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Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’

Windows 8 : Hyper-V Replicacao Nativa : Hyper-V Server -> Hyper-V Server

Como ja foi anunciado aqui no Teched Australia, pelo Ben Armstrong : ja esta confirmado que o Hyper-V Windows 8 vem com a funcao REPLICA, nativo. Nao e’ uma feature do Hyper-v que voce vai adicionar, ele vai vir como funcao nativa do novo Hyper-V. voce nao precisa fazer nada para instalar essa funcao.

Isso vai abrir a possibilidade de voce poder ter um servidor na fillial, replicando para o servidor na matriz ou ainda, voce vai poder criar o seu cenario de disaster recovery com uma funcao nativa no novo Hyper-V, por exemplo replicando as VM’s para um outro datacenter, sem precisar de mais nada. Isso mesmo: voce so vai precisar de 2 servidores rodando Hyper-V conectados ate mesmo pela internet.

Este cenario abre uma gama de possibilidades para Disaster Recovery, Replicacao de Informacao e o melhor de tudo sem voce precisar investir em nada mais.

A Microsoft vai falar mais sobre o assunto durante o Microsoft Build em 2 semanas. Vamos aguardar!

 

 

Hyper-V R2 cluster: Maximo numero de VM’s por nó

Planeje recursos o suficiente para permitir que um pelo menos 1(um) nó seja reservado para failover, o que significa que ele permanecerá ocioso até que outro nó receba o failover para ele. (nó passivo)

Minha recomendacao : reserve 2 nós como passivos. Não há uma taxa ou um multiplicador de nós reservados recomendados para nós ativos. A única exigência específica é que o número total de nós em um cluster não pode exceder o máximo de 16.

Vários fatores podem afetar o número real de máquinas virtuais que podem ser executadas ao mesmo tempo em um nó, como:

  • Uma quantidade de memória física sendo usada por cada máquina virtual.
  • Largura de banda de armazenamento e rede.
  • Número de eixos de disco, o que afeta o desempenho de E/S do disco

Note que a alta desidade de VM’ em um cluster Hyper-V R2 requer uma capacidade alta de IO capability no Storage. Este sim pode ser o fator limitante.

Numero de Nós no Cluster Media de VM’s por nó Max # VMs no Cluster
2 Nodes (1 active + 1 failover) 384 384
3 Nodes (2 active + 1 failover) 384 768
4 Nodes (3 active + 1 failover) 333 1000
5 Nodes (4 active + 1 failover) 250 1000
6 Nodes (5 active + 1 failover) 200 1000
7 Nodes (6 active + 1 failover) 166 1000
8 Nodes (7 active + 1 failover) 142 1000
9 Nodes (8 active + 1 failover) 125 1000
10 Nodes (9 active + 1 failover) 111 1000
11 Nodes (10 active + 1 failover) 100 1000
12 Nodes (11 active + 1 failover) 90 1000
13 Nodes (12 active + 1 failover) 83 1000
14 Nodes (13 active + 1 failover) 76 1000
15 Nodes (14 active + 1 failover) 71 1000
16 Nodes (15 active + 1 failover) 66 1000

Embora a

Hyper-V : Como bloquear comunicacao entre VM’s utilizando script

O seguinte Script, demonstrado por Vijay Tewari e Taylor Brown no Teched US,  mostra como um Administrador de Hyper-V pode fazer para uma Maquina Virtual se comunicar somente com determinados Hosts, utilizando uma lista previa de enderecos de IP:

Atencao :

– Este script deve ser executado no Host Hyper-V e nao na VM.
– Somente funciona com W2008R2 Hyper-V SP1

#Single NIC Enable
$VmName = “Nome-da-Maquina-Virtual”
$Msvm_ComputerSystem = (Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\virtualization -Class Msvm_ComputerSystem -Filter “ElementName=’$VmName'”)

#Retreve the Msvm_VirtualSystemSettingData associated with this VM – there will be one per VM
$Msvm_VirtualSystemSettingData = ($Msvm_ComputerSystem.GetRelated(“Msvm_VirtualSystemSettingData”) | % {$_})

