The SQL Server Activity Monitor is one of the first tools a DBA should leverage when there is need to gain a quick overview of a SQL Server 2008 system's performance.  Activity Monitor has been completely rewritten in SQL Server 2008 and compared to its predecessors it is no longer limited to displaying Processes, Locks by Object, and Locks by Process.  Activity Monitor introduced a newly redesigned performance dashboard with intuitive graphs, performance indicators with drill down and filtering capabilities.  The new tool's look and feel is very similar to the Resource Monitoring tool found in Windows Server 2008; however, the information captured and presented is broken do

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Email is typically one of the most mission-critical applications for a company. So it makes sense that your customers are striving for high availability within their messaging infrastructure. To get them there, you need to fully comprehend the high-availability options in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. There are four basic options. We break them down to help you determine which makes the most sense for a particular customer.

Read the rest of this tip based on the article I wrote.

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After months of delays, speculation that the release would take place towards the end of september, maybe pushed to Q4...SQL Server 2008 RTM is finally here!!!

English Downloads are available now for those who have an MSDN subscription.

SQL Server 2008 Installation Strategies and Best Practices

Part 2 of 5 

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SQL Server 2008 Installation Strategies and Best Practices

Part 1 of 5

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Many have been speculating that Microsoft will not ship SQL Server2008 this quarter.  However, Microsoft obliquely announced at its Worldwide Partner Conference this week in Houston that SQL Server 2008 is on pace for a release this 3rd quarter. 

 I am assuming the product will ship on the final day of the 3rd quarter - so speculating end of September. 

Thoughts?  Do you believe MS will be ready or will SQL Server 2008 ship towards the end of this year?

I am currently working on my latest book - SQL Server 2008 Management and Administration.  As I am writing the installation chapter, I thought it would be beneficial to share some thoughts as many folks only discuss new features.  Not only it is it essential to understand the new features and functionally associated with SQL Server 2008's Database Engine Services, however, it is equally important to understand older elements which have been depreciated in SQL Server 2008.  The following links display a list of depreciated elements which are no longer supported or associated with Database Engine Services.

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So last weekend I was working on my latest book, SQL Server 2008 Management and Administration and was finalizing the SQL Server 2008 chapter on Failover Clustering and ran into a few issues. 

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Many of my clients frequently ask me to explain the high availability alternatives included in Windows Server 2008.  Basically, you are looking at either Failover Clustering or Network Load Balancing.  Anyhow, I wrote an article about the topic and it can be found at the following link.

Enjoy!!!

Searchsystemchannel.com

Failover clustering & Network load balancing Drive High Availability

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For those of you in the local San Francisco Bay Area, I will be speaking about hardening a SQL Server 2008 Implementation at Microsoft's San Francisco Office. For more information on the session abstract and directions - read below!!!

Thanks

Ross

San Francisco – Wednesday, June 11 - 6:30 p.m.
Ross Mistry, Partner and Principal Consultant at Convergent Computing, will be talking about “Hardening a SQL Server 2008 Implementation”

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Fooled ya...it is just RC0

On June 5th, Microsoft launched SQL Server 2008 Release Candidate 0.  Sorry, it is not the final production version, just RC0.  Anyhow - we are one more step closer to the final release, the product can be downloaded from Microsoft's MSDN website.  You will require MSDN membeship to obtain the download, however, it will be publically available shortly.  The editions supported in RC0 include: Developer, Enterprise, Standard, Web Edition and Workgroup

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It is that time of year again, no not Easter -- SQL  Server Magazine Connections April 20-23, 2008.  Now in its eight year, SQL Server Magazine Connections comes to the Marriott Orlando World Center in Orlando, Florida.  Dive into the release of SQL Server 2008 with Microsoft architects and industry experts to keep your competitive edge.   In addition, interact with and learn from an all-star SQL Server lineup, train with Microsoft architects and top notch industry speakers and also network with your colleagues to build a valuable resource of peers.

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With the release of SQL Server 2008 around the corner, mainstream support for SQL Server 2000 will expire by April 8, 2008.  Therefore, start planning your upgrade or migration strategy, otherwise expect to pay up to 50K for an extended support contract on the legacy SQL Server 2000 product. 

