I am installing Windows Server 2008 on a new server that has no video card and no DVD drive. It's an interesting challenge to make that one work and I'm relying on using a bootable USB disk and unattend files. In my case, it turns out the server has a USB interface and using USB to boot is … Continue reading Installing Windows Server 2008 on a headless server from a USB disk
Tag: Storage
Can you convert an MBR disk to GPT?
I got a question today: Can you convert an existing MBR disk to GPT? This is about the partitioning style of a disk, with MBR being the older one (limited to 2TB) and GPT being the newer one (going up to 18EB). Keep in mind that the GPT partitioning style is not recognized by all previous … Continue reading Can you convert an MBR disk to GPT?
Using a SAN with DPM 2007
Data Protection Manager 2007 is a Microsoft solution that can protect the data in your servers. Combining VSS technologies with DPM-specific code, it provides an easy way to create consistent snapshots of your server’s data at regular intervals. You can later easily restore that data to any of those points in time. DPM understand different … Continue reading Using a SAN with DPM 2007
IPD Guide for DPM 2007 SP1 available for download
Jason Buffington just blogged about the release of the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for Data Protection Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 (DPM 2007 SP1): "We are just a few days away from releasing Service Pack 1 for DPM 2007, and part of the release is updating our existing content and adding new materials. The … Continue reading IPD Guide for DPM 2007 SP1 available for download
SMB2, a complete redesign of the main remote file protocol for Windows
Introduction SMB (Server Message Block) is a remote file protocol commonly used by Microsoft Windows clients and servers that dates back to 1980’s. Back when it was first used, LANs speeds were typically 10Mbps or less, WAN use was very limited and there were no Wireless LANs. Network security concerns like preventing man-in-the-middle attacks were … Continue reading SMB2, a complete redesign of the main remote file protocol for Windows
File Server performance improvements with the SMB2 protocol in Windows Server 2008
SMB (Server Message Block) is the main protocol used in Windows for file sharing and it has been significantly improved from Windows Server 2003/Windows XP to Windows Server 2008/Windows Vista. During my TechEd 2008 ITForum presentation on “Windows Server 2008 – File and Storage Solutions”, I covered some details on SMB2 and showed a demo … Continue reading File Server performance improvements with the SMB2 protocol in Windows Server 2008
Microsoft File Server Migration Toolkit 1.1 available as a free download
Microsoft just announced the release of Microsoft File Server Migration Toolkit 1.1, which will help you migrate file shares from computers running Windows NT 4.0 Server, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2003 Server and Windows Server 2008 to computers running Windows 2003 Server and Windows Server 2008. You can use it to consolidate multiple file servers … Continue reading Microsoft File Server Migration Toolkit 1.1 available as a free download
Data Protection Manager Partner Hero
If you are a Microsoft Partner in the United States, there is a new campaign focused on System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 (DPM).This campaign is designed for partners that already work with Microsoft applications protected by DPM, like SQL Server, Exchange Server and SharePoint Server.You can become a DPM hero by simply learning about … Continue reading Data Protection Manager Partner Hero
Adding Storage Management abilities to your Windows application using VDS (Virtual Disk Service)
If you’re writing a Windows application that needs to do storage management, you should look into the VDS (Virtual Disk Services) API.VDS storage management includes abilities like enumerating all HBAs on a system, creating a LUN, setting a disk online, formatting a volume or adding a drive letter to it. For those not familiar with … Continue reading Adding Storage Management abilities to your Windows application using VDS (Virtual Disk Service)
“FSCT” – A CIFS/SMB/SMB2 File Server Tool for Capacity Planning and Performance Troubleshooting
Overview A recent presentation during SNIA’s Storage Developer Conference described an upcoming tool called “FSCT”.“FSCT” (which stands for “File Server Capacity Tool”) was created by Microsoft after analyzing the workload of production file servers used to store user’s home folders.The tool can simulate that typical file server workload (and potentially others) in a lab environment. … Continue reading “FSCT” – A CIFS/SMB/SMB2 File Server Tool for Capacity Planning and Performance Troubleshooting
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