#Retreve the Msvm_SyntheticEthernetPortSettingData associated with this VM – there will be one per Sytehetic Adapater
$Msvm_SyntheticEthernetPortSettingDataCollection = $Msvm_VirtualSystemSettingData.GetRelated(“Msvm_SyntheticEthernetPortSettingData”)

#Retreve the Msvm_SwitchPort associated with the Msvm_SyntheticEthernetPort – there will be one per Sytehetic Adapater
$Msvm_SwitchPort = $Msvm_SyntheticEthernetPortSettingDataCollection | % {[WMI]($_.Connection| % {$_})}

#Enabled PreventIPSpoofing
$Msvm_SwitchPort.PreventIPSpoofing = $true

#Provide an array of allowed IPv4Addresses or leave null if only using IPv6$Msvm_SwitchPort.AllowedIPv4Addresses = (, “192.168.0.10”)

#Provide an array of allowed IPv6Addresses or leave null if only using IPv4$Msvm_SwitchPort.AllowedIPv6Addresses = (, “fd80:b637:9f0c:2c60::a”)

#Commit the changes
$Msvm_SwitchPort.Put()

Mais info :

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/taylorb/archive/2010/06/14/teched-2010.aspx

Hyper-V : Microsoft estende suporte a CentOS 5.2 a 5.6

A Microsoft anunciou oficialmente que o Windows 2008 R2 Hyper-V tem suporte a CentOS. Com isso a Microsoft aumenta a gama de versoes linux oficialmente suportadas e estende a interoperabilidade para a comunidade Linux.

A partir de agora, se durante a instalacao/execucao de uma maquina virtual executando CentOS voce encontrar alguma problema, voce podera ligar para o supporte Microsoft( CSS )

Versoes do CentOS : 5.2 a 5.6

Para obter a versao atualizada do Linux Integration Services : Microsoft Download Center : http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=eee39325-898b-4522-9b4c-f4b5b9b64551

Para saber mais :http://blogs.technet.com/b/openness/archive/2011/05/15/expanding-interoperability-to-community-linux.aspx

Hyper-V. Lista de Sistema Operacionais suportados como “guests”. Atualizado em Maio 2011

 

A tabela abaixo, lista os Sistemas Operacionais que sao suportados como “guests virtual machine”

Server guest operating system Edicao  Processadores Virtuais
Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web editions 1, 2, ou 4
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Windows Web Server 2008 R2 1, 2, or 4
Windows Server 2008 Standard, Standard without Hyper-V, Enterprise, Enterprise without Hyper-V, Datacenter, Datacenter without Hyper-V, Windows Web Server 2008, and HPC Edition 1, 2, or 4
Windows Server 2003 R2 with Service Pack 2 Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web 1 or 2
Windows Home Server 2011 Standard 1
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials 1
Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials 1 or 2
Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard 1, 2, or 4
Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Edition with Service Pack 2 Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter 1 or 2
Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web 1 or 2
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition with Service Pack 2 Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter 1 or 2
     
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.6 x86 edition and x64 edition 1, 2, or 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 x86 edition and x64 edition 1, 2, or 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4 x86 edition and x64 edition 1, 2, or 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 x86 edition and x64 edition 1, 2, or 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2 x86 edition and x64 edition 1, 2, or 4
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 with Service Pack 1 x86 edition and x64 edition 1, 2, or 4
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 with Service Pack 4 x86 edition and x64 edition 1, 2, or 4

 Nota: O supporte ao Windows 2000 Server e Windows XP Service Pack 2 (x86) encerrrou em 13/07/2010

Source : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794868(WS.10).aspx

Eu uso Vmware. O que devo saber sobre virtualização Microsoft?

Recentemente, a Microsoft publicou uma série de vídeos que fornecem informações técnicas e gerenciais para profissionais que trabalham com virtualização VMware e desejam saber como funciona a solução de virtualização Microsoft.

