by Justin Braun, Microsoft Product Specialist — June 11, 2008

Being with all these Microsoft experts at Tech Ed reminds me of the time I used to work for Microsoft several years ago. I spent a lot of time with my customers working on solutions around Systems Management Server (SMS), Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM), and even had some early adopters of Data Protection Manager (DPM). SMS is now known as Configuration Manager and DPM is stronger than ever with its new version which protects advanced application data (SQL and Exchange) as well as your existing files and folders.Those technologies have all changed and evolved all underneath one umbrella. Enter Microsoft System Center.

System Center ties all of these components together. From deployment of desktops and servers, to asset management, service center (help desk) management, and protecting your data. I am particularly interested in learning more about System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), Hyper-V, and DPM and how the evolution and advancement of all of these products fits together, so without further ado…

System Center Virtual Machine Manager
SCVMM has a 2007 version which allows you to manage instances of Microsoft Virtual Server from a single MMC. Those familiar with Virtual Server know that it was administrable only through the web interface. The change to the MMC seems to be mainstream and provides a lot more functionality.

Microsoft announced the beta availability of SCVMM 2008 during MMS. SCVMM 2008 brings a number of new features including the ability to manage Hyper-V hosts as well as Virtual Server. The big feature was received the most attention is it's ability to manage VMware ESX hosts. Not only can you manage ESX hosts machines and their guests, but you can also initiate VMotion right from within the SCVMM console. What a powerful feature. They hit the mark by tying these technologies together and are considering how they can tie other technologies into the mix such as Virtual Iron and Xen. A Live Migration feature similar to VMotion is also in the works. It's timing for a release at this point is unknown. The SCVMM 2008 beta is available for download on the Microsoft Connect website.

Check back later this week for some insight on Hyper-V and Data Protection Manager…

by Justin Braun, Microsoft Product Specialist — June 10, 2008

We’re back in Orlando, FL this week for Microsoft Tech-Ed 2008. For the first time, Tech-Ed has expanded from a one-week conference into two separate conferences held back-to-back. Compellent is again proud to be a sponsor for the IT Professionals conference of Tech-Ed 2008, which is being held this week, June 10–13.

Over 10,000 attendees are expected to converge on the Orange County Convention Center to get their fill of information and education on current, existing, and emerging Microsoft technologies. Tech-Ed will offer 19 technical tracks and over 390 breakout sessions that cover the large range of different roles that the typical IT Pro plays.

Representatives from Microsoft will be in the Compellent booth today, Tuesday, to discuss their new Solution Accelerator that makes offline servicing of Microsoft Virtual Machines a simple task when coupled with Compellent Storage Center.  Be sure to stop by and see us (Booth #914) to learn more about this solution and why Compellent is the best SAN for your Microsoft infrastructure.

by Lawrence E. Aszmann, Chief Technology Officer — May 8, 2008

In today’s keynote address, I talked about green data storage and how Compellent is helping our customers implement and support green corporate strategies.  If you're going to do one thing to extend the life of your data center, virtualize your storage first. To learn more about my presentation and the topics I covered, take a look at the video below.

by Lawrence E. Aszmann, Chief Technology Officer — May 7, 2008

Quite a few customers talk to us about their experiences using the Compellent SAN as the storage core to their server virtualization strategies. Many have been using VMware - like Mike Dufek of Munder Capital Management, Ping Ooi of Ares Management and Roger Bearpark, who came all the way from the London Borough of Hillingdon. Peter Fitch of Rudolph Technologies talks about testing Microsoft Hyper-V.

by Lawrence E. Aszmann, Chief Technology Officer — May 6, 2008

At C-Drive today our channel partners had virtualization on their minds and how customers can eliminate hardware, reduce costs and power consumption. Take a look at these videos.