For more information on Microsoft's Support Lifecycle for SQL Server 2000 view this link.

 http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-us&p1=2852&x=17&y=10

Congratulations to the Windows Server 2008 Unleashed winners:

Doug Pounds
Jim Sisneros
John Maddox
Gloria Dornin
Anikka Wattnem
Stephen Hatfield
Shaun Wallner
Kirk Lashbrook
Robert Shullich
Dewey D. Knox
Paul Wagner
Robert Verderame
Nicholas Hunt
Ray Battenfield
Ryan Booth

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The latest Community Technology Preview of SQL Server 2008 is available.  SQL Server 2008 February CTP aka version 6 can be obtained at the following link.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=749BD760-F404-4D45-9AC0-D7F1B3ED1053&displaylang=en

This link provides a list of new features and funtionality included with SQL Server 2008 Feb CTP.

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When working with my customers on SQL Server security, I constantly get the same question, "What are some best practices for hardening my SQL Server implementation?" Over the years, I have come up with specific recommendations based on upon industry best practices and my experience. Following is a summary of best practices for hardening a SQL Server environment:

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At present, SQL Server 2008 continues to support two modes for validating connections and authenticating access to database resources: (Windows Authentication Mode) and (SQL Server and Windows Authentication Mode) also known as "Mixed Mode".  Both of these authentication methods provide access to SQL Server 2008 and its resources.  Lets first examine the differences between the two authentication modes.

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PART 1 of 5 - Organizations’ Branch Office Concerns and Dilemmas when using Windows Server 2003

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I'mmmmm Back!!! 

So it has been a few months since the release of my SQL Server 2005 Management and Administration book and my last blog post.  Since then I have been co-authoring another title with a team of great authors (Rand Morimoto, Michael Noel, Chris Amaris, and Omar Droubi) We have finalized the manuscript of our new book Windows Server 2008 Unleashed - which is ready to ship in the next few weeks. 

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On November 30, you will be able to download Exchange Server 2007 with Service Pack 1. The list of new features in SP1 is long, including new deployment options, new features and improvements for each server role, improved integration with other applications, and even a new, third type of continuous replication.

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So last night I was building a SQL Server 2008 failover cluster in a virtual environment with Windows Server 2008 on the free version of VMware Server.  When building clusters on VMware, I typically add the following additional items on both virtual guest machines; a virtual SCSI bus, virtual hard disks and then mark disk locking to false.    This usually does the trick and you can simulate a shared storage system between the two virtual servers, and then configure failover clustering. 

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For those who live or work in the San Francisco Bay Area or Sacramento and are interested in learning more about Windows high availability and disaster recovery, I will be co-presenting on High Availability and Disaster Recovery of a Windows Networking Environment along with Rand Morimoto.  We will have three sessions throughout the month of December.  Feel free to swing by for this free seminar.

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Last week Microsoft reached an important milestone by announcing the release of the latest technology preview for SQL Server 2008.  The November CTP of SQL Server 2008 is packed with a myriad of new features and functionality which was not included in the previous CTP release. 

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SQL Server 2008 has been significantly enhanced since the previously released versions. Moreover, the product continues to support Microsoft's data platform vision of mission-critical enterprise data platform, dynamic development, relational data, and business intelligence.

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I frequently receive the same question from my clients and from the audience at my seminars - "Which recovery model should I use on my SQL Server databases?"  Basically, there isn't a right or wrong answer as each recovery model offers benefits and consequences.

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Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Ross Mistry and I have recently released a new book called Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Management and Administration.The book is based on SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 and addresses the challenges database administrators regularly encounter on SQL Server 2005 by providing detailed guidance in the areas of management, administration, security, high availability and monitoring.

Over the next few months, expect to see blog entries related to SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 . I am currently co-authoring my latest book, Windows Server 2008 Unleashed and will have the rough cut finalized by the end of next week. With that being said, expect to see blog entries rolling in starting November 1st.

Cheers and stay tuned!!!

Ross Mistry