Interessado? Veja a aqui a lista:

 
Conheça a solução de virtualização Microsoft, do desktop ao datacenter  
Visão geral de Virtualização  
Introdução ao Hyper-V  
Por Que a Virtualização é Mais Que Virtualização de Servidor  
Semana do Windows Server 2008 : Virtualização de Servidores com o Hyper-V – Recursos e Arquitetura  
Visão geral de Virtualização | TechNet Edge  
Derrubando os 10 Maiores Mitos de Virtualização da VMware  
Gerencie os ambientes virtuais Microsoft e Vmware com o SCVMM 2008  
How to Import VMware Templates (em inglês)  
A virtualização da Microsoft fornece mais recursos e melhor valor do que o Vmware  
Gerenciamento de datacenter com System Center  
How Do I: Use Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008? (em inglês)  
Rádio TechNet: Como Gerenciar um Ambiente Virtualizado Hoje e no Futuro  
Manual de Virtualização de Servidores – Guia de Histórias Reais  
Guia dos Revisores – Virtualização de Servidores  
Plano de capacitação e treinamento para profissionais de TI em Virtualização  
Conheça casos de sucesso no Brasil com as soluções de virtualização Microsoft  
 
Explore os Recursos
  “Como funciona? Vai funcionar no meu ambiente?”
 
Como reduzir o TCO com projetos de consolidação de servidores | TechNet Edge  
Videos do TechCenter de Virtualização sobre SUSE  
Virtualized RHEL 5 on Hyper-V v2 (em inglês)  
Virtualized Ubuntu 9.10 on Hyper-V v2 (em inglês)  
Virtualized SLES 10.2 on Hyper-V v2 (em inglês)  
How Do I: Configure the Virtual machine Manager 2008 self service portal to enable users to create their own virtual machines? (em inglês)  
Hyper-V : Visão geral  
TechCenter de Virtualização  
TechCenter de System Center Virtual Machine Manager  
Conheça os Aceleradores de Solução  
Virtualizando e Gerenciando Servidores com Hyper-V e Virtual Machine Manager  
Hyper-V e Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008: Dicas, Truques e Melhores Práticas  
Migração de infraestrutura com o Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP)  
Acelere Seus Projetos de Virtualização com Aceleradores de Soluções Microsoft  
Windows Server 2008 R2: Reduzindo o Custo de TI com Virtualização  
Rodando Linux no Hyper-V  
 
Implante
  Conheça as melhores práticas e recursos para minimizar seu risco, cenários críticos de virtualização, segurança e alta disponibilidade
 
Consolidação da servidores usando virtualização e gerenciamento baseado em políticas  
How Do I: Configure a Cluster Shared Volume to support Live Migration with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Hyper-V? (em inglês)  
How Do I: Implement Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V High Availability and Quick Migration? (em inglês)  
How Do I: Build a highly available virtualization cluster with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Hyper-V? (em inglês)  
How Do I: Use the Microsoft Assessment and Planning toolkit to identify servers suitable for virtualization with Hyper-V? (em inglês)  
Virtualização de Produtos e Tecnologias Microsoft® SharePoint  
Virtualização de Exchange  
Cargas de Trabalho de Alto Desempenho do SQL Server no Hyper-V  
Guia de Segurança do Hyper-V  
Proteja seu ambiente de servidores virtualizados com o Guia de Segurança do Hyper-V  
Webcast TechNet: Práticas de Segurança Recomendadas para Hyper-V e Virtualização de Servidores  
Instalando o Forefront Client Security Na Organização Usando Virtualização  
Alta disponibilidade com Hyper-V  
Alta Disponibilidade com o Hyper-V do Windows Server 2008 R2  
Soluções Microsoft para Recuperação de desastres entre Locais Geograficamente Dispersos  
Virtualização e Segurança: O Que Isso Significa Para Mim?  
TechNet Webcast: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)  
 
Gerencie
  Otimize a infraestrutura para atender as necessidades de mudança dos negócios
 
