WINS is a service that resolves computer names to IP addresses. Using WINS, the computer name COMPUTER84, for example, can be resolved to an IP address that enables computers on a Microsoft network to find one another and transfer information. WINS is needed to support pre–Windows 2000 systems and older applications that use NetBIOS over TCP/IP, such as the .NET command-line utilities. If you don’t have pre–Windows 2000 systems or applications on the network, you don’t need to use WINS.
WINS works best in client/server environments in which WINS clients send single-label (host) name queries to WINS servers for name resolution and WINS servers resolve the query and respond. When all your DNS servers are running Windows Server 2008 or later, deploying a Global Names zone creates static, global records with single-label names without relying on WINS. This allows users to access hosts using single-label names rather than FQDNs and removes the dependency on WINS. To transmit WINS queries and other information, computers use NetBIOS. NetBIOS provides an application programming interface (API) that allows computers on a network to communicate. NetBIOS applications rely on WINS or the local LMHOSTS file to resolve computer names to IP addresses. On pre–Windows 2000 networks, WINS is the primary name resolution service available. On Windows 2000 and later networks, DNS is the primary name resolution service and WINS has a different function. This function is to allow pre–Windows 2000 systems to browse lists of resources on the network and to allow Windows 2000 and later systems to locate NetBIOS resources.
To enable WINS name resolution on a network, you need to configure WINS clients and servers. When you configure WINS clients, you tell the clients the IP addresses for WINS servers on the network. Using the IP addresses, clients can communicate with WINS servers anywhere on the network, even if the servers are on different subnets. WINS clients can also communicate by using a broadcast method through which clients broadcast messages to other computers on the local network segment requesting their IP addresses. Because messages are broadcast, the WINS server isn’t used. Any non-WINS clients that support this type of message broadcasting can also use this method to resolve computer names to IP addresses.
When clients communicate with WINS servers, they establish sessions that have the following three key parts:
» Name registration. During name registration, the client gives the server its computer name and its IP address and asks to be added to the WINS database. If the specified computer name and IP address aren’t already in use on the network, the WINS server accepts the request and registers the client in the WINS database.
» Name renewal. Name registration isn’t permanent. Instead, the client can use the name for a specified period known as a lease. The client is also given a time period within which the lease must be renewed, which is known as the renewal interval. The client must reregister with the WINS server during the renewal interval.
» Name release. If the client can’t renew the lease, the name registration is released, allowing another system on the network to use the computer name, IP address, or both. The names are also released when you shut down a WINS client.
After a client establishes a session with a WINS server, the client can request name resolution services. The method used to resolve computer names to IP addresses depends on how the network is configured. The following four name-resolution methods are available:
» B-node (broadcast). Uses broadcast messages to resolve computer names to IP addresses. Computers that need to resolve a name broadcast a message to every host on the local network, requesting the IP address for a computer name. On a large network with hundreds or thousands of computers, these broadcast messages can use up valuable network bandwidth.
» P-node (peer-to-peer). Uses WINS servers to resolve computer names to IP addresses. As explained earlier, client sessions have three parts: name registration, name renewal, and name release. In this mode, when a client needs to resolve a computer name to an IP address, the client sends a query message to the server and the server responds with an answer.
» M-node (mixed). Combines b-node and p-node. With m-node, a WINS client first tries to use b-node for name resolution. If the attempt fails, the client then tries to use p-node. Because b-node is used first, this method has the same problems with network bandwidth usage as b-node.
» H-node (hybrid). Also combines b-node and p-node. With h-node, a WINS client first tries to use p-node for peer-to-peer name resolution. If the attempt fails, the client then tries to use broadcast messages with b-node. Because peer-to-peer is the primary method, h-node offers the best perfor¬mance on most networks. H-node is also the default method for WINS name resolution.
If WINS servers are available on the network, Windows clients use the p-node method for name resolution. If no WINS servers are available on the network, Windows clients use the b-node method for name resolution. Windows computers can also use DNS and the local files LMHOSTS and HOSTS to resolve network names.
When you use DHCP to assign IP addresses dynamically, you should set the name resolution method for DHCP clients. To do this, you need to set DHCP scope options for the 046 WINS/NBT Node Type as specified in “Setting Scope Options”. The best method to use is h-node. You’ll get the best performance and have reduced traffic on the network.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Windows Server 2012 - Using Domain Name System
DNS is a name-resolution service that resolves computer names to IP addresses. Using DNS, the fully qualified host name computer84.cpandl.com, for example, can be resolved to an IP address, which allows it and other computers to find one another. DNS operates over the TCP/IP protocol stack and can be integrated with WINS, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and Active Directory Domain Services.
DNS organizes groups of computers into domains. These domains are organized into a hierarchical structure, which can be defined on an Internet-wide basis for public networks or on an enterprise-wide basis for private networks (also known as intranets and extranets). The various levels within the hierarchy identify individual computers, organizational domains, and top-level domains. For the fully qualified host name computer84.cpandl.com, computer84 represents the host name for an individual computer, cpandl is the organizational domain, and com is the top-level domain.
Top-level domains are at the root of the DNS hierarchy; they are also called root domains. These domains are organized geographically, by organization type, and by function. Normal domains, such as cpandl.com, are also referred to as parent domains. They’re called parent domains because they’re the parents of an organizational structure. Parent domains can be divided into subdomains that can be used for groups or departments within an organization.
Subdomains are often referred to as child domains. For example, the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for a computer within a human resources group could be jacob.hr.cpandl.com. Here, jacob is the host name, hr is the child domain, and cpandl.com is the parent domain.
Active Directory domains use DNS to implement their naming structure and hierarchy. Active Directory and DNS are tightly integrated, so much so that you should install DNS on the network before you can install domain controllers using Active Directory. During installation of the first domain controller on an Active Directory network, you’re given the opportunity to install DNS automatically if a DNS server can’t be found on the network. You are also able to specify whether DNS and Active Directory should be fully integrated. In most cases, you should respond affirmatively to both requests. With full integration, DNS information is stored directly in Active Directory. This allows you to take advantage of Active Directory’s capabilities. The difference between partial integration and full integration is very important:
» Partial integration With partial integration, the domain uses standard file storage. DNS information is stored in text-based files that end with the .dns extension, and the default location of these files is %SystemRoot%\System32\Dns. Updates to DNS are handled through a single authoritative DNS server. This server is designated as the primary DNS server for the particular domain or an area within a domain called a zone. Clients that use dynamic DNS updates through DHCP must be configured to use the primary DNS server in the zone. If they aren’t, their DNS information won’t be updated. Likewise, dynamic updates through DHCP can’t be made if the primary DNS server is offline.
» Full integration With full integration, the domain uses directory-integrated storage. DNS information is stored directly in Active Directory and is available through the container for the dns Zone object. Because the information is part of Active Directory, any domain controller can access the data and a multimaster approach can be used for dynamic updates through DHCP. This allows any domain controller running the DNS Server service to handle dynamic updates. Furthermore, clients that use dynamic DNS updates through DHCP can use any DNS server within the zone. An added benefit of directory integration is the ability to use directory security to control access to DNS information.
