Infrastructure Optimization

I decided to take a chance on the possibility that I could get MAV 4.5 Beta running on Server 2008 before a demo I have to give in Dallas this week, so I spent a rainy Sunday putting it together in a Virtual PC VM. Well, after several hours and re-dos, I got it, and am proud to say that it works like a dream. Here are the steps I took to get the Server 2008 + Microsoft AppVirt 4.5 Beta + SQL Server 2005 Express into a single VM server for demos.

Note that I did not type in product keys, because I won’t be using these past 30 days. If you decide to follow these instructions, you should put product keys in, or not, depending on your application.

Also note: These notes are provided as-is, and without warranties, express, or otherwise, etc. etc. Your mileage may vary. Not legal in places where things like this are not legal. {CAVEAT_MACRO}

That being said, if you are trying this, and have questions about what I did, or spottiness in my notes, feel free to email me, or comment here.

Why do this? It makes a great base to demonstrate AppVirt in action, or as a lab for your own sequencing efforts. And heck, if you’re like me, it’s fun!

Using Virtual PC 2007

1. New Virtual Machine, specified Server 2003 as the Model
2. Inserted Server 2008 disc, began setup
3. Did not enter a product code
4. Installed Enterprise
5. Downloaded MAV 4.5 Beta, SQL Server 2005 Express, will share out folder to these installers
6. Set admin password to *******
7. Added Virtual Machine Extensions
8. Update Sound Card driver by pointing update to c:\Program Files\Virtual Machine Additions
9. Added AD Domain Services Role
10. Ran DCPromo.exe
11. New forest root domain: server.contoso.com
12. Forest functional Level: Server 2003
13. Added DNS role
14. Left Dynamically-assigned IP address
15. Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Account password: ******
16. Finished wizard, chose reboot on completion - need to reboot anyway for VM Extensions
17. DCPromo rebooted machine
18. Added  IIS role: added ASP.NET feature, Basic, Windows and Digest Authentication, IIS 6.0 Management Compatibility (all), IIS Management Scripts and Tools, Management Service
19. Open AD Users and Computers
20. Create an OU called “AppVirt”
21. Create a group called “AppVirt Administrators”. Add Administrator to this group.
22. Create a group called “AppVirt Users”. Add Administrator to this group.
23. Renamed computer to main.server.contoso.com. Restarted.
24. ———– SQL SERVER INSTALLATION ————-
25. Started SQL Express installer
26. Added Client Components and Connectivity Components
27. Mixed Mode authentication: password: ******
28. Installed SQL Server Management Studio Express
29. SQL Instance name: MAIN\SQLEXPRESS
30. Run SQL Server Configuration Manager
31. Enable Named Pipes and TCP/IP protocols under Network Configuration
32. Restart SQL Server service
33. ———– Windows Update —————–
34. Automatic updates on
35. Checked for updates (trying to get SQL Server 2005 SP1)
36. Added Microsoft Update for other MS products

    Downloaded 7 updates (74mb), including SQL Express Sp2

37. Restarted
38. ———– MAV 4.5 Setup ————-
39. Start setup.exe
40. Select main\sqlexpress as the Database Server location
41. Create a new database (SOFTGRID)
42. Accept defaults for secure mode. (do not enable)
43. Accept defaults for RTSP port (554)
44. Administrator Group: AppVirt Administrators
45. Provider Group: AppVirt Users
46. Change to Explorer, and Create a folder called c:\Content
47. Specify Content path as c:\Content\
48. Finish installer
49. Close Virtual PC instance and SAVE STATE - this will serve as the base platform for the server

Correction: Now I know why searching for “Fantastic 40″ didn’t bear much fruit. After a little more digging, I discovered that Microsoft refers to these templates as the “Fabulous 40.” Yipes. Sounds like something I’ll be seeing on my birthday cake in about 18 months.

I attended a Microsoft TS2 event yesterday, and I’m currently preparing a report for my colleagues on what was announced and showcased. As I digest and remember everything from the event, I’ll post things of interest to the community here.

The event centered around Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Virtualization, Data Protection Manager and several other minor launches. It was a quick four-hour overview, and as such, not a deep technical dive, but for partners, it was a great way to get excited about these products and the potential they have for improving our customer’s IT operations.

As a teaser, one of the great and lesser-known resources that Microsoft provides for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0  is a collection of 40 application templates to get your business up and running using this excellent enterprise collaboration tool.

There’s a wealth of cool stuff here: templates for Boards of Directors, Business Performance Reporting, a Competitive Analysis Database, Team Work Sites, Timecard Managers, Change Request, Call Center, Budgeting, Inventory, Sales Leads and just a ton more. And, as with all cool things, they are free.

Microsoft refers to them as the Fantastic Forty. And, hyperbole notwithstanding, they might be on to something, despite the name. Get your SharePoint fix here:

Application Templates for WSS 3.0