SMB Kitchen ASP Author’s Chat: Wednesday the 17th Open To All!

You are invited to a preview during our SMBKitchen Chat on December 17th 7pm eastern. Download to your calendar now!

Our Chat will introduce the following new items at Third Tier. In addition we'll cover our usual content about security and patching. Join us for this special sneak preview of...

Tech Your Books: You know your books are supposed to do more for you than just keep you out of trouble with the IRS right? They are supposed to be a powerful business tool that helps you be more profitable and provide information so you can make evidence backed decisions about your business. It’s time to Tech Your Books!

Look, A Whale! What do you do when you’ve got a Whale? Be it a crisis or a project, your company could benefit greatly if you choose to have a third party representing your organization.

Our First Product: SBS IaaS Ever since Microsoft ceased production of small business server saying that small businesses would prefer to be "in the cloud" IT providers have wondered where that leaves them. Well we have a solution for you - Be The Cloud! 

Super Secret News: ASP members have been enjoying reading classified documents from US intelligence and security agencies giving them the early information on the latest hacks, industry targets and break-out infections. Learn about our after ASP plans to bring this information to you.

In addition to these great new Third Tier services, we are continuing to offer advanced helpdesk and microstaffing.If you would like to read more about each of these, we have some information available on our website already with more to come soon. http://www.thirdtier.net

And ItsA Gonna Be A Gooder! ;)

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

Hey SMB Kitchen ASP Subscribers! Author’s Chat Starts Shortly.

Sorry about the short notice it has been a banner day for things breaking like power poles and such at client sites.

Link for the chat is in your subscriber e-mail.

Thanks for supporting us! :)

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

ASP Webinar Today at 1700 MST: Setting up ARR and URL ReWrite for One WAN IP

We've had a number of requests to do a Webinar specifically on how we get things set up for our Small Business Solution (SBS) whereby we only require one WAN IP address for all Internet facing services being published.

At 1700 MST please join me as I walk through a step-by-step of installing and configuring ARR and URL ReWrite.

• Install ARR and URL ReWrite
• Configure ARR settings in IIS
• Configure ARR settings for EAS
• IIS Sites and settings
• SSL configuration
• URL ReWrite rule configuration
• ReWrite rule testing

By the time we are finished we will have a fully functional setup.

For this Webinar we will be using our three VM Azure based lab running a DC, Exchange 2013, and RDS.

Please do join us if you can and if not the event is being recorded and will be available to subscribers in the ASP Knowledgebase.

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

SMB Kitchen Content Posted: Exchange Migration Documentation, Cluster Quotes, and Proposal Template

I’ve published three very significant documents to the ASP SMBKitchen knowledgebase.

Exchange Migration Guide

The following is the product of many Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2013 migrations.

The guide walks through all of the necessary steps to migrate from Exchange 2003 and up to Exchange 2013. If migrating from v2003 then a two-step process would be required where we’d migrate to Exchange 2010 and then on to 2013.

We’ve done the two-step process on a number of occasions with small and large Public Folder stores without any real issues. It works quite well

Note that the primary focus of this guide is all of the PowerShell required to configure Exchange, work within the process, and recover from some specific errors that may happen. Everything is there as far as configuring Virtual Directories, the Service Connection Point (SCP), setting quotas, limits on send, and more.

On-Premises Proposal Document

The second document posted is an Excel spreadsheet that allows us to publish a proposal for an on-premises infrastructure deployment. It presents one number including a number for deposit to the end-user.

It includes two Intel Server Systems based configurations, which can be changed to Dell or other system, software licensing costs, and a labour section that allows for a detailed scope for us with a brief in the proposal itself.

1U Cluster Quote

The third document is a quote in Excel for the base Scale-Out File Server Cluster setup we would propose for an on-premises infrastructure setup.

It uses the above template with four Intel Server Systems R1208JP4OC 1U single socket servers configured for either the Scale-Out File Server cluster node or the Hyper-V cluster node. It uses a 10GbE backend for SMB traffic via two NETGEAR XS712T 12-Port 10GbE switches.

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

ASP Author’s Chat Now

Sorry folks, been really busy!