If you look at the way DNS information is replicated throughout the network, you can see more advantages to full integration with Active Directory. With partial integration, DNS information is stored and replicated separately from Active Direc¬tory. Having two separate structures reduces the effectiveness of both DNS and Ac¬tive Directory and makes administration more complex. Because DNS is less efficient than Active Directory at replicating changes, you might also increase network traffic and the amount of time it takes to replicate DNS changes throughout the network.
To enable DNS on the network, you need to configure DNS clients and servers. When you configure DNS clients, you tell the clients the IP addresses of DNS servers on the network. Using these addresses, clients can communicate with DNS servers anywhere on the network, even if the servers are on different subnets.
When you install the DNS Server service on an RODC, the RODC is able to pull a read only replica of all application directory partitions that are used by DNS, includ¬ing ForestDNSZones and DomainDNSZones. Clients can then query the RODC for name resolution as they would query any other DNS server. However, as with direc¬tory updates, the DNS server on an RODC does not support direct updates. This means that the RODC does not register name server (NS) resource records for any Active Directory–integrated zone that it hosts. When a client attempts to update its DNS records against an RODC, the server returns a referral to a DNS server that the client can use for the update. The DNS server on the RODC should receive the updated record from the DNS server that receives details about the update using a special replicate-single-object request that runs as a background process.
Windows 7 and later releases add support for DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC). The DNS client running on these operating systems can send queries that indicate support for DNSSEC, process related records, and determine whether a DNS server has validated records on its behalf. On Windows servers, this allows your DNS serv¬ers to securely sign zones and to host DNSSEC-signed zones. It also allows DNS serv¬ers to process related records and perform both validation and authentication.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
DNS organizes groups of computers into domains. These domains are organized into a hierarchical structure, which can be defined on an Internet-wide basis for public networks or on an enterprise-wide basis for private networks (also known as intranets and extranets). The various levels within the hierarchy identify individual computers, organizational domains, and top-level domains. For the fully qualified host name computer84.cpandl.com, computer84 represents the host name for an individual computer, cpandl is the organizational domain, and com is the top-level domain.
Top-level domains are at the root of the DNS hierarchy; they are also called root domains. These domains are organized geographically, by organization type, and by function. Normal domains, such as cpandl.com, are also referred to as parent domains. They’re called parent domains because they’re the parents of an organizational structure. Parent domains can be divided into subdomains that can be used for groups or departments within an organization.
Subdomains are often referred to as child domains. For example, the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for a computer within a human resources group could be jacob.hr.cpandl.com. Here, jacob is the host name, hr is the child domain, and cpandl.com is the parent domain.
Active Directory domains use DNS to implement their naming structure and hierarchy. Active Directory and DNS are tightly integrated, so much so that you should install DNS on the network before you can install domain controllers using Active Directory. During installation of the first domain controller on an Active Directory network, you’re given the opportunity to install DNS automatically if a DNS server can’t be found on the network. You are also able to specify whether DNS and Active Directory should be fully integrated. In most cases, you should respond affirmatively to both requests. With full integration, DNS information is stored directly in Active Directory. This allows you to take advantage of Active Directory’s capabilities. The difference between partial integration and full integration is very important:
» Partial integration With partial integration, the domain uses standard file storage. DNS information is stored in text-based files that end with the .dns extension, and the default location of these files is %SystemRoot%\System32\Dns. Updates to DNS are handled through a single authoritative DNS server. This server is designated as the primary DNS server for the particular domain or an area within a domain called a zone. Clients that use dynamic DNS updates through DHCP must be configured to use the primary DNS server in the zone. If they aren’t, their DNS information won’t be updated. Likewise, dynamic updates through DHCP can’t be made if the primary DNS server is offline.
» Full integration With full integration, the domain uses directory-integrated storage. DNS information is stored directly in Active Directory and is available through the container for the dns Zone object. Because the information is part of Active Directory, any domain controller can access the data and a multimaster approach can be used for dynamic updates through DHCP. This allows any domain controller running the DNS Server service to handle dynamic updates. Furthermore, clients that use dynamic DNS updates through DHCP can use any DNS server within the zone. An added benefit of directory integration is the ability to use directory security to control access to DNS information.
If you look at the way DNS information is replicated throughout the network, you can see more advantages to full integration with Active Directory. With partial integration, DNS information is stored and replicated separately from Active Direc¬tory. Having two separate structures reduces the effectiveness of both DNS and Ac¬tive Directory and makes administration more complex. Because DNS is less efficient than Active Directory at replicating changes, you might also increase network traffic and the amount of time it takes to replicate DNS changes throughout the network.
To enable DNS on the network, you need to configure DNS clients and servers. When you configure DNS clients, you tell the clients the IP addresses of DNS servers on the network. Using these addresses, clients can communicate with DNS servers anywhere on the network, even if the servers are on different subnets.
When you install the DNS Server service on an RODC, the RODC is able to pull a read only replica of all application directory partitions that are used by DNS, includ¬ing ForestDNSZones and DomainDNSZones. Clients can then query the RODC for name resolution as they would query any other DNS server. However, as with direc¬tory updates, the DNS server on an RODC does not support direct updates. This means that the RODC does not register name server (NS) resource records for any Active Directory–integrated zone that it hosts. When a client attempts to update its DNS records against an RODC, the server returns a referral to a DNS server that the client can use for the update. The DNS server on the RODC should receive the updated record from the DNS server that receives details about the update using a special replicate-single-object request that runs as a background process.
Windows 7 and later releases add support for DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC). The DNS client running on these operating systems can send queries that indicate support for DNSSEC, process related records, and determine whether a DNS server has validated records on its behalf. On Windows servers, this allows your DNS serv¬ers to securely sign zones and to host DNSSEC-signed zones. It also allows DNS serv¬ers to process related records and perform both validation and authentication.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Windows Server 2012 Power Management Options
When working with power management, important characteristics to focus on include the following:
» Cooling modes
» Device states
» Processor states
ACPI defines active and passive cooling modes. These cooling modes are inversely related to each other:
» Passive cooling reduces system performance but is quieter because there’s less fan noise. With passive cooling, Windows lessens power consumption to reduce the operating temperature of the computer but at the cost of system performance. Here, Windows reduces the processor speed in an attempt to cool the computer before increasing fan speed, which would increase power consumption.
» Active cooling allows maximum system performance. With active cooling, Windows increases power consumption to reduce the temperature of the machine. Here, Windows increases fan speed to cool the computer before attempting to reduce processor speed.
Power policy includes an upper and lower limit for the processor state, referred to as the maximum processor state and the minimum processor state, respectively. These states are implemented by making use of a feature of ACPI 3.0 and later ver¬sions called processor throttling, and they determine the range of currently available processor performance states that Windows can use. By setting the maximum and minimum values, you define the bounds for the allowed performance states, or you can use the same value for each to force the system to remain in a specific per¬formance state. Windows reduces power consumption by throttling the processor speed. For example, if the upper bound is 100 percent and the lower bound is 5 per¬cent, Windows can throttle the processor within this range as workloads permit to reduce power consumption. In a computer with a 3-GHz processor, Windows would adjust the operating frequency of the processor between .15 GHz and 3.0 GHz.
