Dude, What are the 5 elements I must consider in my virtual machine backups?

The new business demands and challenges pushed IT organizations and Pros to rush into using virtualization/cloud technologies, with this push comes a huge challenge in selecting the proper backup method and spotting the key factors to consider when designing backups for virtual machine.

To help you addressing this challenge and spotting those points, we will release a white paper that identifies key elements to consider when backing up and recovering virtual machines and explains them in details.

So stuff like Agent or agentless backup, unified or virtual specific backups, Data Deduplication (how, when) with virtual machines, large backup sets, granular vs. one backup/restore set, adding to that great and critical tips for applications (AD, SQL and Exchange), Hypervisors (VMware/Hyper-v) and network layer.

This unique white paper has been written by a group of the best minds in applications, virtualization and backup worlds, the authors of this white paper are:

• Thomas Maurer: Thomas is Hyper-v MVP, well known in his contributions in System Center, Hyper-v and cloud community.
• Mikko Nykyri: VMware vExpert and virtualization product mangaer for backup exec.
• me, Mahmoud Magdy

In this white paper; Published at Symantec here http://ow.ly/kOQBJ , we bring you the top points to consider, key factors and top issues to identify when backing up and restoring virtual machines, we will also go through a Google hangout session discussing those elements in details.

so start tuned, and follow us on Twitter, Linkedin and facebook and wish you all happy backup and successful restore.

Boosting your career and knowledge in Active Directory

Since a while I was thinking about helping others posting their TRUE knowledge and skills, I seen a lot of guys roaming around with no clues how to build true knowledge about IT infrastructure in general.

In this blog series, I will list recommended reading for several technologies and components and how you can build knowledge around that, of course; hand-on and time will give you the required experience, but these recommendations will help you to stop the no-clues auto-pilot mode.

I will start with AD, please note the following:

• You might have different opinions about the readings, again these are my recommendations.
• I read the below list so when I complied this list I wanted to cut it short for you instead of reading useless stuff.
• You will still need to build hands-on experience.

so let us start with the Active Directory reading lists:

Active Directory branch office deployment guide for 2003	http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5838
Windows Server 2003 Design kit	http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3299
Active Directory post graduate readings	http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2010/07/27/post-graduate-ad-studies.aspx I recommend reading replication topology, Kerberos, DFSR, DFS replication, logon and authentication technologies,
Active Directory Designing and deploying	http://www.amazon.com/Active-Directory-Designing-Deploying-Running/dp/1449320023/ ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366872876&sr=1-1&keywords=active+directory
Active Directory cookbook	http://www.amazon.com/Active-Directory-Cookbook-Laura-Hunter/dp/0596521103/ ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366872876&sr=1-5&keywords=active+directory
Active Directory field guide	http://www.amazon.com/Active-Directory-Field-Guide-Hunter/dp/1590594924/ ref=sr_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366872919&sr=1-19&keywords=active+directory
Active Directory MCM reading list	http://www.dynamicevents.com/MCM/MCM_Windows2008-Directory_Pre-reading_v5.pdf
AD site coverage/DNS..etc	http://etutorials.org/Server+Administration/Active+Directory. +Windows+server+2003+Windows+2000/Chapter+11.+Site+Topology/ Recipe+11.19+Disabling+Automatic+Site+Coverage+for+ a+Domain+Controller/
SOME READS	http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/sanderberkouwer/archive/ 2008/06/24/domain-controller-stickiness-prevention.aspx http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/paulbergson/archive/2010 /04/19/ad-clients-not-authenticating-to-its-local-site.aspx http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/paulbergson/archive/2013/ 01/02/preventing-spoke-dc-s-from-advertising-in-the-hub-site-for-authentication-availability.aspx http://jorgequestforknowledge.wordpress.com/category/ active-directory-domain-services-adds/dc-locator/ http://jorgequestforknowledge.wordpress.com/2007/06/ 30/dc-locator-process-in-w2k-w2k3-r2-and-w2k8-part-1/

This list will be updated on regular basis to reflect the most recent interesting reads, I wish you all successful career in AD.

Announcement: Exchange 2013 sp1 will support running from removable media such as “flash drives”

Through a trusted resource at the product group, we got the information that sp1 of Exchange 2013 will support running from removable media such as flash drives, dvd drives and blue ray disks, this will allow greater flexibility and decouples the sw layer from hw layer allowing exxhamge to be delivered as remote application over terminal service session or running it as
portable app over linux machines

What a great news, can’t for service pack 1….