Kurt Shintaku's Blog

The Configuration Manager team is pleased to announce the release of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2! The installation kit is available through the Download Center.

This release includes key enhancements in the following areas:

• Application Virtualization Management
• Client Status Reporting
• OS Deployment
• SQL Reporting Services Integration
• Forefront Client Security Integration

Below is a brief overview of each major enhancement category, with detailed information available on TechNet.

Application Virtualization Management
The Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 feature set is integrated into the Configuration Manager 2007 R2 release. This provides administrators with the ability to manage and deploy virtual applications using Configuration Manager. It gives administrators the same experience for managing virtual applications as standard, or “physical,” applications, where logical. The core scenarios enabled in this feature set include packaging and distribution of virtual applications, deployment of virtual applications to clients (connected and offline), launching and running virtual applications (connected and offline), and inventory and reporting of virtual applications.

Client Status Reporting
This feature is built on the SMS 2003 Client Health Tool but includes important new improvements and features. An external service is provided that queries site systems and Configuration Manager clients for client status on agent activity and overall health. The system then reports on key indicators of client activity to help administrators monitor and maintain the health of their Configuration Manager clients.

OS Deployment
With R2 we provide for support of multicast of OS images to Windows PE, simplifying the deployment process in this scenario. In addition, R2 introduces the capability of doing OS provisioning without the need to pre-create records in Configuration Manager. This capability is delivered via a feature called “unknown computer support.” This feature works with boot media and PXE boot. We’ve also implemented two new resources that can be put into collections and targeted with task sequences (x86 Unknown Computer and x64 Unknown Computer). Also new within the OSD feature set is the ability to specify credentials on Run Command Line task sequence action. This provides “Run As” capability for applications, such as SQL Server, that should be installed under a specific account.

SQL Reporting Services Integration
Configuration Manager 2007 R2 provides native integration with SQL Reporting Services as a reporting solution. Administrators have the ability to convert/copy classic SMS reports to Report Definition Language format and publish them to the “Reporting Services Point” server. This feature provides the ability to manage, browse and run SQL Reporting Services Configuration Manager reports from the Configuration Manager console.

Forefront Client Security Integration
With Configuration Manager 2007 R2 we have provided integration with Forefront Client Security, Microsoft’s security solution providing malware protection for business desktops, laptops and server systems. The integration is facilitated through a Configuration Pack that assesses the states of the Forefront Client Security agents on machines that are managed by Configuration Manager 2007 R2. The Configuration Manager administrator can view reports of the overall states of the Forefront Client Security clients through the existing Desired Configuration Management reporting infrastructure.

We are excited about the new functionality provided in the R2 release and encourage you to begin your upgrade plans!

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7376214f-cba3-4e0d-81fe-ad52488be3a3&displaylang=en

MORE INFO:
http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/configmgr/default.mspx

WEBCAST: System Center Configuration Manager SP1 and R2 Overview (Level 300)
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032369054&EventCategory=5&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

We are pleased to announce the Windows Server Virtualization Exam (70-652) which leads to “Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server Virtualization, Configuration” Certification will go live on August 25.

The skills measured in the test are:

• Installing Hyper-V (14 percent)
• Configuring and Optimizing Hyper-V (20 percent)
• Deploying Virtual Machines (30 percent)
• Managing and Monitoring Virtual Machines (36 percent)

Preparation Tools and Resources

You can also visit http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-652.mspx for more information.

Man, I just love this.

Kotaku did a survey of 100 retailers asking them basically what console they should buy for their 15 year old son.

You can probably guess what the consensus was but what will surprise you is how the responses breakdown.  This is a helluva survey.

LINK:
http://kotaku.com/5050453/the-100-retailer-pop-quiz-+-what-gaming-console-should-we-buy

Interested in Microsoft Virtualization technologies?  Can’t get to our hands-on-labs events?  We have several eLearning courses being made available online for free for a limited time called “Exploring Microsoft Virtualization Technologies”.  They include 4 clinics and 7 hours of content… all for FREE!

