Month: August 2008

Patch For Hyper-V in Clustered Environments

I was told a little while ago to watch out for this patch from Microsoft.  It improves how Hyper-V works in a clustered host environment.  KB951308 can be downloaded once you accept a EULA.  You should have a read because there is a long list of improvements.

Note that:

  • If you apply this update to a computer that is functioning as a Windows Server 2008 failover cluster, the failover cluster service must be restarted before the changes will take effect.
  • If you apply this update to a system that is running the Failover Cluster Management console (the Cluamin.msc file), any open versions of this management console be closed and reopened before the changes will take effect.

Make sure you test this update before you or your company decide to install this update.

Microsoft Releases SQL Server 2008

Microsoft released SQL Server 2008 yesterday evening.  This is a big release for MS.  SQL is used in just about everything they release and it’s a focal point for Windows application developers. 

There’s lots of new features which MS has categorised.  I won’t go into them all here.  However, there are some key additions worth looking at.  Modern business and the need for regulators has required MS to add new compliance and security features:

  • Encryption of databases, data files and log files.
  • Extensible key management for 3rd party solutions.
  • Auditing of data usage

If you’re in finance, medical, pharmaceutical, SOX, etc, then you’ll want to look at these features.

Anyone using SQL for a MS application such as Configuration Manager 2007 should wait for official support of those applications.  MS will have to certify the product pairing and may need to release patches for support.

Preload Package Tool for ConfigMgr 2007

Microsoft has just released this very handy utility for SCCM 2007.  It previously was released for SMS 2003.

Imagine this scenario.  You’ve got a HQ running System Center Configuration Manager 2007.  You’ve got a series of branch offices with limited bandwidth and local distribution points.  You want to deploy your latest build of Office 2007.  Now that is a big package.  You could let it replicate over the WAN at the weekend but maybe your business is open 7 days a week.  I’ve seen this scenario where SMS controlled the PC’s in a retail operation whose market was 7 days a week.  Using this tool, you could conceivably distribute the package via DVD and manually load it into your distribution points.  Sure, this is manual work but it’s meant to be used in only those exceptional circumstances where there are huge packages to replicate.  Once you’ve imported the package on the distribution point, you add the site to the package properties in the SCCM console.

Here’s how MS describes it:

"When software distribution packages are created, information about them is sent to child sites in the hierarchy. If a child site has a distribution point installed that is listed in the package properties to host the content, the content is transferred over the network and uses available network bandwidth sending compressed copies of all required package source files. To avoid using network bandwidth, the Preload Package Tool can be used to copy compressed software distribution package source files to the remote child site before assigning the child site distribution point to host the package source files".