Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions

Mitch Tulloch, lead author for the Windows 7 Resource Kit, is a widely recognized expert on Windows administration, networking, and security and has been repeatedly awarded Most  Valuable Professional (MVP) status by Microsoft for his outstanding contributions in supporting users who deploy Microsoft platforms, products, and solutions.

Now you can download Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions Second edition by Mitch Tulloch for free. The book discusses following points:

Why Virtualization?

Server Virtualization

Local Desktop Virtualization

Remote Desktop Virtualization

Virtualization Management

Cloud Computing

This is 480 Page eBook. Download the eBook in PDF format or XPS format

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Free eBook: Moving to Microsoft Visual Studio 2010

Well for those of you who want to learn about MS Visual Studio 2010 and are used to earlier versions, here is another great effort from Microsoft and it is free. Moving to Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 (Microsoft Press, 2011; 336 pages), written by Patrice Pelland, Pascal Paré, and Ken Haines.

The book is not a language primer, a language reference, or a single technology book. It’s a book that will help professional developers move from previous versions of Visual Studio (starting with 2003 and on up). It will cover the features of Visual Studio 2010 through an application. It will go through a lot of the exciting new language features and new versions of the most popular technologies without putting the emphasis on the technologies themselves. It will instead put the emphasis on how you would get to those new tools and features from Visual Studio 2010.

If you are expecting this book to thoroughly cover the new Entity Framework or ASP.NET MVC 2, this is not the book for you. If you want to read a book where the focus is on Visual Studio 2010 and on the reasons for moving to Visual Studio 2010, this is the book for you.

The book is written having three audiences in mind:

• Part I is for developers moving from Visual Studio 2003 to Visual Studio 2010
• Part II is for developers moving from Visual Studio 2005
• And Part III is for developers moving from Visual Studio 2008

You can download a PDF of the book here and can help Microsoft by filling out a survey at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/booksurvey.

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ASP.NET Developer Guidance Map

J.D. Meier has introduced to a comprehensive resource for (new) ASP.Net Developers, guiding them to the road to learn ASP.Net. The developer guidance is available in the form of Code Samples, How Tos, Videos, and Training.

The ASP.NET Developer Guidance Map helps you kill two birds with one stone:

1. It show you the key sources of ASP.NET content and where to look (“teach you how to fish”)
2. It gives you an index of the main content collections (Code Samples, How Tos, Videos, and Training)

 

Mental Model of the Map
The map is a simple collection of content types from multiple sources, organized by common tasks, common topics, and ASP.NET features:

Download the ASP.NET Developer Guidance Map

• Download the ASP.NET Developer Guidance Map (PDF)

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Migrate to SQL Server 2008 R2 and Manage

So if you have decided to migrate your SQL Server database to SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft TechNet has collected resources for you to easily accomplish the job.

There are many scenarios during an upgrade where you’ll want to migrate a SQL Server installation. We've collected a series of articles and resources that describe the processes and tools to make the task easier.

This set of topics includes information on how to migrate a reporting services installation, how to migrate integration services packages, and how to migrate data transformation services packages.

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Introducing Microsoft Office 365!

Office 365 is a new brand and a new way to think about productivity in the cloud. It is the next step in the future of productivity, bringing together Office, SharePoint, Exchange, and Lync in an always up-to-date cloud service. With Office 365, customers get the best productivity solutions on the planet for a predictable monthly cost, and their employees don’t have to change the way they work because they can use familiar applications like Office that they already know and love.

Office 365 builds on the foundation and investment our Microsoft Online Services partners have already made in the cloud business. For all Microsoft partners, it provides new and additional revenue opportunities. Here’s how:

• With Office 365, Microsoft is offering a new class of applications and scenarios scenarios that meet the needs of organizations of all sizes
• Office 365 provides increased opportunities for partners to develop complete customer solutions
• Office 365 provides the opportunity to broaden and deepen your engagement with SMB customers with new offerings
• Office 365 enables a familiar connection point, Office, to start your cloud conversations
• Office 365 provides new platform capabilities to improve deployment and reduce migration overhead, and provides you continuous management of customer accounts

Visit the Microsoft Office 365 at the Partner Network site! http://bit.ly/8DOKBk

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Free Windows 7 E-learning

Whether you're interested in basic Windows 7 deployment, compatibility, or configuration, these free videos are likely to have your answers! Check out the entire Window 7 e-learning video series today.

You can explore product features, common applications, usage scenarios, then enhance your IT skills around tasks such as deployment, administration, and management.

