Introducing Windows Server 2012, by Mitch Tulloch, is now ready for free download! Please see the links below to download one or all of the available formats.

If you prefer a hard copy of the book, you can order it here for $14.99.

Introducing Windows Server 2012 is 256 pages and includes 5 chapters loaded with insider information from the Windows Server Team.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The business need for Windows Server 2012
The rationale behind cloud computing Making the transition
Technical requirements for successful cloud computing
Four ways Windows Server 2012 delivers value for cloud computing Foundation for building your private cloud

Chapter 2 Foundation for building your private cloud
A complete virtualization platform
Increase scalability and performance Business continuity for virtualized workloads

Chapter 3 Highly available, easy-to-manage multi-server platform
Continuous availability
Cost efficiency
Management efficiency
Chapter 4 Deploy web applications on premises and in the cloud
Scalable and elastic web platform
Support for open standards
Chapter 5 Enabling the modern workstyle
Access virtually anywhere, from any device
Full Windows experience
Enhanced security and compliance

To read more about the latest news on Windows Server 2012 and to download the release candidate, go here

Special thanks for Sukhvinder Singh Gulati for sharing this information.

Here are some MS Press Free Ebooks for your reference. You can download them.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2012/05/04/free-ebooks-great-content-from-microsoft-press-that-won-t-cost-you-a-penny.aspx

In continuation to my blog post few days back, I am pleased to share that last week Microsoft released a brand new track on Understanding Microsoft’s High-Availability Solutions. 

This course covers the best ways to provide continual availability to all applications, services, servers and VMs in your datacenter. The modules will cover all the planning, deployment and management considerations for bringing high-availability to every components of your datacenter or Private Cloud.  By the end of this course you will have an understanding of the basics of each of Microsoft's HA solutions and when each of them should be used. You will understand all the different methods you can use to keep your services up and running. Technologies that will be covered in this course include: Hyper-V, Failover Clustering, Network Load Balancing, SQL Server, Exchange Server, IIS, DFS-R, DNS, and every System Center product (including SC 2012) with a focus on Virtual Machine Manager (VMM)

The course includes:

• Understanding Microsoft’s High-Availability Solutions
  • Infrastructure HA with Failover Clustering & Hyper-V
  • Application HA with SQL, Exchange & Other Servers
  • Management HA with System Center
• Failover Clustering Overview
  • Introduction to Failover Clustering
  • Server High-Availability
• High-Availability & Clustering
  • Overview, Software & Hardware
  • Deployment & Management
  • Hyper-V HA
• Disaster Recovery
  • Introduction to Disaster Recovery
  • Storage Considerations

Happy Learning!!

A few days back I wrote about the Lync 2010 mobile been released. A few of my friends asked me on how can they plan and implement it in their organization. So here I am sharing some information which Microsoft has shared on Planning and Deploying Lync Mobility.

When you deploy cumulative update for Lync Server 2010: November 2011, you can deploy the mobility feature to provide Microsoft Lync 2010 functionality on mobile devices. This section provides details about the mobility feature and how to plan for deploying it.

Microsoft has released Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Mobility Guide on 8-Dec-2011 which guides you through the process of deploying the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Mobility Service and the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Autodiscover Service. When you deploy the Mobility Service, users can use supported iOS, Android, Windows Phone, or Nokia mobile devices to perform such activities as sending and receiving instant messages, viewing contacts, viewing presence. The Mobility Service also enables mobile devices to use some Enterprise Voice features, such as click to join a conference, Call via Work, single number reach, voice mail, and missed calls.

When you use the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Autodiscover Service along with the Mobility Service, mobile devices can automatically locate the URLs for Lync Server Web Services and the new Mobility Service regardless of network location.

The document is divided into three main sections as:

1. Planning for Mobility
2. Deploying Mobility
3. Monitoring Mobility for Performance

To support Lync mobile applications on mobile devices, the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010: November 2011 provides three new services.

