A reader gives us his long take on Microsoft's Software Assurance (SA):
Microsoft's Software Assurance program and accompanying licensing model has completely driven me mad. Software Assurance is so difficult to understand and the benefits are so difficult to track that it becomes a nightmare even before we make a purchase. The costs are so great that it becomes cost prohibitive to implement almost anything with SA attached to it. I mean, SQL Server is already expensive enough -- but then you add their 'new and improved' core licensing model on a dual 6-core server and it becomes impossible to afford! Then I have to almost triple that cost to add support for three years?!?! You have got to be kidding me! No thanks Microsoft.
The fact that it can't seem to pin down an effective licensing model is pushing me away from implementing the 'Microsoft solution' anymore. Why? Simple. Look at Microsoft's change in their Hyper-V licensing. When Server 2008 released you could run up to four Windows Server 2008 VMs inside one host for the cost of one Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition license -- Â but only if you were using Hyper-V. However, Microsoft seems to have changed that condition so many times that my hardware/software vendors couldn't keep up with it. Some of them said that you could run 4 VMs on any virtualization platform, others said you could only run the 4 VMs on Hyper-V and a third group said I could run them on whatever I wanted so long as the Enterprise Edition license had SA with it. Regardless of what the case was/is, that shouldn't happen. My hardware/software vendors, who are Microsoft Gold Partners, should know what the licensing model is. Seeing as how they employ a staff of people with job titles like "Microsoft Software Assurance Licensing Specialist" seems to indicate that the problem isn't with them -- it's with Microsoft.
I have spent the better part of my life learning the 'Microsoft solution' and implementing it everywhere I go, but now I find myself questioning whether or not it really is the best option. I mean, why would I sell a client on a product that is bound by a licensing model that I can't stand behind? What happens when I sell a client on purchasing one server that runs Windows Server VMs on VMware's vSphere hypervisor -- then Microsoft pulls the ability to run the multiple VMs on a competing hypervisor? I guess it's Microsoft's product and it  can do what it wants -- but it's  turning simple things like software upgrades into something that more closely resembles a hardware rip-and-replace. And with Software Assurance, you get to rip-and-replace your software every year!
It's all just very frustrating, but I'll change gears now for a minute...
To be honest, Microsoft seems to be playing so much catch-up with the rest of the technology players that it's completely turned me off towards it. Looking at Windows 8 -- if Microsoft doesn't make some major changes to the functionality of the Metro interface and the classic desktop, I may drop my involvement with Microsoft considerably. It would be so much cheaper with far less headaches to run my line of business applications on a few Windows Servers and use Citrix or VMware to expose them to a virtualized Linux desktop. It would be like having a standard VDI deployment but without all the licensing overheads and overly excessive price tags. I mean, lets be honest, Â if I have an office full of desktop computers and want to employ a VDI solution why the hell would I pay for Windows 7 plus Software Assurance on each desktop at the client machine?? But Microsoft's licensing model can't deal with that situation yet (and it probably won't). I guess the flip-side to that coin is interoperability. What ever happened to that? By 'interoperability' I think Microsoft really meant 'select Microsoft products will only be compatible with enterprise Novell systems.' And that doesn't do me any good.
Microsoft seems to be tailoring its licensing model to massive corporations, while tailoring its product to its own company! They prove this by their unfruitful listening of the users of their products. For example, for the last eight years or so it has been documented time and time again that Exchange should not be installed on the same server running Active Directory. And yet users of Windows Small Business Server continue to struggle because they were sold a product that shipped broken. And the worst part is that everyone knows it. Now, this situation doesn't directly affect me -- I run about 30 or so Windows Sever 2008 Enterprise Edition servers on VMware's Virtual Infrastructure v3.5 (pretty old), but it's such a slap in my face because it shows that Microsoft truly doesn't care about its customers. The simple test for a situation like this is easy: does Microsoft run SBS in house for production purposes? That's probably an easy 'no.' Now it makes sense that this situation has existed for so long.
The other thing that really gets under my skin is that Microsoft, for whatever reason, thinks that any other company is an enemy to it. If Microsoft has its eyes on any other company, it will do one of three things: sue it, acquire it or compete with it. This is really too bad. Microsoft either doesn't allow for competition or it develops a product specifically to compete with someone else's product (ie: Zune, Bing, Hyper-V, etc...). I would say it's like watching the bully on the neighborhood playground -- but that isn't quite accurate. It's more like watching the majority of the kids play nicely with one another and one kid trying to be the bully, but ends up getting knocked down each time he stands up. It's kind of sad actually.
