Tech Net Virtual Labs Windows Server 2012 R2

Virtual hands-on labs that you can complete in 90 minutes or less. MSDN and TechNet virtual labs are hosted using a hybrid cloud consisting of Windows Server Hyper-V and Windows Azure.   

 

TechNet Virtual Labs

• Desired State Configuration with Windows Server 2012 R2
• Enhancements with Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-v Replica
• Windows Server 2012 R2 - Enabling Windows Server Work Folders
• Windows Server 2012 R2: Implementing Claims-Aware Applications
• Exploring Hyper-V Server 2012 R2
• Network Automation using IP Address Management (IPAM)
• Windows Server 2012 R2 – Storage Infrastructure
• Introduction to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Windows Server 2012 R2 – Configuring and Managing Servers
• Windows Server 2012 R2 – Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration
• Windows Server 2012 R2 - Windows PowerShell Fundamentals
• Windows Server 2012 R2– RemoteApp and Remote Desktops
• Windows Server 2012 R2 - Windows Server Update Services
• Configuring Networking with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 R2
• Storage Management with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 R2
• Managing Linux Servers with System Center 2012 R2
• Managing your Datacenter devices with Windows Server and System Center 2012 R2

Server Posterpedia

An updated version of the  Posterpedia app available

Server Posterpedia is an interactive app that uses technical posters as a reference for understanding Microsoft technologies.

You can see Ser

You can see Server Posterpedia in action here:

Additional Information:

An update to the Posterpedia app with new and updated solutions posters is now available

Posterpedia

Server Posterpedia is an interactive app that uses technical posters as a reference for understanding Microsoft technologies.

You can obtain Server Posterpedia from the 

Windows Store: 

http://aka.ms/sposterpedia

Windows Server 2012 R2 and Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 GA

Microsoft announced today the GA of Windows Server 2012 R2 and Hyper-V Server 2012 R2.
Windows Server 2012 R2 and Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 can be downloaded through the
MSDN  or TechNet subscriptions.
 
There is an update available upon installing the Windows Server 2012 R2.
Microsoft says

This update rollup package provides a set of reliability, performance, and finishing touch improvements to Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2. We recommend that you apply this update rollup as part of your regular maintenance routines.

MSDN subscriptions 

• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Hyper-V Server 2012 R2
• Windows server 2012 R2 Storage Server and Foundation

TechNet subscriptions
Microsoft is retiring the TechNet Subscriptions service and discontinued sales on August 31, 2013. Subscribers with active accounts may continue to access program benefits until their current subscription period concludes.

• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Hyper-V Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Server and Foundation

Additional Information

Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 update rollup

Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 GA update rollup

What's new in Windows Server 2012 R2

Update Your KMS Service Key To Activate Windows Server 2012 R2 And Windows 8.1 
Working Hard In IT

How to change from Evaluation to the real stuff in Windows Server 2012 R2 The Deployment Bunny

Migrate DHCP from WS 2012 to WS 2012 R2 The Deployment Bunny

Windows 8.1 now available

If you have a Windows 8 device, you can download the free update to Windows 8.1  through the Windows Store. If you have a device running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP or the Windows 8.1 Preview, visit Windows.com, which will detect your OS and provide you with the information you need to get Windows 8.1 on your device.
Starting Friday October 18th, Windows 8.1 will also be available on new devices and as a  DVD product

Windows 8.1 now available! TechNet

Getting started tutorials for Windows TechNet

Exploring Windows 8.1 Start Screen and Start Button Options and Configurations TechNet

Windows 8.1: One Vision, One Platform for everything you do at work

Windows 8.1 support forums

Microsoft starts rolling out Windows 8.1  ZDNet

What's new in Windows 8.1  ZDNet

Windows 8.1 includes seamless, automatic disk encryption—if your PC supports it   arstechnica

What's new in Windows 8.1 (pictures)  CNET

Windows 8.1 Tutorials nirmaltv

Windows 8.1 brought a buddy to the Windows Store: An official Facebook app PCWorld

The 'start' button is back: 16 features of Windows 8.1 cbcnews

Windows 8.1 review The Verge

Review: In Windows 8.1, Mail is finally usable on tablets and desktops  arstechnica