We have an ASP Author’s Chat starting right now!

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

Our SBS (Small Business Solution) Options with Standalone and Cluster Hardware Considerations

We’ve received a number of questions about the “How” we present our SBS to prospective and existing clients.

Our primary focus is on what we have provided with Small Business Server starting with SBS 2003 Standard.

• Active Directory permissions based security
• Remote Web Access (RWA/RWW) Portal
• Remote Desktop access via RD Gateway (since SBS 2008 Standard)
• RemoteApp access via RD Gateway for LoBs (since SBS 2008 Standard)
• E-mail services access via Outlook, Outlook Anywhere, Exchange ActiveSync, and Outlook Web Access
• Remote Folders and Files access
• SharePoint based document management system
• SQL backend for LoB, SharePoint, and other needs

We focus on the services the prospect would require while our existing clients are already used to them.

Once we have an understanding of the prospect’s needs, since we already know our client’s business really well, we move forward with a proposal that would be geared towards their business size and sensitivity to downtime.

On the services front where we are installing into a standalone host we would have two options:

1. Base
1. Requires two Windows Server OS Licenses
2. DC, Exchange, RDS, and LoB (WSUS and LoBs)
2. Premium Add-On
1. Requires one Windows Server OS License
2. SQL and SharePoint

Obviously the server and CALs would also be needed for the various components that will be installed into the guest OS.

If we are setting up a cluster then one needs to consider the number of VMs running on one or more of the nodes in the event of a node failure.

On the hardware side we would have a number of options:

1. Entry-Level Single
1. E3-1270v3, 32GB ECC, Hardware RAID, 8x 2.5” 10K SAS
2. Mid-Level Single
1. Single Socket 1U R1208JP4OC, E5-2600 series, 128GB ECC, Hardware RAID, 8x 2.5” 10K SAS
3. High-Level Single
1. Dual Socket 2U R2208GZ4GC, E5-2600 pair, 128GB-256GB ECC, Hardware RAID, 8x 2.5” 10K SAS or 16x 2.5” 10K SAS
4. Entry-Level Asymmetric Cluster
1. Pair of 1U R1208JP4OC or 2U R2208GZ4GC and an Intel JBOD2224S2DP
5. Mid-Level Cluster
1. Four 2U R2208GZ4GC and an Intel JBOD2224S2DP
• Two Scale-Out File Server cluster nodes
• Two Hyper-V cluster nodes
6. High-End Cluster
1. Six 2U R2208GZ4GC and three Intel JBOD2224S2DP units
• Three Scale-Out File server cluster nodes
• Three Intel JBODS with Two-Way or Three-Way Mirror and Enclosure Resilience
• Three Hyper-V server cluster nodes

Within the above hardware configurations we would have a lot of flexibility that allows us to customize to the specific needs of the prospective client or our clients.

We work with a number of different firms that are prime candidates for at least an asymmetric cluster setup to minimize the possibility of downtime. The cost associated with these entry-level clusters versus a single larger server for the host platform makes them very attractive.

The basic VM configuration would involve fixed VHDX files unless the files are installed on dedicated partitions/LUNs. Note that we would use a shared set of partitions/LUNs if there are around 10 or more VMs as things get to be a bit of a bear to manage otherwise.

Our base VM configurations would be as follows:

• DC: 4GB, 95GB OS VHDX, and 1TB Data VHDX
• Exchange: 8GB, 95GB OS VHDX, and 250GB + 20GB/Mailbox Data VHDX
• RDS: 4GB+, 95GB OS VHDX, and 100GB + 20GB/User Profile Disk
• LoB: 8GB, 95GB OS VHDX, and 1TB Data VHDX Minimum
• SQL: 16GB, 95GB OS VHDX, and 250GB+ Data VHDX
• SharePoint: 16GB, 95GB OS VHDX, 200GB Data VHDX

We have a set of PowerShell steps and scripts that we use to configure these environments. PowerShell helps to greatly reduce the amount of time required to set things up. It also gives us consistency across all of our client deployments which is vital to troubleshooting if the need arises.