Windows 7 E-Learning Series

• Preparing for Windows 7
• Bare Metal Installation
• USB Installation
• Upgrading from Windows Vista
• Migration From Windows XP to Windows 7
• Creating a Dual-Boot System
• Basic Windows 7 Deployment
• Using Windows Deployment Services
• Compatibility - Evaluation and Remediation
• Offline Image Servicing
• Configuring Devices in Windows 7
• Configuring Internet Explorer 8
• Software Restriction Policies
• Network Connectivity
• Accessing Local and Network Resources
• Remote Management with Windows PowerShell
• BitLocker and BitLocker To Go
• DirectAccess
• Offline Files

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Upgrade your blog to WordPress.com!

Nearly six years after launching its own blog publishing platform, Microsoft is effectively ending development of Windows Live Spaces and announcing a partnership to upgrade users of the service to WordPress.com.

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Spaces users will have six months to move their blogs to WordPress.com using a specially developed migration tool that will shift their posts, photos and other media to WordPress blogs. The migration will also redirect existing Spaces URLs to new addresses on the free WordPress.com platform. The companies will offer a service called Messenger Connect for WordPress.com users to share posts with their Windows Live contacts, attempting to take the place of the existing integration between Spaces and other Windows Live services.

It is however, still unclear, that how to migrate and merge your spaces feeds to WordPress, if you already have a WordPress blog?

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Internet Explorer 9 Beta

Deliver the Beauty of the Web It's no secret: just having a presence on the Web is not enough. The new Windows Internet Explorer 9 Beta browser leverages the power of the PC to deliver rich Web experiences, together with unparalleled performance. What sets Internet Explorer 9 apart? It saves development time and effort through HTML5 compatibility and deeper compliance with industry standards. It will delight your customers with performance that matches the apps on their PCs. It delivers enhanced integration with the Windows 7 operating system. And it is safer than ever. Ready to start? Explore Internet Explorer 9 features, then try it yourself. Register now for the September 22 webcast. Find product information and development resources. Learn more about the beta release and the Internet Explorer opportunity.

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Couple of fixes for Visual Studio

Microsoft Connect site collected all (OK most of ) the fixes for Visual Studio. You can download them as per your need from this link, however, you should pay attention to the Terms of Use, since you cannot redistribute them.

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Worldwide Launch: ‘Make it Great’ with Microsoft Office 2010

Input from 9 million beta downloads went into creating Office 2010, now available on new computers and in more than 35,000 retail outlets around the world.

Virtual Press Kit:   Office 2010

Feature:  Top 7 Reasons to Try

Try or Buy:  Make It Great Website

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Office is now live on SkyDrive!

Today, Office Web Apps on SkyDrive are now available to everyone in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland. Still more to share next week when Office 2010 is released to consumers, including how Office 2010 + SkyDrive + Office Web Apps give you the best productivity experience across the PC, phone, and browser.

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VS2010 support for iPhone apps in Apple keynote

Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with tiny Global Equities Research, contends that 7 minutes of the June 7 keynote by Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been blocked off for a presentation by Microsoft (MSFT) to talk about Visual Studio 2010, the company’s suite of development tools. 

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MS Office Professional Plus 2010 Trial

Office Professional Plus 2010 Trial is also out for download. Evaluate Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 in your lab environments and with Microsoft Office enthusiasts in your organization. When you download this 60-day trial software, you're automatically registered to receive valuable resources delivered at strategic intervals throughout the software evaluation period. If you are a TechNet Plus subscriber, log on to access your download.

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Download the SharePoint Server 2010 Trial

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Trial is now available for download. Whether deployed on-premises or as a hosted service, SharePoint Server 2010 helps you cut costs with a unified infrastructure while allowing you to rapidly respond to your business needs. After registering, you will receive technical resources to help you evaluate SharePoint Server 2010. If you're a TechNet Plus subscriber, get your download. However, I'll update the links once it is opened for all.

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Introduction to SQL Server 2008 R2 Application and Multi-Server Management

A two hour learning clinic is being offered at Microsoft Learning Center. The clinic explores the capabilities of Introduction to SQL Server 2008 R2 Multi-Server Application Management. This will cover the following topics:

• Introducing Application and Multi-server Management
• Working with data-tier applications
• Managing change in data-tier applications.
• Managing data-tier applications.

Users completing this collection should have a basic understanding of SQL Server and relational database systems.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Create a Utility Control Point.
• Enroll managed instances.
• Create data-tier applications.
• Deploy and manage data tier applications.

You can find the course details here...

