PowerShell TotD: Hyper-V Live Move a specific VHDX file

There are times when we need to move one of two VHDX files associated with a VM.

The following is the PowerShell to do so:

Poll Hyper-V Host/Node for VM HDD Paths

get-vm "*" | Select *path,@{N="HDD";E={$_.Harddrives.path}} | FL

Move a Select VHDX

Move-VMStorage -VMName VMName -VHDs @(@{"SourceFilePath" = "X:\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks\VM-LALoB_D0-75GB.VHDX"; "DestinationFilePath" = "Y:\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks\VM-LALoB_D0-75GB.VHDX"})

Move-VMStorage Docs

The Move-VMStorage Docs site. This site has the full syntax for the PowerShell command.

Conclusion

While the above process can be initiated in the GUI, PowerShell allows us to initiate a set of moves for multiple VMs. This saves on time bigtime versus mouse.

By the way, TotD means: Tip of the Day.

Thanks for reading! :)

Philip Elder
Microsoft High Availability MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book
Our Web Site
Our Cloud Service

Azure VMs: A Series Versus D Series

We’ve been working with our Microsoft Partner Azure credit to see just how it all works as we have a client that needs a highly redundant, scalable, and global infrastructure setup.

Here is an A Series VM setup:

This is the setup for the D Series VM:

Cost wise the D series would be a bit more but the performance difference is noticeable.

When it comes to evaluating where to place client workloads one definitely needs to keep in mind what grade of VM to be utilizing.

Note that it looks as though one cannot mix A and D VMs in the same Cloud Services container. Please verify as to whether that is the case in your particular Azure Portal.

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

Why We Never Dedicate a NIC Port to a VM

We never dedicate a NIC port to a VM. We always _team_ NIC ports. Generally there are two teams in standalone and cluster setups.

Team0: Management (Port 0 on NIC 0 and 1)

Team 1: vSwitch (Ports 1+ on NIC 0 and 1) – Dedicated

I kinda understand the logic of doing that, that is dedicating a NIC port to a VM. However, the whole purpose of virtualization is to separate the guest operating system from the hardware. So, one needs to break from that mindset.

There is no reason why the dual Intel quad-port configurations (8 ports total with 6 for the vSwitch) we do would have a problem with the in some cases 20+ VMs running on the host.

Team configuration exception to the rule would be for CAD/CAM/High Bandwidth needs:

• Team0: Management (Port 0 on NIC 0 and 1)
• Team1: vSwitch High I/O (Port 1 on NIC 0 and 1)
• Team2: vSwitch General VMs (Ports 2+ on NIC 0 and 1)

That leaves a dedicated pair to the higher network bandwidth VM or VMs. We would leave VM density on Team1 at two or three maximum.

BTW, in a disaster recovery scenario having things teamed makes recovery a lot simpler. Trying to keep track of all of those vSwitch names mapped to what VM would be a real PITA when things were tense. Plus, getting all that configured would be that much more time wasted getting things back. Keep It Simple Sir

Oh, and one more thing: Why would one use a dedicated physical port on each node in a cluster for a highly available guest hosted on that cluster?

That leaves a single point of failure and yet we see that it is quite common for NIC teaming to not be used.

With NIC teaming now built into Windows Server 2012 RTM and newer there is no real reason to avoid teaming NICs or NIC Port groups to avoid that single point of failure.

So, when architecting a cluster setup please use NIC Teaming.

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

Lab: Using Windows Server 2008 R2 as a Simple NAT Router

We have a number of lab setups that require the VMs to be on their own Private Network in Hyper-V but still have access to the Internet.

In some cases we need to have access to that private network and the VMs just as we would a product network.

In comes Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. We set up the VM with two vNICs. One is connected to the Private Network while the other is connected to the Internet via our internal production network (gives us quick access to the lab VMs).

