Use Windows Server Backup to backup Hyper-V virtual machines in Windows Server 2012

In Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, you can use the in-build tool Windows Server Backup to backup your Hyper-V virtual machines. However, there are some limitations:

1. You have to backup/restore all the virtual machines at the same time. It means you can't backup/restore individual virtual machines.

2. You have to backup the system drive and the drives contain virtual machine files. It means if you keep virtual machine in D:\ and E:\, you have to select C:\, D:\ and E:\ in the backup wizard.

3. You have to register the VSS Hyper-V Writer manually before the backup.

Now, in Windows Server 2012, there are some big changes.

1. You don't need to register the VSS Hyper-V Writer manually.

2. You can backup/restore individual virtual machines.

3. In the backup wizard, don't need to select the system partition and the partitions contain virtual machine files.

However, there are still some issues. You can't restore the virtual machine to original location on a different computer. The workaround is to rename this computer to the one which you performed the backup. But you can restore the virtual machines to another location in applications level, while this is not possible in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Create an iSCSI Target server with Windows Server 8 in-build iSCSI Target feature

In the past, if you want to do some test which need iSCSI LUN, you have to install Microsoft iSCSI Target software or some third party applications. Now, Windows Server 8 Beta has an in-build iSCSI Target feature.

In the following paragraph, I will show you how to create an iSCSI Target server with Windows 8 in-build iSCSI Target feature.

  

1. Enable iSCSI Target Server feature 

1.1 Open Server Manager.

1.2 In Server Manager, click Manage, Add Roles and Features Wizard

1.3 In Roles page, expand File And Storage Services, select iSCSI Target Server

1.4 The wizard will prompt the following window, click Add Features.

1.5 Click Next to finish the wizard.

2. Create an iSCSI Target

2.1 In Server Manager, click File and Storage Services, iSCSI Virtual Disks.

2.2 Click “Launch the New Virtual Disk wizard to create a virtual disk”

2.3 You can select the Storage location to store the virtual disk. You can either select the volume in the list or type a custom path.

2.4 In Specify iSCSI virtual disk name window, you can type a name for the virtual disk.

2.5 In this window, you can specify the size of the virtual disk. You can use MB, GB or TB in the drop list.

2.6 In this window, you can either use an existing iSCSI Target or create a new iSCSI Target.

2.7 Type a new name if you want to create a new iSCSI Target.

2.8 Click Add to add iSCSI initiators for this iSCSI Target.

2.9 You can query initiator computer for ID or select from the initiator cache on the target server(if exist like the following one) or enter a value for the selected type.

2.10 In the “Enter a value for the selected type”, you can click the drop down list to select the one you preferred.

2.11 You can also enable authentication.

2.12 In the confirmation window, you will be able to see a summary of the process.

2.13 Click Create at the bottom of the window to finish the creation of the iSCSI Target.

3. Check the existing iSCSI Target

3.1 In Server Manager, click File and Storage Services, iSCSI Virtual Disks.

3.2 Scroll down the scroll bar to the bottom. Click View all targets and you will be able to see the following window.

 

Convert Windows Server 8 from Full to Core or Core to Full without reinstallation

In the previous version of Windows Server system, if you want to covert a system from Full to Core or Core to Full, you have to perform a reinstallation.

Now, it's changed, you can transfer Windows Server 8 from Full to Core or Core to Full without reinstallation.
Note: This has been tested with Windows Server 8 Beta version.

You can use the following method to get it.

Full to Core

With PowerShell:
1. Import-Module Dism
2. Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature –online –Featurename ServerCore-FullServer

OR

With DISM:
Dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:ServerCore-FullServer

Core to Full

With PowerShell:
1. Import-Module Dism
2. Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature –online -Featurename ServerCore-FullServer,Server-Gui-Shell,Server-Gui-Mgmt

OR

With DISM
Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:ServerCore-FullServer /featurename:Server-Gui-Shell /featurename:Server-Gui-Mgmt

How to add language pack for Windows 8 Customer Preview and Windows Server 8 Beta

If you want to install a language pack on Windows 8 or Windows Server 8, you will be able to find that you can’t install it easily like what you did on a Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

So I will show you the way to install language pack on Windows 8 or Windows Server 8.

1. Proceed to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Language. See the following screenshot, as it's a English based system, so English is showed "Windows display language: Enabled".

2. Click "Add a language" you want. For example, Simplified Chinese. See the following screenshot, you will not be able to find "Windows display language: Enabled" behind Simplified Chinese. If you click the Option behind it, you will be able to find the description "Connect to Internet to check for language packs".

3. Download the language pack. Open c:\windows\system32\lpksetup.exe, now you can install the language pack as you did on Windows 7.
4. Reboot the computer when the language pack installation finished.
5. Proceed to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Language. You will be able to find the "Windows display language: Available" under Simplified Chinese.

6. Click the option behind it and click the "Make this the primary language". Now you will be able to find Simplified Chinese has been moved to the top of the window.

7. Sign out and login to the system, you will be able to use the language you want.

Configuring iSCSI MPIO on Windows Server 2008 R2 Step by Step

Microsoft released the free version of iSCSI Target 3.3 recently. In this guide, I will show you the Step by Step to configure iSCSI MPIO on Windows Server 2008 R2.

First of all, I will show you my lab.

Computer 1: iSCSI Target computer, two network adapters with IP address 192.168.10.10 and 192.168.11.11 

Computer 2: client computer, two network adapters with IP address 192.168.10.20 and 192.168.11.21

Note: This is just a demo environment. In the production environment, you should have more NICs dedicate to iSCSI connection.

Step1. Download iSCSI Target and install it on your Windows Server 2008 R2 computer.

Link:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=45105d7f-8c6c-4666-a305-c8189062a0d0

Step2. Enable MPIO

Proceed to Add Features Wizard to add the “Multipath I/O” feature.

Step3. Configure the iSCSI Target

1. Create a target for the client computers and then add a virtual disk to the target.

Step4. Configure the iSCSI Initiator on the client

When you start the iSCSI Initiator for the first time, you will get a prompt, just click the Yes button.

Now you will get iSCSI Initiator window.

Click the Discover Portal button; create the first path for the iSCSI MPIO.

Click the Advanced… button and configure the information in the General tab. Please adjust the Initiator IP address as necessary.

Now proceed to Targets tab, you will find the target status is Inactive.

Click on the Connect button and you will get the following window. Check the box “Enable multi-path” and then click the Advance… button.

In the Advanced Settings, configure the information in the General tab. Please adjust the Initiator IP address as necessary. Click OK to finish.

Step5. Configure the MPIO.

Proceed to Administrative Tools to start  MPIO. Check the box “Add support for iSCSI devices”.

Click Add button to restart the computer.

Note: The “Add support for iSCSI devices” box is uncheck by default. You have to add a virtual disk to the iSCSI Target and then make at least one iscsi connection before you have the option to enable MPIO for iSCSI.

After the reboot, you will find the MSFT2005iSCSIBusType_0x9 appear in the MPIO devices.

 

Step6. Add the second path for the MPIO.

Repeat Step 4 to add the second path for the MPIO under Discovery tab. Ignore the steps to connect the target under Target tab.

Now you will get two entries in Discover.

However, there is still one entries in Favorite Targets.

Now proceed to Targets tab, select the current connection and then click Connect….

 

You will get the following window.

Click on the Advanced... button, configure the Initiator IP the same as the second path. Click OK to finish.

Now proceed to Targets tab, click Devices… button.

You will get the following window.

Click the MPIO button to configure the Load balance policy.

 

If you click the Details button, you can verify the local and remote IPs the current connection is using.