How to prep your business for Windows 8.1  PCWorld

Windows 8.1 review: The great compromise  PCWorld

Windows 8.1 is here: What you need to know  PCWorld

Upgrading to Windows 8.1: Your new OS survival guide  PCWorld

Windows 8.1 released: How to download for free, and a guide to the new features ExtremeTech

Restore Libraries in Windows 8.1  betanews

The five best new features in Windows 8.1  gizmodo  

Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and Hyper-V Mini Posters

A visual reference for understanding key Hyper-V technologies in Windows Server 2012 R2 and focuses on Generation 2 virtual machines, Hyper-V with virtual hard disk sharing, online virtual hard disk resizing, storage quality-of-service, enhanced session mode, live migration, Hyper-V failover clustering, and upgrading your private cloud.

Version:	Date Published:
September 2013	10/14/2013
File name:	File size:
Generation 2 Virtual Machines GA.pdf	216 KB
Hyper-V and Failover Clustering GA.pdf	219 KB
Hyper-V Storage GA.pdf	222 KB
Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk Sharing GA.pdf	206 KB
Live Migration GA.pdf	238 KB
Session Modes GA.pdf	181 KB
Upgrading Your Private Cloud GA.pdf	224 KB
Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture GA.pdf Download Link: Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and Hyper-V Mini-Posters  Mini-posters: Generation 2 Virtual Machines Hyper-V with Virtual Hard Disk Sharing Online Virtual Hard Disk Resizing Storage Quality of Service (QoS)                        Enhanced Session Mode              Live Migration              Failover Clustering    Upgrading Your Private Cloud Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster includes all of the mini posters wrapped into single bundle.    Related Resources Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and Hyper-V Mini Posters Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 Hyper-V Component Architecture Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and Companion References Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Windows Server 2008 R2 Feature Component Poster

Useful Links for Windows Server 2012 R2 / Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2012 R2 offers new features and enhancements across enterprise-class virtualization, multi-tenant-aware storage, networking, virtual desktop infrastructure, access and information protection, and more.

Download Windows Server 2012 R2

Download Free Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Microsoft Download Center

Windows Server 2012 R2 NIC Teaming (LBFO) Deployment and Management Guide
NIC teaming, also known as Load Balancing/Failover (LBFO), allows multiple network adapters to be placed into a team for the purposes of bandwidth aggregation, and/or traffic failover to maintain connectivity in the event of a network component failure. This guide describes how to deploy and manage NIC Teaming with Windows Server 2012 R2.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview Test Lab Guide
Microsoft test lab guide for setting up a base configuration using Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview.

TLG: Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Network Virtualization with System Center  2012 R2 VMM  Provides instructions to create the Windows Server 2012 R2 Network Virtualization with System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) test lab, using computers running Windows Server 2012 R2.

Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 TechNet Library Documentation This download is an Adobe® PDF of the entire contents of the Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 section of the Microsoft TechNet Library, for the convenience of Windows Server users who have limited Internet access, or require a portable version of the Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 documentation. The PDF is 116 MB, and 7,970 pages in length. Highlights of the PDF include the following. Date Published: 11/27/2013

 

TechNet Series

In The Cloud. What's new in 2012 R2 Cloud Insights from Brad Anderson

•  Beginning and Ending with Customer-specific Scenarios
•  Making Device Users Productive and Protecting Corporate Information
•  People-centric IT in Action - End-to-end Scenarios Across Products
•  Enabling Open Source Software
•  IaaS Innovations
•  Service Provider & Tenant IaaS Experience
•  Identity Management for Hybrid IT
•  Hybrid Networking
•  Cloud-integrated Disaster Recovery
•  Enabling Modern Apps with the Windows Azure Pack
•  PaaS for the Modern Web

VMware or Microsoft? – The Complete Series by Microsoft Evangelists Kevin Remde, Chris Avis, Keith Mayer, Brian Lewis, Matt Hester, Tommy Patterson, Jennelle Crothers, Yung Chou, Dan Stolts    