1. We install the OS
2. Install Integration Services.
3. Install the Network Policy and Access Services Role.
4. Run the Configure and Enable Routing and Remote Access.
5. Choose VPN and NAT
• 
6. Set the WAN connection.
7. Allow DHCP to be set automatically.
8. No RADIUS for authentication
• 
9. Click OK to the DHCP Relay warning.

We now have an internal router that will allow the VMs on the Private Network to reach out to the Internet.

Finally, to publish internal services via the WAN connection:

1. Click on NAT under IPv4
• 
2. Right click on the WAN Interface in the centre pane and click Properties.
1. Click on HTTPS (443) and a window pops up.
2. Enter the IP address of the server hosting HTTPS and click OK.
3. Tick the check to the left of HTTPS and then click Apply (if it did not do so).
• 
4. Repeat for the needed published services.
5. Test the connections:
• 
• 

In the end, it should take no more than 20 minutes to have the first router configured.

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

Windows Live Writer

2012 Hyper-V VM Performance: vCPUs, Threads, and Cores

Now that we have the ability to assign a large number of vCPUs to a VM we need to keep in mind that more vCPUs may not actually mean better performance.

The main thing to keep in mind is that _all_ threads associated with a virtual machine must be processed at the same time. So, 12 vCPUs assigned to that VM? Then 12 threads must run through the pipeline simultaneously to be processed by the CPU or CPUs.

That is why an 8 Core single socket setup will only show a maximum number of 8 vCPUs that can be assigned to one VM (assume Hyper-Threading off).

So, okay, we have a dual socket server with a pair of 8 core CPUs that can process a total of 16 threads simultaneously.

If we go ahead and assign 10 vCPUs to that VM we may assume that we would get more processing out of that database driven application.

The catch is the simultaneous 10 threads now need to be split between CPU 0 and CPU 1 in order to be processed together.

That means that CPU cycles will be lost while the pipeline logic juggles all of the other threads running through the CPU pipeline to get those 10 done. Part of that process will be to toss the extra two threads across the QuickPath Interconnect (Intel diagram) between the CPUs.

Essentially all of this extra juggling costs CPU cycles.

If we take the same high load VM and assign 8 vCPUs, the maximum number of threads that can be processed on one physical CPU, and compare its performance to the VM with 10 vCPUs on the same physical server we can pretty much guarantee that the VM with 8 vCPUs will outperform the one with 10 vCPUs.

•  MPECS Inc. Blog: A Big Picture View of VM Density: vCPUs to Cores?
• TechNet: Windows Server: What’s New in Hyper-V
• TechNet: Virtualization Blog: Hyper-V VM Density, VP:LP Ratio, Cores and Threads...
• TechNet Wiki: Hyper-V Concepts – vCPU
• Petri: Virtual Processor Limitations in Hyper-V (2009 article)

In the end we need to have a pretty good idea of just how a virtualization stack will behave on the various platforms we use to deploy Hyper-V standalone, Hyper-V Failover Clusters, or now Hyper-V with Live-Migration enabled.

NOTE: Test in a lab before deploying in production. :)

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

Windows Live Writer

The ONLY Place To Snapshot A DC VM is in the Lab Right?

And that is only to work through all of the KBs that follow in this blog post to gain AD recovery skills right?

On one of the lists we are a part of there is an active discussion going on about having a second DC on a smaller network for "redundancy" purposes.

When it comes to an SBS Standard based network there are some caveats for that second DC whether it is virtual or physical:

• MPECS Inc. Blog: SBS Disaster Recovery with a Second DC Caveats

As we have learned in our past recovery situations that second DC can actually be a hindrance instead of a help when there is a need to restore Small Business Server Standard.

Virtual DCs

Now, when everything is virtualized one may be tempted to snapshot a DC prior to making any changes to provide a "fall-back" if things go sideways.

