Search results for 'app:weblogs' matching tags 'NetApp' and 'Windows Server'

Windows Server Failover Cluster 2012 in Depth

TBittner — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Find here all sessions from Tech-Ed which covers all details about Windows Server Failover Cluster 2012. Every session takes about one hour. But it is worth taking time watching all of the sessions.

NetApp released new SnapManager

TBittner — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Find new versions with multiple enhancements for download:

SnapManager for SharePoint

SnapManager for SQL

Monitoring NetApp SnapManager and SnapDrive with Microsoft SCOM

TBittner — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT

NetApp Reference Architect for Virtualization and Cloud Computing, Santhosh Rao, has published two very interesting articles how to monitor SnapManager and SnapDrive with Microsoft System Center Operation Manager.

You should read this

https://communities.netapp.com/community/netapp-blogs/msenviro/blog/2011/09/13/monitoring-snapmanagers-and-snapdrive-events-in-scom--part-1

https://communities.netapp.com/community/netapp-blogs/msenviro/blog/2011/12/08/monitoring-snapmanagers-and-snapdrive-events-in-scom--part-2

Exchange 2010 Service Pack 2 available

TBittner — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT

You can download it from here

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=28190

Exchange 2010 SP2 is a complete installation software pack, so for new Exchange installations, you can use it to start with from scratch.

Also when you use it for updating your current installations, be aware that you need Schema- and/or Organisaiton Administrator rights, because it contains a Schema update for your Active Directory.

And this Schema update needs to be execute in the domain where the Schema Master Role exist. So run setup /prepareAD not in the domain where you operate your Exchange Servers, it will not work. You need to go to the root domain, if there is the Schema Master or you have to move the Schema Master on to a domain controller in the domain where you operate your Exchange environment.

And remember that you should wait for replication across your AD after you’ve performed the Exchange 2010 SP2 Schema update.

During you’re waiting for replication, you can use the time to install the ‘IIS 6 WMI Compatibility’ feature. It is mandatory for your following Exchange 2010 SP2 installation, because of the new ‘Outlook Mini’ feature, which requires this feature on your CAS server roles.

Schedule

5 minutes for /prepareAD
15 minutes for replication (more if you have higher replication times set on your site links)
5 minutes for feature prerequisits
30 minutes for finishing SP2 setup per system

so you should be through with it within a hour for your first system and schedule 30 minutes for every following systems …

Reboot after SP2 installation should not be necessary.

And think about to disable Anti Virus Scanning on the box you’re going to perform Exchange 2010 SP2 Setup for upgrade.

Read the prerequisits before starting your installation

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb691354.aspx

Recommendations on Reseeding Exchange 2010 databases

TBittner — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT

When I met my former fellow Microsoft MVP, Mark Arnold, and Microsoft Technical Architect, Alex Jauch, from NetApp on Microsoft Tech-Ed 2011 in Atlanta, I was also able to watch some new achievements they have had on Exchange storage and Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management.

One of the major achievements has been regarding reseeding Exchange 2010 databases.

Who ever had to reseed an Exchange database knows what I’m talking about.

Follow this link to a new article

https://communities.netapp.com/community/netapp-blogs/msenviro/blog/2011/12/01/don-t-reseed-that-exchange-server-2010-database

which also contains a link to a nice video showing you how to accelerate your future reseeding tasks.

Partly Cloudy and forecast for 2012

TBittner — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:00:00 GMT

As you may already know, there will be some essential changes with several Microsoft technologies in next version 2012 coming up.

According to those changes infrastructure design will also need to be adjusted. As well dynamic computing architectures and hardware selection in regards of storage.

The guys from NetApp have published a nice document for you to give you a feeling what needs to be taken into your conclusions about next infrastructure designs in regards of storage for your virtualization infrastrucuture and of course may be also for Exchange storage.

You should read this following this link

http://media.netapp.com/documents/tr-3874.pdf

Best Practices for Microsoft Virtualization and Netapp Storage for Hyper-V

TBittner — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

A consolidated version of the former articles about this scenario has been published by ‘NetApp for Microsoft Environments’ Team.

You’ll find the detailed documentation about NetApp Storage Best Practices for Microsoft Virtualization and NetApp Snap-Manager for Hyper-V here.

The NetApp best practices for Microsoft virtualization have been covered in sections 1-11 of the whitepaper and the best practices for SnapManager for Hyper-V follow thereafter.

They updated several sections and added new ones. Some of the must reads are the sections on backup and recovery, AV exclusions, automation , monitoring and management.

Under "Best Practices on SnapManager for Hyper-V", they added a section on how to perform disaster recovery using SMHV powershell cmdlets. There's also a list of important KB articles that will be prove handy while troubleshooting common SMHV related issues.

They also posted a quick 10 step guide in the appendix section that has instructions to deploy Windows 2008 R2 Hyper-V Cluster environment on NetApp storage.

System Center, Cloud and Storage – Best Practise

TBittner — Sat, 28 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Watch the sessions from Alex Rauch and NetApp to get best out of virtualization and the Cloud:

VIR201 Virtualization: State of the Union

VIR327 Hyper-V Cloud Fast Track: A Reference Architecture for Private Cloud

SIM335 Microsoft System Center Integration, Automation, Process and Compliance: Orchestrator and Service Manager

DBI336 Innovative Storage and Data Management Strategies to Power Your Microsoft Enterprise Applications

This are the online versions of this sessions. I recommend to watch it.

NetApp Storage Systems in Microsoft Systems Environment

TBittner — Tue, 03 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

NetApp published a new article and guide how their storage environment and solutions work in Windows Systems architectures and infrastructures.

The article gives you a lot valued information about how it works with Domain Controllers in Active Directory in many aspects, for example, it describes how NetApp storage server discovery and redirecting DC/KDC/LDAP services.

The document describes how NetApp storage systems work seamlessly in the Microsoft Windows environment and how they enable administrator to effortlessly manage data by making use of standard Microsoft services and features such as Active Directory, IntelliMirror, Volume Shadow Copy, Access-Based Enumeration, Offline File Caching, Auditing, Distributed File System (DFS), File Screening, and CIFS Virus Protection.

TR-3367 - NetApp Storage Systems in a Microsoft Windows Environment

Microsoft iSCSI Software Target now available

TBittner — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

All new OS have the iSCSI Initiator client already available out of the box. The server side component was only available for Windows Storage Server.

Now it is available for all other server types too.

How to use it with a Hyper-V Cluster read the blog from Jose Barreto

http://blogs.technet.com/b/josebda/archive/2009/01/31/step-by-step-using-the-microsoft-iscsi-software-target-with-hyper-v-standalone-full-vhd.aspx