Available Now: Inside the Microsoft Operations Management Suite (V2)

These past few months have been pretty hectic for me and as a result, this blog had to take a back seat for a while. Along with the day job, presenting at conferences and some family vacation time, I've been busy working with the team on an updated release of the awesome 'Inside the Microsoft Operations Management Suite' book.

The original release of this book was an essential 'must-have' for anybody working with Microsoft's Operations Management Suite (OMS) and it was a constant reference for me over the last year and a half while I tried to get my head around this new technology. As is always the case with cloud technologies however, things change at a drastic pace and an updated release of the original book was duly needed.

Meet the Team

With so many new features added to OMS, this update was never going to be a quick and easy task. Thankfully, the full original authoring team of Stan, Tao, Pete and Anders signed up again for the new release (bio's below):

Along with the original authors, a new team of technical editors (myself included) were brought on-board to help get this over the line:

What's it about?

This updated release provides readers with an end-to-end deep dive into the full range of Microsoft Operations Management Suite (OMS) features and functionality, complete with downloadable sample scripts.

Here's a rundown of the chapters to give you a good idea of the type of content you'll learn about:

Chapter 1: Introduction and Onboarding 
Chapter 2: Searching and Presenting OMS Data 
Chapter 3: Process Automation 
Chapter 4: Configuration Management 
Chapter 5: Change & Update Management 
Chapter 6: Extending OMS Using Log Search 
Chapter 7: Alert Management 
Chapter 8: Log Management & Performance Data 
Chapter 9: Azure & Office 365 Solutions 
Chapter 10: Service Map & Wire Data 
Chapter 11: Network Performance Monitor 
Chapter 12: Other OMS Solutions  
Chapter 13: Assessment Solutions 
Chapter 14: Security & Compliance 
Chapter 15: Protection & Recovery 
Chapter 16: ITSM Integration 
Chapter 17: Custom OMS Solutions

How much will it cost?

Keeping with the community spirit behind the first book, this release will be COMPLETELY FREE for download in E-Book format with the Kindle and Paperback versions coming to Amazon a couple months later. Keep in mind that the Kindle and Paperback versions will carry a nominal price to help cover production costs.

Download Info

You can download the e-book version right now from the link below and the Kindle and Paperback versions will be available on Amazon over the coming months:

 http://tinyurl.com/insideomsbook

Hopefully you enjoy reading this book and working through all the demos as much as we did and if you've any comments/requests, please ping them to the email address here.

Presenting at Experts Live 2015 in The Netherlands

Tomorrow morning, I'll be heading back over to The Netherlands as part of a three-man Irish contingent to present at the annual Experts Live conference.

This one day event features eight different tracks being presented by over 50 well known speakers in the Microsoft Cloud and Datacenter space.

I'll be presenting one session as part of the Operations Management Suite (OMS) track titled 'Monitoring.....the Next Generation'. In the session, attendees will learn about the latest developments and features coming in SCOM 2016 and I'll dive into the new OMS platform to show some handy use-case scenarios too.

If you're attending, bring the coffee and stroopwafels and I'll see you there!

Free Online Training at TechDays Online 2015

There's only a few weeks left until we get to immerse ourselves in some free online training through the Microsoft-run 'Tech Days Online 2015' event. It will be live-streamed from the UK with a number of very well known speakers on the agenda.

What I love about these events are the fact that there's no traveling involved to attend, and it's all free! There's three tracks - split over three days - with some awesome presenters to walk you through the content.

Here's what's happening on each day...

Day 1 (Tuesday February 3)

Devices and Managing a Mobile-First World

09:30-09:40         Overview of the Day

09:40-10:15         Keynote: The repositioning of Microsoft & what this means for IT Pros &                             Devs - Mary-Jo Foley, Tech Journalist and Microsoft watcher

10:30-11:05         Devices, Devices Everywhere    

11:20-11:55         Windows 10 Client Innovations 

12:10-12:45         Enterprise Mobility - Justin Zarb

13:30-14:05         The Internet of Things - Paul Foster, MSFT UK & Robert Hogg

14:20-14:55         Microsoft Azure Remote App - Richard Astbury, (MVP)

15:10-15:45         Microsoft Azure RMS    

16:00-16:35         Microsoft Azure AD - Rick Hepworth, (MVP)

16:50-17:25         Microsoft Intune/SCCM - Steve Beaumont, (MVP)

17:25-17:30         Wrap up of day 1 - Part 1 - Ed Baker, MSFT UK

Day 1 Evening (Tuesday February 3)