• Microsoft KB: 888794: Things to consider when you host Active Directory domain controllers in virtual hosting environments

Some things to consider via the mentioned KB:

• DC should remain running continuously.
• Do not pause the DC VM for long periods of time.
• Problems may happen.
• System State backups are critical but have a shelf life.
• In multi-DC environments daily DC System State backups of at least two (2) DCs should be the norm.

When a DC is recovered back from a snapshot the following KB may be applicable:

• Microsoft KB: 875495: How to detect and recover from a USN rollback in Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2
• Implications of rolling back a DC and the processes to possibly recover.

Now, take all of the above and read the following:

• Ask the Directory Services Team: DC's and VM's - Avoiding the Do-Over
• Mark Ramey goes over the possibilities when it comes to recovering DCs with some excellent visuals.

The point we are making?

It's okay to have a DC or three in a virtual lab that are used to break and tear apart then step back using a snapshot to then run through the above processes to figure out the recovery path of a restored-from-snapshot DC VM.

However, in a production environment, whether it be our own or our client's location, DC VM snapshots should _never_ be used. Period.

• Microsoft TechNet: Running Domain Controllers in Hyper-V (Deployment Considerations for Virtualized Domain Controllers)

A good backup, that is one that has been fully recovered to bare metal and/or hypervisor, along with a System State backup, are the only way to go. Then, being familiar with the above processes and caveats to having multiple DCs in a production environment is a must.

WS Backup & StorageCraft ShadowProtect

All of our current, as of Windows Server 2008 R2, smaller client networks with the exception of those running on Hyper-V failover clusters (Win2K8 R2) are running a single DC.

In most cases that DC is Small Business Server 2008/2011 Standard.

Why?

Because we test our client's backups on a quarterly basis as part of our ongoing services we provide them.

Test restoring our client's systems on a regular basis gives us full confidence in our ability to restore their single SBS/DC using ShadowProtect and in some cases the native Windows Server Backup.

Introducing a second DC into the mix, in the case of SBS networks, brings about caveats that we need not deal with (see first blog post link) especially when times may be stressful already.

The key to being confident in a single DC environment is in the backup solution set.

To repeat: Confidence in our backup solution is the key to our deploying a single DC solution.

If we are not versed in restoring the backups we deploy at our client sites, at that on a regular basis, then how can we have the confidence to recommend a single DC solution to our clients? If we don't restore our client's backups how will we be aware of what is needed if things really go sideways and a restore is required?

We _are_ confident in our backup solutions built upon Windows Server Backup and now especially on StorageCraft's ShadowProtect Version 4. SP v4 has proven that once again we will be deploying ShadowProtect at all of our client sites as the Hyper-V restore throughput problems we saw in the past are no more.

ShadowProtect's Hardware Independent Restore feature is also a must for P2V and V2V restore situations even between Hypervisor versions.

• MPECS Inc. Blog: ShadowProtect Restore to Hyper-V VM Tips

In the end, it is our preference to keep a single DC in our small to medium solution sets. KISS is our preference. And, a single DC with no snapshots taken follows that line of simplicity. Plus, recovery becomes that much simpler.

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

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Hyper-V: Preparing A High Load VM For Time Skew

We have a previous post on setting up the Windows Time service here:

• MPECS Inc. Blog- SBS 2008 Physical And Hyper-V – Set Up the

To date we have had decent success on reigning in a heavily loaded VM’s tendency to skew its time.

What we have come with via a number of sites listed below and a lot of reading in online forums follows.

1. Hyper-V Integration Services: Time Synchronization remains enabled.
   • Yes, even on DCs.
2. Registry edit to allow the VM to pick up its time from the Hyper-V host only while booting:
   • reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\VMICTimeProvider /v Enabled /t reg_dword /d 0
   • Copy and paste the above into Notepad to make sure there are no line breaks as it is all in one line.
3. Edit the Windows Time registry settings to make the time service poll more frequently:
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\W32Time\Config
• "MaxAllowedPhaseOffset"=dword:00000001
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient
• "SpecialPollInterval"=dword:000000XX
• We start with an interval of 120 Seconds
• 
4. Set the appropriate time server source:
• w32tm /config /syncfromflags:manual "/manualpeerlist:0.ca.pool.ntp.org,0x1 1.ca.pool.ntp.org,0x1 2.ca.pool.ntp.org,0x1 3.ca.pool.ntp.org,0x1" /reliable:yes
  • Note the quotes enclosing the time server names.
5. w32tm /config /update
6. net stop w32time && net start w32time
7. w32tm /resync /force
8. w32tm /query /source
   • 

