[Windows Server 2012] Performance Tuning Guidelines for Windows Server 2012

Microsoft has released this white paper last month.

This guide describes important tuning parameters and settings that you can adjust to improve the performance and energy efficiency of the Windows Server 2012 operating system. It describes each setting and its potential effect to help you make an informed decision about its relevance to your system, workload, and performance goals.

 

 

Included in this white paper:

• Choosing and Tuning Server Hardware
• Performance Tuning for the Networking Subsystem
• Performance Tools for Network Workloads
• Performance Tuning for the Storage Subsystem
• Performance Tuning for Web Servers
• Performance Tuning for File Servers
• Performance Tuning for a File Server Workload (FSCT)
• Performance Counters for SMB 3.0
• Performance Tuning for File Server Workload (SPECsfs2008)
• Performance Tuning for Active Directory Servers
• Performance Tuning for Remote Desktop Session Host (Formerly Terminal Server)
• Performance Tuning for Remote Desktop Virtualization Host
• Performance Tuning for Remote Desktop Gateway
• Performance Tuning Remote Desktop Services Workload for Knowledge Workers
• Performance Tuning for Virtualization Servers
• Performance Tuning for SAP Sales and Distribution
• Performance Tuning for OLTP Workloads

This white paper is available here : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/jj248719.aspx

[Microsoft Solution Accelerators] IPD System Center 2012 - Operations Manager now available

The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for System Center 2012 - Operations Manager is now available.

This guide outlines the infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of Operations Manager. It guides you through the process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. You’ll find easy-to-follow steps on identification and design of the required management groups, helping you to optimize the management infrastructure.

Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by:

• Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.
• Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.
• Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.
• Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.

 

You can download this guide here :  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=245476

[Microsoft Solution Accelerators] Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 8.0 Beta Program Started

 Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 8.0 Beta review program is now open.

Accelerate your Windows Server 2012 migration with MAP 8.0 Beta!

 

The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit’s new capabilities help you assess the readiness of your environment for deploying Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. Included in the latest version of the toolkit are hardware and infrastructure readiness assessments to plan your deployment of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, prepare your migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines, ready your environment for Office 2013, and track your Lync users.

 

Key features and benefits of MAP 8.0 Beta help you:

• Determine readiness for Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.
• Assess environment for Office 2013.
• Plan migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines.
• Track Lync Enterprise/Plus users.

Key features and benefits in more detail:

Determine your Windows Server 2012 readiness :

MAP 8.0 Beta assesses the readiness of your IT infrastructure for a Windows Server 2012 deployment. This feature includes detailed and actionable recommendations indicating which machines meet Windows Server 2012 system requirements and which may need hardware updates. A comprehensive inventory of servers, operating systems, workloads, devices, and server roles is included to help in your planning efforts.


Determine your Windows 8 readiness :

MAP 8.0 Beta assesses the readiness of your IT environment for a Windows 8 deployment. This feature evaluates your existing hardware against the recommended system requirements for Windows 8. It provides recommendations detailing which machines meet the requirements and which may need hardware upgrades.

 

Key benefits include:

• Assessment report and summary proposal to help you understand the scope and benefits of a Windows 8 deployment.
•  Inventory of desktop computers, deployed operating systems, and applications.

Assess your environment for Office 2013 :

MAP 8.0 Beta assesses readiness for Office 2013 and provides an in-depth assessment of client desktops for upgrading or migration. This feature also offers support for Office 365 features such as web apps, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, or full Office 365 client support.


Migrate to Windows Azure Virtual Machines :

MAP 8.0 Beta performs a comprehensive assessment of Windows Server and Linux machines to determine if a migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines is possible. The toolkit then offers suggested changes to prepare the machines for migration. Key features help you reduce the operating costs of hosting on-premise servers as well as estimating the required size and monthly network and storage usage required to migrate on-premise Windows and Linux servers to Windows Azure Virtual Machines using the data from the environment.


Assess your software usage and evaluate your licensing needs for Lync :

MAP 8.0 Beta’s Lync Enterprise and Usage Tracking feature counts the number of Lync Enterprise/Plus users as well as device activities for determining the number of required client access licenses (CAL). For Lync 2010, MAP provides a server inventory and software usage by device and user for Lync Standard features. MAP’s updated Software Usage Tracking feature provides consistent software usage reports for key Microsoft products including Windows Server, SQL Server, System Center, Forefront Endpoint Protection (FEP), and Lync.


To download this tool : https://connect.microsoft.com/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=23188&SiteID=297