Virtualizing Microsoft Business Critical Applications on VMware vSphere, Rough Cuts

Description

• Copyright 2014
• Dimensions: 7" x 9-1/8"
• Pages: 448
• Edition: 1st

• Rough Cuts
• ISBN-10: 0-13-340039-5
• ISBN-13: 978-0-13-340039-7

This is the Rough Cut version of the printed book.

Best practices, guidance, and tips for virtualizing  Microsoft® business critical applications on  the VMware vSphere® platform

By virtualizing Microsoft’s enterprise applications on vSphere, you can drive down costs while migrating toward flexible, low-cost private cloud architectures. This unique guidebook bridges the gap between the Microsoft and VMware worlds, bringing together the deep knowledge, cutting-edge best practices, and practical techniques you need to succeed.

Leading experts Matt Liebowitz and Alex Fontana present end-to-end coverage of virtualizing Windows Server 2012 AD domain controllers and failover clusters, Exchange Server 2013, SQL Server 2012, and SharePoint Server 2013. They offer indispensable advice on sizing, architecture, performance, availability, monitoring, and metrics.

Throughout, the authors share valuable tips, tricks, and insights from their own experiences. For each Microsoft application, they provide "proof of concept" sample configurations and clearly explain how  new features impact virtualization. You’ll also find authoritative, up-to-date guidance on licensing  and other issues related to ensuring full support from both Microsoft and VMware.

Coverage includes

    •    Evaluating the benefits, risks, and challenges of virtualizing Microsoft business critical applications

    •    Identifying strategies for success associated with people, processes, and technology

    •    Reviewing VMware vSphere features most important to virtualizing business-critical applications

    •    Taking advantage of new virtualization-aware features built in to Windows Server 2012 domain controllers

    •    Designing and configuring vSphere High Availability (vSphere HA) clusters to run Windows enterprise applications

    •    Reflecting Exchange Server 2013’s new architecture to maximize its performance in virtualized environments

    •    Leveraging new SQL Server 2012 features to simplify the delivery of high availability on virtual servers

    •    Reducing SQL Server 2012 licensing costs through virtualization

    •    Planning, designing, and deploying virtualized SharePoint Server 2013 environments

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Sample Content

Table of Contents

Foreword xiii

Chapter 1 Introduction to Virtualizing Business Critical Applications 1

What Are Business Critical Applications? 2

Why Virtualize Business Critical Applications? 3

    Benefits 3

Risks, Challenges, and Common Objections of Virtualizing Business Critical Applications 11

    Performance 11

    Supportability 14

    Management 15

    Reliability 16

    Security Risks 17

    Complacency 19

Chapter 2 Strategies for Success 23

Understanding People, Process, and Technology 24

    People 24

    Process 25

    Technology 27

Capacity Planning Assessments 30

    VMware Capacity Planner 30

    Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 44

Strategies for Success 60

    Capacity Planning 60

    Develop a Virtualization-First Policy 61

    Understand Licensing Requirements 61

    Application Silos 62

    Virtualizing “Like for Like” 64

    Timing Is Key 65

Enterprise Management and Monitoring 66

    vCenter Operations Management Suite 66

Chapter 3 Overview of VMware vSphere 73

Why vSphere for Business Critical Applications 74

    Proven Performance 74

    Efficiency and Scalability 75

    Availability 76

vSphere Considerations for Business Critical Applications 77

    Processor Virtualization 78

    Memory 84

    Storage 87

    Networking 93

Chapter 4 Virtualizing Windows Server 2012 Domain Controllers 99

Introduction to Active Directory 100

    What’s New in Windows Server 2012 Active Directory Domain Services 101

Benefits of Virtualizing Domain Controllers 104

    Why Virtualize Domain Controllers? 104

Virtualizing Windows Server 2012 Domain Controllers 108

    Virtualized Domain Controller Sizing 108

    Time Synchronization 116

    Verifying Functionality 124

    vSphere Configuration 128

    Virtualizing All Domain Controllers 131

Windows Server 2012 Virtualization-Aware Safeguards 132

    A Brief History of Virtualized Domain Controller Risks 132

    VM-GenerationID 134

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