Further Reading:

• MSDN Blogs: Ryan Sizemore: Configuring the Time Service: NtpServer and SpecialPollInterval
• Jaylee.org: Hyper-V, CPU Load and System Clock Drift
• Virtual PC Guy’s Blog: Time Synchronization in Hyper-V
• Yahoo Groups: SBS2K: SBS Time
  • Great contributions by Chris Knight to this thread.

NOTE: This post may be updated at any time to reflect changes to the above methodology. Please keep in mind that this is a work in progress.

UPDATED 2012-03-06: Tweaked the registry settings as per comments below and the setting found in the MSDN article linked above.

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

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Windows 2008 R2 Web – .NET Install Error –You must use the Role Management Tool

We are trying to get .NET 3.5 SP1 installed on a Windows Web Server 2008 R2 clustered VM.

When we tried to run the full version of the install file we received the following error:

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Setup

You must use the Role Management Tool to install or configure Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

However, when we open the Add Role Services wizard on the server .NET 3.5 is nowhere to be seen.

A quick search turned up the answer on an MSDN blog:

• MSDN Blog: The Way I See It: You must use the Role Management Tool to install or configure Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.

Vijay points out that .NET 3.5 will be found under the Features install.

Indeed, there it was:

We selected the root check box and away we went.

Note that once .NET v3.5 is installed some of the updates that will follow will require reboots of the server.

Our Web server VM is now ready for an LoB that required .NET 3.5.

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

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Beer Budget Hyper-V and/or Lab Server

Sometimes past memories happen to drop in when a question gets asked or something happens to trigger them.

One of those moments came when looking at a question we answered for someone going way back where they asked how to build a beer budget lab box.

At the time, server based hardware was significantly more expensive than the entry grade server equipment that we can get today.

So, in answering this question, the memory that popped up was one of the first lab boxes that we ever had. It was a server board that was a few generations prior to current, a pair of Intel CPUs running at what speed we are not sure of (not Tualatin CPUs), 32MB or 64MB RAM, and a pair of IDE or SCSI hard drives. Everything was sitting essentially out in the open.

Eventually they were mounted to the lid of an old desktop case much like our current Data Mule system was.

 

MPECS’ Data Mule system

Keep in mind that there is a need to know how to use a Tap & Die set to create the threaded bores the motherboard standoffs will need to be set into if custom mounting the server board to an old case shell.

Otherwise, an old Styrofoam hard drive shipping container will work fine for setting the server board and drives into for protection but minimal initial cost.

So, here is the beer budget server setup that will allow for Hyper-V to run with hardware virtualization with prices showing in Canadian dollars.

• Intel S3420GPLC $232
• Intel Xeon X3430 $209
• RAM configuration options
• 8GB (2x 4GB) Kingston $290
• 16GB (4x 4GB) Kingston $580
• 2 SATA drives RAID 0 $120
• no redundancy but gives performance.
• Decent three rail 550 Watt PSU $80
• OPTIONS
• Intel PRO series dual gigabit NIC $200
• Intel SC5650UP server chassis $250
• 16GB (2x 8GB) Hynix $840
• 32GB (4x 8GB) Hynix $1,680
• Intel RS2BL040 PCI-E RAID $350

Using the above guide, we can have the bare minimum lab box up and running with 8GB of RAM for $931 plus applicable taxes and/or shipping charges if needed.