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Office 2010 Launch and a free eBook

First Look Microsoft Office 2010 by Katherine Murray is available for free to download here. According to the author:

This book was written while the software was in development, so you may find some variance in screen illustrations and procedures, but the overall story is the same: The key to the new features is freedom and flexibility—you’ll be able to see how to get more from your applications no matter how—or where—you choose to use them. Office 2010 is designed to help you express your ideas clearly and creatively, work seamlessly with a group to get things done efficiently and on time, and access and work with your files virtually anywhere with a similar look and feel whether you’re using your PC, browser, or phone.

To showcase these key points, First Look: Microsoft Office 2010 follows this organization:

• Part I, “Envision the Possibilities,” introduces you to the changes in Office 2010 and shows you how you can make the most of the new features to fit the way you work today. Chapter 1, “Welcome to Office 2010,” gives you a play-by-play introduction to new features; Chapter 2, “Express Yourself Effectively and Efficiently,” details the great feature enhancements and visual effects throughout the applications; and Chapter 3, “Work Anywhere with Office 2010,” explores the flexibility factor by presenting a set of scenarios that enable users to complete their work no matter where their path takes them.
• Part II, “Hit the Ground Running,” focuses on each of the Office 2010 applications in turn, spotlighting the key new features and showing how they relate to the whole. These chapters provide a how-to guide for many of the top features you’re likely to use right off the bat, and they offer inspiring ideas on how to get the most from your favorite applications.
• Part III, “Next Steps with Office 2010,” zooms up to the big picture and provides examples to help you think through interoperability. How often do you use the various Office applications together? Customer research shows that people often don’t realize how well the applications work together as a complete system—which means they might be laboring over items they could easily incorporate from somewhere else. This part of the book provides examples for integrating the applications and explores Office 2010 security and training opportunities, as well.

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Coding Guidelines

Here is a thread at CodeProject that discusses Coding Guidelines and refers to MS guidelines for coding by Brad Adams.
I would highly recommend to go through the guidelines time to time to refresh ourselves. Here is the link to the guidelines...

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Learn where menu and toolbar commands are in Office 2010

Are you new to the ribbon interface in Office 2010?  Here’s how you can get up to speed and learn where everything is quickly and easily.

Microsoft has made an interactive guide to Office 2010’s new interface to help users learn their way around the new version.  If you’ve already used Office 2007, then Office 2010 will be very easy to transition to, but if you’re still using Office 2003 you may find the learning curve more steep.  With this interactive guide, upgrading your Office skills doesn’t have to be hard.

Links

Office 2010 interactive guide

Download Office 2010 reference workbooks

Office 2007 interactive guide

Thanks to Geeks

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SQL Server 2008 R2 update finally ships

 Microsoft today released to manufacturing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, the new version of its relational database management system software.

The software, a major update of the SQL Server 2008 code base, has been in development for almost two years. Thus far, the developer version of the software has been downloaded more than 300,000 times, the company said on Wednesday.

The R2 version updates the SQL Server 2008 in a number of ways, said Mark Linton, director within Microsoft's application platform group.

One notable feature is the scale. A single SQL Server 2008 instance can now be run on up to 256 logical processors. Previously, a SQL Server instance could only scale up to 64 logical processors. It will also run on as much as two terabytes of working memory. This will pave the way for more large scale, enterprise deployments, Linton said.

The software also has been updated to work better in Microsoft's Hyper-Vvirtualized environments. For instance, the virtualized instance of the software can be migrated from one server to another while continuing to run.

The software's administration software has been updated as well. A new feature, called Utility Control Point, enables database administrators to manage the policies of entire farms of SQL Servers from a single console. "Through one control point, you can administrator your entire infrastructure through a standardized set of policies and tools," Linton said.

The software also helps other Microsoft products in providing users with "self-service business intelligence," Linton said. The software can provide live data for a new Microsoft Excel data analysis add-on call PowerPivot, which was designed to manipulate "millions of rows of data" quickly.

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Microsoft Begins Testing Browser Choice Screen

Next week Microsoft will begin testing a new browser choice screen that will let users choose a web browser rather then having Internet Explorer installed as the default.

Unbelievably the company has been forced to provide this choice screen by EU regulators that claim bundling Internet Explorer with Windows is unfair to developers of third-party web browsers such as Firefox and Opera.

Microsoft has now posted images of what the browser choice screen will look like. A user will be presented with five major browsers randomly ordered. There will also be the ability to choose from several additional browsers. If you choose a browser other than Internet Explorer, you’ll get a shortcut of that browser on your desktop, and Internet Explorer will be unpinned from the taskbar.

Testing of the browser choice screen begins next week in the UK, Belgium and France. It will be available via a software update from Windows Update. A phased rollout of the update will happen across Europe beginning March 1st.

Read More [via Mashable]

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