sysctr | Cloud and Datacenter Management Blog

Windows Server 2025 and System Center 2025: A New Era of IT Management

Microsoft has officially launched Windows Server 2025 and System Center 2025, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of IT infrastructure management. These releases bring a host of new features and enhancements designed to improve security, performance, and manageability for both on-premises and hybrid cloud environments.

Windows Server 2025: Key Features and Enhancements

Advanced Security Features: Windows Server 2025 introduces several security enhancements, including Credential Guard, which is now enabled by default to protect against credential theft attacks. The new Active Directory functionalities offer improved security for confidential attributes and default machine account passwords.
Hybrid Cloud Capabilities: With hotpatching enabled by Azure Arc, Windows Server 2025 allows for seamless updates without requiring reboots, minimizing downtime and enhancing operational efficiency. This feature is particularly beneficial for organizations operating in hybrid cloud environments.
Performance Improvements: Windows Server 2025 delivers up to 60% more storage IOPs performance compared to its predecessor, thanks to NVMe storage performance enhancements. Additionally, the introduction of block cloning support provides significant performance benefits when copying files.
User Experience Enhancements: The new Desktop shell in Windows Server 2025 adopts the Windows 11 look and feel, supporting features like Bluetooth mice and keyboards, 7z and TAR compression formats, and the new Task Manager.

System Center 2025: Streamlined Management

Infrastructure Modernization: System Center 2025 supports the latest Windows Server version from Day 0, providing management and monitoring capabilities for Azure Stack HCI 23H2 clusters. This ensures that organizations can manage heterogeneous infrastructure with a single management plane.
Enhanced Security: System Center 2025 includes support for Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.3, ensuring that all data transmissions are protected by the latest encryption standards. Additionally, Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2025 introduces the capability to securely store passphrases in Azure Key Vault.
Improved Automation and Monitoring: System Center Orchestrator allows for efficient creation and execution of runbooks using native PowerShell scripts, while System Center Operations Manager provides comprehensive monitoring of health, capacity, and usage across applications and infrastructure.
Backup and Disaster Recovery: DPM 2025 offers flexible and efficient data protection strategies, including the ability to exclude specific disks from backups in Hyper-V environments. This ensures that organizations can tailor their backup solutions to meet their specific needs.

Conclusion

The release of Windows Server 2025 and System Center 2025 represents a significant advancement in IT infrastructure management. With enhanced security, improved performance, and robust hybrid cloud capabilities, these new versions are set to empower organizations to achieve greater efficiency and agility in their operations. Whether you’re managing on-premises servers or hybrid cloud environments, Windows Server 2025 and System Center 2025 provide the tools and features needed to stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of IT.

For more detailed information, you can visit the official Microsoft blog.

Don’t forget Microsoft Ignite Global Event

September 11, 2022
by James van den Berg Leave a comment

MVPLAB Serie Installing SCOM 2022 Web Console for Monitoring #SCOM #MVPLABSerie

Microsoft System Center 2022 Operations Manager Web Console

In the Last Blogpost MVPLAB Serie we installed Microsoft System Center 2022 Operations Manager on a Windows Insider SQL Cluster for testing and monitoring. You can find that blogpost here

Before we install Microsoft System Center 2022 Operations Manager Web Console, you should have a look at the requirements of SCOM 2022 Web Console for the IIS settings and features.
In the following steps we will install SCOM 2022 Web Console

First of all you have to install the IIS Features.
See the Microsoft Docs.

Don’t worry if you missed a setting, Microsoft did make a requirements check in the installation procedure before you can move on with the installation of SCOM 2022 Web Console. You will see later.

Run the setup as Administrator of the SCOM 2022 software ISO.

Select Web Console.
Click on Next.

This is what I mean by forgetting a feature Role.
Install the feature Role.
Verify prerequisites again.
Then Click Next.

All Prerequisites have passed.
Click on Next.

Here you can select your website and activate SSL
More information about Configuring Authentication for the Web Console

Click on Next

Select your Authentication
Click on Next.

