Best practices, guidance, and tips for virtualizing Microsoft® business critical applications on the VMware vSphere® platform
By virtualizing Microsoft’s enterprise applications on vSphere, you can drive down costs while migrating toward flexible, low-cost private cloud architectures. This unique guidebook bridges the gap between the Microsoft and VMware worlds, bringing together the deep knowledge, cutting-edge best practices, and practical techniques you need to succeed.
Leading experts Matt Liebowitz and Alex Fontana present end-to-end coverage of virtualizing Windows Server 2012 AD domain controllers and failover clusters, Exchange Server 2013, SQL Server 2012, and SharePoint Server 2013. They offer indispensable advice on sizing, architecture, performance, availability, monitoring, and metrics.
Throughout, the authors share valuable tips, tricks, and insights from their own experiences. For each Microsoft application, they provide "proof of concept" sample configurations and clearly explain how new features impact virtualization. You’ll also find authoritative, up-to-date guidance on licensing and other issues related to ensuring full support from both Microsoft and VMware.
Coverage includes
• Evaluating the benefits, risks, and challenges of virtualizing Microsoft business critical applications
• Identifying strategies for success associated with people, processes, and technology
• Reviewing VMware vSphere features most important to virtualizing business-critical applications
• Taking advantage of new virtualization-aware features built in to Windows Server 2012 domain controllers
• Designing and configuring vSphere High Availability (vSphere HA) clusters to run Windows enterprise applications
• Reflecting Exchange Server 2013’s new architecture to maximize its performance in virtualized environments
• Leveraging new SQL Server 2012 features to simplify the delivery of high availability on virtual servers
• Reducing SQL Server 2012 licensing costs through virtualization
• Planning, designing, and deploying virtualized SharePoint Server 2013 environments
Matt Liebowitz is currently an advisory solution architect at EMC Consulting with a focus on virtualizing business critical applications. He has been working as a consultant and architect for more than 12 years and has been working with VMware’s virtualization technology since 2002. Matt has written virtualization articles in several industry publications, has presented on virtualization at conferences and at his local VMware user group, and has been a blogger on the topic since 2009. Matt also worked with VMware to create content for their Virtualizing Business Critical Applications competency for VMware’s partners and customers.
Matt is very honored to have been named a VMware vExpert each year since 2010, as well as an EMC Elect in 2013. He also holds numerous industry certifications from VMware and Microsoft. Matt maintains a VMware virtualization-focused blog at http://www.thelowercasew.com, is a frequent contributor to the VMware Technology Network (VMTN), and is active on Twitter at @mattliebowitz.
When Matt is not out trying to save the world through virtualization, he’s happily playing with his two young kids, Tyler (3) and Kaitlyn (1), and spending time with his wife, Joann.
Alex Fontana is currently a solutions architect in VMware’s Global Center of Excellence. During his eight years at VMware, Alex has focused on the virtualization of business critical Microsoft applications for both VMware IT and external customers. In his current role, Alex helps VMware customers to be successful in virtualizing Microsoft applications by conducting technical workshops and authoring technical documentation and blogs. Alex has been a recurring speaker at VMworld since 2008 and VMware Partner Exchange since 2010, and is a frequent contributor to the VMware Technology Network (VMTN).
When Alex is not busy writing, working with a customer, or trying to break something in the lab, he can be found at the nearest golf course, on a snow-covered mountain, at a San Francisco Giants game, or in the backyard smoking various cuts of meat. Alex lives in the San Francisco bay area with his wife, Laura, and three kids, Joseph, Sissy, and Sergio.
