WindowsNetworking.com Monthly Newsletter of September 2011 Sponsored by: ManageEngine

Welcome to the WindowsNetworking.com newsletter by Debra Littlejohn Shinder, MVP. Each month we will bring you interesting and helpful information on the world of Windows Networking. We want to know what all *you* are interested in hearing about. Please send your suggestions for future newsletter content to: dshinder@windowsnetworking.com

1. Hyper-V in Windows 8 Client Operating System

Tom and I got into virtualization many years ago, and for most of that time, we used VMware. VMware Workstation, in its various incarnations has been on our desktop computers since version 1. I've made a good living and have built a successful career with the help of VMware Workstation. With each new version of VMware, I updated to the latest version, and was always excited to see what new features and capabilities would be included in the upgrade.  I loved VMware and couldn't live without it.

I tried other desktop virtualization solutions, including Virtual PC - both before and after Microsoft bought it. I also used Windows Virtual PC with XP Mode on Windows 7 and there were many things I liked about it, but I kept coming back to VMware for certain features and functionalities that I just couldn't live without.

In spite of my love for VMware Workstation, however, things began to change about two years ago. When Tom started working for Microsoft, he decided it was time to get to know Hyper-V and so he installed a Hyper-V server in our office. He then moved the workloads that used to run on our GSX servers (yes, we were still running GSX!) to the Hyper-V servers. During the migration, I learned about Hyper-V and how to use the Hyper-V management console. What surprised me a little was that I really liked Hyper-V! Over time, I gradually stopped using VMware and now we use Hyper-V exclusively for our virtualization needs.

So I was more than a little bit interested when I heard that the Windows 8 client operating system is going to include Hyper-V.  That was officially confirmed last week by Steven Sinofsky in the Building Windows 8 blog on the Microsoft web site. 

I think this is great news and it opens up a world of opportunity for everyone who will be upgrading to Windows 8. Now I don't have to worry about being able to RDP into my Hyper-V servers when I want to give a demonstration or dual boot between Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. What's really amazing about this is that, given the fact that there will likely be more than 400 million copies of Windows 8 sold, it will make Hyper-V the most prevalent hypervisor in the world. And I expect quite a few computer users who hadn't yet discovered the joys of virtualization will do so now.

Of course, there are a few caveats. Windows 8 Hyper-V will require a 64-bit system. Almost all that you buy today are, but don't expect to necessarily be able to run it on that old computer that's been around since you bought it with XP installed. You'll need a decent amount of RAM but because of the way it's allocated, you can get up with 4GB or so - again, a pretty standard spec for most machines being sold today.  Some games and other applications that need to access the hardware or use GPU processing might not work. But other than those limitations, Hyper-V on Windows 8 is going to enable you to do some pretty cool things. For instance, when you use the Remote Desktop Connection to connect to the VM, you'll be able to use multiple monitors, and the VMs can use USB devices, too.

What do you think? Will you use the Windows 8 client Hyper-V? How will your business use it? I can imagine scenarios where the user can have one virtual instance of Windows configured as his "personal" computer and another virtual instance configured as his "work" computer - so that IT can manage and closely control the work computer while the user can do whatever he likes with his personal computer. And even if the personal computer gets completely compromised, it will have no adverse effect on the work computer. Nice!

Send me a note at dshinder@windowsnetworking.com and let me know what you plan to do with the Hyper-V included in the Windows 8 client. I'll share your ideas in a future newsletter.

See you next month! - Deb.

By Debra Littlejohn Shinder, MVP
dshinder@windowsnetworking.com

2. ISA Server 2006 Migration Guide - Order Today!

3. WindowsNetworking.com Articles of Interest

• Data Furnaces
• A Complete Guide to UAG DirectAccess (Part 3) - NAT64/DNS64
• Strategies for Monitoring Failover Clusters (Part 1)
• Cisco ASA 5500 Series SSL/IPsec VPN Edition - Voted WindowsNetworking.com Readers’ Choice Award Winner - Firewalls & VPN Hardware
• Advanced Group Policy Management (Part 4) - Editing Controlled GPOs
• IPv6 multicast background traffic (Part 1): Box Chatter - IPv6 Multicast Backgrounder
• Phase Change Memory
• A Complete Guide to UAG DirectAccess (Part 2) - IPv6 Transition Technologies and the Name Resolution Policy Table (NRPT)
  

4. Administrator KB Tip of the Month

Use Auditing to Track Changes to Shared Folders

If you host shared folders on a network, you might want to enable auditing on those directories so you can see who makes changes via the Event Viewer. For example, you might want to see who deletes files or folders, as there is no recycle bin support for shared folders.

Here’s how to enable Auditing:

1. Right click the file or folder you wish to track and click Properties.
2. Select the Security tab and click the Advanced button.
3. Select the Auditing tab and click Edit.
4. Click Add and choose the members of the domain you want to monitor, or enter "everyone" to track all users, and then click OK.
5. Select what you want to audit

For more administrator tips, go to WindowsNetworking.com/WindowsTips

5. Windows Networking Tip of the Month

In today's cloud-obsessed world, it's hard to get excited by traditional remote access solutions. I mean, who cares about VPN or reverse web proxy anymore? Well, in spite of the remote access situation being in the general doldrums because of "the cloud", there is one bright ray of sunshine coming through - DirectAccess. DirectAccess is the revolutionary, almost magical, new remote access technology that isn't a VPN, but is more than a VPN. You might have heard about DirectAccess and want to know more about it. Well, here's your chance! We are running a series of articles called "The Complete Guide to UAG DirectAccess" and the first three parts of the series are now up. Check out part 1, which includes links to the other two parts, over here.  

6. Windows Networking Links of the Month

• Security Talk with Tom Shinder and Yuri Diogenes - Episode 7 - All About FOPE
  
• Private Cloud Technical Overview
  
• Private Cloud Principle, Patterns, and Concepts
  
• Delivering Fast Boot Times in Windows 8
  
• Bringing Hyper-V to the Windows 8 Client Operating System
  

7. Ask Sgt. Deb

QUESTION:

Hey Deb,

I've got a little problem and I wonder if you can help me with it. Ever since Windows 95 I've wanted to be able to rearrange the order of the icons in the system tray. I don't know how they decide the order of those icons, but they're never in the order that I want them in. Is there a way I can change the order in Windows 7? Thanks! - Wojo.

ANSWER:

Hi Wojo,

Great question! You're not the only one. I've wanted the same thing all of these years and I think a lot of other people felt the same way. Why do I think this? Because Microsoft heard our cries and now it is possible to move the icons in the system tray. In Windows 7, all you need to do is drag the icon to the position you want. You don't even have to use PowerShell to do it!

Have fun! - Deb.

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