1. Microsoft Lync Server Mobility Service. This new service supports Lync 2010 functionality, such as instant messaging (IM), presence, and contacts, on mobile devices.
2. Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Autodiscover Service. This new service identifies the location of the user and enables mobile devices to locate resources, such as the internal and external URLs for Lync Server Web Services and the URL for the new Mobility Service, regardless of network location.
3. Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Push Notification Service. This service is a cloud-based service that is located in the Lync Online datacenter. When the Lync mobile application on a supported Apple iOS device or Windows Phone is inactive, it cannot respond to new events, such as a new instant messaging (IM) invitation, a missed instant message, a missed call, or voice mail, because these devices do not support mobile applications running in the background. In such a case, a notification, called a push notification, for the new event is sent to the mobile device. The Mobility Service sends the notification to the cloud-based Push Notification Service, which then sends the notification either to the Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) (for supported Apple iOS devices) or to the Microsoft Push Notification Service (MPNS) (for Windows Phone), which sends it on to the mobile device. The user can then touch the notification on the mobile device to activate the application.

You can deploy the mobility feature in the following topologies:

• Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition
• Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Edition

The Edge Server can be a Lync Server 2010 Edge Server, or it can be an Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Edge Server if you are in the process of migrating to Lync Server 2010.

The following diagram illustrates the flow of mobile application web requests for Mobility Service and Autodiscover Service.

There are various requirements related to Website, DNS, Port & Firewall, Certificates, IIS etc. which are listed and documented in this document for references.

The next obvious question which comes to the mind is regarding the Capacity Planning.

Determining the amount of capacity that you need for mobility is an iterative process of estimating your mobility usage, measuring your current capacity, planning for additional capacity, and monitoring key indicators for performance. The following figure illustrates the phases involved in capacity planning and the factors involved in each phase.

Mobility Capacity Planning Workflow

Three factors influence your capacity planning for Front End Servers running the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Mobility Service. The document gives good amount of information on planning for this with some examples.

• User model
• Mobile device characteristics
• Available RAM

The phase-wise sequence of steps to deploy Lync 2010 Mobility feature can put as below. Please refer the sections in the document for references

I would recommend the readers to have a detailed analysis of the document Lync Server 2010 Mobility Guide before implementing the solution in their premises. Also, based on your support level with Microsoft, it is good to proactively engage the resources instead of fire fighting at the end.

Lync Mobility is a great feature which can be provided to the employees and give them the control for their communication options.

The Monday (12-Dec-2011) did not gave much blues as Microsoft released the Mobile Client for Microsoft Lync.

If you have a Windows Phone then you can open the link http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=9ce93e51-5b35-e011-854c-00237de2db9e on your phone and install it.

Lync mobile clients enable you to stay connected, communicate and conference on the go. Mobile clients for Microsoft Lync 2010 take the power of unified communications mobile—including rich presence, instant messaging, audio conferencing, and calling features from a single, easy-to-use interface.

Few of the features that I like the most are:

1. Join conferences with a single touch; no access code or pin number required. I also do not have to remember anything. Just click the meeting request (like I would do on my laptop and voila I am connected to the conference).
2. Stay connected, while controlling your availability; see who's available at a glance and connect over IM, email or a call; set your own status and notification settings so you can stay in touch while protecting your "off-work" time.
3. Communicate with others using a single, consistent identity. Call-via-work allows outbound calls using your Enterprise Voice number, making it easier for others to recognize calls from the Lync mobile client.
4. Connect with confidence through channel encryption, transport layer security (TLS) support, and perimeter/internal network protection that help safeguard your communications.

For more information, please review http://lync.microsoft.com/en-gb/Product/UserInterfaces/Pages/lync-2010-mobile.aspx

Now you must be wondering if this is available only on Windows Phone!!! Microsoft has plans for other platforms like, iOS, Android, Symbian. Lync Mobile for Android is already available in the market place https://market.android.com/details?id=com.microsoft.office.lync . Lync for iPhone is now available at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-lync-2010-for-iphone/id484293461?mt=8 while for iPad is available at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-lync-2010-for-ipad/id484222449?mt=8

The following tables compare the features and capabilities among Microsoft Lync 2010 mobile clients and the Lync 2010 desktop client in the following categories:

• Sign-in, sign-out, and push notifications
• Enhanced presence
• Contacts and contact groups
• Instant messaging (IM)
• Conferencing
• Telephony
• External users
• Archiving and compliance

These tables indicate the features that are available to Lync users in an on-premises deployment of Lync Server 2010. The same features are also available to Lync Online and Office 365 users unless otherwise indicated in the table footnotes.