Read the Diagnostic and Usage Data
Click on Next

Check if the Installation Summary is good.
Click on Install

Setup is Completed

SCOM 2022 Web Console is running

Now you can configure your Microsoft System Center 2022 Operations Manager monitoring with the right Management Packs installed via your Edge web browser to get monitoring and alerts in place. Here you find more information about SCOM Management Packs

Now we have in our MVPLAB On-premises Datacenter everything running, we will have a look at Microsoft Azure Hybrid benefit in the following MVPLAB Series. Think about Microsoft Azure Arc Services, Security and more.

August 14, 2022
by James van den Berg Leave a comment

MVPLAB Serie Installing SCOM 2022 monitoring with SQL Cluster #SCOM #MVPBuzz

System Center 2022 Operations Manager (SCOM)

Before we can install Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2022 in my mvplab.local domain, I installed the following:

Installing Operations Manager creates a management group. The management group is the basic unit of functionality. At a minimum, a management group consists of a management server, the operational database, and the reporting data warehouse database.

The management server is the focal point for administering the management group and communicating with the database. When you open the Operations console and connect to a management group, you connect to a management server for that management group. Depending on the size of your computing environment, a management group can contain a single management server or multiple management servers.
The operational database is a SQL Server database that contains all configuration data for the management group and stores all monitoring data that is collected and processed for the management group. The operational database retains short-term data, by default 7 days.
The data warehouse database is a SQL Server database that stores monitoring and alerting data for historical purposes. Data that is written to the Operations Manager database is also written to the data warehouse database, so reports always contain current data. The data warehouse database retains long-term data.

When Operations Manager reporting functionality is installed, the management group also contains a Reporting server which builds and presents reports from data in the data warehouse database.

These core components of a management group can exist on a single server, or they can be distributed across multiple servers, as shown in the following image.

In my Test LAB mvplab.local I will install the Management Server on a Windows Server Insider member Server and the Operational Database with the Data Warehouse Database on the SQL Cluster Instance. Here you find more Microsoft Information about System Center 2022 Operations Manager

Architecture SCOM 2022

IMPORTANT : In my MVPLAB I’m working with Windows Server Insider Preview Builds and with SQL Server 2022 CTP2.1 Preview version on a Cluster and is not supported yet for Production workloads, then you have to wait for Microsoft to make it General Available!

Now we have a SQL Cluster Instance running in my mvplab.local domain, I’m going to install Microsoft System Center 2022 Operations Manager (SCOM) for monitoring in the following step-by-step guide :

Run SCOM_2022 as Administrator

Click on Next

Click on Accept the Agreement.
Click on Next

Extract the files to your location.
Click on Next

Click on Extract

Completed Click on Finish

Run Setup

Click on Install

I’m installing only the Management Server and Operations Console.
When this was Production I would install every feature on separated Servers with
two Management Servers.
Click on Next

Select installation location
Click on Next

Click on Next

Give your Management Group a Name.
Click on Next

Agree with the License Terms.
Click on Next

Select de SQL Instance and Port.
Set Database Size.
and Data File Folders.
Click on Next

Here you can select de Instance for data warehouse database.
Click Next

Select the Service accounts
Click on Next

Click on Next

Check the Summary.
Click on Install

SCOM 2022 Installation in Progress.

Processing

SCOM License we set later.

I have installed both databases in one SQL Instance for in my MVPLAB.

System Center 2022 Operations Manager (SCOM)

Now you can Configure the Management Packs in SCOM for your environment and set the Alerts. More information about System Center 2022 Operations Manager can you find here :

What’s New in Operations Manager

What is in an Operations Manager management pack?

Microsoft System Center Blog on MS Tech Community

In the following MVPLAB Serie Blogpost I will Install Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Web Server 2022 for Monitoring with your web browser.

March 23, 2022
by James van den Berg Leave a comment

Try #Sysctr VMM 2022 and #AzureStackHCI Cluster #SCVMM

System Center 2022 includes:

System Center Operations Manager: Monitor health, capacity, and usage across applications, workloads, and infrastructure.
System Center Orchestrator: Automate your datacenter tasks; efficiently create and execute runbooks using native PowerShell scripts.
System Center Virtual Machine Manager: Deploy and manage your virtualized, software-defined datacenter with a comprehensive solution for networking, storage, compute, and security.
System Center Service Manager: Automated service delivery tool for incident resolution, change control, and asset lifecycle management.
System Center Data Protection Manager*: Protect your data with backup, storage, and recovery for private cloud deployments, physical machines, clients, and server applications.

