Windows IT Pro UPDATE--A Quick Look at DPM and Virtual Server 2005 R2--August 30, 2005

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1. Commentary
- A Quick Look at DPM and Virtual Server 2005 R2

2. Hot Off the Press
- Surprise! Microsoft Ships WinFS Beta 1

3. Peer to Peer
- Featured Blog: WiFi Security Is Better Than I Expected
- Tip: How can I set the default domain user profile?

4. New and Improved
- Repair Registry Errors
- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

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==== 1. Commentary: A Quick Look at DPM and Virtual Server 2005 R2 ====
by Paul Thurrott, News Editor, [email protected]

I've been working with Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2006, in preparation for a longer review of the product for Windows IT Pro Magazine. It's an interesting product, offering highly manageable disk-based data-backup services at a reasonable price point. Although I'm still at an early stage of the evaluation, I'd like to give you a few details about DPM.

First, what is it? As noted above, DPM is a disk-based data-protection system that's designed to augment--not replace--the tape-based backup systems that most enterprises use. The problems with tape-based backup are legion. Tape-based backups are difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to access, and, because of the nature of the hardware, are often incomplete and infrequently made.

From what I can tell, DPM is the enterprise equivalent of one of those one-click USB-based PC backup drives. You simply install the system in your environment, configure it as needed, and get back to work. It then takes snapshot backups of the data and disks you specify at the intervals you specify. Because it's disk and network based and uses a bandwidth-friendly copy algorithm, the backups can happen as often as you want. And end users can restore from DPM without any administrator intervention. That saves time and money, folks.

DPM installation and configuration is straightforward, if a bit time-consuming. It installs a copy of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 3a (SP3a) and SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services with SP1, and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0. The management console, based on the latest Microsoft Management Console (MMC) version, is clean and straightforward, with modules for monitoring, protection, recovery, reporting, and management. When you first install DPM, you need to configure which disks will be in the storage pool, remotely install a DPM agent on any servers you'll be protecting, and create the protection groups which specify a set of data to protect and how often it will be protected. You can also configure how much network bandwidth DPM can consume by using bandwidth-usage throttling.

DPM isn't the only solution in this space, of course. Symantec recently contacted me about its continuous data protection (CDP) solution, which appears to be similar to DPM, although we'll have to wait until next month to find out more information. But Microsoft's offering works well and should be generally useful--with a few caveats. You need to install it on an Active Directory (AD) member server and not a domain controller (DC), which could limit its use in smaller businesses. And, logically enough in my mind, you can't store protected data on the system partition of the server to which DPM is installed. That is, you must offer DPM other physical disks for storage. And you must install a DPM agent on each server you're protecting. DPM is 32-bit only.

But two problems are, perhaps, deal breakers for some potential implementers. First, DPM protects only file servers. It has no understanding of Microsoft Exchange Server, SQL Server, or other common data stores. Also, DPM can't replace tape-based backup completely. The product provides a limited restore window for users. For more permanent, long-term backup, you still need to use a traditional backup solution. Microsoft says the ideal DPM customer has 5 to 99 servers, a small IT staff, and no dedicated backup administrator. Larger enterprises that need a backup solution for branch offices will also find DPM useful.

DPM isn't prohibitively expensive, and it follows the Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) licensing model. If you want to implement it yourself, as I'm doing, you can get a single instance of DPM with three agent installations for $950. Partners such as HP are offering storage appliances and rack-mounted servers with DPM preinstalled as well. In the future, revisions to DPM will natively support Exchange, SQL Server, and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server and a 64-bit version will ship in the Longhorn Server timeframe. These and other improvements will likely widen the market for this product. I have little doubt that disk-based backup solutions like DPM are the wave of the future. This might be a good time to take a look.

Virtual Server 2005 SP1 Replaced by R2
In what I consider a somewhat controversial move, Microsoft revealed last week that it was canceling the planned release of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 SP1 and replacing it with Virtual Server 2005 R2 (for release 2). Why is this a problem, you ask? Virtual Server 2005 SP1 would have been a free upgrade to existing customers, but Virtual Server 2005 R2 will be a new product version, subject to new licensing costs.

Bah, I say. Virtual Server 2005 SP1 was to have included support for Linux, Sun Microsystems Solaris, and other non-Microsoft x86 OSs; would have supported x64-based Windows Server versions as host (but not guest) environments for improved performance; and was to ship alongside a new MOM management pack. It sounded like a great upgrade.
Now, those features will be rolled into Virtual Server 2005 R2 instead, along with other new features. And Microsoft is scheduling a future Virtual Server release--probably to be called Virtual Server 2007--for late 2006. According to Microsoft, Virtual Server R2 will ship later this year, around the same time as Windows Server 2003 R2.

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==== 2. Hot Off the Press ====
by Paul Thurrott, [email protected]

Surprise! Microsoft Ships WinFS Beta 1
After spending the past year lowering expectations, Microsoft pulled a rabbit out of its hat yesterday and released the first beta of WinFS, the company's upcoming data storage engine. Seen as a technical albatross of sorts to company outsiders, WinFS has nonetheless been under active development for years. And now, I'm told, Microsoft feels it's time to get it out in the world and garner developer feedback. You can read the entire story at the following URL:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=47544

==== Events and Resources ====
( A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events )

SQL Server 2005 Roadshow is Coming to a City Near You
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==== Instant Poll ====

Results of Previous Poll:
The voting has closed in Windows IT Pro's nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "In your opinion, what's the number one automatic defragmenter on the market?" Here are the results from the 122 votes:
- 64% Diskeeper
- 4% O & O Software Defrag
- 11% Raxco PerfectDisk
- 17% Winternals Defrag Manager
- 4% Other

New Instant Poll:
The next Instant Poll question is, "Do you plan to attend Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2005?" Go to the Windows IT Pro home page and submit your vote for a) Yes or b) No.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/magazine

==== 4. Peer to Peer ====

Featured Blog: WiFi Security Is Better Than I Expected

Check out Mark Edwards' lates posting on the Security Matters blog.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/47526/47526.html

Tip: How can I set the default domain user profile?
by John Savill, http://www.windows2000faq.com

http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=47534

==== Announcements ====
(A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events )

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==== 4. New and Improved ====
by Carolyn Mader, [email protected]

Find Purpose for Your Spare PCs
Bartels Media released MaxiVista 2.0, a software solution that can turn as many as three spare PCs into additional monitors for your primary PC. You can show multiple program windows simultaneously on both PC's screens, while still controlling the programs from the primary PC. MaxiVista is software-only and saves you from having to buy dual-monitor graphics cards and keyboard/mouse switches. Pricing is $29.95.
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Repair Registry Errors
Right Utilities released Registry Washer, a system-optimization utility designed to search inside entire Windows registry for errors and invalid entries and repair them safely. While improving your computer performance, Registry Washer stabilizes your system, which results in your OS and applications running smoothly. Pricing is $29.95.
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