Shameless Plug: We’ve spent some time on the above in our SMBKitchen ASP Author Chats. If you are looking for more information the Author Chat is one of the best ways to do so.

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book
Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

Third Tier Brain Explosion: Technical Training Sept 7-8 in Orlando

If you’ve been to one of Third Tier’s Brain Explosion (BE) then you know to expect a day packed with intense tech. This is the 4th annual Brain Explosion. We’re splitting the BE into two days so you can properly digest the content and have time to socialize in between. This makes it an intimate affair where you’ll get to know the speakers and your fellow attendees both during the event and afterwards socially.

We’re very social; we’re very technical and this event is going to be as fun as learning new tech can be. Our staff dedicates their days to supporting IT Professionals in the SMB market space and they run their own small IT firms too! The content of the Brain Explosion is designed to be boots on the ground issues of today that you can go and implement right away.

Read all about it: http://www.thirdtier.net/brain-explosion/

You can register one of two ways. Register for the Brain Explosion as a pre-day event at the GFI conference. This option will allow you to automatically extend your hotel stay too. Or registered directly with Third Tier for the Brain Explosion only. For this second option, register an account at http://www.thirdtier.net/helpdesk, press Payments, Buy Credit, Purchase more Support, add the BE to your cart and proceed to checkout. It’s $99 which includes Content, food and a pub meet up. Questions? Email Amy@thirdtier.net
 
Onward,

Amy Babinchak, Susan Bradley and Philip Elder
SMBKitchen ASP

Third Tier Brain Explosion: Our New SBS!

I will be presenting along with our Third Tier team as a Pre-Day Brain Explosion (BE) for the GFIMax conference in Orlando, Florida on the afternoon of September 7th and the morning of the 8th.

We are splitting things into two days to give folks a chance to both digest all of the content but also to allow BE attendees the chance to meet and chat with us.

Cost for the Pre-Day BE is a very reasonable $99.

Registration for the event can be done on the Third Tier Portal under the Purchase Support option (windowed scroll bar in there that's a bit difficult to see) or on GFI's site (Pre-Day Landing Page).

The content I will be working with will be the technical aspects of delivering our new SBS.

What is that you might ask?

S = Small

B = Business

S = Solution

It is our very complete solution set that we have been deploying to our client sites for about six months to a year now.

• RWW/RWA Replacement
• RDWeb and RDGateway
• Exchange/OWA/EAS
• Exchange 2013 CU4 (SP1)
• SharePoint
• SharePoint Foundation 2013
• Remote Desktop Services
• Remote Desktop Session Host and RemoteApps
• RD Endpoint access

Our last ASP SMB Kitchen subscriber chat was spent walking through SBS and how it is essentially seamless to our clients. One WAN IP is all that is required just as it was with Small Business Server.

The beauty of the solution is the simplicity with which things change for our end users: Virtually not at all. :)

We supply an on-premises solution that gives everything Small Business Server has given them. Plus, we clearly demonstrate that our product is on par with or better than any Cloud based solution out there just as SBS has been to small businesses for the last ten or more years.

Looking for that on-prem replacement? Please subscribe to our ASP Project as our monthly chats and content supplied by our team will facilitate that search.

Want the technical pearls to deploying this kind of solution for your clients? Then please do register for the Brain Explosion and wear a brain bucket! :)

Thanks for reading.

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book
Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

SMB Kitchen ASP Project: Content Posted

I've posted a number of items to the ASP Project Knowledgebase.

Client Quote Template

This four sheet quote template allows us to create a quote for a server, desktop, storage, laptop, or other system based on expected pricing, current pricing, and then actual pricing to give us full control over our margins and expected sell prices.

The first sheet is where we work. The others are used to present the prospect or client a fully detailed list with price or just a fully detailed list for pasting into a proposal. The Build Sheet is part numbers, distribution source, pricing, and Order/Receive status.

All calculations are handled by this spreadsheet including leasing using the numbers our brokers supply us.

Client Audit Notes Template

In the Documentation link you will find our audit notes template:

In it you will find what we have built up for the last decade or more to manage our client's very diverse network infrastructures.