Collection 6333: Exploring Microsoft Virtualization Technologies

This collection of three 2-hour online clinics and an 1-hour online clinic provides IT Professionals experienced in Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 with the knowledge and skills to implement and manage virtualization technologies.
Topics covered in the clinic within the collection include:

• Introduction to Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
• Overview of Microsoft Application Virtualization
• Overview of Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008
• Overview of Hyper-V

Student Prerequisites

• Experience in planning, implementing, and supporting Windows Server–based networks, operating systems and platform infrastructure. This may include experience in Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008.
• Knowledge of server virtualization and Hyper-V.

This offer includes the following:

E-Learning

• Clinic 5935: Introducing Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008
• Clinic 6334: Exploring Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
• Clinic 6335: Exploring Microsoft Application Virtualization
• Clinic 6336: Exploring Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008

DOWNLOAD:
https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=228501

This is a FREE two-day SQL Server 2008 Upgrade and Application Compatibility Lab (AppCompat) event (a $1500 value). AppCompat labs are being conducted at the Microsoft Technology Centers and are being offered to select customers who are considering upgrading to SQL Server 2008.

This special AppCompat lab event will give you the chance to migrate your SQL Server 2000 / 2005 database to SQL Server 2008 in order to help you proactively identify upgrade compatibility issues before SQL Server 2008 is commercially available and to work with our SQL Architects in order to resolve upgrade issues. See the attached document for additional information.

Overview and Benefits
Participation in a SQL Server 2008 Upgrade and Application Compatibility Lab (a.k.a AppCompat lab) offers the following benefits:

• Learn the technical advantages of upgrading your SQL Server 2000/2005 database application to SQL Server 2008
• Learn critical tools and methodologies used to test applications for compatibility with and plan upgrades for SQL Server 2008
• Interact directly with members of the lab team to troubleshoot upgrade and compatibility issues
• Identify specific deployment and application related compatibility issues you may encounter when upgrading your existing SQL Server 2000/2005 applications to SQL Server 2008 so they may be addressed
• Compare the baseline behavior and performance characteristics of database operations performed by your SQL Server 2000/2005 application with the same operations performed on SQL Server 2008
• Brainstorm ways to exploit new features and capabilities in SQL Server 2008

Prerequisites
The following prerequisites must be met in order to participate in an AppCompat lab:

• Participants must have an existing SQL Server 2000/2005 database application running in production (a.k.a. target application)
• Participants must have basic operational familiarity with SQL Server Management Studio and SQL Server Profiler
• Participants must create a workload (a.k.a. playback) of your existing application exactly according to the specifications defined in the document entitled “SQL Server 2008 Upgrade and Application Compatibility Lab Prerequisite Guide”.  Adherence to these specifications is crucial to ensuring a successful lab engagement. 
• Participants are encouraged to bring a functional installation of the target application pre-installed on either a laptop or virtual machine
• Participants are encouraged to bring a functional development environment and source code of the target application pre-installed on either a laptop or virtual machine

Participants will be sent instructions on how to download the tools and documentation necessary to complete the participant pre-requisites.

Who Should Attend
The AppCompat lab is designed for the following technical roles.

• Service / Testing Professionals responsible for planning upgrades of the target application
• Database and Application Developers responsible for the target application source code
• Database Administrators and/or Database Architects responsible for certifying platforms for the target application

The AppCompat lab is just one of many opportunities available to customers and partners to enhance technical readiness for SQL Server 2008.  Please contact your Microsoft representative if you want to learn more about these other opportunities. 

The AppCompat lab is not designed for sales, marketing and management professionals.  Companies with a target application that meet the following criteria may not benefit from participating in an AppCompat lab.