Processor throttling and related performance states were introduced with Windows XP and are not new, but these early implementations were designed for computers with discrete-socketed processors and not for computers with proces¬sor cores. As a result, they are not effective in reducing the power consumption of computers with logical processors. Windows 7 and later releases of Windows reduce power consumption in computers with multicore processors by leveraging a feature of ACPI 4.0 called logical processor idling and by updating processor throttling fea¬tures to work with processor cores.
Logical processor idling is designed to ensure that Windows uses the fewest number of processor cores for a given workload. Windows accomplishes this by con¬solidating workloads onto the fewest cores possible and suspending inactive proces¬sor cores. As additional processing power is required, Windows activates inactive processor cores. This idling functionality works in conjunction with management of process performance states at the core level.
ACPI defines processor performance states, referred to as p-states, and proces¬sor idle sleep states, referred to as c-states. Processor performance states include P0 (the processor/core uses its maximum performance capability and can consume maximum power), P1 (the processor/core is limited below its maximum and con¬sumes less than maximum power), and Pn (where state n is a maximum number that is processor dependent, and the processor/core is at its minimal level and consumes minimal power while remaining in an active state).
Processor idle sleep states include C0 (the processor/core can execute instruc¬tions), C1 (the processor/core has the lowest latency and is in a nonexecuting power state), C2 (the processor/core has longer latency to improve power savings over the C1 state), and C3 (the processor/core has the longest latency to improve power sav¬ings over the C1 and C2 states).
ACPI 4.0 was finalized in June 2009 and ACPI 5.0 was finalized in December 2011. Computers manufactured prior to this time will likely not have firm¬ware that is fully compliant, and you will probably need to update the firmware when a compatible revision becomes available. In some cases, and especially with older hardware, you might not be able to update a computer’s firmware to make it fully compliant with ACPI 4.0 or ACPI 5.0. For example, if you are configuring the power options and you don’t have minimum and maximum processor state options, the computer’s firmware isn’t fully compatible with ACPI 3.0 and likely will not fully sup¬port ACPI 4.0 or ACPI 5.0 either. Still, you should check the hardware manufacturer’s website for firmware updates.
Windows switches processors/cores between any p-state and from the C1 state to the C0 state nearly instantaneously (fractions of milliseconds) and tends not to use the deep sleep states, so you don’t need to worry about performance impact to throttle or wake up processors/cores. The processors/cores are available when they are needed. That said, the easiest way to limit processor power management is to modify the ac¬tive power plan and set the minimum and maximum processor states to 100 percent.
Logical processor idling is used to reduce power consumption by removing a logical processor from the operating system’s list of nonprocessor-affinitized work. However, because processor-affinitized work reduces the effectiveness of this feature, you’ll want to plan carefully prior to configuring processing affinity settings for applica¬tions. Windows System Resource Manager allows you to manage processor resources through percent processor usage targets and processor affinity rules. Both techniques reduce the effectiveness of logical processor idling.
Windows saves power by putting processor cores in and out of appropriate p-states and c states. On a computer with four logical processors, Windows might use p-states 0 to 5, where P0 allows 100 percent usage, P1 allows 90 percent usage, P2 allows 80 percent usage, P3 allows 70 percent usage, P4 allows 60 percent usage, and P5 allows 50 percent usage. When the computer is active, logical processor 0 would likely be active with a p state of 0 to 5, and the other processors would likely be at an appropriate p-state or in a sleep state.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
» Cooling modes
» Device states
» Processor states
ACPI defines active and passive cooling modes. These cooling modes are inversely related to each other:
» Passive cooling reduces system performance but is quieter because there’s less fan noise. With passive cooling, Windows lessens power consumption to reduce the operating temperature of the computer but at the cost of system performance. Here, Windows reduces the processor speed in an attempt to cool the computer before increasing fan speed, which would increase power consumption.
» Active cooling allows maximum system performance. With active cooling, Windows increases power consumption to reduce the temperature of the machine. Here, Windows increases fan speed to cool the computer before attempting to reduce processor speed.
Power policy includes an upper and lower limit for the processor state, referred to as the maximum processor state and the minimum processor state, respectively. These states are implemented by making use of a feature of ACPI 3.0 and later ver¬sions called processor throttling, and they determine the range of currently available processor performance states that Windows can use. By setting the maximum and minimum values, you define the bounds for the allowed performance states, or you can use the same value for each to force the system to remain in a specific per¬formance state. Windows reduces power consumption by throttling the processor speed. For example, if the upper bound is 100 percent and the lower bound is 5 per¬cent, Windows can throttle the processor within this range as workloads permit to reduce power consumption. In a computer with a 3-GHz processor, Windows would adjust the operating frequency of the processor between .15 GHz and 3.0 GHz.
Processor throttling and related performance states were introduced with Windows XP and are not new, but these early implementations were designed for computers with discrete-socketed processors and not for computers with proces¬sor cores. As a result, they are not effective in reducing the power consumption of computers with logical processors. Windows 7 and later releases of Windows reduce power consumption in computers with multicore processors by leveraging a feature of ACPI 4.0 called logical processor idling and by updating processor throttling fea¬tures to work with processor cores.
Logical processor idling is designed to ensure that Windows uses the fewest number of processor cores for a given workload. Windows accomplishes this by con¬solidating workloads onto the fewest cores possible and suspending inactive proces¬sor cores. As additional processing power is required, Windows activates inactive processor cores. This idling functionality works in conjunction with management of process performance states at the core level.
ACPI defines processor performance states, referred to as p-states, and proces¬sor idle sleep states, referred to as c-states. Processor performance states include P0 (the processor/core uses its maximum performance capability and can consume maximum power), P1 (the processor/core is limited below its maximum and con¬sumes less than maximum power), and Pn (where state n is a maximum number that is processor dependent, and the processor/core is at its minimal level and consumes minimal power while remaining in an active state).
Processor idle sleep states include C0 (the processor/core can execute instruc¬tions), C1 (the processor/core has the lowest latency and is in a nonexecuting power state), C2 (the processor/core has longer latency to improve power savings over the C1 state), and C3 (the processor/core has the longest latency to improve power sav¬ings over the C1 and C2 states).
ACPI 4.0 was finalized in June 2009 and ACPI 5.0 was finalized in December 2011. Computers manufactured prior to this time will likely not have firm¬ware that is fully compliant, and you will probably need to update the firmware when a compatible revision becomes available. In some cases, and especially with older hardware, you might not be able to update a computer’s firmware to make it fully compliant with ACPI 4.0 or ACPI 5.0. For example, if you are configuring the power options and you don’t have minimum and maximum processor state options, the computer’s firmware isn’t fully compatible with ACPI 3.0 and likely will not fully sup¬port ACPI 4.0 or ACPI 5.0 either. Still, you should check the hardware manufacturer’s website for firmware updates.