*System Center Data Protection Manager will be available on a later date on May 1st, 2022.

Need more information about the next version of System Center? Visit the System Center product site.

Evaluate System Center 2022 for 180 Days

What’s new in System Center Virtual Machine Manager

Deploy and manage Azure Stack HCI clusters in VMM

Set up an SDN network controller in the VMM fabric

November 30, 2019
by James van den Berg Leave a comment

#Microsoft System Center DPM 2019 and #Azure Backup

Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2019 (DPM)

In a Earlier blogpost I wrote about Backup – Restore – DR Strategy in a fast changing world

Microsoft Products for Backup – Restore -DR, we have:

Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager
Microsoft Azure Backup
Microsoft Azure Site Recovery (DR)

1. Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM)

You can install Microsoft SCDPM on different solutions, like:

As a physical standalone server
As a Hyper-V virtual machine
As a Windows virtual machine in VMWare
As an Azure virtual machine

If you don’t want to manage hardware like a physical Server, you can virtualize your DPM Server on-Premises on Hyper-V or VMware but you can also install DPM into the Cloud as an Azure VM.

Here you can read What’s New in System Center DPM 2019

Before you begin you should know what Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager support and can protect by Backup. Here you find the highlights.

For Customers there are different installation scenarios possible :

You already have DPM Installed for years but you have to renew the hardware.
A complete New Installation of System Center Data Protection Manager 2019
Upgrade existing System Center DPM solution.

For the first bulletpoint, when you behind with Upgrading to the latest System Center DPM 2019 and you are still using DPM 2012 R2 for example with a SQL 2012 Database on old hardware, you have to follow a work flow.
When you installed Windows Server 2019 on your new hardware, you have to install DPM 2012 R2 and the same SQL version as before and then restore the latest DPM 2012 R2 database of your old hardware. When that’s done you can proceed with upgrading to DPM 2016 and with the right SQL version. You can’t upgrade from DPM 2012 R2 straight to DPM 2019. Here you can read more about Upgrading your System Center DPM Solution

The Second bullitpoint is installing a brand new Windows Server 2019 with System Center Data Protection Manager on new hardware or on a Virtual Machine. Here you find the Prerequisites and the installation on Microsoft Docs.

Microsoft MVP @CHARBELNEMNOM :
He wrote this blogpost which can help you out with the installation of System Center DPM 2019.

The third bullitpoint, is upgrading your existing DPM Backup Solution. Important is that you have a Backup of the DPM database on a other Server or storage then the Server your are going to Upgrade. You must have a rollback scenario if something went wrong. Read more about Upgrade path of System Center DPM

2. Microsoft Azure Backup

Use Azure Backup to protect the data for on-premises servers, virtual machines, virtualized workloads, SQL server, SharePoint server, and more. Because this is a Microsoft Cloud Service, you don’t have to buy expensive hardware like Physical Servers, Storage, Tape Library, you just pay for what you are using in Azure, Here you find the Microsoft Azure Calculator to calculate your Backup costs.

First you have to create a Recovery Services Vault :

Click on Review + Create a Recovery Services Vault.

Security features to help protect cloud workloads that use Azure Backup

When you Click on Create, the Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Vault will be made.
I already made a Azure Recovery Services Vault.

Overview of the Azure Recovery Services Vault.

In the following print screen shots you can see the Azure Backup Options :

You can backup of course Azure Virtual Machines.

You can Backup SQL Server in a Azure VM

You can Backup Azure FileShares. ( Preview)

You can Backup AzureStack workloads

You can backup On-premises workloads.

Azure Backup Policies to set different policies for the right Backup Job

Example of creating a Backup Policy with retensions

Here you see the backup en snapshots of an Azure Virtual Machine.

When you start with Microsoft Azure backup, begin with reading the backup Documentation here

3. Microsoft Azure Site Recovery (DR)

Site Recovery helps ensure business continuity by keeping business apps and workloads running during outages. Site Recovery replicates workloads running on physical and virtual machines (VMs) from a primary site to a secondary location. When an outage occurs at your primary site, you fail over to secondary location, and access apps from there. After the primary location is running again, you can fail back to it.