An evening with Office 365

18:30 – 19:05      Migration of your mailboxes to Office 365

19:15 – 19:50      Building online collaboration inside Office 365

20:00 – 20:35      Keeping in touch with the online world

20:35 – 20:45      Final thoughts for the day

Day 2 (Wednesday February 4)

The Journey to the Cloud-first World

09:30-09:40         Overview of the Day - Andrew Fryer, Microsoft UK

09:40-10:15         What’s new Windows Server /Hyper –V - Gordon McKenna, (MVP)

10:30-11:05         How to find out what’s happening in your datacentre with Azure Insights                                - Sam Erskine, (MCT)

11:20-11:55         Host your own cloud with the Windows Azure Pack
                           - Damian Flynn, (MVP)

12:10-12:45         Taking scripting to the next level with Service Management / Azure                                     Automation - Jonathan Noble, (MVP)

13:30-14:05         A new home for your old applications - Susan Smith, Microsoft UK

14:20-14:55         20% + of Azure runs on Linux  - why is this important and how to do it                                 well? - Boris Devouge, (MVP)
15:10-15:45         DevOps in Microsoft Azure with Chef and Puppet for heterogeneous cloud                           environments - Tarun Arora  (MVP)

16:00-16:35         Make Azure your DMZ - Simon Skinner, (MVP)

16:50-17:25         Microsoft Corporate Keynote - Jeffrey Snover, Distinguished Engineer

17:25-17:30         Wrap up of Day 2 - Andrew Fryer, Microsoft UK


Day 3 (Thursday December 5)

Multi-device, Cross-platform Development

09:30-09:40         Overview of the Day - Martin Beeby, Microsoft UK
09:40-10:25         Creating x-platform apps with Visual Studio - Martin Hinshelwood, (MVP)

10:35-11:20         Vsual Studio ALM - Richard Fennell, (MVP)
11:30-12:15         Building next-generation apps with .NET and ASP.NET                                                       - Omar Al Zabir, (MVP)

13:00-13:45         Debugging web apps - Bianca Furtuna & Martin Kearn, Microsoft UK

13:55-14:40         ’Roslyn’ .NET compiler update 

14:50-15:35         Data Science Track - Andrew Fryer, Microsoft UK

15:45-16:30         Dev. community feedback - session based on community ideas

              - Martin Beeby, Microsoft UK

16:45-17:20         Microsoft Corporate Keynote - Scott Hanselman

Pretty impressive lineup eh?

So, if you're interested in joining the fun and learning more about your chosen track, then you can register for the event here.

Anyone that signs up and attends at least one day will also be entered into a draw to possibly win a new Surface Pro 3 so there's even more incentive to get registered.

See you all online there!

Cloud Platform Integration Framework (CPIF) for the Modern Datacenter

Microsoft has just released a new download for their Cloud Platform Integration Framework (CPIF) for the Modern Datacenter. The download contains six documents (twelve if you count the fact that each one comes in both PDF and Word format) that delivers integration guidance for onboarding your applications into a Microsoft Cloud Solution.

Here's an overview of CPIF taken from their website:

"CPIF describes how organizations, Microsoft Partners and Solution Integrator's should design and deploy Cloud-targeted workloads utilizing the hybrid cloud platform and management capabilities of Azure, System Center and Windows Server."

Aligning with Microsoft's CloudOS story, the various components of the CPIF have been broken down into the functions shown in this graphic:

Quoting the website again:

"By integrating these functions directly into workloads, “platforms” can be developed which allow for further configuration by tenants to implement extended software services."

The download includes foundation documents for the following CPIF architecture patterns:

• Azure Search Tier 
• Multi-Site Data Tier 
• Offsite Batch Processing Tier 
• Web Tier 
• Hybrid Networking

Sound interesting?

If so, then download the CPIF here.

System Center Universe Europe 2014 Presentations Now Live on Channel9.com!

The great team over at System Center Universe (SCU) Europe have just announced the availability of all the presentations that were delivered over the three day event last month up on Microsoft's Channel9.com.

