MVUG Blog

Running Exchange 2007 SP1 on Windows 2008 with Hyper-V.

I recently just finished a production 500 user POC for a customer where we are now running live users on Exchange 2007 SP1.

Microsoft’s Exchange Virtualisation Support Policy is published at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=124624 but effectively Exchange Server 2007 with Service Pack 1 is supported on:

·         Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V

·         Hyper-V Server 2008

·         On any 64-bit hypervisor that has been validated under and is a participant in the Microsoft Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP) see  http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/svvp

Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 or later is supported, however it is only supported on the following environments:

·         Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 or later version of Virtual Server

·         No other virtualisation platforms are supported

·         No other versions of Exchange Server are supported in a hardware virtualisation environment

 Host Design

The hardware configuration for the standalone server hosting the virtual environment is detailed as follows:

Guest Design

The Guest configuration for hosting the Exchange 2007 SP1 virtual environment is detailed as follows:

Physical Design

Patrick Lownds

Hyper-V Training Resources

If you are a Microsoft partner then there are a number of Hyper-V training resources available to you. Take a look at the Microsoft Partner Training and Readiness Resource Center (www.msptr.com) and download the following to get you started:

·         Virtualization in a Day (1-day), Level 200 (MSPTR# 5449 Available August 1, 2008)

·         Virtualization In-Depth (2-days), Level 300 (MSPTR# 5494 Available August 8, 2008)

In late June there was a TTT session for the above two courses hosted in the US and this was recorded and is available for replay at http://www.tttjune2008.com/

Regards

Patrick Lownds

Virtual Machine Manager Configuration Analyzer 2008 has gone RTM

The VMMCA is a tool you can use to evaluate important configuration settings for machines that either are going to host VMM roles or are actually hosting VMM roles. The VMMCA scans the hardware and software configurations of the machines you specify, evaluates them against a set of predefined rules, and then provides you with feedback (error messages and warnings) for any configurations that are not optimal. You can think of it as being similar to “Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyzer”.

VMMCA can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=02d83950-c03d-454e-803b-96d1c1d5be24&displaylang=en

Before installing VMM, you can use the VMMCA to help you evaluate the configuration of machines that you might use for the following VMM roles:

• VMM server
• VMM Administrator Console
• VMM Self-Service Portal

After installing VMM, you can use the VMMCA to evaluate the configurations of machines that you are now using or might use for the VMM roles listed above, as well as machines that you are using or might use for any of the following VMM functions:

• Windows Server–based host
• VMware vCenter Server
• P2V source computer
• Operations Manager agent

Before you install the VMMCA, you must download and install the 64-bit version of Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer (MBCA). To download the MBCA, go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=DB70824D-ABAE-4A92-9AA2-1F43C0FA49B3&displaylang=en

Regards

Patrick Lownds

TAP Program Inviting you to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit TAP Program

Invitation to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit TAP Program

Regards

Patrick Lownds

Dear All,

Our team is pleased to announce the upcoming Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit v.Next TAP Program and would like to invite you to be one of our key partner stakeholders.  As part of the program, you will have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback for the next-generation Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit that will help you drive your Microsoft-based service business.

Program Details and Requirements:

·         You will attend ONE 1-hour meeting per month from December 2008 to June 2009.

·         Each meeting will include overview of different features.

·         You must be able to get the approval to test the MAP software bits in production environment with at least 1 or 2 customers with more than 250 PCs (or 20 servers)

·         Customers may join the meeting but it is not mandatory

·         As part of the TAP program, you will receive 24-hour response on your issues regarding beta testing. 

·         We will also nominate your scenario to the MS.com case study group to potentially highlight your work.

Act Now!

Please contact us at MAPSTAP@microsoft.com and confirm your participation BEFORE December 5.  You will then be contacted shortly regarding the first kick-off meeting.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,
Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Development Team

Baldwin Ng | Senior Product Manager | Virtualization | Windows Server | SQL Server 2008 | Windows Client

Solution Accelerators | Core Engineering | Microsoft Corporation

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