Here you can read everything about Azure Site Recovery (ASR)

Hope this Backup – Restore – DR Microsoft Overview is helpful for you and your Business.
Cheers @JamesvandenBerg 😉

March 15, 2019
by James van den Berg Leave a comment

#Microsoft System Center 2019 GA – Whats New #Sysctr #SCVMM #SCOM #SCDPM #Azure

Download Microsoft System Center 2019 Now

Hybrid Integration

As enterprise environments now span on-premises to the cloud, customers look to leverage the innovation in Azure services using their on-premises tools. To enable this, Microsoft has integrated System Center with a set of management services in Azure to augment the on-premises tools.

With Service Map integration with System Center Operations Manager (SCOM), you can automatically create distributed application diagrams in Operations Manager (OM) that are based on the dynamic dependency maps in Service Map.
With Azure Management Pack, you can now view perf and alert metrics in SCOM, integrate with web application monitoring in Application Insights, and monitor more PaaS services, such as Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Factory, etc.
Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2019 enables simplified patching of VMs by integrating with Azure Update Management.

What is New in Microsoft System Center 2019

Read here what is new on Microsoft System Center 2019 for your IT Management :

New features in VMM 2019
See the following sections for detailed information about the new features/feature updates supported in VMM 2019.
System Center 2019 – Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) supports rolling upgrade of a Hyper-V host cluster from Windows Server 2016 to Windows Server 2019. Versions earlier to VMM 2019 supports rolling upgrade to 2016 from 2012 R2 This article provides the upgrade information for System Center 2019 – Virtual Machine Manager (VMM).

New features in DPM 2019
See the following sections for detailed information about the new features/feature updates supported in DPM 2019.

Modern Backup Storage (MBS) was introduced in System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2016 to deliver 50% storage savings, 3X faster backups, and more efficient, workload-aware storage. DPM 2019 introduces further performance improvements with MBS resulting in 50-70% faster backup with Windows Server 2019. This article provides the upgrade information for System Center 2019 – Data Protection Manager (DPM).

New features in Operations Manager 2019
See the following sections for detailed information about the new and updated features in System Center 2019 – Operations Manager. Features and updates introduced in Operations Manager version 1801 and 1807 are included in version 2019. Plan your Upgrade to SCOM 2019

Service Map integration
Service Map automatically discovers application components on Windows and Linux systems and maps the communication between services. It automatically builds a common reference map of dependencies across your servers, processes, and third-party services. Integration between Service Map and System Center Operations Manager allows you to automatically create distributed application diagrams in Operations Manager that are based on the dynamic dependency maps in Service Map.

System Center Configuration Manager Documentation

New in System Center Orchestrator

New in System Center Service Manager

New in System Center Service Management Automation

New in System Center Service Provider Foundation

May 18, 2018
by James van den Berg Leave a comment

NEW Buy Now THE System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Book #SCCM #ConfigMgr #Sysctr #MVPbuzz

System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch provides a total systems management solution for a people-centric world. It can deploy applications to individuals using virtually any device or platform, centralizing and automating management across on-premise, service provider, and Microsoft Azure environments. In System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed, a team of world-renowned System Center experts shows you how to make the most of this powerful toolset.

A Great Book and a Must have for every System Center Administrator, the book has more then 1100 pages with the following Chapters :

Configuration management basics
Configuration manager overview
Looking inside configuration manager
Architecture design planning
Network design
Installing and updating system center configuration manager
Upgrading and migrating to configmgr current branch
Using the configuration manager console
Client management
Managing compliance
Creating and managing applications
Creating and using deployment types
Creating and managing applications and packages
Distributing and deploying applications and packages
Managing software updates
Integrating intune hybrid into your configuration manager environment
Managing mobile devices
Conditional access in configuration manager
Endpoint protection
Configuration manager queries
Configuration manager reporting
Operating system deployment
Security and delegation in configuration manager
Backup, recovery, and maintenance
Configuration manager log files
Extending hardware inventory
Co-managing windows intune and configmgr
Reference urls

The System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed is written by the following world wide Experts :

Kenneth van Surksum
Kerrie Meyler
Gerry Hampson
Saud Al-Mishari
Greg Ramsey
Michael Wiles
Byron Holt
Garth Jones

You can order this Awesome System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed here

Thank you for the Great work !