I presented two sessions at the event on IP address management with Windows Server 2012 R2 and Application Performance Monitoring (APM) across your private and public clouds. Here's the links to both my presentations:

• Hybrid Cloud DevOps with APM

• Managing your IP Addresses the Easy Way with IPAM

Stefan Roth has listed all sixty presentations on his blog here and for quick access to the ones you want, I've copied them all below too (you should still check out Stefan's blog for loads more cool Cloud OS info though!):

1. Advanced Orchestrator Runbook Authoring and Management
2. Author your own custom gallery item and deploy VM roles in Windows Azure Pack
3. Building a Real self-service platform with SCSM, SMA PowerShell Workflows
4. Building solid business continuity plans using System Center, Windows Server and Azure
5. Compliance Management – the new orange in Client Management
6. Configuration Manager 2012 R2 – a site review
7. Creating awesome System Center Reports with PowerBI and PowerView
8. Customer requirements first – Service Manager Customizations without limits
9. Data Deduplication in depth
10. Deploy the Microsoft Cloud OS in high available
11. Deploy Windows Azure Pack across sites
12. Disaster Recovery in a service provider cloud
13. Disaster Recovery with Azure Site Recovery
14. Enterprise Management Solution (EMS) – the full story
15. How to build a service provider cloud
16. How to deliver BaaS, RaaS and DRaaS in a modern datacenter using System Center & Azure
17. Hybrid Cloud DevOps with APM
18. Identity Management for Hybrid IT with Windows Azure and Windows Server 2012 R2
19. Integrating the System Center components – your path to the galaxy
20. Leaving the dark ages – Migrating from Configuration Manager 2007 to 2012 R2
21. Manage your Azure through Service Manager and SMA
22. Managing your IP Addresses the Easy Way with IPAM
23. Microsoft Hybrid Cloud – Manage Azure with Microsoft System Center
24. Microsoft Mobile Device Management from A to Z
25. Multi-factor authentication for your clouds
26. My top ten things in Windows Server 2012 R2 that will make your life easier
27. OMI and DAL – Understanding the big picture
28. OpsMgr Dashboards – new widgets and possibilities
29. Optimize Azure Virtual Machines for performance and availability
30. PowerShell’s Desired State Configuration – Resource authoring
31. PowerShell’s Desired State Configuration – Notes from the field
32. Self-service software provisioning with SCSM, SCORCH and SCCM
33. Send your monitoring probes deep into unexplored space
34. Service Management Automation – Introduction
35. Service Management Automation (SMA) deep dive
36. Service Manager – Performance and Scalability best practices
37. Show me the reporting money with System Center
38. Software Defined Networking – Comparison of different solutions
39. Speed Lab – Deploy a Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 environment
40. Sponsor Session OPSLOGIX & ITNETX – Conference Closing Note
41. Sponsored Session BLUESTRIPE SOFTWARE – Using System Center and BlueStripe for dynamic application management across Azure and datacenter business applications
42. Sponsored Session CASED DIMENSIONS – How to make Service Manager enterprise
43. Sponsored Session CIRESON – Worldwide First – Unveiling Cireson Portal v3
44. Sponsored Session CISCO – a Unified Data Center – Best integration for Microsoft Environments
45. Sponsored Session COMTRADE – Deliver Citrix desktop virtualization confidently with Operations Manager
46. Sponsored Session DERDACK – Never miss a critical IT incident again. Resolve IT incidents on-the-go. On-call duty redefined
47. Sponsored Session MATRIX42 – Web Console for SCCM – easiness and delegation
48. Sponsored Session NUTANIX – Automating Your Datacenter – Web-Scale Style
49. Sponsored Session STEFFEN INFORMATIK – SCOM Manager
50. Sponsored Session SYLIANCE IT SERVICES – Customizing System Center – Things you’ve never seen before!
51. Sponsored Session VEEAM – Rock your Microsoft datacenter with Veeam
52. Storage Spaces – Scale-out file server deep dive
53. System Center Orchestrator – Runbook Design 101
54. Unified Device Management – It’s all about the experience
55. Upgrading to Configuration Manager 2012 R2
56. VMware to Hyper-V Migration
57. Welcome Note and Keynote Going beyond the borders – prepare yourself for the future!
58. Windows Apps in the Cloud – Azure RemoteApp
59. Windows Azure Pack – Usage Metering & Reporting Troubleshooting Guide
60. Windows Azure Pack usage metering

So, between these sessions and the upcoming TechEd Europe ones that should be available from next week, I think I'll have enough to download to keep me occupied on the plane journey over and back to Seattle when I head to the MVP Summit in a couple of weeks!

Enjoy!

System Center Advisor Just Got Even Better!

When I'm working with customers delivering System Center projects, a key component of those engagements always revolves around visualizing the data that we gather through the various products in the suite.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you should have noticed the buzz that's starting to build around the new System Center Advisor platform - which is currently available as a limited public preview here.

