6:00-6:15 Introduction to Virtualization

If you are new to virtualization, join this informal introduction to virtualization given by one of our members. Otherwise, join in for some pre-meeting networking with the rest of the group. Pizza will be available to all.

6:00-7:00 Networking, Introductions, Pizza

7:00-7:45

Robert B. McShinsky Jr, Sr Systems Engineer, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

The Most important features administrators should care about in Hyper-V 3.0

Hyper-V has evolved throughout the years with new features and improved capabilities. Learn about what is coming next with Hyper-V 3.0 and how it might make your job easier and more efficient. This session will describe and demonstrate the most important features of Hyper-V 3.0 that those administering should care about. The topic will go beyond naming the features, but give an opinionated ranking of how the new features will help out your existing or new Hyper-V implementation when Windows Server 8 is released in 2012.

Speaker Bio:

Rob McShinsky has been working in technology for over 13 years focusing on server management and systems architecture design and is currently employed as a Sr. Systems Engineer at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He is also a regular contributor and member of the Server Virtualization Advisory Board at SearchServerVirtualization. His most notable skills are in the area of server virtualization since 2004 where Rob has been a development architect working closely with Microsoft as an early adopter and ongoing participant in TAP/RDP programs of Microsoft Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM).

In addition, he is a Microsoft MVP (Virtual Machine), blogs at VirtuallyAware.com, tweets at Twitter.com/VirtuallyAware (@VirtuallyAware) and speaks at various technical events about experiences, giving tips on virtualization and management solutions.

7:45-8:00 Short Break for Networking

8:00-8:45

Joe Preston, StarWind Software

ISCSI SAN Solutions 

Over the past decade, storage capacity has rapidly become an obstacle for companies of all sizes. With growing demands and declining budgets, the ability or inability to invest in expensive hardware-based SAN solutions is a major concern for IT and Finance departments worldwide. In addition, many IT departments have a stockpile of static servers with substantial amounts of internal or direct-attached-storage, which cannot be utilized to its full potential.

As the IT industry has quickly been shifting from Physical-to-Virtual at the server/OS level, many IT professionals have ignored the same “best bang for your buck” principles at the storage level. Not only does virtualizing your storage environment provide the same level of infrastructure and cost optimization as the server/OS level, but it also provides more flexibility than traditional hardware-based SAN solutions.

StarWind Software provides Virtual iSCSI SAN solutions to meet the requirements of any organization regardless of your front-end physical or virtualized server environment, while staying within any potential budgetary constraints. Whether the project requires the reutilization of existing hardware for Tier 2 and 3 storage, or building a new Enterprise level Tier 1 storage solution, StarWind Software’s experienced staff will dedicate the appropriate amount of time to address all of your business needs to ensure a cost-effective, versatile, and stable storage solution.

Speaker Bio:

As the Manager of US Engineering and Support at StarWind Software, Joseph Preston works with pre and post-sale clients to plan, configure, and optimize their storage and virtualization infrastructure. Over the past 15 years, Joseph has worked on a wide-range of projects assisting clients with bridging-the-gap between business needs and technology infrastructures, maximizing ROI, and increasing the stability/availability of multi-national corporate and datacenter environments.

Cleanup Immediately After Meeting