We all have USB keyboards and mice kicking around or can be had for pennies. Plus, a local system builder would probably be more than happy to part with a few bags of system screws, standoffs, and the like for a couple of bucks.

A DVD optical drive can be had very easily though newer OS installs can be done via USB flash drive thus eliminating the cost there.

As the budget allows, speed up those installs by purchasing faster 8GB USB flash drives with the best speeds being a real-world 35MB/Sec read and 30MB/Sec write. OCZ makes some great ones in the Rally2 Turbo and the ATV Turbo.

Note that USB 2.0 flash drives will become harder and harder to find as USB 3.0 drives come in. So far, the USB 3.0 drives are _a lot_ more expensive than their older USB 2.0 siblings.

BTW, a couple of LED fans would provide stylish cooling for that extra touch . :D

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

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Microsoft Server Virtualization Licensing Explained – TechNet Chopsticks

Here is an interesting video where the presenter runs through the various virtualization scenarios and how to license them:

• Microsoft TechNet Chopsticks: Microsoft Licensing Part 3: Server Virtualization (TechNet for IT Managers)

One of the points made about virtualizing OEM licensed OSs had to do with the inability to move that OEM licensed VM across a cluster. The OEM license is bound to the original hardware, in the case of an Intel Modular Server with 2 nodes, that would mean one or the other node.

The hardware the OEM license is bound to is _not_ the chassis that the OEM OS is running in, it is bound to the CPU, RAM, and Motherboard.

There is also a good explanation of the Server Standard OS 1+1, Enterprise 4+4, and Data Center Unlimited OS licensing.

The video is about 26 minutes and is well worth the time.

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

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2008 Backup Recovery To Hyper-V OEM Services Caveat

One of the services we offer to our clients is the rotation of their backup drives along with a quarterly test restore of the full server to Hyper-V or one of our lab servers.

When restoring to Hyper-V, one of the things to watch out for on that first boot post recovery are runaway processes. In most cases those processes will be the server manufacturer’s management software searching for the server hardware.

The above screenshot is the Services.msc console showing the HP services that we needed to set to Manual before rebooting the now recovered SBS 2008 VM.

When the server comes back up after the reboot, the services running on the server will behave as expected . . . hopefully! :)

Depending on the complexity of the SBS 2008 setup, a full restore to production levels should not take more than 4 hours with 2 virtual CPUs, 6GB RAM, and the appropriate storage volume(s) applied.

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

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 XP Mode – Those VHDs Are Portable!

We just rebuilt a client’s Lenovo T500 that we had installed Windows 7 RTM and XP Mode RC onto.

Besides the need to start fresh with an RTM version of XP Mode, our client also had us install a 160GB Intel second generation Solid-State Drive.

So, we decided to start with a fresh install of the Windows 7 Enterprise x64 OS and XP Mode.

The main thing to keep in mind when it comes to working with RTM versions of XP Mode and users changing out their hardware is the ability to take that XP Mode VM with them to the new system.

Another reason to keep this in mind is that the previous drive in this case was encrypted with BitLocker. We may have been able to gain access to it if we had a similar T500 series around the shop and the original BitLocker backup key . . . maybe.

Thus, a new consideration when it comes to migrating a user’s profile to a new workstation (workstation setup checklist post) is to get those VHDs.

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

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Server 2008 R2 MMC – Windows Server Backup Error Not Compatible

Since we do not have our network migrated to SBS 2008 yet, we need to have a Server 2008 full install box on the network for some specific Server 2008 management needs such as configuring Volume Shadow Copies and Windows Backup on our many Server Core installations.

Both features cannot be managed from a desktop OS even with the RSAT installed.

For now, that means running a full version as a VM on one of our Hyper-V servers:

The partition scheme shown above was after clicking OK in the previous warning pop-up. We ended up with the 60GB primary that the OS was going into, the 15GB we left over for the swap file partition, and then the 100MB partition that Windows Server 2008 R2 setup created.