• What is a “Purpose-Built Hypervisor?
• Simplified Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 Host Patching = Greater Security and More Uptime
• Reducing VMware Storage Costs WITH Windows Server 2012 Storage Spaces
• Does size really matter?
• Let’s talk certifications!
• Virtual Processor Scheduling
• FREE Zero Downtime Patch Management
• Agentless Protection
• Site to Site Disaster Recovery with HRM
• Destination: VMWorld
• Get the “Scoop” on Hyper-V during VMworld
• VMWorld: Key Keynote Notes
• VMWorld: Did you know that there is no extra charge?
• VMWorld: A Memo to IT Leadership
• Moving Live Virtual Machines, Same But Different
• Not All Memory Management is Equal
• Can I get an app with that?
• Deploying Naked Servers
• Automated Server Workload Balancing
• Thoughts on VMWorld
• Shopping for Private Clouds
• Dynamic Storage Management in Private Clouds
• Replaceable? or Extensible? What kind of virtual switch do you want?
• Offloading your Storage
• VDI: A Look at Supportability and More!
• Agentless Backup for Virtual Environments
• How robust is your availability?
• VM Guest Operating System Support
• How to license Windows Server VMs
• Comparing vSphere 5.5 and Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V At-A-Glance
• Evaluating Hyper-V Network Virtualization as an alternative to VMware NSX
• VMware or Microsoft? What does Availability mean in YOUR Cloud?
• Comparing Microsoft’s Public Cloud to VMware’s Public Cloud  via Blain Barton
• Community Follow-up to Comparing vSphere 5.5 and Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server Launch Blog Series - The Complete Series by Microsoft Evangelists Kevin Remde, Chris Avis, Keith Mayer, Brian Lewis, Matt Hester, Tommy Patterson, Jennelle Crothers, Yung Chou, Dan Stolts, Robert Borges, Rob McShinsky

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Launch Blog Series #WhyWin2012R2 – Introduction
• Why Windows Server 2012 R2 Rocks!
• Where Are All The Resources For Windows Server 2012 R2?
• Implementing Windows Server 2012 R2 Active Directory Certificate Services Part 1
• Implementing Windows Server 2012 R2 Active Directory Certificate Services Part 2 
• Step-by-Step: Automated Tiered Storage with Storage Spaces in R2
• iSCSI Target Server – Super Fast Mass Server Deployment
• Why Windows Server 2012 R2: Reducing the Storage Cost for your VDI Deployments with VHD De-duplication for VDI
• Importing & Exporting Hyper-V VMs in Windows Server 2012 R2
• What’s New in Windows Server 2012 R2 Lessons Learned Week 1
• “Replica Replica”
• Fast Migrations (on compression and RDMA)
• What’s New in Active Directory
• Scale-out File Server in Windows Server 2012 R2
• Workplace Join
• What’s New in R2 - The Executive Interviews
• Get Mobile With Windows Server 2012 R2 Using Work Folders
• Storage Quality of Service
• What’s New in Windows Server 2012 R2–Lessons Learned Week 2 
• Backup Windows Server 2012 R2 to Windows Azure
• Why R2? Automated Server Self-Provisioning and Remediation with Desired State Configuration (DSC) in PowerShell 4.0
• What’s New in Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Why Move To R2Configuring Hyper-V for multiple subnets with only one NIC Step-By-StepSoftware Defined Networking in Windows Server 2012 R2
• Building certificates for Windows Server 2012 R2/Windows Azure Backups
• Windows Server 2012 & Windows Azure Hyper-V Recovery Manager
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Brings Improvements to DNS and DHCP Management
• Why Server 2012 R2? – Remote Desktop Sessions and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
• Step-by-Step: Extending Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 R2 with custom PowerShell tools
• Hyper-V Integration Services
• Gen 2 Virtual Machines / not available
• Shared Virtual Hard Disk / not available
• Automatic Virtual Machine Activation / not available

Windows 8.1 / Windows Server 2012 R2 Mini-Blog Series

• VMConnect Enhanced Mode - RDP over VMBUS
• NFC “tap to connect” Printer Connections
• RDS Shadowing is back!
• Printer Roaming
• In-box Scan App
• Updated Shell UI changes
• Assigned Access
• Wrap up

 Server 2012 R 2 Lab Guide - Step by Step by Tommy Patterson

•  Including Dual Boot Instructions - Part 1 
•  Storage - Part 2 
•  Continuously Available File Server -Part 3 
•  Hyper-V Over SMB - Part 4