Client E-mail Templates

Finally there are three information templates that we use to e-mail our clients once in a while depending on the circumstances.

If you have not already done so please sign up. There is a lot more to come in the way of content produced by Amy, Susan, and myself for the SMB Kitchen ASP Project.

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

SMB Kitchen ASP Project Chat at 1700 MST - Join Us!

We are holding our last freebie author's chat this afternoon/early evening depending on where you are in North America or later for those of you across the Pond. :)

• SMB Kitchen ASP Project Webinar Lync Link

For Windows 8 and up please install Lync from the Store. Once installed and logged into the meeting hit the Charms --> Settings to verify both microphone and speaker settings.

We will cover some of the content we have published to date, some of the ongoing concerns for IT Professionals today, and what we are planning on publishing in the coming weeks.

If we have time we can have a Virtualization and Hyper-V Q&A session too!

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

SMBKitchen Update - ASP Project

Good news!

We are continuing on with our SMB Kitchen Project.

My involvement will be changing to be more workable with the crazy schedule I've been having this last year.

Time involvement to produce documentation and How-To videos is huge. Trying to set aside time to make things happen has been nothing short of difficult.

We have been blessed. Our business is running at a brisk pace with changes happening in the midst of it all to adapt to the new IT realities of today.

While I do hope to contribute documentation to the project, especially the Step-By-Step Guides for things like setting up an RDS based environment or using ARR and URLReWrite to host everything behind one WAN IP, my main focus will be more of a mentorship role.

I will be hosting regular monthly webinars with topics relevant for consultancies like us on topics ranging from time and client management without a PSA and yet still be an MSP, hardware today and tomorrow, technologies we need to be on top of to adapt and grow, and more.

I surprised myself recently in a conversation with a prospect that is 100% Mac based by suggesting a Cloud based mail solution as the best option over an on-premises one. Why? Well, even a year ago I would have been hard-pressed to suggest that. ;)

Check out the site here: SMB Kitchen ASP Project.

Need a Go To Guy? Well, that can be me. :)

If you are interested in a Quarterly Mentorship Program (10 hours of direct access with me per quarter) please ping me (my ASP Project E-mail) and we can make it happen!

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

SMB Kitchen Subscribers: Hyper-V Q&A Chat to start in about an hour

Look in your e-mail for the link to the chat session.

Philip Elder
Microsoft MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

SMB Kitchen: Hyper-V Q&A Chat this Tuesday December 17th at 1800 EDT and 1600MDT

SMB Kitchen subscribers please join me on Tuesday to have a chat about all things Hyper-V.

Hyper-V Deployment and Clustering

It's time to ask Phil Elder, Hyper-V Deployment and Clustering expert, anything you ever wanted to know on the topic. He's been deploying this stuff since Longhorn (which for those not in the know was the code name for Server 2008) which is when Hyper-V really came into its own. He's shed a lot of blood, sweat, tears and lab hours to get these deployments down to a science. So if you want to ask an expert about your configuration, upcoming project, performance issues, BIOS settings, hardware selection, Phil is your man.

Need pointers in your deployment? Then this is the chat session you want to attend.

This would be a good time to jump in and get some guidance on the how/what/when/where and why Hyper-V.

Philip Elder
Microsoft MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

SMB Kitchen Crew Chat Today

Sharing here because the #1 chat topic is always virtualization so thought some here might be interested.

We're holding one of our regular SMBKitchen Crew chats at 1600Hrs MST today.

At this chat we'll talk about the latest small business IT issues, answer your questions and make sure that you're aware of the latest stuff that we've published. Hope you can join us!

Click this link https://meet.lync.com/harborcomputerservices/amy/C2YB9SVC

I will be involved in this public chat today to talk a bit about what has been published by me already and to answer any questions that you may have along with the rest of the Crew!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/

Windows Live Writer

Exchange 2013 ECP Error: The user has insufficient access rights. Active directory response: 00002098: SecErr: DSID-03150BC1, problem 4003 (INSUFF_ACCESS_RIGHTS), data 0

After setting up Exchange 2013 Standard on a VM we hit the following problem:

Server Error in '/owa' Application.