We have seen Windows 7 installations do the same (Bing Search). For now, we will leave it be.

Once installed, we will set up an MMC that contains the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, Computer, and Windows Server Backup snap-ins for each of the Server Core based servers we have.

Or so we thought . . .

Windows Server Backup (Server Name)

An internal error has occurred in the backup engine or the computer that you are connected to remotely is running a version of backup application that is not compatible with the version on your local computer. The local and remote computers must be running the same version of backup application for you to manage backups remotely.

Oops. So, we fired up a new VM and are installing Windows Server 2008 RTM. Once installed, we will service pack the VM up to SP2 and force WSUS updates to get things on the level with our Server Core installs. From there we will be able to manage them.

When we have a bit more time, we will migrate our VMs across our various Hyper-V servers so that we can begin updating them to Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core versions.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Vista SP2 on Hyper-V SP1 – Integration Services Install Error Code 1

When trying to install the Hyper-V Integration Services on a newly installed Windows Vista Enterprise VM, this is the error we received:

Error

An error has occurred: One of the update processes returned error code 1.

Apparently, we need to Service Pack 2 our Hyper-V box too (Kit Kai’s Tech Blog).

In the mean time, if connected to the Hyper-V manager via an RDP session, there will be no mouse access to the VM.

To shut the VM down, do the following:

1. Click the button.
2. Hit the down arrow on the keyboard to get to Start Task Manager and hit the Enter key.
3. Type ALT+N to hit the New Task button.
4. shutdown –s –t 0 [Enter]

The VM will shut down. We shut down all of the desktop VMs on this Hyper-V box before installing the service pack.

You folks in the US sure have it good with your Internet connections!

• Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 - Five Language Standalone for x64-based systems (KB948465)

The update took a while on the dual Xeon E5420 series Dell 2950 2U. There were 5x 300GB 15K SAS drives in RAID 10 with a hot spare.

We shut the VMs ahead of applying the update to give the server as much dedicated processing and disk I/O as possible. Even though we are working with a Server Core install, the update is quite large.

At about 5 minutes:

And here we are about 17 minutes after the update was initiated:

Keep in mind that any Hyper-V server that hosts Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will need to be updated to Service Pack 2 prior to service packing the Windows Vista VMs.

When the Integration Services disk gets inserted into the VM the AutoPlay feature should pop up a window that enables us to hit the Enter key to initiate the setup routine and an ALT+A to continue through the UAC prompt.

If the VMGuest.ISO was already mounted, then make sure to dismount and click Insert Integration Services Setup Disk in the VM’s Action menu.

Once installed, we will see:

After the reboot, our remote mouse movements will be enabled. If the above menu gets lost behind the default Vista Welcome window, hit the CTRL+ALT+DLTE button in the VM manager and bring up the Task Manager to switch to the Hyper-V setup.

Another reason Windows 7 in a VM is way ahead of Windows Vista! Windows 7 has the Hyper-V Integration Services already installed!

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Windows 7 – Create and Mount a VHD

We have a need to insert ShadowProtect image files into a VHD for recovery purposes. To date, we would attached the drive with the images to a server and then share it so that we could get access to it via network.

There are other solutions available for this task, but for now we have not had a lot of need to look any further.

Windows 7 solves this dilemma by allowing us to create and mount a VHD (Virtual Hard Drive) on the Windows 7 system we are working on. This enables us to attach the USB drive and copy the ShadowProtect files right into a VHD which we can then mount in the Virtual Machine that we will run a recovery to.

The process is actually quite simple:

1. Start –> DiskMgmt.msc [Enter].
2. Click Action and Create VHD.
3. The Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk window comes up:
   
4. Set the name and location of the new VHD file, the size of the file in MB or GB, and whether it will be dynamic or fixed in size.
5. A new disk will appear in the Disk Management Console:
6. Right click under the Disk # and Initialize the disk.
7. Once the disk is initialized, it can be formatted and have a drive letter assigned to it.
8. AutoPlay will pop up asking what we want to do with the new drive (for the time being as AutoPlay will be disabled soon in Windows)

We do not close the Drive Management console as it is needed to detach the VHD once we are done with it. To detach, right click under Disk # in the list of disks and Detach VHD.

