sql – TechVirtuoso

HP’s SQL Server Appliance for Big Data

May 7th, 2013 at 9:00 AM No Comments Frank Owen

Big Data. It has been around for some time but like “Cloud” I think it is the next big buzz word C-series exec’s will be asking their people if they have it, but not understanding why they want it. HP, partnered with Microsoft, recently released the second iteration of a SQL Server appliance. They call it the HP AppSystem for Microsoft SQL Server. I recently was invited to a virtual briefing about their second version based on Microsoft SQL Server 2012.

Why would anyone want to buy a appliance instead of just buying the hardware and then installing SQL Server 2012 you ask? From my understanding traditional SQL wasn’t built to handle the workload or storage requirements and more importantly buying a PDW Appliance you get one stop shop for support. Once you call Microsoft for a support issue there is no passing the buck to the hardware manufacturer. They may need to transfer you to HP but there should be no finger pointing on who is to blame.

HP isn’t the only partner Microsoft has, but with features like a modified version of Smart Update Manager and Insight Online not to mention their world class hardware, I believe HP has a leg up on their competition.

TV Guide for April 7

April 7th, 2010 at 11:15 AM 1 Comment Michael Stanclift

The folks over at the ISO group are none too happy with Microsoft’s implementation of the OOXML document specification in the upcoming version of Microsoft Office 2010. Due to delays in the final approval and recent changes to the strict specification, Microsoft was not able to include full support for creating new OOXML documents in 2010, and will only include transitional support. However, Redmond has stated that they intend to have full support for the creation of OOXML-Strict documents by the next version of office… what is not clear is if that means Office 2010 will be patched for full support or it will not be 2010 at all and users will need to wait until Office “15” for support.

Microsoft has released MED-V 1.0 SP1 and App-V 4.6. The big update to MED-V is full support for 32-bit & 64-bit Windows 7 hosts, but it also includes support for Japanese versions of Windows. Chances to App-V are mostly centered around language support. MED-V is an enterprise desktop virtualization management system that allows administrators to deploy and control Windows XP or Windows 2000 deployments running inside Windows 7 or Windows Vista host operating systems.

For all five of our readers with a Zune HD, you’ll be happy to know the Zune 4.5 firmware was released last week. It features an new Smart DJ mix with personalized recommendations, Zune Marketplace for TV, and better video codec support. Microsoft will also be releasing a new Zune HD 64GB model soon. To get the update, plug it in and sync with the Zune software on your desktop.

For all five of our readers running Windows Server on Itanium processors, you’ll be disappointed to know that after Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft will no longer be releasing versions for Itanium processors, and will focus on the x64 platform going forward. There was no 2008 R2 version released for 32-bit processors, either. Microsoft will no longer develop other software for Itanium, and SQL Server 2008 R2 and Visual Studio 2010 are also the last versions to support it. Mainstream support for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems (and R2) will end, in accordance with that policy, on July 9, 2013, while extended support will continue until July 10, 2018. That’s roughly eight more years of support.

Just so that our entire update isn’t focused on Microsoft today… If you’ve been living under a rock since last week, we just wanted to remind you that the iPad came out on Saturday. It’s magical, especially when you watch Harry Potter on it.

DPM 2010 Release Candidate webcast

January 11th, 2010 at 3:13 PM 1 Comment Michael Stanclift

Microsoft Data Protection Manager 2010 is coming soon, and Microsoft is set to release an updated test version even sooner. The beta of 2010 has been out since September and the product team has been taking feedback to make the product even better then the 2007 version.

This Thursday, at 9AM PST, Microsoft will be hosting a 90 minute webcast to cover what has changed in the release candidate and the progress being made towards the final version. Anyone using DPM will want to be sure not to miss this. The team will demonstrate the software that early adopters have been running as well as new Windows client protection capabilities, the new SQL/SharePoint/Exchange protection and recovery features, as well as their enhanced Disaster Recovery scenarios.

There will also be information on the new auto-healing/auto-scaling features (which current DPM administrators like myself will love) — the team also promises a few new surprises that weren’t in the beta.