This is the book for IT professionals who want to learn more about the latest Microsoft virtualization technologies, including Hyper-V and Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, and Microsoft’s private and public cloud computing platforms including Windows Azure.
Who Is This Book For?
The primary target audience for this book is IT administrators, implementers, and decision makers of large and mid-sized organizations who want to learn about the benefits of the latest virtualization technologies and how to plan, implement, and manage virtual infrastructure solutions based on these technologies. The book assumes that you are familiar with core Windows Server technologies and how to implement an Active Directory Domain Services infrastructure. The book also assumes you have experience working with the latest client and server versions of Windows, namely Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Finally, the book assumes you are already familiar with earlier Microsoft virtualization products such as Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 and Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
The topics covered by the various chapters are as follows:
Chapter 1: Why Virtualization? This chapter provides an overview of Microsoft’s integrated virtualization solution and how it plays a key role in Dynamic IT, Microsoft’s strategy for enabling agile business. The chapter also describes the benefits businesses can achieve through virtualization and how Microsoft’s virtualization platforms, products and technologies can help these businesses move their IT infrastructures toward the goal of Dynamic IT.
Chapter 2: Server Virtualization This chapter covers the Hyper-V role of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 and how these platforms can be used to manage virtualization server workloads in the datacenter. The chapter explores features of Hyper-V including the new Live Migration feature of Windows Server 2008 R2. It also describes the benefits of deploying Hyper-V, and various usage scenarios.
Chapter 3: Local Desktop Virtualization This chapter describes various Microsoft virtualization technologies that enable client operating systems and applications to run within a virtualized environment hosted on the user’s computer. The platforms and products covered in this chapter include Windows Virtual PC and the Windows XP Mode environment, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), and Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V).
Chapter 4: Remote Desktop Virtualization This chapter describes various Microsoft virtualization technologies that enable client operating systems and applications to run within a virtualized environment hosted on a server located in the datacenter. The platforms and products covered in this chapter include Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and App-V for Remote Desktop Services.
Chapter 5: Virtualization Management This chapter describes how System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 can be used to centrally manage all aspects of a virtualized IT infrastructure. The chapter explains how VMM works and explores how to use the platform to manage virtual machines running on Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V servers. The chapter also describes the benefits of the other members of the System Center family of products.
Chapter 6: Cloud Computing This chapter examines Microsoft’s emerging cloud computing platform, how it works, and what benefits businesses can obtain from it. The chapter examines both private and public cloud solutions including Windows Azure, and describes how Microsoft’s Dynamic Data Center Toolkit can be used to integrate cloud computing as a part of your virtualized IT infrastructure.