• Target application is already natively designed for SQL Server 2008
• Target application does not currently support SQL Server 2000/2005
• Target application was recently included in the SQL Server Playback Test Program
• Target application has no direct dependency on SQL Server 2000/2005 relational database engine

Upgrade Scenarios Covered
The AppCompat lab provides testing tools, methodologies and guidance for the following upgrade scenarios:

• Analysis of database operations generated by your SQL Server 2000/2005 application for compatibility with SQL Server 2008 syntax and metadata
• Simple database upgrade of your SQL Server 2000/2005 database to SQL Server 2008
• Analysis of query behavior and performance characteristics of your SQL Server 2000/2005 application after it has been upgraded to SQL Server 2008

Due to technical and resource constraints, testing for the following upgrade scenarios are not performed at the AppCompat lab:

• Upgrade of SQL Server 2000/2005 SQL Agent Jobs to SQL Server 2008 SQL Agent Jobs
• Upgrade of SQL Server 2000/2005 Maintenance Plans to SQL Server 2008 Maintenance Plans
• Upgrade of SQL Server 2000/2005 Replication installations to SQL Server 2008
• Upgrade of SQL Server 2000 Data Transformation Services or SQL Server 2005 Integration Services to SQL Server 2008 Integration Services
• Upgrade of SQL Server 2000/2005 Analysis Services to SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
• Upgrade of SQL Server 2000/2005 Reporting Services to SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
• Upgrade of SQL Server 2000/2005 Notification Services
• Due to technical and resource limitations, certain playbacks are not well suited for testing in an AppCompat lab environment.  Please see the document entitled “SQL Server 2008 Upgrade and Application Compatibility Lab Prerequisite Guide” for details on how to capture a quality playback.

AGENDA:
Day 1 Agenda

• 09:00 – 09:30: General Session: Welcome and Logistics
• 09:30 – 12:00: Breakout: Upgrade Testing
• 12:00 – 13:00: Lunch
• 13:00 – 16:00: Breakout: Upgrade Testing
• 16:00 – 17:00: General Session: Status and Results Comparison

Day 2 Agenda

• 09:00 – 12:00: Breakout: Upgrade Testing
• 12:00 – 13:00: Lunch
• 13:00 – 16:00: Breakout: Upgrade Testing
• 16:00 – 17:00: General Session: Submit Results

Questions and Contact Information
If you have questions regarding participation in an AppCompat lab event, please use the following email address:  sqlapplb@microsoft.com

Date/Time:
Sept 25-26th 8:30AM-5:00PM (2 days)

Location:
Microsoft Technology Center
3 Park Plaza
Suite 1800 Irvine California 92614

Registration:
If you are interested in participating and you are a customer of mine, please let me know and I will send you registration information.  Note:  This is an invite-only event for our named Enterprise customers.  Individuals registering that are not a Enterprise customer supported directly by Microsoft will be bumped off the list if the class is full.

Today we are announcing the availability of the next generation of Zune.   This release combines two very important things:

1) A free software-and-services update, which will work on any of the existing Zune family of devices, as well as the new devices we are bringing to market to round out our hardware family.

2) Key new hardware device options, including new capacities, new colors, and new prices.

From its inception, Zune has been about community-powered music discovery, and this release makes what we think is some amazing progress in giving customers the tools to have an immersive, compelling and connected music and entertainment experience across their Zune devices, their PCs and the web.

MP3 players have historically been pretty “static” devices … if you want to get new content, you have to acquire it yourself, manually.  With Zune 3.0, we are aiming to bring the new-music discovery of today’s FM or Satellite Radio to an MP3 device… rather than always having to manually choose music yourself, the ZUNE SERVICE can help choose it for you, automatically, so it’s available anytime you want it.

Some of the cool features that deliver on this idea and which are AVAILABLE NOW include:

• Buy From FM. Every Zune comes with an FM radio – and now you can use FM broadcasts to discover new songs for your music collection.   Using RDS and RT+ data feeds from thousands of radio stations around the country, you can see song information while you are listening and tag the song for download the next time you sync your Zune. 
  