Sign-in and Push Notifications

¹ On Windows Phone, Lync signs out automatically if the user has not used the application for a period of time, as follows:

• If the user has enabled push notifications, Lync signs out after 36 hours.
• If the user has not enabled push notifications, Lync signs out after 1 hour.

On iPhone and iPad, Lync signs out automatically if the user has not used the application for a period of time, as follows:

• If the user has enabled push notifications, Lync signs out after 36 hours. Lync sends a push notification indicating that the user must sign back in.
• If the user has not enabled push notifications, Lync signs out after 1 hour.

On Android and Nokia (Symbian), Lync remains signed in as long as the application can contact the server. Contact with the server occurs automatically every 5 minutes, even if Lync is in the background or the device is locked.

• If the Lync application cannot communicate with the server for more than one hour, the server will sign out the user. If the user is not signed in to any other Lync client, the user will appear Offline.
• The Lync application automatically signs in when it can communicate with server again.
• If an Android device is connected through Wi-Fi, the device may close the Wi-Fi connection after a certain period of time (the default on many Android devices is 10 minutes), at which point the Lync app will lose the connection with the Lync server.

² On Android and Nokia (Symbian) mobile devices, the Lync application runs in the background and push notifications are not required.

Enhanced Presence Support in Lync Mobile Clients

¹ Lync mobile clients do not update a user’s presence based on the user’s free/busy calendar information. If a mobile client user is also signed in to the Lync desktop client, the desktop client updates the user’s presence based on the user’s free/busy calendar information. If the user is signed in to a mobile client only, the user’s presence does not update based on free/busy calendar information.

Contacts and Contact Groups Support in Lync Mobile Clients

¹ With Lync 2010 for Nokia, a user can search for a contact and add the contact to a group, and remove a contact from a group.

² Not available to Lync Online and/or Office 365 users.

IM Support in Lync Mobile Clients

¹ If the user accepts an IM invitation on the desktop client, a missed IM notification will display on the user’s mobile phone

² This device vibrates every time an IM is received even if the current message in the IM conversation is displayed

Conferencing Support in Lync Mobile Clients

¹ For Office 365 users, this feature is available for audio conferencing provider (ACP)-enabled meetings only.

² For Office 365 users, this feature is available for audio conferencing provider (ACP)-enabled meetings only. For on-premises Lync Server 2010 users, Lync 2010 for Nokia client integrates with Nokia Phone Calendar and all Lync meetings in the Calendar contain a Join Meeting button.

³ Not available to Office 365 users.

⁴ For Lync Online and/or Office 365 users, this feature is available from third-party audio conferencing providers.

Telephony Support in Lync Mobile Clients

¹ For Lync Online and/or Office 365 users, this feature is available for PC to PC calls. PSTN calls are supported by Lync to phone mobile partners.

² For on-premises Lync Server 2010 users, on Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad, and Nokia (Symbian) devices, the user taps the call icon in the contact card and accepts the callback from Lync Server. For Office 365 users, on Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad, and Nokia (Symbian) devices, when the user taps the call button, a dialog box opens asking the user to confirm that he or she wants to call the number.

³ On Android devices, for both on-premises and Office 365 users, the user taps the call icon in the contact card to copy the contact’s phone number to the Android dial pad, and then the user clicks the call button.

⁴ Not available to Lync Online and/or Office 365 users.

⁵ For Lync Online and/or Office 365 users, this feature is supported by Microsoft partners.

External User Support in Lync Mobile Clients

¹ By default, federated users are assigned the External Contacts privacy relationship. To be able to reach a federated contact on his or her mobile phone by calling his or her published work number, the federated contact must manually assign you the Colleagues privacy relationship.

² Not available to Office 365 users.

Archiving and Compliance Support in Lync Mobile Clients

¹ Not available to Lync Online and/or Office 365 users.

It’s been a long time that I have written anything here. I am glad to be back. I have changed my role and am now working as a Technical Account Manager, managing Premier Customers in India.

