Microsoft Assessment and Planning How-To Series: Part 1 (Server Virtualization Candidacy Reporting)

Hi there,

This is the first installment of a series of how-to content to get you started with the Microsoft Assessment and Planning tool (MAP) .  

Today, we'll cover how users can use MAP to generate virtualization candidates for server virtualization (e.g. Virtual Server 2005 R2 or Hyper-V).

It's quite simple actually.  All you need is to follow the 3-step process below and you're good to go!

• #1 Server Inventory - collect information regarding all existing servers across your network
• #2 PerfMon Capture - capture performance counters including CPU, Disk and Network Utilization of each server that you want to consider virtualizing (note: we recommend you run this for at least a few days if not a few weeks so you can capture all the "peaks and valleys" of utilization)
• #3 Virtualization Candidates Reporting - generate a report with virtualization candidacy recommendations

If you're new to the MAP tool UI, take a look at this screenshot below and you'll know which link to click for this 3-step process to get virtualization candidacy recommendations.

In the end, you will get a set of virtualization candidates report and proposal document showing the results (see below).  With results in your hand, you will then gain better understanding on how a reduction in physical machines via virtualization could translate into improved utilization of each machine - subsequently this will translate into space savings and cost savings (cooling and power).

So why wait? Download MAP today and get virtualized!!  https://www.microsoft.com/MAP

[Just added] MAP Demo Video - check it out too!

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Virtualization Solution Accelerators + MAP)

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  [VIDEO] Microsoft Assessment and Planning How-To Series: Part 1 (Server Virtualization Candidacy Reporting)

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Back in the early days of virtualization (and probably still today) consultancies everywhere would sell you a package whereby they'd tell you which of your servers would make good virtualization candidates and which would not. What they didn't tell you

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Hello, As we count down to the final few days into the MAP 3.1 RTM date, I'd like to offer you a sneak-peak

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  One of the first steps you’ll need to handle is surveying yoru current environment for good/bad virtualization

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Lately it's been very quiet on my blog. There are a couple of things to that. First and foremost there

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  You already knew about the free, agent-less Microsoft Assessment and Planning Tool , right? Today the