I've recently become very attracted to the newer GNU GPLv3 license models. I made the switch to Linux at home and am trying to work it into the workplace more (I'm beginning to use my TechNet account less and the Ubuntu Software Centre more). The GNU GPL model is very clean cut and its limits are very known and easy to understand. It's also nice to only have to pay for support, not for the product. With Microsoft, you have to purchase the product twice to get any kind of support (which, in my experience, still sucks).
I guess this was kind of a long-winded e-mail (I tend to do that sometimes, sorry). I suppose I could sum up everything I said in four words: I miss Bill Gates.
-David
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/18/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
Redmond magazine has done several stories about IT doing both good and bad things, including:
Recently, Redmond's executive editor Lee Pender took a fresh look at IT doing good and highlighted places where employee monitoring software stopped ill deeds.
Monitoring software is controversial. It can be used for ill as well as good. IT and managers can spy on employees and use this knowledge to blackmail, stock and steal. Almost as bad, IT is often put in the awkward position of running this software and dealing with the results -- things that should be the pure domain of HR or upper management.
IT has helped jail sexual predators, child porn aficionados, theft of corporate data and credit cards, and more.
What misdeeds have you seen in your shop and what has IT done to protect the enterprise. Let me know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/18/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
The hype around the Windows 8 client may not be at Kim Kardashian divorce levels, but it sure out pulls Carrot Top news. Windows Server 8 may end up being more important to IT, but it's getting less press than a Kevin Federline rap concert.
We at Redmond magazine know different -- we know how important this new server software actually is. This is why we paid Microsoft MVP and top-rated author Brien Posey to take a look at an early version to tell us what it all means.
First, Posey is impressed: "In Windows Server 8, Microsoft has taken a much bolder approach and is creating an OS that's by far the most innovative since Windows 2000 Server," he writes.
Like the original NT, which mimicked much of the Windows client, Windows Server 8 takes cues from Windows 8 client by adopting the Metro interface. Even with this interface, Microsoft is pushing Windows Server 8 to go GUI-free by adopting the Server Core version.
Trying to keep ahead of VMware, Server 8 will boast a scalable version of Hyper-V -- one that supports "up to 63 host servers, and organizations will be able to host up to 4,000 virtual machines (VMs) within a single cluster," Posey explains.
Finally, Windows Server 8 can virtualize storage. "Windows Server 8 will make it possible to create storage pools so that physical storage is completely abstracted. This means that the underlying physical storage becomes nearly irrelevant. Just a Bunch of Drives (JBODs), SATA and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) are all supported for physical storage, and the way in which storage virtualization is implemented reduces the need for SANs," Posey says.
If you care about Windows Server, Posey's piece is a must read.
What do you want to see in the next version of Windows Server? Tell us all by writing [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/18/2012 at 1:19 PM1 comments
Microsoft gave out 5,000 Samsung tablets pre-loaded with an early version of Windows 8 during last year's Build conference.
Most of us were not so lucky as to grab one. We have to download the test software and load it ourselves. Redmond author Brien Posey just went through an install and laid out his findings for readers.
Posey's new tablet hadn't come in so he set Win 8 up on an HP All-in-One computer with touch screen.
Posey first set the new OS up in a VM and tooled around. While he was interested in Metro, he found this new interface can't yet do everything, and sometimes he found himself starting at a Win 7 style screen. Otherwise, the thing ran pretty darn well.
Next Posey popped in a new drive and switched Win 8 on. He really wanted to try the touch screen, and after a couple fits and starts, convinced Windows 8 to find the driver on its very own!
Loading the OS on a tablet isn't as easy. You go to MSDN, download the files, drop them on a DVD disc, transfer to a thumb drive  and then load on the device. From what I've heard, this is well worth it.
Have you tried Windows 8? If so, send your impressions to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/13/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
Here are some reader responses to Doug's blog entry about being underwhelmed (and a bit disappointed) by Best Buy's netbook selection:
I spend two hours a day (minimum) on a train every day commuting to and from work. I spend another two hours each day getting to and from the train stations, so schlepping around a full-size laptop NEVER appealed to me. However, sitting for two hours getting nothing done drove me crazy, so despite my initial bad luck with an ASUS Eee PC, I bought another netbook. It ended up being a refurbished Gateway unit, and cost me only $200. That was two years ago.