TechEd EMEA 2009: Demo of using SCSM, SCOM, SCVMM to Manage LOB Apps | TechNet Edge (em inglês)  
Soluções de Recuperação de desastres entre sites  
Conhecendo o Microsoft Offiline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool  
System Center Service Manager: Visão Geral  
Data Warehouse and Reporting in System Center Service Manager 2010  
Extending and Customizing System Center Service Manager 2010  
Integration of System Center Service Manager 2010 with Other System Center Products  
System Center Service Manager 2010 Incident and Change Management  
Data Protection Manager 2010: Technical Introduction to DPM 2010  
System Center Service Manager 2010 Setup and Deployment  
Webcast Arquitetura: Cloud Computing – IT Architects: Computação na nuvem, o que significa isto para minha realidade ?  
TechNet Webcast: Movendo o Exchange, Sharepoint, Office Communications Server e LiveMeeting para a nuvem  
Computação na Nuvem para ITPro’s (Parte 1/3) | TechNet Edge  
Computação na Nuvem para ITPro’s (Parte 2/3) | TechNet Edge  
Computação na Nuvem para ITPro’s (Parte 3/3) | TechNet Edge  
Entrevista com Waldemir Cambiucci: O que é o Windows Azure | TechNet Edge

Source : http://technet.microsoft.com/pt-br/gg578609

Virtualzacao Microsoft para Profissionais VMware : Curso Gratis com 2 dos mais renomados profissionais da Microsoft

A Microsoft Learning esta lancando um curso exclusivo curso GRATUITO de 2 dias especialmente desenvolvido para IT PRO’s com expertise em VMWare ou Virtualizacao Microsoft.

Nao perca essa chance unica, que acontecera de 29 a 31 de Marco de 2011 de 10am a 4pm PDT

Registre-se agora!

  • Day 1 will focus on “Platform” (Hyper-V, virtualization architecture, high availability & clustering)  
    • 10:00am– 10:30pm PDT:  Virtualization 360 Overview
    • 10:30am– 12:00pm:  Microsoft Hyper-V Deployment Options & Architecture
    • 1:00pm–   2:00pm:  Differentiating Microsoft and VMware (terminology,etc.)
    • 2:00pm–   4:00pm:  High Availability & Clustering
  • Day 2 will focus on “Management” (System Center Suite, SCVMM 2012 Beta, Opalis, Private Cloud solutions)  
    • 10:00am – 11:00pm PDT:  System Center
      Suite Overview w/ focus on DPM
    • 11:00am – 12:00pm:  Virtual Machine
      Manager 2012 | Part 1
    • 1:00pm –   1:30pm:  Virtual
      Machine Manager 2012 | Part 2
    • 1:30pm –   2:30pm:
      Automation with System Center Opalis & PowerShell
    • 2:30pm–   4:00pm:  Private Cloud Solutions, Architecture & VMM SSP 2.0
  • Day 3 will focus on “VDI” (VDI Infrastructure/architecture, v-Alliance, application delivery via VDI)  
    • 10:00am – 11:00pm PDT:  Virtual
      Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 1
    • 11:00am – 12:00pm:  Virtual Desktop
      Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 2
    • 1:00pm –   2:30pm:
      v-Alliance Solution Overview
    • 2:30pm–   4:00pm:  Application Delivery for VDI
  • Powershell para identificar em qual host a VM(guest) esta hospedada quando conectado via RDP

    O Ben Armstrong, Virtualization Program Manager da Microsoft, ja havia demonstrado como fazer para identificar em qual host a sua maquina virtual esta fisicamente hospedada, usando VB script

    Agora, ele publicou um artigo demonstrando como se faz, usando powershell:

    Para pegar o nome do host fisico, execute o seguinte comando powershell, quando logado na maquina virtual:

    (Get-ItemProperty –path “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest\Parameters”).PhysicalHostName

    Voce pode tambem obter o nome completo do host ( FQDN ), executando o seguinte comando:

    (Get-ItemProperty –path “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest\Parameters”).PhysicalHostNameFullyQualified

    Para obter o nome da maquina virtual, execute :

    (Get-ItemProperty –path “HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest\Parameters”).VirtualMachineName

    Os comandos acima funcionam com : Hyper-V, Virtual Server and Virtual PC.