Windows switches processors/cores between any p-state and from the C1 state to the C0 state nearly instantaneously (fractions of milliseconds) and tends not to use the deep sleep states, so you don’t need to worry about performance impact to throttle or wake up processors/cores. The processors/cores are available when they are needed. That said, the easiest way to limit processor power management is to modify the ac¬tive power plan and set the minimum and maximum processor states to 100 percent.
Logical processor idling is used to reduce power consumption by removing a logical processor from the operating system’s list of nonprocessor-affinitized work. However, because processor-affinitized work reduces the effectiveness of this feature, you’ll want to plan carefully prior to configuring processing affinity settings for applica¬tions. Windows System Resource Manager allows you to manage processor resources through percent processor usage targets and processor affinity rules. Both techniques reduce the effectiveness of logical processor idling.
Windows saves power by putting processor cores in and out of appropriate p-states and c states. On a computer with four logical processors, Windows might use p-states 0 to 5, where P0 allows 100 percent usage, P1 allows 90 percent usage, P2 allows 80 percent usage, P3 allows 70 percent usage, P4 allows 60 percent usage, and P5 allows 50 percent usage. When the computer is active, logical processor 0 would likely be active with a p state of 0 to 5, and the other processors would likely be at an appropriate p-state or in a sleep state.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Getting to Know Windows Server 2012
The Windows Server 2012 operating system includes several different editions. All Windows Server 2012 editions support multiple processor cores. It is important to point out that although an edition might support only one discrete-socketed processor (also referred to as a physical processor), that one processor could have eight processor cores (also referred to as logical processors).
Windows Server 2012 is a 64-bit-only operating system. 64-bit systems designed for the x64 architecture as 64-bit systems. Because the various server editions support the same core features and administration tools.
When you install a Windows Server 2012 system, you configure the system according to its role on the network, as the following guidelines describe:
» Servers are generally assigned to be part of a workgroup or a domain.
» Workgroups are loose associations of computers in which each individual computer is managed separately.
» Domains are collections of computers you can manage collectively by means of domain controllers, which are Windows Server 2012 systems that manage access to the network, to the directory database, and to shared resources.
Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 family refer to all editions of Windows Server 2012. The various server editions support the same core features and administration tools.
Unlike Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012 uses a Start screen. Start is a window, not a menu. Programs can have tiles on the Start screen. Tapping or clicking a tile runs the program. When you press and hold or right-click on a program, an options panel normally is displayed. The charms bar is an options panel for Start, Desktop, and PC Settings. With a touch UI, you can display the charms by sliding in from the right side of the screen. With a mouse and keyboard, you can display the charms by moving the mouse pointer over the hidden button in the upper-right or lower-right corner of the Start, Desktop, or PC Settings screen; or by pressing Windows key+C.
Tap or click the Search charm to display the Search panel. Any text typed while on the Start screen is entered into the Search box in the Search panel. The Search box can be focused on Apps, Settings, or Files. When focused on Apps, you can use Search to quickly find installed programs. When focused on Settings, you can use Search to quickly find settings and options in Control Panel. When focused on Files, you can use Search to quickly find files.
One way to quickly open a program is by pressing the Windows key, typing the file name of the program, and then pressing Enter. This shortcut works as long as the Apps Search box is in focus (which it typically is by default).
Pressing the Windows key toggles between the Start screen and the desktop (or, if you are working with PC Settings, between Start and PC Settings). On Start, there’s a Desktop tile that you can tap or click to display the desktop. You also can display the desktop by pressing Windows key+D or, to peek at the desktop, press and hold Windows key+Comma. From Start, you access Control Panel by tapping or clicking the Control Panel tile. From the desktop, you can display Control Panel by accessing the charms, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking Control Panel. Additionally, because File Explorer is pinned to the desktop taskbar by default you typically can access Control Panel on the desktop by following these steps:
1. Open File Explorer by tapping or clicking the taskbar icon.
2. Tap or click the leftmost option button (down arrow) in the address list.
3. Tap or click Control Panel.
Start and Desktop have a handy menu that you can display by pressing and holding or right-clicking the lower-left corner of the Start screen or the desktop. Options on the menu include Command Prompt, Command Prompt (Admin), Device Manager, Event Viewer, System, and Task Manager. On Start, the hidden button in the lower-left corner shows a thumbnail view of the desktop when activated, and tapping or clicking the thumbnail opens the desktop. On the desktop, the hidden button in the lower-left corner shows a thumbnail view of Start when activated and tapping or clicking the thumbnail opens Start. Pressing and holding or right-clicking the thumbnail is what displays the shortcut menu.
Shutdown and Restart are options of Power settings now. This means to shut down or restart a server, you follow these steps:
1. Display Start options by sliding in from the right side of the screen or moving the mouse pointer to the bottom right or upper right corner of the screen.
2. Tap or click Settings and then tap or click Power.
3. Tap or click Shut Down or Restart as appropriate.
Alternatively, press the server’s physical power button to initiate an orderly shutdown by logging off and then shutting down. If you are using a desktop-class system and the computer has a sleep button, the sleep button is disabled by default, as are closing the lid options for portable computers. Additionally, servers are con¬figured to turn off the display after 10 minutes of inactivity.
Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 support the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) 5.0 specification. Windows uses ACPI to control system and device power state transitions, putting devices in and out of full-power (working), low-power, and off states to reduce power consumption.
The power settings for a computer come from the active power plan. You can access power plans in Control Panel by tapping or clicking System And Security and then tapping or clicking Power Options. Windows Server 2012 includes the Power Configuration (Powercfg.exe) utility for managing power options from the command line. At a command prompt, you can view the configured power plans by typing powercfg /l. The active power plan is marked with an asterisk.
The default, active power plan in Windows Server 2012 is called Balanced. The Balanced plan is configured to do the following:
» Never turn off hard disks (as opposed to turning off hard disks after a speci¬fied amount of idle time)
» Disable timed events to wake the computer (as opposed to enabling wake on timed events)
» Enable USB selective suspend (as opposed to disabling selective suspend)
» Use moderate power savings for idle PCI Express links (as opposed to maxi¬mum power savings being on or off)
» Use active system cooling by increasing the fan speed before slowing proces¬sors (as opposed to using passive system cooling to slow the processors before increasing fan speed)
» Use minimum processor and maximum processor states if supported (as op¬posed to using a fixed state)
NOTE: Power consumption is an important issue, especially as organizations try to become more earth friendly. Saving power also can save your organization money and, in some cases, allow you to install more servers in your data centers. If you install Windows Server 2012 on a laptop—for testing or for your personal computer, for example—your power settings will be slightly different, and you’ll also have settings for when the laptop is running on battery.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
Windows Server 2012 is a 64-bit-only operating system. 64-bit systems designed for the x64 architecture as 64-bit systems. Because the various server editions support the same core features and administration tools.
When you install a Windows Server 2012 system, you configure the system according to its role on the network, as the following guidelines describe:
» Servers are generally assigned to be part of a workgroup or a domain.
