My Thoughts On IT…

Live for NCAA basketball? Who doesn’t! MSN for Windows 8, with its totally re-imaged interface, is the perfect resource for fans to stay up-to-date with the latest scores and schedules throughout the tournament season, without having to click through multiple websites.

If you haven’t tried MSN for Windows 8, take a break from March Madness and head to the Microsoft store in the Oakbrook Center, where a retail store associate will guide you through the new interface including its interactive touch features and design elements. Visit a store before March 24 and you’ll receive a voucher for $25 off a purchase of $75 or more and have the chance to win a trip to the basketball championships in Atlanta this April. Not able to make it into the store? You can still enter for a chance to win here.


Whether you’re a sports fan or not, check out the new MSN to get the latest on the topics that interest you the most, including news, entertainment, money, sports, health, living and more. For more information on the new MSN for Windows 8 experience, visit http://allnew.msn.com.

A research project by Microsoft Research called Bing Now looks to gauge the current vibe of a bar or restaurant by analyzing a short audio sample when users “check in” like they do on 4-square. This data would allow Bing to share information of how active a bar or restaurant is before a user goes there.

A really cool idea! I wonder what the privacy advocates will think of this? It even has me thinking it is a little intrusive, but as long as I am in control and get to opt in I guess I am ok with it.

See the full story here:
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/512306/microsofts-bing-now-can-find-local-businesses-that-arent-too-crowded/

This information is being provided for the ITcamp training that I am delivering. You are welcome to review it even if you are not attending.

-Brian

Links for today:

• Sign up for a Free Azure 90 Day Trial
  http://aka.ms/AzureFree

Slide Decks

• System Center SP1
  http://sdrv.ms/Z4i4qM
• Windows 8 Deployment Deck
  http://sdrv.ms/Z4ilKj
• Windows Server 2008R2 to 2012 Migration
  http://sdrv.ms/Z4inSh

Lab Guides:

1. Azure IAAS Lab
   http://sdrv.ms/ZwOTN1
2. Importing Virtual Machines
   http://sdrv.ms/YFyKFK
3. Windows 8 Deployment Lab Guide
   http://sdrv.ms/ZwP8HF
4. Server Upgrade Lab Guide
   http://sdrv.ms/ZwP2zV

Presentations from today

Session 1 – Windows Azure Overview
http://sdrv.ms/13FJKrj

Session 2 – Azure Virtual Machines
http://sdrv.ms/XQzho3

Lab files:
http://aka.ms/vmlab

Where to get your PowerShell CLI and Node.js command line interface to Azure: (note: get the CLI not the sdk)
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/downloads/

Mac Instructions on using Node.js to setup your lab:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/keithmayer/p/w8adcloudlabmac.aspx

Cisco Nexus® 1000V Series Switches provide a comprehensive and extensible architectural platform for virtual machine (VM) and cloud networking. The switches are designed to accelerate server virtualization and multitenant cloud deployments in a secure and operationally transparent manner. Integrated into the Windows Server 2012 Extensible Switch, and fully compatible with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 SP1, the Cisco® Nexus 1000V Series provides:

• Advanced virtual machine networking based on Cisco NX-OS operating system and IEEE 802.1Q switching technology
• Cisco vPath technology for efficient and optimized integration of virtual network services
• Tight integration with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 SP1
• Layer 2 Switching with Transmit side Rate Limiting
• Security Policy Mobility, inbuilt support for Private VLANs with local PVLAN Enforcement
• Provisioning Port Profiles with deep Integration with SCVMM
• Traffic Visibility, including VM Migration Tracking, NetFlow v.9 with NDE, Cisco Discovery Protocol v.2
• And so much more

These capabilities help ensure that the virtual machine is a basic building block of the data center, with full switching capabilities and a variety of Layer 4 through 7 services in both dedicated and multitenant cloud environments.

For more information see the Cisco site: https://communities.cisco.com/community/technology/datacenter/nexus1000v/

As IT Pros, we absolutely love building with new technology! This month, my fellow IT Pro Technical Evangelists and I have been working together on an article series for Migration and Deployment of Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows Azure and System Center 2012 SP1 to help get you started. Here is the team listed by geographic region.

Eastern United States

Dan Stolts @itproguru

Tommy Patterson @tommy_patterson

Bob Hunt @BobHms

Yung Chou @yungchou

Blain Barton @blainbar

Central United States

Western United States

On behalf of my team and I, we hope you find the information in this series valuable.

Series Introduction

• Introduction to the Migration and Deployment Series by Kevin Remde

Deploying and Migrating to Windows 8

Deploying and Migrating to Windows Server 2012

Deploying and Migrating to Windows Azure

Deploying and Managing Windows 8 Apps

Whether you build apps or support the infrastructure that runs the apps, the cloud can be a really big place. For some, it’s a natural evolution for their application and infrastructure to embrace the power and scale of the cloud. For others, it’s a journey that has to begin with a single step.

Windows Azure provides that first step with a scalable, flexible platform for deploying your applications your way. With our Infrastructure as a Service platform (IaaS) called Windows Azure Virtual Machines, you get the flexibility to choose between Windows and Linux with full control over the operating system configuration and installed software, matched with the portability of Hyper-V disk images. Windows Azure Virtual Machines provide the perfect environment for meeting all of your Infrastructure-as-a-Service needs.

To learn more about our Infrastructure as a Service platform, we invite all developers and IT Professionals to join local Microsoft cloud experts as they introduce you to the Microsoft Cloud Platform, dive deep into Windows Azure Virtual Machines, and help walk you through a hands-on demonstration of the power of IaaS on the Windows Azure platform.

Session Requirements

Be sure to bring a modern laptop that is capable of running the following to make the most of your time at the Bootcamp. For more detailed system specs, click on the city nearest you.

• Modern operating system, including Windows 7, Windows 8,
  Linux and Mac OS X
• Modern web browser, including IE 9, IE 10, Chrome, Firefox and Safari
• A remote desktop client

Register now and save your seat for this FREE, full-day event in your local area.

I own a lot of tech hardware. I have stuff in all the major buckets from Linux, Android, OSX, IOS, Windows, Windows Phone. I need to ebay some of this stuff… I am a technologist and I like to know what everyone has in the market. I also like to know the good and the bad. One of the best ways to really know the strengths and weaknesses of a product is to live with it.

Unfortunately I don’t have an unlimited budget for this so I have to choose the products I evaluate carefully. I think most people live with this type of constraint with an even a tighter budget than I have. So, I warn you before hand – if you read this review of the Surface Pro you will probably want to go buy one. I sure do and no I don’t get a discount because I work for Microsoft.

I sure do want to go buy a Surface Pro. The part that pushes it over the edge for me is the Wacom pressure sensitive digitizer. This enables you to write and draw on the screen with an included pen. When the pen gets close to the screen it turns off the capacitive touch feature and uses a true digitizer. Very cool.

Here is the review that has me thinking about how I can justify getting another device:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/02/24/the-ms-surface-pro

Remember: I did warn you that if you read that article you might have the same dilemma as I do.