I ended up doubling the RAM to 2 GB, and have recently upgraded to an SSD drive (120 GB). I run Windows 7 Ultimate on the device, along with a 4G wireless USB stick, and despite carrying the unit to and from work almost every day for two years through 90+ degree summer days and below-zero Midwest winter days, the unit just keeps on humming, like an Energizer bunny! I listen to my music, read eBooks occasionally with Kindle for the PC, and Remote Desktop into my home and work networks virtually every day, turning my two hours of confinement on uncomfortable public transportation into productive work time.
An iPad? If all I wanted was entertainment to and from work, I'd probably spring for one. However, being able to seamlessly connect to work with Remote Desktop, while still carting around only about 3 lbs. of hardware, has given me a netbook addiction that would be hard to shake at this point. I'll probably only switch if Windows 8 comes out in some handy and equally inexpensive form factors.
-Chris
I think your dissatisfaction for netbooks as a class should be properly attributable to store demo models.
Uncaring and even malicious fingers tend to make mincemeat of store demo machines -- desktops, laptops, netbooks, Kindles, iPads, whatever. The only way to harden a device against the sort of abuse store demos get is to replace it with a mock device -- a dummy -- that just sits there, looking pretty, but does absolutely nothing.
I'm a netbook owner -- used largely on trips, runs XP, has but 1 GB of RAM, and needs to digest and install a whole slew of updates when we get it ready for the next trip, but has done just fine on the road with no failures/freezes/whatnot whatsoever. (Acer ONE, that one happens to be.)
-Fred
I just wanted to say that I have owned an Acer Netbook, running XP, for three years now and I love it! I made sure to buy them before XP went off the shelf, if only to ensure compatibility with my older (OK, now ancient) desktops.
It not only is still running, but running well, and on the same battery that it came out of the box with. It is fantastically portable and no heavier than a hardcover book (actually, lighter than, say, a hardcover edition of a Harry Potter novel).
-Anahi
Keep the conversation rolling by clicking here.
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/13/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
When I heard about planned Windows 8 storage virtualization features that will support up to 10 terabytes, I thought Microsoft was talking about Windows Server 8. But no, Redmond plans to make the Windows 8 client a front end to massive back-end storage systems.
Part of the plan involves the Win 8 New Technology File System (NTFS). Building on top of this is Storage Spaces, which lets us pool all kinds of disks (from solid state to spinning). The result could be a pool of disks that look like a single 10 TB drive -- or possibly larger. That's a lot of JPEGs!
Win 8, using thin provisioning, can make that storage appear larger since deleted files quickly turn back into available space.
What would you do with 10 TB all to yourself? Send your storage hopes and dreams to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/13/2012 at 1:19 PM4 comments
Esteemed Redmond magazine columnist Don Jones recently extolled several Windows 8 virtues and why these will lead to quick migrations.
Now Jones is taking the opposite tack, laying our four issues that will hold back adoption.
Like Office's Ribbon, Windows 8 has a vastly different interface in Metro, which looks more like a smartphone than a PC OS. Â That is clearly true for Win 8 tablets, but older apps will still run on the older interface (which I'm guessing IT will opt for).
One problem for IT is that many are now moving to Win 7, having skipped over Vista. Why go with an unproven Win 8 when you are already installing the proven Win 7? Â The compatibility story is unclear. Microsoft talks a good game about working with Win 7 apps, but IT has yet to shift wholesale to that OS. The ability to run XP tools is much more important -- and that story is less known.
Finally, Jones argues there is not enough new enterprise juice to justify the move, with Redmond focusing much of the new code on wooing consumers.
How soon would you move to Win 8, either in your shop or as an individual user? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/11/2012 at 1:18 PM4 comments
Redmond magazine is not just a magazine, Web site and newsletter. We also have TechMentor, a training event. This summer, from August 20-24, we'll be hosting the event at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, Wash.
That's right, TechMentor has moved to "the mothership" in Redmond for the first time in its 14 years of providing unbiased and usable training to IT professionals. And we need speakers who are articulate and expert.
Attendees come to TechMentor to acquire practical, pragmatic and immediately applicable knowledge. They come for inspiration and to be shown a vision of a better future through the use of concepts, techniques, patterns and technology that they can apply in their organizations.
The deadline for speaker submission is Jan. 27. Submit Proposals to http://cfp.techmentorevents.com/.
