Tech & Related Blog
I created a page with a simple guide on how to add a virtual machine to Microsoft Azure. This, however, is not instruction on doing this from within the Azure Portal. The VM is added by using the cloud shell.
Read the new VM via cloud shell instructions here.
This is a very interesting real world read about a large company moving to Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infastructure.
Rakuten Group Secures Sensitive Data with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
“… Rakuten has turned to Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Remote Desktop Services (RDS). Not only does RDS provide an easy path to integrating heterogeneous systems, but it also provides an additional layer of security so new systems do not compromise Rakuten’s existing corporate infrastructure.”
I had a chance to set up, install, and look around in/at Windows Server 2016 Datacenter Technical preview 5. Wow, it is exciting and seemingly sleek and fast so far.
Need to extend or add disk space to a Virtual Machine? The wonderful thing about virtual server technology is that disk space can be added super easily. The days of purchasing extra hard drives of any sort online and then installing them in a server are slowly coming to an end. Now disk space can be added, or extended in this example, through virtualization technology.
The following applies to extending a current virtual disk drive to Server 2008 R2 or 2012.
Hyper-V Manager within Windows Server 2012 (Datacenter Edition) can sometimes produce an odd error when attempting to turn on a typical virtual machine or VM after it has been shut down:
This error might make sense if the user is not logged in as an Administrator, but really what organization gives Windows 2012 Datacenter Hyper-V access to a standard user? In other words, the error indicating “the user has not been granted the requested logon type” makes little sense because the Administrator account normally has full control of everything. On the other hand, there are a variety of logon types that MIGHT not be granted even to an Administrator account within the server world. A quick workaround for the above is: open Services MMC and restart Hyper-V VM Manager [NOTE: this does NOT restart all the other VMs, if any, but only the service itself!]:
The VM that is shut down will turn on automatically once done. Or it can be turned on manually. This depends on how the automatic start up settings of the VM are configured. There is a full ‘fix’ for the ‘logon type’ matter, but this resolution takes under 5 seconds so it works for me, seeming as most VMs are not normally placed in a non running state – why have them around if that is the case?
Wait … what does a Linux virtual machine have to do with Microsoft? Well, in the Microsoft Azure world, virtualization is all encompassing: the idea is to support the business’s or organization’s overall needs through cloud and virtual technologies. Microsoft recognizes that Windows is not the only game in town when it comes to operating systems. Many, many organizations utilize Unix or Linux as well. And in Azure, a Linux virtual machine can easily be set up within minutes.
For those who remember setting up or installing a ‘Nix operating system over a decade ago, this process is almost incomprehensible with its ease of installation. You certainly do not have to grapple with the once common graphics or network card driver issues ;>
Quick tutorial video from Azure on installing Ubuntu in the Azure Cloud:
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/videos/create-a-linux-virtual-machine/