on a computer.
• Deploy BizTalk applications to a BizTalk server 2010 computer.
• Manage and monitor BizTalk applications on a BizTalk Server 2010 computer.
• Manage BizTalk Server groups and backup a BizTalk Server 2010 computer.
• Monitor a BizTalk Server environment with System Center Operations Manager.

DOWNLOAD: BizTalk Server 2010 Administrator Training Kit
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=27148

Holy cow.  Wanna learn how to implement an Enterprise Services Bus using a basic implementation of BizTalk Server 2010?  There’s a training kit for that!

Announcing the BizTalk Server 2010 ESB Training Kit!  This training kit contains a complete set of materials that will enable you to learn about the ESB Toolkit in BizTalk Server 2010. This kit includes lab manuals, PowerPoint presentations and videos, all designed to help you learn about the ESB Toolkit. There is also an option below to download a Virtual Machine that is ready for you to use with the training kit.

About This Training Kit
This two-day instructor-led course consists of a series of hands-on labs that provides students with the knowledge and skills to develop applications using Microsoft BizTalk Server ESB Toolkit.

Audience Profile
This course is intended for Developers who want to learn how to develop applications with BizTalk Server.

At Hands-On Lab Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the ESB Toolkit
• Install the ESB Toolkit
• Process messages using the ESB itinerary mechanism
• Understand ESB pipeline processing
• Understand the ESB resolver and adapter provider framework
• Use ESB external services
• Understand exception management and the ESB management portal
• Modify and extend the ESB Toolkit

DOWNLOAD:  BizTalk Server 2010 ESB Training Kit
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=27151

The following online training sessions will be available exclusively for our managed Enterprise customers. We have limited seating for these virtual events so if you are a customer of mine, please contact me for registration information.

SQL Server High Availability
Wednesday, November 02, 2011 9:00 AM
During this lab, we will cover:

• How to create a Windows Server cluster
• How to install a SQL Server clustered instance
• How to maintain a failover cluster

SQL Server 2008 R2 Upgrade and New Features 
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 9:00 AM
In this hands on lab, you will learn how to prepare and perform an upgrade to SQL Server 2008 R2, as well as go through new features including StreamInsight and Multi Server Management.   We will cover:

• Lab 1:  Upgrading to SQL Server 2008 R2
• Lab 2:  Working with the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Event Flow Debugger
• Lab 3:  Querying Events in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight Using LINQ
• Lab 4:  Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2: Multi Server Management

The following online training sessions will be available exclusively for our managed Enterprise customers.  We have limited seating for these virtual events so if you are a customer of mine, please contact me for registration information.

Addressing Application Compatibility in Windows 7
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 9:00 AM
Learn about tools and resources to reduce the time, cost, and complexity of addressing application compatibility.

• Windows 7 Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5
• Windows 7: Mitigating Application Issues Using Shims

PowerShell, IIS 7.5 on Server Core and AD Management
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 9:00 AM
Windows Server 2008 R2 provides a productive server platform because it offers cost-effective virtualization, power saving capabilities, and a superior experience for end users. In this Hands-on Lab we will focus on the enhancements made to PowerShell, the new Scripting Language for the Windows Platform, will help you automate management tasks in local and remote computers. You also learn how to configure IIS 7.5 on Server Core in order to run ASP.NET applications. Finally you will learn how you can use PowerShell and the new AD administrative Center to Manage Active Directory.  We will cover:

• Server Management and PowerShell V2
• Deploying and Managing ASP.NET Using IIS 7.5 on Server Core:
• Active Directory and Server Manager Remoting

Learn How to Deploy Windows 7 in Your Enterprise
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 9:00 AM
Learn about Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), the recommended process and toolset to automate desktop and server deployment and the Windows® Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK), which is designed to help IT professionals deploy the Windows® 7 operating system.  We will cover:

• Introduction to Deploying Windows 7 Using the Windows Automated Installation Kit
• Getting Started with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010
• Zero Touch Installation Using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 and System Center Configuration Manager

Active Directory, Best Practice Analyzer, IIS 7.5 on Server Core and BranchCache
Wednesday, December 07, 2011 9:00 AM
Windows Server 2008 R2 provides a productive server platform because it offers cost-effective virtualization, power saving capabilities, and a superior experience for end users. In this hands-on lab, we will focus on the enhancements made to Active Directory in Windows Server 2008 R2. We will also show you how you can leverage the Best Practice Analyzer to improve compliance with established standards and best practices. Finally, we’ll provide an overview of two new features in Windows Server 2008 R2:

• The ability to run ASP.NET apps on IIS 7.5 running on Server Core
• BranchCache, a new technology that can help organization reduce bandwidth utilization.

We will cover:

• What’s New in Active Directory
• Best Practices Analyzers, IIS, ASP.NET and Server Core
• BranchCaching

Microsoft ALM Summit
Application Lifecycle Management for the Microsoft platform
November 14-18, 2011 – Microsoft Redmond

Do you want to help your software development team be the most efficient and effective it can be?
Attend ALM Summit 2011 to gain deeper insight into your application lifecycle, discover best practices that address additional development challenges in the industry, and learn how Microsoft’s ALM solutions enable and support those best practices. You’ll come away from this event with new tools for making better decisions about design, implementation, and technology selection.