• Channels. Channels are an exciting new tool for music discovery – like a “radio station” that automatically syncs to your device so it’s available for listening offline.  You can subscribe to channels programmed by experts from the music industry (eg., the Billboard Top 100, FADER magazine and KEXP radio playlists) or choose top “chart-channels” from all genres and sub-genres in our marketplace. Zune’s powerful software-service will even create custom channels for you, based on your favorite artists and genres. 
  
• Wireless streaming and download from the cloud. Taking our wireless functionality to the next level, you can now connect your Zune device directly to the marketplace over your home network or any one of tens-of-thousands of wifi hotspots across the country—including around 9,800 McDonalds restaurants.  Access new releases, top tracks and albums, or search for an artist or track. And when you find it, you can not only download it directly but with the Zune Pass subscription stream it directly to your Zune.
  
• Personal Picks. When you browse to Zune Marketplace, you’ll find a new area called ‘Picks’ where Zune’s recommendation algorithm will suggest artists, albums and tracks based on the music you have been listening to, as well as offer channels created explicitly for you and a list of listeners-like-you from the Zune Social.
  
• PC Software that’s Powerful and Fun To Use. The Zune PC software is simply one of the best media and entertainment experiences you can have on Windows. It provides rich discovery and media management capabilities to make the most of your existing music collection, in addition to providing access to the Zune Social and Zune Marketplace.
  
  • Mixview. Select an artist, album or Zune Card to activate a dynamic, visual mosaic of related music and listeners (screenshot below at left). With each click users can take the view in a new direction, creating a fun, graphical way to discover new music. Mixview works with users’ current collection of music, in addition to tracks and albums from across the Zune Marketplace.
    
  • Now Playing. The improved “Now Playing” view is more interactive and cinematic. Just sit back and enjoy our combination of great artist imagery, colorful effects, bio information and data from the Zune online music community… all combined in a full screen view.  At anytime you can click to dive deeper into the music behind the picture; providing another great way to interact with your collection. 

In addition to the amazing software and services updates, we now support Games and Audiobooks on devices and are not standing still on the hardware itself.   We introduce:

• a stunning blue 8 GB device,
• a new 16 GB glossy black with a black metal back, and…
• a 120 GB black-on-black that round out our hardware selection nicely.

This is a great milestone for Microsoft and the Zune team, and I know you are all looking forward to getting your hands on the new devices and software.  Stop by one of our retail partners to pick up the device that’s right for you, OR visit www.zuneoriginals.net where there are even more colors available and where you can customize a Zune just for you.

Thanks!

– The Zune Team

WHAT’S NEW:
http://www.zune.net/en-us/whatsnew.htm

DOWNLOAD:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=104738 (165.2MB)

Complimentary Microsoft Office 2007 Desktop Deployment Training for Enterprise Customers
October 21-22,2008 9AM-5PM
Microsoft Irvine 3 Park Plaza, Suite 1600, Irvine CA 92614

Join the Deploying and Managing Microsoft Office 2007 in the Enterprise workshop to learn about new tools and technologies to deploy the 2007 Microsoft® Office system. In this instructor-led, 2-day event, you will receive practical technical information and proven techniques necessary to design, customize, and deploy an Office 2007 installation in your environment. You will become familiar with the technical tools and resources required to better plan your organization’s deployment.

This demo-style workshop is targeted for IT Professionals responsible for the deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting of Office installations. Application-specific and/or help desk-type issues are not included in the scope of this offering.

Courseware includes information related to:

• Preparing to Deploy Office 2007
• Customizing an Office 2007 Installation
• Upgrading to Office 2007
• Selecting an Office 2007 Enterprise Deployment Method
• Maintaining and Updating Office 2007
• General Q & A

Workshops are delivered by members of the Office Proactive Services team. They are senior Customer Service & Support (CSS) escalation leads who possess a strong knowledge of current and previous Office client deployment technologies/troubleshooting, migration, and best practices. Team members have years of experience resolving Office support issues, working escalations that lead to product improvements, consulting with customers across the globe, and delivering workshops.