To attach a VHD, in Drive Management we click on the Action menu item and Attach VHD. Once we specify the VHD file we are good to go with our edits, changes, or file insertion.

This is a real time saving feature for us when we need to make quick changes to a VHD file, run a check disk on a seemingly corrupt VHD, or create a VHD and install files such as service packs or install files for VM access.

Very Nice!! :)

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

ShadowProtect Image Recovery into a Hyper-V VM

We need to get to images restored into VMs running on Hyper-V for the test Swing Migration we are doing for the messed up “Professional” SBS in this post.

The deeper we are digging into this the more and more it may be a good idea to start fresh and work the client workstations from there.

But, we have committed to the business owners to run through the Swing test anyway, so we are well into it now.

The existing SBS was imaged using ShadowProtect and has been restored to one of our lab servers using the Hardware Independent Restore feature. We cleaned up the IBM XServe hardware pieces in the Device Manager and made sure that the lab server hardware drivers were installed and stable.

• Cleanup methodology blog post: SBS & ShadowProtect - Some Hardware Independent Restore considerations.

We are running a portion of the Swing virtually with the NewSBS ending up on the same lab server we have the restored SBS on now which is a Swing Off and Swing On again.

On this particular SBS network there is a Terminal Server. So, we took an image of it as well as one critical workstation. We are restoring both images to VMs running on Hyper-V Server 2008 (yes, we got it up and running though with no add-in RAID controller).

When we went to boot from the ShadowProtect I.T. Edition ISO in the VM, the WinRE would choke on the networking portion of the ShadowProtect startup routine. We ended up needing to uninstall the standard Hyper-V NIC and use a Legacy NIC to get things rolling. We were using the Windows Vista WinRE version too.

We placed the two ShadowProtect images on a network share to run the restore process in the Hyper-V based VMs using drive mapping feature in the ShadowProtect recovery environment.

When it comes to restoring an encrypted ShadowProtect image that is password protected using AES 128bit security, CPU crunching capabilities and GHz speed sure make a huge difference on the restore times.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

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VMC to Hyper-V Import Tool

The March issue of the TechNet magazine had a Utility Spotlight on an excellent tool by Matthijs ten Seldam called the VMC2HV Import Tool: TechNet Magazine: Utility Spotlight VMC to Hyper-V Import Tool.

This is a screenshot from the above article:

VMC to Hyper-V Import Tool

The tool enables us to take a Virtual Server based virtual machine along with the requisite VMC file settings and import them into Hyper-V so that there is very disruption to the virtual machine.

Matthijs also has a blog post on the tool: VMC to Hyper-V Import Tool Available.

The tool can be downloaded via the TechNet article, or Matthijs’s blog post.

From Matthijs’s blog:

So what does the tool offer? In a list of features:

· Import of VMC files of both VS2005 and VPC2007

· Creation of VM on local Hyper-V host

· Creation of VM on remote Hyper-V host

· Validation of virtual disk and ISO files in local scenario

· Editing of virtual drive image paths (vhd, vfd, iso)

· Swapping of the first SCSI disk with the first IDE disk

· Specification of static MAC addresses

· Specification of either legacy (emulated) or enhanced network adapter

· Specification of # of virtual processors and resource control

· Specification of management settings

· Specification of COM ports

· Specification of device boot order

· Specification of alternate Virtual Machine path

· Built-in help in CHM file

· Support for both x86 and x64 Vista and Server 2008

For those of us still in the process of migrating VMs from Virtual Server to Hyper-V without the use of System Center Virtual Machine Manager, this tool is quite handy.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

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Intel SR1625UR 1U Dual Xeon 5500 Series Configuration

The image looked good in Windows Live Writer when putting together yesterday’s post on the new Intel 5500 Series Xeons and related components (previous blog post).