    Para ler o post original  : http://blogs.msdn.com/b/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2011/01/07/what-physical-computer-am-i-on.aspx

    Para ver a versao em VB script : http://blogs.msdn.com/b/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2005/01/24/359650.aspx

    Conhecendo a nova versao do SQL Server : Denali

    Esta semana fiz o download da versao CTP do novo SQL Server codename DENALI

    Tres novas features me chamaram atencao nessa nova versao :

    1. High Availability e Disaster Recovery, que vem com o conceito de Availability Groups. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff877884(v=SQL.110).aspx

    2. Apollo : Column-based Query Accelerator. A Microsoft promete um aumento de 10 vezes em query performance. http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/C/1/8C1CE06B-DE2F-40D1-9C5C-3EE521C25CE9/Columnstore%20Indexes%20for%20Fast%20DW%20QP%20SQL%20Server%2011.pdf

    3. Sequences. FINALMENTE!!! agora nao precisamos mais criar tabelas para campos de incremento ou mesmo usar campos identity. Veja aqui um exemplo de como usar o novo Sequence:

    CREATE SEQUENCE GlobalCounter
    AS INT
    MINVALUE 1
    NO MAXVALUE
    START WITH 1;
    GO

    Para incrementar basta simplemente executar:

    SELECT NEXT VALUE FOR GlobalCounter

    Assim, voce pode criar uma tabele e em vez do famigerado Identity, voce usa :

    CREATE TABLE Teste (id INT DEFAULT NEXT VALUE FOR GlobalCounter, Data datetime )

    E para adicionar valor a nova tabela :

    INSERT Teste VALUES(NEXT VALUE FOR GlobalCounter, getdate())

    Neste link voce vai encontrar mais informacoes, sobre a nova versao :
    http://msdn.microsoft.com/pt-br/library/ms166349(v=sql.110).aspx#bkmk_GetStarted

    A versao CTP esta disponivel desde Novembro de 2010, neste link http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=6a04f16f-f6be-4f92-9c92-f7e5677d91f9

    Que tal ganhar uma copia do Windows 7 Ultimate ? Melhor historia sobre Windows 7. Veja aqui as regras…

    Microsoft is giving away a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate to the ten (10) best Windows stories from IT Professionals. Stories can be related to how Windows 7 saved your company money, solving your application compatibility issues, deployment, management of your installations, and virtually anything else. The more compelling your story, the better chance you have to win.

    OFFICIAL RULES

    PLEASE NOTE: It is your sole responsibility to review and understand your employer’s policies regarding your eligibility to participate in trade promotions. If you are participating in violation of your employer’s policies, you may be disqualified from entering or receiving prizes. Microsoft disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for disputes arising between an employee and their employer related to this matter, and prizes will only be awarded in compliance with the employer’s policies.

    GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: Microsoft is committed to complying with government gift and ethics rules and therefore government employees are not eligible.

    This Contest is hosted in the United States, and entry information is collected on computers in the United States. This Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Contest. If you do not agree with this provision and these Official Rules, please do not enter this Contest.

    COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

    These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft Best Windows Story contest promotion will operate (“Contest”). In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation, the sponsor of this Contest. “You” refers to an eligible Contest entrant.

    CONTEST DESCRIPTION:

    This is a skill-based Contest.

    The object of this Contest is to recognize your story about how implementing Windows 7 has helped your business. Stories can describe how Windows 7 saved your company money, solved for application compatibility issues, helped with deployment or management of your installations, or virtually anything else. For purposes of this Contest, each “story” you submit will be called an entry. All eligible entries received will be judged using the criteria described below to determine the winners of the prizes described below.

    WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

    This Contest starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on December 15, 2010 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on January 31, 2011 (“Entry Period”).

    CAN I ENTER?

    You are eligible to enter this Contest if you meet the following requirements at time entry:

    You are an IT Professional 18 years of age or older whose business has previously deployed Windows 7; and
    If you are 18 of age or older, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry into this Contest; and
    You are NOT a resident of any of the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
    PLEASE NOTE: U.S. export regulations prohibit the export of goods and services to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. Therefore residents of these countries / regions are not eligible to participate.
    You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
    You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest; and
    You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest.
    This Contest is void outside the geographic area described above and wherever else prohibited by law.

    WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBLE ENTRY?