Lab Ops by Andrew Fryer

• Lab Ops – part 1 Introduction
• Lab Ops 2–The Lee-Robinson Script
• Lab Ops part 3 – Storage in Windows Server 2012R2
• Lab Ops 4–Using PowerShell with Storage
• Lab Ops 5 - Access Rights in PowerShell
• Lab Ops 6 – Setup VDI in Windows Server 2012R2
• Lab Ops 7 – Setting up a pooled VDI collection in Windows Server 2012 R2
• Lab Ops 8 –Tidying up
• Lab Ops 9 - an Introduction to Failover Clustering
• Lab Ops10 - Scale Out File Servers
• Lab Ops11 - Server Core
• Lab Ops12 - A crude but effective Domain Controller
• SQL Server Advent Calendar 13 – Grouping Sets
• Lab Ops14 - Putting Applications into the VDI Template with MDT
• Lab Ops15 - Combining MDT with Windows Update Services
• Lab Ops16- System Center setup
• System Center: Use the right tool for the right job
• Lab Ops part17 - Getting Started with Virtual Machine Manager
• Lab Ops18 - Getting started with Software Defined Networking
• Lab Ops 19 – Software Defined Networking - where’s my stuff

Windows/Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Quick Reference for Upgrading to Windows Server 2012 R2  TechNet

Windows Server 2012 R2 Portal  Wiki

Windows Server 2012 R2: Exploring Storage Tiering via Redmond Magazine

Windows Server 2012 R2: a godsend for grumpware  via PC Pro

What's New in Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Live Migration   

A First Look at Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage (Part 1)
Part2

How to Design Converged Networks via Aidan Finn

Windows Server 2012 R2 Licensing  via Aidan Finn

WS2012 R2 Hyper-V Virtual Receive Side Scaling (vRSS) In Action  via Aidan Finn

Comparing TCPIP , Compressed, and SMB WS2012 R2 Hyper-V Live Migration Speeds
 via Aidan Finn

The Effects of WS2012 R2 Storage Spaces Write-Back Cache via Aidan Finn

Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Feature List Glossary via Aidan Finn

Configuring Cluster-Aware Updating in Windows Server 2012 via Aidan Finn

Configuring Jumbo Frames in WS2012R2 Hyper-V VMs  via Aidan Finn

Windows Server 2008 R2: Overlooked Features  via Aidan Finn

Windows Server 2012 R2 and Azure Pack work better together  via InfoWorld

Download Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2 (includes Hyper-V) Free  via Dan Stolts

Step-by-Step: Setup the Online Backup Service for Windows Server 2012  via Pierre Roman

Windows Server 2012 R2 is coming what does this add to RDS – VDI

Windows/Hyper-V Server 2012 R2: First Impressions  via Altaro Hyper-V

How to Migrate a Cluster from Hyper-V 2012 to Hyper-V R2 via Altaro Hyper-V

How to Relocate a Paging file on a SCSI Controller in Hyper-V 2012 R2 via Altaro Hyper-V

Windows Server 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Recovery from Network Disconnects  TechNet

Import Windows 2008 R2 VM into Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V  WindowsITPro

Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Clustering  WindowsITPro

PC and Mac Client Support for Windows Server 2012 R2 with Windows Server Essentials

What’s New, R2? – Networking: 802.1X Authentication  via Chris E. Avis

What’s New, R2? – BitLocker: New updates and Why would I use it on a Server? via Chris E. Avis

Performing an in place upgrade of Server 2008 R2 to Server 2012 R2  via Chris E. Avis

Multi-tenant Site-to-Site (S2S) VPN Gateway with Windows Server 2012 R2

Step-by-step for Storage Spaces Tiering in Windows Server 2012 R2  via Jose Barreto

Updated Links on Windows Server 2012 R2 File Server and SMB 3.02  via Jose Barreto

Windows Server 2012 R2: Which version of SMB protocol (SMB 1.0, SMB 2.0, SMB 2.1, SMB 3.0, SMB 3.02) you are using?  via Jose Barreto

Automatic SMB Scale-Out Rebalancing in Windows Server 2012 R2  Jose Barreto

Networking configurations for Hyper-V over SMB in Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2  via Jose Barreto

Selecting the number of nodes for your Scale-Out File Server Cluster  Jose Barreto

Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview Hyper-V Shared Virtual Hard Disk and Storage QoS  via Tamer Sherif Mahmoud