Even though Advisor is in preview, we've deployed it for a few customers when we wanted to super-charge SCOM 2012 R2 and get an extra edge on best practices and recommendations around some new (or even problematic) IT services that they were monitoring and it hasn't disappointed!

Anyway, similar to the speed at which the Microsoft Azure team are releasing updates to their platform, the SC Advisor team are doing their own hard work to make it better and better each week.

An example of this is yesterday's announcement by Joseph Chan that now empowers Advisor users to create their own custom dashboards and visualizations on-the-fly.

Here's an example of a custom dashboard that you can create yourself...

These new dashboards can be easily configured by clicking on the 'My Dashboard' option in the right-hand shortcut bar as shown here...

Pretty easy huh?

So, if you want to get started with these new visualizations today, then first have a quick read over Joseph's full post from the link below, then you should have everything you need to know to enhance your monitoring solutions even more than before!

http://blogs.technet.com/b/momteam/archive/2014/10/16/custom-dashboard-in-advisor.aspx

Enjoy!

Useful Recent CloudOS News and Blogs

Well, after a few weeks away from work on vacation, I've finally managed to filter through the majority of my unread emails and Twitter feeds. What I've come across from browsing through just a few short weeks of them is a number of very useful and cool updates and community offerings for System Center 2012 R2, Windows Azure Pack, Azure and Windows Server 2012 R2.

I've broken my favourites down into categories to make things easier to reference and if you haven't seen some of these posts yet and are working with CloudOS products, then I'd strongly advise you to check them out:

SCOM

Jalasoft – Xian SNMP Device Simulator V5

New SCOM dashboard community on the TechNet Gallery

Integrate System Center Advisor into Operations Manager Dashboards

Kemp LoadMaster Monitoring Management Pack (Community MP)

Kevin Holman: Update Rollup 3 for SCOM 2012 R2 – Step by Step

OpsMgr Dashboard Fun: Performance Widget Using SquaredUp

SCOM Enhanced Email Notification Script Version 2.1

Everything you ever wanted to know about group calculations (GroupCalc) in OpsMgr

System Center 2012 R2 UR3 releases with new Operations Manager updates (New Office365 and VMM Dashboards)

SCOM 2012 – Fun Jukebox Dashboard With PowerShell Widgets

SCOM 2012 – Display & Download MPs Using PowerShell Widgets

System Center Advisor

Blog Series: System Center Advisor Restarted

System Center Advisor - Limited Preview: Saved Searches, Cloud Attach Status and Usage, and more!

VMM

Download the VMM Network Builder

Blog Series: Bare Metal Post-Deployment

SCSM

Point SCSM DW & WAP Request Management to new SQL server

How to check if a Service Manager Notification Template is associated to a Workflow or Notification Subscription

How to create System Center 2012 Service Manager Knowledge Base report

DPM

New version of DPMBackup.exe required when you deploy Update Rollup 3 to DPM 2012 R2


Orchestrator

Online Orchestrator Clinic


Windows Azure Pack

VM Cloud is missing in Windows Azure Pack

Windows Azure Pack Firewall Port Requirements

Download the v1.2 release of GRIT to Import and Configure VM Role Gallery Items in Windows Azure Pack

The New World of Tenant Provisioning White Paper

Windows Azure Pack configuration with a named instance and a non-default SQL port

Azure

Install or update Microsoft Azure Powershell Module with Powershell

What is Azure API Management?

Microsoft Azure Now Available Through Open Licensing

Acquisition of InMage Systems

Migrate On-Premise Virtualized Workloads to Azure using Azure Site Recovery

Auditing in Azure SQL Database

Microsoft Azure – Use Azure Active Directory Application Proxy (AADAP)

Windows Server 2012 R2

Update to add a new performance counter feature for Tiered Storage Spaces in Windows Server 2012 R2

Storage Spaces – Not Just For SMEs

ADFS Authentication Via Azure

Announcing: Veeam Task Manager for Hyper-V

PowerShell

Announcing the “100 Days of DevOps with PowerShell” Series

Conferences

System Center Universe Europe – The Microsoft CloudOS Event you shouldn’t miss

The System Center Universe 2014 Europe session planner is now online!

Registration for ITDevConnections in Las Vegas is Open!

So that's it in a nutshell for now - and although it's not a comprehensive list of everything that's been happening over the past month or so, there's still a lot of very impressive community content around CloudOS.

Enjoy!