    To be eligible for judging an entry must meet the following content / technical requirements:

    Story must be no more than 2 double spaced pages with normal margins.
    Story must be about how your business was helped by implementing Windows 7 or migrating to Windows 7 from Windows XP or Windows Vista.
    Story must be written and submitted in English
    Story must be submitted in .doc or .docx format to WinStory@microsoft.com no later than January 31, 2011 at midnight Pacific time.
    In addition:

    your entry must be your own original work; and
    your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
    you must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
    your entry must not otherwise violate the rights of any other person or company by using their trademarks, music, logos, names or images without their express written consent.
    Entries may NOT contain, as determined by us, in our sole and absolute discretion, any content that:

    is sexually explicit, unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; profane or pornographic;
    promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda;
    is obscene or offensive;
    defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies;
    communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will to which we wish to associate; and/or violates any law;
    We reserve the right to reject any entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine does not meet the above criteria.

    HOW WILL MY ENTRY BE POTENTIALLY USED?

    Other than what is set forth below, we are not claiming any ownership rights to your entry. However, by submitting your entry, you:

    are granting us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this Contest; and (ii) feature your entry and all content in connection with the marketing, sale, or promotion of this Contest (including but not limited to internal and external sales meetings, conference presentations, tradeshows, and screen shots of the Contest entry in press releases) in all media (now known or later developed)
    agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above;
    understand and acknowledge that the Promotion Parties may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your submission and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your entry;
    understand that we cannot control the incoming information you will disclose to our representatives in the course of entering, or what our representatives will remember about your entry. You also understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your entry. By entering this Contest, you agree that use of information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services does not create liability for us under this agreement or copyright or trade secret law;
    understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules
    Please note that following the end of this Contest your entry may be posted on a website selected by us for viewing by visitors to that website. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this website. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry.

    If you do not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter this Contest.

    HOW DO I ENTER?

    To enter, send an email to WinStory@microsoft.com. Emails must include your story as an attachment and your contact information including first/last name, business, and email address.

    By submitting your story, you will receive one (1) entry into the Contest.

    We will only accept one (1) entry per person.

    We are not responsible for entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason.

    We will automatically disqualify:

    Any incomplete or illegible entry; and
    Any entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the entry limit described above.
    WINNER DETERMINATION AND PRIZES

    On or around February 28, 2011, a panel of judges will review all eligible entries received and select ten (10) winners of the Contest Prizes described below based upon judging criteria described below.

    Judging Criteria

    25% – Compelling story about the value Windows 7 provides to your organization
    25% – Ability to overcome migration or deployment challenges
    25% – Solutions used to overcome challenges
    25% – Ability to clearly document your story
    The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer winners than described above.

    In the event of a tie between any eligible entries, an additional judge will break the tie based on the judging criteria described above. The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer winners than the number of Contest Prizes described below.

    Contest Prizes

    Ten (10) Grand Prize. A Not for Resale English version of Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $299.99.

    The total Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of all prizes: $2999.90

    We will only award one (1) prize per person.

    If you are a potential winner, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address, the phone number, or mailing address (if any) provided at time of entry within seven (7) days following completion of judging. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award to a runner-up.

    If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we will consider the potential winner to be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter the Contest. If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release and a W-9 tax form or W-8 BEN tax form within 10 days of notification. If you are a potential winner and you are 18 or older, but are considered a minor in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent or legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select a runner-up.

    If you are confirmed as a winner of this Contest:

    You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value; and
    You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we may award it to a runner up; and
    If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and
    If you are otherwise eligible for this Contest, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf; and
    Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and / or terms and conditions.
    WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS AM I AGREEING TO BY ENTERING?

    By entering this Contest you agree:

    To abide by these Official Rules; and
    To release and hold harmless Microsoft and its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest, or any prize won; and
    That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Contest; and
    That, by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Contest, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.
    WHAT LAWS GOVERN THE WAY THIS CONTEST IS EXECUTED AND ADMINISTRATED?

    This Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Contest.

    WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS AND THE CONTEST CAN’T RUN AS PLANNED?

    If someone cheats, or a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Contest, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Contest. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Contest, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Contest.

    If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Contest by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Contest, so please play fairly.

    HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHO WON?

    To request a winners list, please send an email to WinStory@microsoft.com and we will provide you with a list of winner who received a prize worth $25.00 or more. This list will be available until March 31, 2011.

    WHO IS SPONSORING THIS CONTEST?

    Microsoft Corporation
    One Microsoft Way
    Redmond, WA 98052