The user has insufficient access rights.

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.
Exception Details: System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.DirectoryOperationException: The user has insufficient access rights.
Source Error:

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

Stack Trace:

[DirectoryOperationException: The user has insufficient access rights.] System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.LdapConnection.ConstructResponse(Int32 messageId, LdapOperation operation, ResultAll resultType, TimeSpan requestTimeOut, Boolean exceptionOnTimeOut) +1904 System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.LdapConnection.SendRequest(DirectoryRequest request, TimeSpan requestTimeout) +381 Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.PooledLdapConnection.SendRequest(DirectoryRequest request, LdapOperation ldapOperation, Nullable`1 clientSideSearchTimeout) +3849 Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADDataSession.ExecuteModificationRequest(ADObject entry, DirectoryRequest request, ADObjectId originalId, Boolean emptyObjectSessionOnException, Boolean isSync) +1062 [ADOperationException: Active Directory operation failed on vW2012E.MPECSINC.local. This error is not retriable. Additional information: Insufficient access rights to perform the operation. Active directory response: 00002098: SecErr: DSID-03150BC1, problem 4003 (INSUFF_ACCESS_RIGHTS), data 0 ] Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADDataSession.AnalyzeDirectoryError(PooledLdapConnection connection, DirectoryRequest request, DirectoryException de, Int32 totalRetries, Int32 retriesOnServer) +3736 Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADDataSession.ExecuteModificationRequest(ADObject entry, DirectoryRequest request, ADObjectId originalId, Boolean emptyObjectSessionOnException, Boolean isSync) +1945 Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADDataSession.ExecuteModificationRequest(ADObject entry, DirectoryRequest request, ADObjectId originalId, Boolean emptyObjectSessionOnException) +27 Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADDataSession.Save(ADObject instanceToSave, IEnumerable`1 properties, Boolean bypassValidation) +2082 Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Storage.ExchangePrincipal.Save() +1078 [StoragePermanentException: There was a problem accessing Active Directory. Check your network connections and try again.] Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Storage.ExchangePrincipal.Save() +1600 Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa2.Server.Core.RequestDispatcher.HandleLanguagePost(RequestContext requestContext, CultureInfo culture, String timeZoneKeyName, Boolean isOptimized, String destination) +2072 Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa2.Server.Core.RequestDispatcher.DispatchIfLanguagePost(RequestContext requestContext) +642 Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa2.Server.Core.RequestDispatcher.InternalDispatchRequest(RequestContext requestContext) +620 Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa2.Server.Core.RequestDispatcher.DispatchRequest(RequestContext requestContext) +297 Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa2.Server.Core.OwaRequestHandler.OnPostAuthorizeRequest(Object sender, EventArgs e) +352 System.Web.SyncEventExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() +80 System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously) +165

Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:4.0.30319; ASP.NET Version:4.0.30319.17929

There was not a lot that turned up in our searches.

In the end, we needed to run the following command on the Windows Server 2012 Essentials server from the Exchange 2013 install disk:

• Setup /PrepareAD /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms
• 

Once the above command finished running we hit refresh in IE and we were in.

Please note that these shots are via one of our labs we are running through in preparation for some SMB Kitchen Project content.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/

Windows Live Writer

SMB Kitchen – Presenting at the SMB TechFest in Orange County, CA October 19th!

I’m excited to announce that I will be doing some presenting at the upcoming TechFest in Orange County, California! :)

• SMB TechFest

Amy Babinchak will be delving into the changes we are seeing in our industry and how she is working those changes into her own IT practice Harbor Computer Services.

Boon Tee will be looking at Hyper-V Replica and how it can be deployed in all manner of businesses.

Susan Bradley is going to present on a wide variety of security issues that SMB faces today and some of the tools that can be used to address them.

I will be delving into the materials I have already posted to the SMB Kitchen on Hyper-V, clustering with Hyper-V, with a special focus on selling Hyper-V clusters into SMB starting at the 15 seat level and above.

We will also have a Q&A session at the end where folks will be able to ask us questions.

And, of course, we will have lots of time to kibitz throughout the event!