Welcome to Hyper-V 2012 R2 (Part 1) via VirtualizationAdmin

Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 — Improved DFS Replication

All the new Windows Server 2012 R2 features into a single pptx  vNext.be

Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage: Elden Christensen Interview  Petri

Multi-Tenant VPN with Windows Server 2012 R2

Understanding Networking with Hyper-V

Monitoring Windows Server 2012 R2 Work Folders Deployments

Recovering Virtual Machines in Hyper-V Server 2012 R2: Part 3  Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog

Step-by-Step: Spin-up a Windows Server 2012 R2 Lab in the Cloud - Faster than you can download the bits!  Keith Mayer

Configuring Faster Live Migration in Windows Server 2012 R2  Ben Armstrong

Faster Live Migration in Windows Server 2012 R2  Ben Armstrong

Faster Live Migration with Compression in Windows Server 2012 R2  Ben Armstrong

How to Publish Lync Server 2013 Web Services with Windows Server 2012 R2 Web Application Proxy  Sign in  Doug Deitterick

Lync Server 2013 Now Supported on Windows Server 2012 R2 Doug Deitterick

Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Best Practices (In Easy Checklist Form) Server & Tools Blogs

Top 8 Improvements Found in Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Replica  CANITPRO

Step-By-Step: Enabling Hyper-V for use on Windows 8.1  CANITPRO

What's changed in Windows 2012 R2 on RDS  VanBragt.net

Windows Server 2012 R2 Work Folders–The On-Premise Solution for Controlling Sensitive Data TechNet
    

Videos

Top Picks from TechEd 2013: A Virtualization Medley   Sessions on virtualization

Edge Show 74 – Virtualize Enterprise Workloads with Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V

New features of Hyper-V  via John Savill

TechNet Live!: Windows Server 2012 R2 Overview Recording!

Jump Starts: Recorded sessions on Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center and PowerShell

Edge Show 81 – What’s New in Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Clustering Ch9

 

Virtual Labs

TechNet Virtual Labs

Books

 Free ebook: Introducing Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview Release

Free ebook: Introducing Windows Server 2012 R2 Technical Overview

Radio

TechNet Radio: (Part 3) What’s New in 2012 R2: Enabling Modern Business Applications

RSAT

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 Preview, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview

Posters

Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and Hyper-V Mini Posters

What's New in Windows/Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Generation 2 Virtual Machines  VT Technology Blog

New Features in Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V  VT Technology Blog

 

Windows Azure Pack

 Microsoft announced Windows Azure Pack during TechEd 2013 NA conference in June, replacing "Windows Azure Services for Windows Server" technology , which was made available in January 2013.
According to the company's Windows Azure Pack Overview:

The Windows Azure Pack delivers Windows Azure technologies for you to run inside your datacenter, enabling you to offer rich, self-service, multi-tenant services that are consistent with Windows Azure.

 The Windows Azure Pack is a collection of Windows Azure technologies available to Microsoft customers at no additional cost. Once installed in your datacenter, the Windows Azure Pack integrates with System Center and Windows Server to help provide the following capabilities: 

• Management portal for tenants
• Management portal for administrators
• Service management API
• Virtual Machines
• Service Bus
• Automation and extensibility 



Additional Information:

Windows Azure Pack for Windows Server

Windows Azure Pack (#WAPack) and Related Blogs, Videos and TechNet Articles

Windows Azure Pack - Installing & Configuring Series.

Cmdlet Reference Download for Windows Azure Pack for Windows Server

Technical Documentation for Windows Azure Pack for Windows Server Download Center

Windows azure Pack: Cloud app convenience meets in-house hosting

Microsoft finds a new way to deliver a private cloud in a box

Windows Azure Pack High Availability

Enabling On-demand Infrastructure Services In Your Datacenter with Windows Azure Pack

Enabling Modern Apps with the Windows Azure Pack

IaaS Usage and Service Reporting using System Center 2012 R2 and Windows Azure Pack

WAP: Service Bus 1.1 (preview) for Windows Server - Your private Service Bus Installation using Hyper-V

Configuring SPF and Windows Azure Pack for IaaS usage and metering

Windows Azure Pack (#WAPack) and Related Blogs, Videos and TechNet Articles

Windows Azure Pack blog posts on Building Clouds & TechNet