During one of my interactions, I came to know about Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA).

What is MVA?

Microsoft Virtual Academy – MVA is a fully cloud-based learning experience focusing on Microsoft Cloud Technologies. You can access a variety of training content online and become one of the renowned experts in the IT Pro community around the world. MVA provides its users with a virtual university experience: the student can select a track and study the material and then do the self-assessment. By doing so, he will collect points that will promote him to a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Level. Students on MVA can get access to all the information, statistics and advancements of their training career, allowing them to maintain a long-term relationship with Microsoft. Learning through MVA is free of charge, and you can study the contents at any time and at your own pace. The MVA platform is hosted on the latest Microsoft Azure technology, which guarantees that your learning experience will flow uninterruptedly for the best online learning experience ever!

What tracks are available?

The subjects of the tracks range from technologies and products to different solutions, each of which contributes to contextualizing and/or updating the knowledge acquired. Tracks are completed when you study the material and pass the self-assessments assigned to each.

You will receive points for downloading and studying the materials and passing the self-assessment, which will help you climb to the next level within the Academy, all the way up to Platinum.

Students can enroll in several tracks at a time, depending on availability. However, it is important that you only register for the contents that are most important to you, otherwise you might overextend yourself and this could affect your yield and average.

How can I start using MVA?

To start using the MVA you need to take the following steps:

• Log on to the MVA at http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/
• Select one of the courses and enroll at http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/Studies/SearchResult.aspx

Select the learning topics you are interested in, study the materials and pass the self-assessments to accumulate points and achieve Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum status.

I hope this information has been helpful to you.

What’s the high-level overview?

• The 15-hour course is broken into three five-module sections: (1) Office 365 Platform, (2) Exchange Online and (3) Lync & SharePoint Online

• Leverages a “Team-teaching” approach led by Microsoft evangelist Adam Carter (Bomb) and senior Microsoft technologists with real-world experience

• Every module is an engaging discussion, packed with best practices and real-world demonstrations

• Target audience: IT Professionals, IT Decision Makers, Network Administrators from Microsoft customers and partners who need to determine how to best leverage the cloud.

Where do I go for this great training?

The HD-quality video recordings of the entire course on TechNet Edge: “Microsoft Office 365 for IT Professionals” Jump Start.

If you’re interested in one specific topic, we’ve included links to each module as well.
• Office 365 Jump Start (01): Microsoft Office 365 Overview for IT Pros
• Office 365 Jump Start (02): Deploying Clients for Office 365
• Office 365 Jump Start (03): Microsoft Office 365 Administration & Automation Using Windows PowerShell™
• Office 365 Jump Start (04): Microsoft Office 365 Identity and Access Solutions
• Office 365 Jump Start (05): Microsoft Office 365 Directory Synchronization
• Office 365 Jump Start (06): Exchange Online Overview for IT Pros
• Office 365 Jump Start (07): Microsoft Exchange Online Administration
• Office 365 Jump Start (08): Microsoft Staged Exchange Online Migration
• Office 365 Jump Start (09): Hybrid Options with Exchange Server & Exchange Online
• Office 365 Jump Start (10): Exchange Online Archiving & Compliance
• Office 365 Jump Start (11): Lync Online Overview & Configuration for IT Pros
• Office 365 Jump Start (12): SharePoint Online Overview
• Office 365 Jump Start (13): SharePoint Online Administration
• Office 365 Jump Start (14): SharePoint Online Extensibility & Customization
• Office 365 Jump Start (15): Office 365 Deployment Overview
• Link to course materials on Born to Learn

• A workbook that provides step-by-step guidance for each phase of the rollout and adoption process
• Adoption and training resources, such as primers, email templates, and templates for a custom Lync 2010 intranet site to help organizations successfully roll out Lync
• Modular, reusable, rebrandable, and in most cases, customizable user education and training materials, including frequently asked questions, Quick Start guides, how-to videos, Work Smart guides, and training videos
• Buzzworthy applications such as IM an Expert and learning tools such as the Lync How-to that you can use to generate user excitement and drive the adoption of Lync

For more information please review http://lync.microsoft.com/Adoption-and-Training-Kit/Pages/default.aspx