» Workgroups are loose associations of computers in which each individual computer is managed separately.
» Domains are collections of computers you can manage collectively by means of domain controllers, which are Windows Server 2012 systems that manage access to the network, to the directory database, and to shared resources.
Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 family refer to all editions of Windows Server 2012. The various server editions support the same core features and administration tools.
Unlike Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012 uses a Start screen. Start is a window, not a menu. Programs can have tiles on the Start screen. Tapping or clicking a tile runs the program. When you press and hold or right-click on a program, an options panel normally is displayed. The charms bar is an options panel for Start, Desktop, and PC Settings. With a touch UI, you can display the charms by sliding in from the right side of the screen. With a mouse and keyboard, you can display the charms by moving the mouse pointer over the hidden button in the upper-right or lower-right corner of the Start, Desktop, or PC Settings screen; or by pressing Windows key+C.
Tap or click the Search charm to display the Search panel. Any text typed while on the Start screen is entered into the Search box in the Search panel. The Search box can be focused on Apps, Settings, or Files. When focused on Apps, you can use Search to quickly find installed programs. When focused on Settings, you can use Search to quickly find settings and options in Control Panel. When focused on Files, you can use Search to quickly find files.
One way to quickly open a program is by pressing the Windows key, typing the file name of the program, and then pressing Enter. This shortcut works as long as the Apps Search box is in focus (which it typically is by default).
Pressing the Windows key toggles between the Start screen and the desktop (or, if you are working with PC Settings, between Start and PC Settings). On Start, there’s a Desktop tile that you can tap or click to display the desktop. You also can display the desktop by pressing Windows key+D or, to peek at the desktop, press and hold Windows key+Comma. From Start, you access Control Panel by tapping or clicking the Control Panel tile. From the desktop, you can display Control Panel by accessing the charms, tapping or clicking Settings, and then tapping or clicking Control Panel. Additionally, because File Explorer is pinned to the desktop taskbar by default you typically can access Control Panel on the desktop by following these steps:
1. Open File Explorer by tapping or clicking the taskbar icon.
2. Tap or click the leftmost option button (down arrow) in the address list.
3. Tap or click Control Panel.
Start and Desktop have a handy menu that you can display by pressing and holding or right-clicking the lower-left corner of the Start screen or the desktop. Options on the menu include Command Prompt, Command Prompt (Admin), Device Manager, Event Viewer, System, and Task Manager. On Start, the hidden button in the lower-left corner shows a thumbnail view of the desktop when activated, and tapping or clicking the thumbnail opens the desktop. On the desktop, the hidden button in the lower-left corner shows a thumbnail view of Start when activated and tapping or clicking the thumbnail opens Start. Pressing and holding or right-clicking the thumbnail is what displays the shortcut menu.
Shutdown and Restart are options of Power settings now. This means to shut down or restart a server, you follow these steps:
1. Display Start options by sliding in from the right side of the screen or moving the mouse pointer to the bottom right or upper right corner of the screen.
2. Tap or click Settings and then tap or click Power.
3. Tap or click Shut Down or Restart as appropriate.
Alternatively, press the server’s physical power button to initiate an orderly shutdown by logging off and then shutting down. If you are using a desktop-class system and the computer has a sleep button, the sleep button is disabled by default, as are closing the lid options for portable computers. Additionally, servers are con¬figured to turn off the display after 10 minutes of inactivity.
Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 support the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) 5.0 specification. Windows uses ACPI to control system and device power state transitions, putting devices in and out of full-power (working), low-power, and off states to reduce power consumption.
The power settings for a computer come from the active power plan. You can access power plans in Control Panel by tapping or clicking System And Security and then tapping or clicking Power Options. Windows Server 2012 includes the Power Configuration (Powercfg.exe) utility for managing power options from the command line. At a command prompt, you can view the configured power plans by typing powercfg /l. The active power plan is marked with an asterisk.
The default, active power plan in Windows Server 2012 is called Balanced. The Balanced plan is configured to do the following:
» Never turn off hard disks (as opposed to turning off hard disks after a speci¬fied amount of idle time)
» Disable timed events to wake the computer (as opposed to enabling wake on timed events)
» Enable USB selective suspend (as opposed to disabling selective suspend)
» Use moderate power savings for idle PCI Express links (as opposed to maxi¬mum power savings being on or off)
» Use active system cooling by increasing the fan speed before slowing proces¬sors (as opposed to using passive system cooling to slow the processors before increasing fan speed)
» Use minimum processor and maximum processor states if supported (as op¬posed to using a fixed state)
NOTE: Power consumption is an important issue, especially as organizations try to become more earth friendly. Saving power also can save your organization money and, in some cases, allow you to install more servers in your data centers. If you install Windows Server 2012 on a laptop—for testing or for your personal computer, for example—your power settings will be slightly different, and you’ll also have settings for when the laptop is running on battery.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8
Before you deploy Windows Server 2012, you should carefully plan the server architecture. As part of your implementation planning, you need to look closely at the software configuration that will be used and modify the hardware configuration on a per-server basis to meet related requirements. For additional flexibility in server deployments, you can deploy servers using one of three installation types:
» Server With A GUI installation An installation option that provides full functionality—also referred to as a full-server installation. You can configure a server to have any allowed combination of roles, role services, and features, and a full user interface is provided for managing the server. This installation option provides the most dynamic solution and is recommended for deployments of Windows Server 2012 in which the server role might change over time.
» Server Core installation A minimal installation option that provides a fixed subset of roles but does not include the Server Graphical Shell, Microsoft Management Console, or Desktop Experience. You can configure a Server Core installation with a limited set of roles. A limited user interface is provided for managing the server, and most management is done locally at a command prompt or remotely using management tools. This installation option is ideally suited to situations in which you want to dedicate servers to a specific server role or combination of roles. Because additional functionality is not installed, the overhead caused by other services is reduced, providing more resources for the dedicated role or roles.
» Server With Minimal Interface installation An intermediate installation option where you perform a full-server installation and then remove the Server Graphical Shell. This leaves a minimal user interface, Microsoft Management Console, Server Manager, and a subset of Control Panel for local management. This installation option is ideally suited to situations in which you want to carefully control the tasks that can be performed on a server, as well as the roles and features installed, but still want the convenience of the graphical interface.
You choose the installation type during installation of the operating system. In a significant change from earlier releases of Windows Server, you can change the installation type once you’ve installed a server. A key difference between the installation types relates to the presence of the graphical management tools and the graphical shell. A Server Core installation has neither; a full-server installation has both; and a minimal-interface installation has only the graphical management tools.
Several server features and roles require the graphical shell. They include Fax Server, Remote Desktop Session Host, Windows Deployment Services, and the Internet Printing user interface. Additionally, in Event Viewer, the Details view requires the graphical shell, as does the graphical interface for Windows Firewall.
Like Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 has the following features:
» Modularization for language independence and disk imaging for hard¬ware independence Each component of the operating system is designed as an independent module you can easily add or remove. This functionality provides the basis for the configuration architecture in Windows Server 2012. Microsoft distributes Windows Server 2012 on media with Windows Imaging Format (WIM) disk images that use compression and single-instance storage to dramatically reduce the size of image files.