Date:
Oct 21-22

Time:
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Location:
Microsoft Office
3 Park Plaza 16^th floor
Irvine, CA 92614

Registration:
This event is invitation only.  If you are a customer of mine and are interested in attending, please contact me and I will send registration information to you.  Non-named Enterprise customers (customers directly supported by Microsoft locally) that choose to register will be bumped from the registration list in deference to named accounts.

Assuming that you use RSS feeds in some capacity, (and even if you don’t) I thought you might be interested in this aggregator that we created specifically to collect new blog & news posts from dozens in not just Microsoft resources but also other industry luminaries around virtualization. There is no moderation of the content and the site is updated in real time.

Give it a shot!

LINK:
http://www.virtualizationfeed.com/

There’s a really really cool thing that the Rare, the makers of Viva Pinata, did with the recent release of “Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise”:  They included the ability to obtain Pinatas by trading cards.

There’s a two-dimentional bar code on the Pinata Vision Cards that your Xbox Vision Camera can identify in the game.  Hold a print out of the card to the camera and BOING!  A brand new Pinata will show up for your personal use!

We’ve created a treasure hunt giving you the chance to unlock exclusive Piñata colour schemes. Scattered throughout Xbox.com are 25 hidden ‘Piñata Vision’ cards. Look for [the] hidden logo around the site. Clicking on it reveals a code readable by your Xbox LIVE Vision camera. Simply point your camera at the code (on screen or printed out) to unlock killer Piñata paintjobs and cool accessories. Happy hunting – the chance to pimp your Horstachio is just a few clicks away.

What exactly do they look like once you “open them up”?  Well, here’s an example of one of them, to the left, also known as “Hedgehog”:

Now if you print out the card and hold it up to the Xbox Live Vision Camera connected to you Xbox 360 WHILE PLAYING VIVA PINATA TROUBLE IN PARADISE, or you actually hold up your Xbox Live Vision Camera to the screen of your computer, the camera will be able to interpret the bar code and produce the Pinata depicted in the picture.  If you have trouble with the camera, check this video out.

So where do you get these Vision Cards?  If you go to the the UK Xbox.com web site they’re doing a contest right now where you have to look for these hidden eggs on the web site.  They’ll lead you to special downloadable .PDF files that contain the special Vision Card with the bar code.  There’s supposed to be 25 hidden all over the web site!  (I’ve only been able to find 13 though)

Supposedly there will be card decks as well of Pinata Vision Cards that will be tradable and usable across multiple systems.  And before you get all antsy about it “costing money”, don’t worry:  The Pinata Vision Cards are FREE.  There’s nothing to buy.  The only question is “who’s going to have the most Pinatas!”

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Something that they apparently left out is the fact that in order for you to use the Xbox Vision Camera with VP Trouble in Paradise and use your Vision Pinata Cards, you must be at least at level 4 otherwise the camera won’t work.  When you’re in your garden, once your at level 4, you’ll be able to put the cards in front of the camera to obtain the new pinatas.

Apparently a year or so ago, Xbox.com produced a 24 page color guide that you can download called “Play Smart, Play Safe:  A Family Guide to Video Gaming”.  (Yes, I only just found it now)

This guide aims to give you all the information you need, as parents, about computer and video games. It will give you details of the age rating system which is used in most of the European Union as well as instructions on how to use the parental control features on Microsoft products, as well as other important information and tips.

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/4D051EC4-7FA8-4A70-9ADB-C2F873B80892/0/ENGB_Guide.pdf

And for those of you resistant to… uh… reading, there’s a video available for you to check out that’s about 6 minutes long that shows you how to set up the Xbox 360 family settings and control how much your child plays… even set a “timer allocation” down to the minute of how much game time your child gets daily.

VIDEO:
http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/
8ECF818E-B4F8-4497-86DB-2F6708C66116/0/
vidPlaySmartPlaySafehi.asx