New at this year’s event:

• A full-time, hands-on lab featuring self-guided tutorials on Team Foundation Server and Test Lab Management
• Two focused breakout tracks—ALM Leadership and Agile Developer

The leadership track will include strategic content to help CIOs, application development VPs, directors, and managers improve their organizations. The developer track will include tutorials to help individual contributors become exceptional members of their teams.

REGISTRATION:

• http://www.alm-summit.com/home.aspx
• http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/alm-summit-2011

It’s finally out!  The Windows 8 Developer Preview in .ISO format for x64/x86 along with versions with Dev Tools built in are now available courtesy of the Microsoft //build/ Conference 2011!

• DOWNLOAD:  Windows Developer Preview downloads
  http://dev.windows.com
  (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516)

If you’re interested in other Build Conference resources that address Windows 8, check out the following list:

Build Conference/Windows 8 Resources:

• BUILD Event/Keynote Livestream or Archive (Mon, Tue)
• B8 Blog
• Microsoft News Center/BUILD
• The Windows Blog
• Windows Dev Center
• BUILD Session Recording Archive
• Windows and Windows Server Application Compatibility Cookbook

Developer Forums for Windows 8 Dev Preview:
(http://win8.ms/forums)

• Metro Style Applications Forum
• Desktop Development Forum
• Hardware Development Forum

BUILD is a new event that shows modern hardware and software developers how to take advantage of the future of Windows. Learn how to work with the all new touch-centric user experience to create fast, fluid, and dynamic applications that leverage the power and flexibility of the core of Windows, used by more than a billion people around the world.

Hear how the UI was designed to work seamlessly with a diversity of devices and form factors. Go behind the scenes and learn all about the new app model that allows you to create powerful new apps. All while retaining the ability to use your existing apps. Web-connected and web-powered apps built using HTML5 and JavaScript have access to the power of the PC. Touch-optimized browsing, with the full power of hardware-accelerated Internet Explorer 10 transforms your experiences with the web. BUILD is the first place to dive deep into the future of Windows.

Day 1’s sessions online include 32 different topics including:

• Steven Sinofsky’s Keynote for Day #1
• 8 traits of great Metro style apps
• Anatomy of HTML5 sites and Metro style apps using HTML5
• Tools for building Metro style apps
• Programming SVG and canvas graphics in a Metro style app based on HTML5
• Platform for Metro style apps
• SPA 3.0 – A simple server performance tuning advisor
• Capturing and analyzing performance traces

And many more.

• VIDEO:  //build/ Conference Session Video Archives
  http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/BUILD/BUILD2011

Microsoft Project Conference 2012 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on
March 19 – 22, 2012.  Registration will open Fall 2011.

Project Conference is the premiere Microsoft-led event to share Project and Portfolio Management best practices and connect with your peers from around the globe. Join customers, partners, industry-leading experts and the Microsoft Project team to learn about their success with Microsoft Project and how you can take your success to the next level.

Stay connected for future announcements on Conference Registration, Call for Content , Sponsorship Opportunities and Agenda. Add yourself to the Keep Me Notified list above.

Also, to learn more about Microsoft Project 2010 and get a first-hand look at Customer successes, visit http://www.microsoft.com/project.

• Microsoft Project Conference 2012
  http://www.msprojectconference.com

The following online calculator was put on line back in May 2011 to provide estimates of what Windows Azure will cost for customers looking for general budgeting information based on their own inputs.

The following warning is presented to all users:

You should not interpret any output you receive as a part of this process to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy of any information presented in the report. You should not view the results of this report as a substitute for engaging with a third party expert to independently evaluate you or your company’s specific computing needs. The analysis report you will receive is for informational purposes only.  MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THIS PRICING CALCULATOR.

The calculator presents to pricing models:

1. Introductory special (* click for more info)
2. Pay-as-you-go model

The calculator requests the following information:

• Size & number of compute instances
• Size of relational databases
• Size of storage and transaction count
• Size of Content Dlivery network
• Number of access control-based transactions
• Number of service bus connections
• Size of caches

Windows Azure Pricing Calculator
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/pricing-calculator/

Office 365 is a flexible per user/per month subscription service with a number of plan and service options. Choose plans and stand-alone services below, enter the number of users for each, and see how affordable Office 365 can be.
This calculator is for estimation purposes only; actual costs may vary.

The estimator assumes an understanding of the differences between the 6 plans available:

• E1:
  For organizations that need communication and collaboration tools accessible from PCs, the web and mobile devices.
• E2:
  For organizations that need communication and collaboration tools and the ability to read and do lightweight editing of documents with Office Web Apps.
• E3:
  The best plan for organizations that need full productivity, communication and collaboration tools with the familiar Office suite, including Office Web Apps.
• E4:
  For organizations that need full productivity, communication and collaboration tools with Office Professional Plus and Office Web Apps, and on-premises server rights to information protection and enterprise voice capabilities.
• K1:
  For people in your organization who don’t have dedicated PCs, but need occasional access to web email and internal sites.
• K2:  
  For people in your organization who don’t have dedicated PCs, but need occasional access to web email, internal sites, and documents with Office Web Apps.

Office 365 Cost Estimator:
http://www.microsoft.com/business/office365tools/estimator/cost-estimator.aspx