» Preinstallation and preboot environments The Windows Preinstallation Environment 4.0 (Windows PE 4.0) replaces MS-DOS as the preinstallation environment and provides a bootable startup environment for installation, deployment, recovery, and troubleshooting. The Windows Preboot Environ¬ment provides a startup environment with a boot manager that lets you choose which boot application to run to load the operating system. On sys-tems with multiple operating systems, you access pre–Windows 7 operating systems in the boot environment by using the legacy operating system entry.
» User account controls and elevation of privileges User Account Control (UAC) enhances computer security by ensuring true separation of standard user and administrator user accounts. Through UAC, all applications run using either standard user or administrator user privileges, and you see a security prompt by default whenever you run an application that requires administrator privileges. The way the security prompt works depends on Group Policy settings. Additionally, if you log on using the built-in Adminis¬trator account, you typically do not see elevation prompts.
In Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, features with common code bases have identical management interfaces. In fact, just about every Control Panel utility that is available in Windows Server 2012 is identical to or nearly identical to its Windows 8 counterpart. Of course, exceptions exist in some cases for standard default set¬tings. Because Windows Server 2012 does not use performance ratings, Windows servers do not have Windows Experience Index scores. Because Windows Server 2012 does not use Sleep or related states, Windows servers do not have sleep, hi¬bernate, or resume functionality. Because you typically do not want to use extended power management options on Windows servers, Windows Server 2012 has a limited set of power options.
Windows Server 2012 does not include the Windows Aero enhancements, Windows Sidebar, Windows Gadgets, or other user-interface enhancements because Windows
Server 2012 is designed to provide optimal performance for server-related tasks and is not designed for extensive personalization of the desktop appear¬ance. That said, when you are working with a full-server installation, you can add the Desktop Experience feature and then enable some Windows 8 features on your server.
The Desktop Experience provides Windows desktop functionality on the server. Windows features added include Windows Media Player, desktop themes, Video for Windows (AVI support), Windows Defender, Disk Cleanup, Sync Center, Sound Recorder, Character Map, and Snipping Tool. Although these features allow a server to be used like a desktop computer, they can reduce the server’s overall performance.
Because the common features of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 have so many similarities, I will not cover changes in the interface from previous operating system releases, discuss how UAC works, and so on. You can find extensive coverage of these features in Windows 8 Administration Pocket Consultant (Microsoft Press, 2012), which I encourage you to use in conjunction with this book. In addition to its coverage of broad administration tasks, Windows 8 Administration Pocket Consul¬tant examines how to customize the operating system and Windows environment, configure hardware and network devices, manage user access and global settings, configure laptops and mobile networking, use remote management and remote as¬sistance capabilities, troubleshoot system problems, and much more. This book, on the other hand, zeroes in on directory services administration, data administration, and network administration.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
» Server With A GUI installation An installation option that provides full functionality—also referred to as a full-server installation. You can configure a server to have any allowed combination of roles, role services, and features, and a full user interface is provided for managing the server. This installation option provides the most dynamic solution and is recommended for deployments of Windows Server 2012 in which the server role might change over time.
» Server Core installation A minimal installation option that provides a fixed subset of roles but does not include the Server Graphical Shell, Microsoft Management Console, or Desktop Experience. You can configure a Server Core installation with a limited set of roles. A limited user interface is provided for managing the server, and most management is done locally at a command prompt or remotely using management tools. This installation option is ideally suited to situations in which you want to dedicate servers to a specific server role or combination of roles. Because additional functionality is not installed, the overhead caused by other services is reduced, providing more resources for the dedicated role or roles.
» Server With Minimal Interface installation An intermediate installation option where you perform a full-server installation and then remove the Server Graphical Shell. This leaves a minimal user interface, Microsoft Management Console, Server Manager, and a subset of Control Panel for local management. This installation option is ideally suited to situations in which you want to carefully control the tasks that can be performed on a server, as well as the roles and features installed, but still want the convenience of the graphical interface.
You choose the installation type during installation of the operating system. In a significant change from earlier releases of Windows Server, you can change the installation type once you’ve installed a server. A key difference between the installation types relates to the presence of the graphical management tools and the graphical shell. A Server Core installation has neither; a full-server installation has both; and a minimal-interface installation has only the graphical management tools.
Several server features and roles require the graphical shell. They include Fax Server, Remote Desktop Session Host, Windows Deployment Services, and the Internet Printing user interface. Additionally, in Event Viewer, the Details view requires the graphical shell, as does the graphical interface for Windows Firewall.
Like Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 has the following features:
» Modularization for language independence and disk imaging for hard¬ware independence Each component of the operating system is designed as an independent module you can easily add or remove. This functionality provides the basis for the configuration architecture in Windows Server 2012. Microsoft distributes Windows Server 2012 on media with Windows Imaging Format (WIM) disk images that use compression and single-instance storage to dramatically reduce the size of image files.
» Preinstallation and preboot environments The Windows Preinstallation Environment 4.0 (Windows PE 4.0) replaces MS-DOS as the preinstallation environment and provides a bootable startup environment for installation, deployment, recovery, and troubleshooting. The Windows Preboot Environ¬ment provides a startup environment with a boot manager that lets you choose which boot application to run to load the operating system. On sys-tems with multiple operating systems, you access pre–Windows 7 operating systems in the boot environment by using the legacy operating system entry.
» User account controls and elevation of privileges User Account Control (UAC) enhances computer security by ensuring true separation of standard user and administrator user accounts. Through UAC, all applications run using either standard user or administrator user privileges, and you see a security prompt by default whenever you run an application that requires administrator privileges. The way the security prompt works depends on Group Policy settings. Additionally, if you log on using the built-in Adminis¬trator account, you typically do not see elevation prompts.
In Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, features with common code bases have identical management interfaces. In fact, just about every Control Panel utility that is available in Windows Server 2012 is identical to or nearly identical to its Windows 8 counterpart. Of course, exceptions exist in some cases for standard default set¬tings. Because Windows Server 2012 does not use performance ratings, Windows servers do not have Windows Experience Index scores. Because Windows Server 2012 does not use Sleep or related states, Windows servers do not have sleep, hi¬bernate, or resume functionality. Because you typically do not want to use extended power management options on Windows servers, Windows Server 2012 has a limited set of power options.
Windows Server 2012 does not include the Windows Aero enhancements, Windows Sidebar, Windows Gadgets, or other user-interface enhancements because Windows
Server 2012 is designed to provide optimal performance for server-related tasks and is not designed for extensive personalization of the desktop appear¬ance. That said, when you are working with a full-server installation, you can add the Desktop Experience feature and then enable some Windows 8 features on your server.
The Desktop Experience provides Windows desktop functionality on the server. Windows features added include Windows Media Player, desktop themes, Video for Windows (AVI support), Windows Defender, Disk Cleanup, Sync Center, Sound Recorder, Character Map, and Snipping Tool. Although these features allow a server to be used like a desktop computer, they can reduce the server’s overall performance.