But, I see now that the Intel Server Configurator screenshot turned out to be quite illegible.

So, there is that server configuration:

Description	Part Number	MM #	QTY
Intel® Server System SR1625UR (1U Passive Backplane)	SR1625URNA (Includes power cord for North America) and R1625UR	901132 (power cord included) or 900986	1
Intel® Xeon® Processor X5560 (Heat Sink not included)	BX80602X5560	901026	2
SR1625 Standard front panel accessory kit	ASR1625FP	900991	1
Quad port GbE I/O module	AXX4GBIOMOD2	901359	1
Intel® Remote Management Module 3	AXXRMM3	900961	1
Intel® RAID Controller SRCSASJV (8 internal/external SAS/SATA ports, up to 1GB cache)	SRCSASJV	892602	1
AXXRSBBU3 Intel® RAID Smart Battery Backup Module (Use with Intel® Integrated Server RAID)	AXXRSBBU3	900954	1
Slimline SATA DVD ROM - AXXSATADVDROM	AXXSATADVDROM	893637	1
Black Bezel (Standard Control Panel)	ASR1550BEZ	879406	1
Full extending Rail Kit	AXXHERAIL2	901082	1
RJ45 To DB9 Cable	AXXRJ45DB92	881944	1
650W Hot-Swap power supply module	ASR1625PS	901016	1
2.5" Hard Drive Carrier	FXX25HDDCAR	881681	2

Intel SR1625UR 1U 8 x 2.5” SAS Configuration

The above configuration would be implemented with the Hyper-V Role set up on Server Core where the VMs would have high load performance requirements.

Note that there are a few typos in the actual Server Configurator results. Make sure to verify the part numbers with distribution. We corrected the mistakes in the above grid.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Hyper-V – Installing Windows 2000 Server

We have need for a temporary legacy setup here at the shop.

We used a Windows Server 2000 Standard SP2 CD ISO to install the base OS.

We have an ISO based DVD with every conceivable Microsoft service pack and needed critical update on it that we use to service our VMs. We needed to mount that ISO and update to Service Pack 4 before we could get the Hyper-V Integration Services installed.

Once we had the Integration Services installed, we were able to configure the new VM on our SBS network.

After a few minutes, we saw this:

Windows 2000 Server with 72 Updates Waiting

WSUS picked up on all of the needed updates and the downloads began!

One of the updates in that list was Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4 and known issues (KB891861). In the description for the Rollup, it was indicated that the update was a pre-package of previous Windows 2000 updates.

So, we ran the Rollup first to see what was left over. It turns out that there were still 68 updates waiting for us after what was an extended reboot and subsequent logon procedure.

Note that the logon procedure took quite a bit of time after the Rollup was applied so there will be a need to be patient.

When the new Win2K VM was connected to the domain and its needed services and LoB (Line of Business) applications were installed, the VM ran flawlessly.

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

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac!

Windows Live Writer

Hyper-V and SCSI Hard Disks – No Drives Were Found During OS Setup

When configuring a new VM in Hyper-V, take note that the OS will not see any disks if they are attached to a SCSI controller:

Hyper-V – Server 2008 VM: No drives were found

The drive that an OS will be installed into must be connected to one of the two available IDE Controllers. This is usually Controller 0.

Apparently, the primary reason for this is due to the way the driver is handled for the SCSI controller. It is loaded on OS boot, and cannot be inserted via the Integration Services disk into the setup portion of the OS.

Some further reading:

• Petri: Microsoft Hyper-V will not boot virtual SCSI devices.
• TechNet Forums: HyperV scsi syntheric drivers don"t run under Windows XP SP3 (sic).
• Microsoft Newsgroup: Hyper-V and Disk types in Virtual Server (Charlie Russel commenting).

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac!

Windows Live Writer