February 11, 2018
by James van den Berg Leave a comment

What is New in Microsoft System Center version 1801 #Sysctr #SCOM #SCVMM #SCDPM

What is New in Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager version 1801 ?

Nested virtualization
Migration of VMware VM (EFI firmware-based VM) to Hyper-V VM
Performance improvement in host refresher
Enhanced console session in VMM

Networking :

Configuration of guest clusters in SDN through VMM
Configuration of SLB VIPs through VMM service templates
Configuration of encrypted VM networks through VMM

Security :

Support to Linux shielded VM
Configuration of fallback HGS

Azure Integration :

Management of ARM-based and region-specific Azure subscriptions

SCVMM 1801 supports management of ARM-based VMs, Azure Active Directory (AD) based authentication that is created by using the new Azure portal and region-specific Azure subscriptions (namely, Germany, China, US Government Azure regions).

Download here System Center Virtual Machine Manager version 1801 VHD

What is New in System Center Data Protection Manager version 1801 ?

The following features are either new to DPM, or are improved for DPM 2016.

Modern Backup Storage – Using Resilient File System (ReFS) block-cloning technology to store incremental backups, DPM 2016 dramatically improves storage utilization and performance. The storage consumed by backups grows and shrinks with the production data source, and there is no over-allocation of storage.
Resilient change tracking (RCT) – DPM uses RCT (the native change tracking in Hyper-V), which removes the need for time-consuming consistency checks. RCT provides better resiliency than the change tracking provided by VSS snapshot-based backups. DPM also uses RCT for incremental backup. It identifies VHD changes for virtual machines, and transfers only those blocks that are indicated by the change tracker.
Continued protection during cluster aware updates – Windows Server 2016 comes with the cluster OS rolling update, where a cluster can be upgraded to Windows Server 2016 without bringing it down. DPM 2016 continues to protect VMs during the upgrade, maintaining the backup service level agreement (SLA).
Shielded VM Backups – Shielded VMs in Windows Server 2016 help protect sensitive VMs from inspection, tampering, and data theft by malware and malicious administrators. DPM 2016 backups retain the protections provided by shielded VMs to ensure they can be recovered seamlessly and securely.
Hyper-V with Storage Spaces Direct – DPM recognizes and protects Hyper-V VMs deployed on Storage Spaces Direct, delivering seamless backup and recovery of VMs in disaggregated and hyper-converged scenarios.
Hyper-V with ReFS SOFS Cluster – DPM 2016 can back up Hyper-V VMs deployed on ReFS-based SOFS clusters. Backup and recovery of RCT-based VMs and non-RCT VMs is supported.
Upgrading a DPM production server to 2016 doesn’t require a reboot – When you upgrade to DPM 2016, you are not required to reboot the production server. To avoid rebooting the production server, upgrade to DPM 2016 and upgrade the DPM agent on the production servers. Backups continue and you reboot the production server when you want.

DPM to Azure Backup Vault.

Download here System Center Data Protection Manager version 1801 VHD

What is New in System Center Operations Manager version 1801 ?

Enter product key from the Operation Console
Linux monitoring
Improved HTML5 dashboarding experience
System Center Visual Studio Authoring Extension (VSAE) support for Visual Studio 2017
Enhanced SDK Client performance
Updates and recommendations for third-party Management Packs
Linux Kerberos support
Service Map integration

Microsoft Service Map automatically discovers application components on Windows and Linux systems and maps the communication between services. It automatically builds a common reference map of dependencies across your servers, processes, and third-party services. Integration between Service Map and System Center Operations Manager allows you to automatically create distributed application diagrams in Operations Manager that are based on the dynamic dependency maps in Service Map.

The Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Team published a great blogpost on the New SCOM Web Console version 1801

Download here System Center Operations Manager version 1801 VHD

Download here System Center Orchestrator version 1801 VHD

Download here System Center Service Manager version 1801 VHD