Because the common features of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 have so many similarities, I will not cover changes in the interface from previous operating system releases, discuss how UAC works, and so on. You can find extensive coverage of these features in Windows 8 Administration Pocket Consultant (Microsoft Press, 2012), which I encourage you to use in conjunction with this book. In addition to its coverage of broad administration tasks, Windows 8 Administration Pocket Consul¬tant examines how to customize the operating system and Windows environment, configure hardware and network devices, manage user access and global settings, configure laptops and mobile networking, use remote management and remote as¬sistance capabilities, troubleshoot system problems, and much more. This book, on the other hand, zeroes in on directory services administration, data administration, and network administration.
Source of Information : Windows Server 2012 Pocket Consultant 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft, the incumbent in the application development and deployment market, has taken its .Net platform into the cloud. Azure is Microsoft’s PaaS strategy that was announced in 2008. Microsoft defines the Azure platform as “an Internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers, which provides an operating system and a set of developer services that can be used individually or together.”
Microsoft’s overall strategy is a combination of on-premise computing with cloud-based services. The idea is that developers want to build some applications that live on-site, while other components will live in the cloud. Microsoft calls this strategy software plus services. The heart of Microsoft’s strategy is to allow developers to use the same underlying technology and enablers to build both on-premise applications and cloud applications.
While the main focus of the Azure platform is to bring Microsoft’s familiar programming model to the cloud, Microsoft also intends to support other programming models, including Ruby on Rails and Python. For interoperability, Microsoft supports various Internet protocols, including HTTP, REST, SOAP, and XML.
Azure platform
The Azure platform is composed of four different components:
✓ Windows Azure: This Windows environment runs applications locally and stores the related data on servers inside the Microsoft data center.
✓ Microsoft .NET Services: These are the same .Net services that Microsoft has in its Windows environment. It has been extended to support cloud-based as well as on-premise applications.
✓ Microsoft SQL Services: These are the same data services Microsoft offers on premise that have been extended to the cloud. However, if you want to take advantage of Azure’s scaling capability, you must rewrite the SQL code. The goal of SQL services is to provide an asset of cloudbased approaches for storing the data in the cloud. The data services expose both SOAP and REST interfaces as data access methods. For data storage, Azure doesn’t use a relational model.
✓ Live Services: This set of services allows developers to connect code developed in the Windows Live platform into the cloud. These services include a framework intended to integrate, connect, and synchronize code. The platform also includes support for different programming languages and allows all resources to include a URL address.
When you put the pieces together, Microsoft has created a platform that allows developers to use familiar tools such as Microsoft’s Visual Studio and .Net services and then store the data in a Microsoft-owned cloud platform. Therefore, developers familiar with building .Net applications will be comfortable with Microsoft’s cloud approach.
Like Google, Microsoft has a pay-as-you-go consumption model for its PaaS offering. And like Google, Microsoft doesn’t charge for development and testing phases. It begins charging customers when the applications are deployed.
Azure fees
The following is a list of the pricing Microsoft has released:
Windows Azure:
✓ Compute at $0.12 per hour
✓ Storage at $0.15 per GB stored
✓ Storage transactions at $0.01 per 10K
SQL Azure:
✓ Web Edition: Up to 1GB relational database at $9.99
✓ Business Edition: Up to 10GB relational database at $99.99
.NET Services:
✓ Messages at $0.15 per 100K message operations (including Service Bus messages and Access Control tokens)\
✓ Bandwidth across all three services will be charged at $0.10 in and $0.15 out per GB
Source of Information : cloud computing for dummies 2010 retail ebook distribution
Microsoft’s overall strategy is a combination of on-premise computing with cloud-based services. The idea is that developers want to build some applications that live on-site, while other components will live in the cloud. Microsoft calls this strategy software plus services. The heart of Microsoft’s strategy is to allow developers to use the same underlying technology and enablers to build both on-premise applications and cloud applications.
While the main focus of the Azure platform is to bring Microsoft’s familiar programming model to the cloud, Microsoft also intends to support other programming models, including Ruby on Rails and Python. For interoperability, Microsoft supports various Internet protocols, including HTTP, REST, SOAP, and XML.
Azure platform
The Azure platform is composed of four different components:
✓ Windows Azure: This Windows environment runs applications locally and stores the related data on servers inside the Microsoft data center.
✓ Microsoft .NET Services: These are the same .Net services that Microsoft has in its Windows environment. It has been extended to support cloud-based as well as on-premise applications.
✓ Microsoft SQL Services: These are the same data services Microsoft offers on premise that have been extended to the cloud. However, if you want to take advantage of Azure’s scaling capability, you must rewrite the SQL code. The goal of SQL services is to provide an asset of cloudbased approaches for storing the data in the cloud. The data services expose both SOAP and REST interfaces as data access methods. For data storage, Azure doesn’t use a relational model.
✓ Live Services: This set of services allows developers to connect code developed in the Windows Live platform into the cloud. These services include a framework intended to integrate, connect, and synchronize code. The platform also includes support for different programming languages and allows all resources to include a URL address.
When you put the pieces together, Microsoft has created a platform that allows developers to use familiar tools such as Microsoft’s Visual Studio and .Net services and then store the data in a Microsoft-owned cloud platform. Therefore, developers familiar with building .Net applications will be comfortable with Microsoft’s cloud approach.
Like Google, Microsoft has a pay-as-you-go consumption model for its PaaS offering. And like Google, Microsoft doesn’t charge for development and testing phases. It begins charging customers when the applications are deployed.
Azure fees
The following is a list of the pricing Microsoft has released:
Windows Azure:
✓ Compute at $0.12 per hour
✓ Storage at $0.15 per GB stored
✓ Storage transactions at $0.01 per 10K
SQL Azure:
✓ Web Edition: Up to 1GB relational database at $9.99
✓ Business Edition: Up to 10GB relational database at $99.99
.NET Services:
✓ Messages at $0.15 per 100K message operations (including Service Bus messages and Access Control tokens)\
✓ Bandwidth across all three services will be charged at $0.10 in and $0.15 out per GB
Source of Information : cloud computing for dummies 2010 retail ebook distribution
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Google App Engine
When you visit the Google App Engine Web site at http://code.google.com/appengine, you will notice four phrases:
✓ No assembly is required.
✓ Google App Engine exposes a fully integrated development environment.
✓ It’s easy to scale.
✓ It’s free to get started.
That really sums up Google’s strategy for PaaS. Google isn’t trying to help customers create every application to run on every platform. It is actually quite focused, helping customers build Web-based applications. The platform is for development and deployment.
In essence, the developer provides the Google App Engine with a URL (Web address) for the application it’s building and the engine maps that code to Google’s development platform. The App Engine handles the Web application lifecycle, including routine tasks such as request logs, checking the application status, updating the application version, operating the underlying database, and handling workflow.
