Tag Archives: Virtualization

Link summary for guidance for mitigation and protection from Spectre and Meltdown on Windows Server, Hyper-V and Azure

From a security perspective the new year has started with a big bang. If you have lost the traction where you get the necessary information for guidance for mitigation and protection from Spectre and Meltdown on Windows Server, Hyper-V, and Azure, then have a look at the following link summary. Windows Server in general: Windows Server guidance to protect against speculative execution side-channel Read more [...]

Running the Azure Stack Development Kit on Azure

After I posted a picture on Twitter showing the Azure Stack Development Kit running on Azure, I got several question how I have done it. First of all it was just a demonstration of our new nested virtualization capability available with the Dv3 and Ev3 VM sizes. I recommend to deploy the ASDK on-premises on hardware. -> https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-the-new-dv3-and-ev3-vm-sizes/https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-the-new-dv3-and-ev3-vm-sizes/ -> Read more [...]

Speaking at Experts Live Europe

I am honored to be able to speak at Experts Live Europe, former System Center Universe Europe, for the fourth time in a row. The conference takes place in Berlin from 23rd August 23rd till August 25th. I will be on-site the whole conference and having the following sessions. Thursday at 12 pm: Discussion Panel: Business Continuity together with Robert Hedblom and Janaka Rangama -> https://expertsliveeurope2017.sched.com/event/AH9J/discussion-panel-business-continuity?iframe=no&w=100%&sidebar=yes&bg=no Read more [...]

Using Veeam FastSCP with Azure VMs and self-signed certificates

When working with Azure VMs you have several options to copy files into your VMs. One tool I really like is Veeam FastSCP, because my Azure VMs are just dev / test machines and are neither part of an Active Directory nor I have a VPN connection with the my Azure Virtual Network. -> https://www.veeam.com/fastscp-azure-vm.html So I want a secure way to get files into my Azure VMs and here comes Read more [...]

Azure storage performance health check script

When you are working with Azure IaaS services especially with Azure VMs, it comes down to one critical component you have to look very accurately during the design phase and that is Azure storage. It does not matter whether you going to use standard storage accounts or premium storage accounts. Why I am telling you this? Because it is easy to overload a storage account and you will epxerience a Read more [...]

Azure Disk Encryption is available for Windows VMs

Just in time before the weekend Microsoft announced the general availability of Azure Disk Encryption for Windows VMs in all Azure regions that are public available. -> https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/azuresecurity/2016/05/20/azure-disk-encryption-for-windows-virtual-machines-reaches-general-availability/ This is a huge milestone for keeping your data secure. All you need is an Azure Key Vault Read more [...]

Azure Security Center – keep your Azure VMs up to date

Actually the Azure Security Center is in public preview, but nevertheless it is a very useful extension to the existing Azure services. -> https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/azure-security-center-now-available/ First of all you have to define the security policy for your subscription. Afterwards the Azure Security Center will install the data collection agents on your Azure VMs. Now you have Read more [...]

Hardware requirements for Azure Stack Technical Preview (POC) released

What an early Christmas present! Yesterday Microsoft has released the hardware requirements for the upcoming Microsoft Azure Stack Technical Preview. What other informations get we beside the hardware requirements? That the Azure Stack Technical Preview will be a single box installation. Our goal is to enable you to experience the Azure Stack Technical Preview in a single server, instantiated as a Read more [...]

SCVMM / SMA runbook is stucked in an infinity loop

Just a quick note to a situation I experienced last week I want to share with you. Assume you have installed the VMM console on your SMA runbook worker to get the VMM PowerShell cmdlets. So you can leverage them directly on the runbook worker. The important part is to keep the VMM console up to date on the runbook worker and at the same version compared to your VMM management server. Otherwise Read more [...]

Microsoft Technical Summit 2015 Sessions online available – What’s new in SCVMM 2016?

The Microsoft Technical Summit 2015 took place in Darmstadt from 17th November till 19th November and the sessions are now available through Channel 9. Most of the sessions are in German and only a few in English. -> https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/microsoft-techncial-summit/Technical-Summit-2015-The-Next-Level I was honored again for the third time in a row to be a speaker at this great event. Read more [...]