If you can please join Amy Babinchak, Boon Tee, Susan Bradley, and myself for an excellent business and technical focused non-marketing fluff day. I can guarantee you there will be pearls to be had! :D

• SMB TechFest Pricing and Registration Info

Oh, and we will have whiteboards for discussion times! W00t!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMB Kitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/

Windows Live Writer

SMBKitchen: Just Released: Hyper-V Cluster Configuration Considerations

This chapter, just released to the SMBKitchen Project’s knowledgebase, is jam packed with pearls that were the result of _months_ of trial and error plus sifting through all of the very incomplete and lacking vendor documentation.

Covered are all of the key elements required for setting up a Hyper-V Cluster on the Intel Modular Server with or without Direct Attached Storage via two SAS Controllers.

Also covered are the key elements required for setting up a cluster on a two or more node setup that utilize SAS based DAS intelligent storage. This configuration is the one we have been running with and is now our main focus as the Intel Modular Server has been retired.

This document covers a lot of different areas including node configuration, storage, networking, and more.

Cluster for highly available virtual machines, and now that we have the 2012 R2 bits, for Storage Spaces are an important part of our SMB business strategy going forward into the On-Premises and Hybrid future.

• SMBKitchen Project

Coming soon for the SMBKitchen project will be a series of How-To videos on everything from teaming in Windows Server 2012 via PowerShell to configuring RemoteFX. There are plans to do cluster How-To videos as well.

Tie that into the author’s chats we have once a month that give subscribers front-line access to the authors and I am sure that we are providing great value for the subscription dollars! :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/

Windows Live Writer

SMBKitchen: Author's Chat in 10 Minutes!

Hello SMBKitchen subscribers!

We have an author's chat in 10 minutes.

Let's discuss my new Hyper-V Hardware Configuration Guide and my upcoming Hyper-V Cluster Considerations document (in final review – pending Amy's vacation return!).

This particular monthly chat is available to subscribers only. :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/

Windows Live Writer

SMBKitchen: My Hyper-V Configuration Guide Is Released!

I'm very excited to announce that my Hyper-V Configuration Guide has been released to the SMBKitchen Project's knowledgebase!

I walk through a number of critical areas in this guide relative to deploying a properly sized Hyper-V virtualization solution.

• Questions to ask the client
  • Verticals they serve, software products used, data volume and growth
• Various solution grades
  • Entry, mainstream/mid-level, and high performance configurations
• Needs analysis
  • Find the top five key pain points for the prospect/client
• Hardware
  • Bottlenecks in the system and how to address them
  • CPU and Memory

Client types

• 10 seat accounting firm
• 35 seat architectural/engineering firm
• 55 seat manufacturing client

Each client type gets a number of options made available. Each option is explained with highlights of what they provide value for the client/prospect.
I believe this chapter in the SMBKitchen solution kit will be well worth your time.
And, when it comes time for the next Author's Chat subscribers will have the chance to discuss and ask questions about the many points in this article!
Soon to come: Hyper- V Cluster Configuration Considerations

This document is composed of the pearls born of many a month of painstaking sifting through vendor's documentation tied into much trial and error. :)
Our blog article on How to Subscribe to the SMBKitchen.
Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book
Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/
Windows Live Writer

SMBKitchen Project Open Chat Today

We will be having an open chat with the SMBKitchen Authors this afternoon/evening at 1600Hrs Mountain (1800Hrs Eastern).

• Join Lync Meeting
• iCAL Download

Please make sure to use the full Lync client as the Web based client seems to not pick up audio streaming properly.

The feedback on my How-To video for setting up Hyper-V on Windows 8 as well as a greenfield VM based DC with DNS and DHCP along with setting up the Hyper-V networking and a 2008 R2 Standard VM as a router.

I go through step-by-step for setting up the vSwitches, NIC(s) on the VMs, installing and configuring the operating systems, and then finally setting up AD/DNS/DHCP on the 2012 VM and RRAS in NAT mode on the 2008 R2 VM.

We will discuss our current content along with the content we should be posting over this coming month.

This chat is open to everyone both subscribers and not.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/

Windows Live Writer