We welcome presentation proposals that include (but not limited to):
- Applying Windows PowerShell to Everyday Problems
- Automating Windows Deployment, Servers and Desktops
- Managing an Application Delivery Infrastructure: RDS, VDI, App-V, MED-V and Office 365
- Teaching the Secrets of How Microsoft Does IT
- MCITP Certification Skills Refresher
- Master Class: Becoming a Hyper-V and VMM Expert
- Real-World Security Tactics for Servers and Wireless Networks
- Finding the Fit for System Center: Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Small and Medium Businesses
For questions regarding submissions contact:
Danielle Potts
Sr. Event Manager
[email protected]
(925) 207-0468
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/11/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
Readers share both the good and the bad of Microsoft's Server Core:
Am I the only one who finds this 'feature' to be a huge marketing embarrassment for Microsoft? The entire point of Windows was the GUI! Microsoft hung its hat on the fact that its  product made the computer so easy to operate, anyone could use it. No longer would someone have to memorize an endless volume of commands to use a computer. Now, Microsoft is essentially saying that the one feature that made its buggy, crash-prone, blue-screening, memory-leaking, vulnerable software worth having is a feature NOT worth having. To me, this akin to Apple dropping the iPad to pitch a new 1970s-style clunky pc, complete with a CRT monitor, as the way to go. If I'm going to go without a GUI as an administrator, the LAST product I'm going to use is Windows. I'll run Unix and save myself a fortune in cost, headaches, and security vulnerabilities.
-Todd
Personally, I love it. The problem is that there's no way to turn it off and back on (without reinstalling). It would be nice to start in the full version and then (assuming it's possible) switch to Core. And vice-versa.
Many roles and software don't run under Core, but hopefully MS will make that better as time goes on. Because of this it does make me nervous (as a consultant) as we could start off using Core then find something doesn't work or have the customer change the requirements and have us stuck with reinstalling. But we do use it often and it does help performance. Also note it theoretically requires fewer reboots, thus leading to better uptime and it has a smaller attack surface.
-Mike
I may be getting a bit old too, but I seem to remember that the move away from NetWare, etc. to Windows servers in the '90s was sparked by the server having a GUI in the first place. One interface shared between the desktop and server for less training, easier configuration, etc. Sounds like Microsoft has been spending some time with Linux!
For those of us who have never embraced the WinTel platform as the only show in town, it's not a big deal. Linux servers, Unix servers, and even the odd remaining NetWare server still rely more on the command line interface than a GUI. Microsoft is just coming back to the fold.
You could see it coming too. First there was VBScript, then the move to PowerShell, and now Server Core.
-Glenn
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/11/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
Like our weak winter weather, 2012 is starting out mild on the patch front. Microsoft kicked out seven patches this week -- and only one is critical. While we expect critical fixes for Windows and IE, this time around the problem is with Media Player -- two problems, actually. Both of which allow remote code execution exploits. The exploits work by tricking a user into downloading malicious media content.
This month also hosted a brand new category of exploit, the Security Features Bypass. As indicated, these exploits simply bypass security features, such as .NET's and C++'s SafeSEH tool.
Other fixes involve SSL 3.0 and Microsoft's Anti-Cross Site Scripting (AntiXSS) Library.
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/11/2012 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Microsoft may be a rut in the smartphone market for now, but that does not mean it is entirely out of the race. Reviewers and pundits have nice things to say about Windows Phone 7, and more than a few of you Redmond Report readers are happy to give it a jingle. And there is more excitement about what Windows 8 technology will ultimately bring to the party.
AT&T is also upbeat. It announced at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas that it will sell a phone that seems more like a tablet. The HTC Titan II has a massive (at least for a phone) 4.7-inch display. That will look unsightly no matter what pocket you put it in.
What do you get for carrying this beast? Presumably easier typing and reading -- something I'd sure appreciate. You also get a 16-megapixel camera, auto-stabilization and some pretty cool zoom features.
What is your ideal mobile form factor? You tell me and I'll pass it along to the rest at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/11/2012 at 1:19 PM10 comments
I skipped Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but curious about the deals, swung by Best Buy for some holiday shopping. First I toyed with an iPad 2. I had never used one and it was pretty dang easy. I had Safari up, the digital keyboard invoked and MSNBC.com loaded about 30 seconds after first touching the thing.
I've also wanted a Netbook for a while, reckoning it could do all the stuff my laptop does (in a more portable form).
Best Buy had three units on display. The first one was a Gateway. I ran my finger around the mouse pad, which unintentionally brought up the screen. Oops. The cursor was totally frozen. I did the same to the next one and was greeted with a box explaining there was a network diagnostics error. The third wasn't even turned on -- and I didn't want to try.
My desire for a netbook faded faster than Demi's love for Ashton. If brand new netbooks don't work, how are they going to run after a year or two of use? Can you say total Windows reload?
Have you had better luck with netbooks? Tell me they're not so bad at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/09/2012 at 1:19 PM10 comments