Google has integrated all the development tools into a single integrated environment. When customers tie their development into the lifecycle environment provided by Google, they also gain access to Google’s IaaS. In this way, customers can add more capacity on demand.
Other Google infrastructure services
In addition to development services, Google also provides other integrated platform services, including but not limited to the following:
✓ Google Accounts for authentication
✓ Google native file system called GFS (Google File System)
✓ BigTable platform (for data management), a distributed storage system that manages very large-scale structured data
It also includes infrastructure services such as
✓ Load balancing
✓ Persistent storage with queries
✓ Sorting and transactions
✓ Programming interfaces to support authenticating users and sending email by using Google Accounts
✓ Scheduled tasks for triggering events at specified times and regular intervals
This is essentially the same platform that Google uses to build its own software.
Google development stack
In addition to these infrastructure tools, Google App Engine also includes a development stack. Google calls this a scalable serving infrastructure that connects the Web application code to the Google environment.
It does this by integrating with the following tools:
✓ Python runtime: To create an application for the platform requires a programming language. The first one that Google supported was Python, a high-level programming language that makes it easier to rapidly build complex applications with minimal programming. Python includes models and packages and supports code reuse.
✓ Java runtime: Google added Java as a second supported programming language platform. This runtime is integrated with Google’s toolkits and is intended to be used for AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) or interactive Web applications.
✓ A Software Development Kit (SDK): This set of development tools enables developers to write application code.
✓ A Web-based administration console: The console helps developers manage their applications.
✓ Datastore: A datastore is a software layer that stores a Web application’s data. It is built on the Bigtable (a high-performance database) structure.
Google fees
Google has set up Google App Engine to encourage its wide adoption. As with other cloud platforms, customers pay based on usage, so there’s no set-up cost or other maintenance fees. For example, there is no charge for a developer to build an application. After a customer deploys that application, however, the charges begin to add up. The customer pays for storage and bandwidth. Each of these applications can use up to 500MB of storage, up to 5 million page views each month without an additional fee. A customer is allowed to register up to ten applications per developer account. When developers create an application, they’re granted a quota of resource that they can use without paying anything. This includes 6.5 hours of CPU time per day and 1 gigabyte of data transferred in and out of the application per day.
When additional resources are required, costs are as follows:
✓ $0.10–$0.12 per CPU core-hour
✓ $0.15– $0.18 per GB per month of storage
✓ $0.11– $0.13 per GB outgoing bandwidth
✓ $0.09– $0.11 per GB incoming bandwidth
✓ $0.15 per GB per month for stored data
✓ $0.0001 per recipients emailed
Source of Information : cloud computing for dummies 2010 retail ebook distribution
✓ No assembly is required.
✓ Google App Engine exposes a fully integrated development environment.
✓ It’s easy to scale.
✓ It’s free to get started.
That really sums up Google’s strategy for PaaS. Google isn’t trying to help customers create every application to run on every platform. It is actually quite focused, helping customers build Web-based applications. The platform is for development and deployment.
In essence, the developer provides the Google App Engine with a URL (Web address) for the application it’s building and the engine maps that code to Google’s development platform. The App Engine handles the Web application lifecycle, including routine tasks such as request logs, checking the application status, updating the application version, operating the underlying database, and handling workflow.
Google has integrated all the development tools into a single integrated environment. When customers tie their development into the lifecycle environment provided by Google, they also gain access to Google’s IaaS. In this way, customers can add more capacity on demand.
Other Google infrastructure services
In addition to development services, Google also provides other integrated platform services, including but not limited to the following:
✓ Google Accounts for authentication
✓ Google native file system called GFS (Google File System)
✓ BigTable platform (for data management), a distributed storage system that manages very large-scale structured data
It also includes infrastructure services such as
✓ Load balancing
✓ Persistent storage with queries
✓ Sorting and transactions
✓ Programming interfaces to support authenticating users and sending email by using Google Accounts
✓ Scheduled tasks for triggering events at specified times and regular intervals
This is essentially the same platform that Google uses to build its own software.
Google development stack
In addition to these infrastructure tools, Google App Engine also includes a development stack. Google calls this a scalable serving infrastructure that connects the Web application code to the Google environment.
It does this by integrating with the following tools:
✓ Python runtime: To create an application for the platform requires a programming language. The first one that Google supported was Python, a high-level programming language that makes it easier to rapidly build complex applications with minimal programming. Python includes models and packages and supports code reuse.
✓ Java runtime: Google added Java as a second supported programming language platform. This runtime is integrated with Google’s toolkits and is intended to be used for AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) or interactive Web applications.
✓ A Software Development Kit (SDK): This set of development tools enables developers to write application code.
✓ A Web-based administration console: The console helps developers manage their applications.
✓ Datastore: A datastore is a software layer that stores a Web application’s data. It is built on the Bigtable (a high-performance database) structure.
Google fees
Google has set up Google App Engine to encourage its wide adoption. As with other cloud platforms, customers pay based on usage, so there’s no set-up cost or other maintenance fees. For example, there is no charge for a developer to build an application. After a customer deploys that application, however, the charges begin to add up. The customer pays for storage and bandwidth. Each of these applications can use up to 500MB of storage, up to 5 million page views each month without an additional fee. A customer is allowed to register up to ten applications per developer account. When developers create an application, they’re granted a quota of resource that they can use without paying anything. This includes 6.5 hours of CPU time per day and 1 gigabyte of data transferred in and out of the application per day.
When additional resources are required, costs are as follows:
✓ $0.10–$0.12 per CPU core-hour
✓ $0.15– $0.18 per GB per month of storage
✓ $0.11– $0.13 per GB outgoing bandwidth
✓ $0.09– $0.11 per GB incoming bandwidth
✓ $0.15 per GB per month for stored data
✓ $0.0001 per recipients emailed
Source of Information : cloud computing for dummies 2010 retail ebook distribution
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Applications of 4G
The following are some of the applications of the 4G system:
● Virtual presence: 4G will provide user services at all times, even if the user is off-site.
● Virtual navigation: 4G will provide users with virtual navigation through which a user can access a database of streets, buildings, etc., of a large city. This requires high-speed transmission.
● Tele-medicine: 4G will support the remote health monitoring of patients via video conference assistance for a doctor anytime and anywhere.
● Tele-geo-processing applications: 4G will combine geographical information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) in which a user will get location querying.
● Education: 4G will provide a good opportunity to people anywhere in the world to continue their education on-line in a cost-effective manner.
Source of Information : Elsevier Wireless Networking Complete 2010
● Virtual presence: 4G will provide user services at all times, even if the user is off-site.
● Virtual navigation: 4G will provide users with virtual navigation through which a user can access a database of streets, buildings, etc., of a large city. This requires high-speed transmission.
● Tele-medicine: 4G will support the remote health monitoring of patients via video conference assistance for a doctor anytime and anywhere.
● Tele-geo-processing applications: 4G will combine geographical information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) in which a user will get location querying.
● Education: 4G will provide a good opportunity to people anywhere in the world to continue their education on-line in a cost-effective manner.
Source of Information : Elsevier Wireless Networking Complete 2010
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