Upcoming IT Camp Events in West Region - Updated 2/15/12

In the West Region, Chris Avis and I are hosting a set of events in the March and May / June timeframe.

In November 2011, we tried out a new format for events which we called IT Camps. This new format included the ability for the attendees to select the topics that would be discussed. We are evolving this a bit and holding more of these IT Camp style events in March.

Join us for our upcoming IT Camp where we are changing the format and structure of our in-person events! We are implementing the following changes:

1. The events will start at 8:30 AM and end at 4 PM (versus 8 AM – 12 PM)
2. We will have a Hands-On component as part of the afternoon agenda
3. You get to help pick the content / topic of discussion for a good portion of the presentation slots (and maybe even get to present yourself if you want)
4. We will only have two “official” presentations – one from Microsoft and one from Veeam

To participate in the afternoon session, you will need to bring your own computer (laptop preferred) with the following minimum configuration:

• 4GB RAM (8 GB preferred)
• At least 20GB of free disk space (75 GB preferred)
• x64 compatible processor with Intel VT or AMD-V technology

I encourage everyone to start posting suggestions for topics to be discussed during the Open Topics sections. Also, if you have a topic that you would like to discuss, then please say so when posting your comment to this blog post. I am a firm believer that we can all learn from one another as we all have unique experiences and talents that we bring to the table. I look forward to reading your topic suggestions and then seeing you at the events!!

To register, please visit the appropriate links for your city.

**** UPDATED 2/15/12 2:38 PM (MST) - The registration links are now LIVE!!!! ********

**** UPDATED 2/13/12 1:45 PM (MST) - I just found out the registration links are not live yet. As soon as the registration links go live, I will update this blog post again to notify everyone ********

Date	City	ITE	Veeam Presenter
March 13, 2012	Bellevue, WA	Chris Avis	Brian Pavnick and Chris Henley
March 15, 2012	Los Angeles, CA	Harold Wong	Brian Pavnick
March 15, 2012	Portland, OR	Chris Avis	Chris Henley
March 16, 2012	Phoenix, AZ	Harold Wong	Brian Pavnick
March 19, 2012	Denver, CO	Harold Wong	Chris Henley
March 19, 2012	Mountain View, CA	Chris Avis	Brian Pavnick

Agenda and abstracts of Sessions

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Check-In and Welcome

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM: Get out of Dodge: Migrating to Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

Is your infrastructure still clinging to the 2003 x86 server architecture? But with every day that goes by, you worry more and more that the other shoe will drop. You know you have to bite the bullet and get these critical services over to more modern hardware paired with the current supported revisions of the server platform. These are the services that keep the lights on, the servers running and most importantly: the users happy! This demo-intensive session covers how to migrate essential services like DHCP, DNS, File/Print, Certificate Services and more.

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Veeam Presentation

Discover how System Center 2012 can be leveraged to manage coexisting private cloud technologies from the metal to the app! This session will focus on the following System Center 2012 components: Virtual Machine Manager, Orchestrator and Operations Manager and how each technology can manage both Hyper-V and VMware Hypervisor platforms.

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Open Topics

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Open Topics

2:45 PM – 4:00 PM: Hands-On-Lab: Configure Windows Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 (Free version)

There are many IT Pros who have expressed interest in using the free version of Hyper-V Server. In this hands-on-session, we will demystify the configuration steps necessary to get Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 up and running so you can start using the free tool. As most folks know how to install an OS, we will not bore you with a 35 minute install; instead we will provide a VHD file with the product pre-installed, but not configured. We will help everyone configure their machines to boot to VHD and complete the configuration steps.

Following the configuration of Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, you will import the System Center 2012 RC VMs provided by Veeam so you can also get guided hands-on-experience with their management product.

Here is a little something about the two folks from Veeam that will be presenting at these events.

Chris Henley

Chris Henley is a Product Strategy Specialist at Veeam. He is focused on technologies related to Windows Server and Hyper V. He is a published author and a regular speaker at user groups and major technology conferences around the world. He has a fun and energetic style of communication and loves to discuss technical topics and what technology can do. 

Brian Pavnick

Brian Pavnick is a Solutions Architect at Veeam Software who specializes in integrating Microsoft System Center technologies with VMWare's VI. Prior to Veeam, he has worked over 10 years as a Sr. Systems Administrator acquiring skills in operating, implementing, and project managing Microsoft Server Infrastructure Technologies. Throughout his career, he has specialized in Systems Management for Microsoft Server technologies. This includes OS deployment, patch management, system profiling, system and application monitoring, data security, and disaster recovery. Brian is a Microsoft Certified IT Professional in Enterprise Administration.

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  I just updated the post to let everyone know that the registration links have not gone live as of 1:45 PM (MST) on 2/13/12.  As soon as they do, I will update again.  Thanks for your patience! Harold Wong

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Peter: I will not be in San Francisco for the SQL Server 2012 event you are referencing. Harold

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Just wanted to update everyone that the registration links are now live!  Thanks for your patience. Harold Wong

• Anonymous
  March 08, 2012
  Harold, I can't register for the Phoenix event and no its not an Apple issue this time, IE on Windows doesn't work either. The Register button just doesn't do anything. I received an email about the event today, kinda late I think but wanted to know if there was any other way to register.

• Anonymous
  March 23, 2012
  Any chance you might be doing a presentation in the morning before the SQL Server 2012 event in the afternoon in SF 4/5? pzoll@imagsts.com