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TechEd 2012 Day 3

 

Today I spent quite a bit of time with PowerShell V3 and Server 2012.  On the PowerShell front, I got to listen to a team of hard core Group Policy admins give us some tips on better management of our GPOs with PowerShell.  Next up I picked up some tips on increasing the reusability of of my script code.  The final PS session of the day was the most interesting.  We covered a lot of the new features that will make PS work with the cloud and improve its reach to the level that will require every Network Admin to be able to use it.

On the Server side, I sat through the basic principles of implementing the private cloud model.  I did a hands on lab to learn more about the Online Backup Service for Windows Server 2012.  My other lab actually allowed my to take a workgroup client, connect to direct access, and join it to the domain.  This feature has potential where you may have a remote workforce that uses personal devices, but need the manageability of Active Directory. What really caught my eye is the Hyper-V Replica.  Awesome technology.  Imagine providing high availability for your VMs across a site and not on a cluster.  I’m hoping to upgrade a couple of Hyper-V servers in a few weeks just to try this functionality out. 

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to some VDI and Application Virtualization.

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