Virtualization has rapidly changed--and improved--the way we work online. Robert Larson and Janique Carbon with the Windows Virtualization Team at Microsoft have put together the in-depth reference that will help you optimize this amazing technology. The Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit (Microsoft Press, 2009; ISBN: 9780735625174) is 800 pages of well-thought out and useful content, It also includes a companion CD packed with scripts (VBScript and Windows PowerShell) you can use as-is or customize to meet your specific administrative needs. And check out the bonus content on the CD! There are links to tools and other useful resources, and an eBook of Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions by Mitch Tulloch. Available this week, you can order your copy of the Resource Kit here or here.

Want to see what's ahead? Here's a bit of the Introduction and the Contents at a Glance:

Introduction

Welcome to the Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit!

The Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource Kit is a comprehensive technical
resource for planning, deploying, and managing virtualization infrastructures
based on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008.
Virtualization technology continues to evolve and change the options and
speed at which IT departments can react to changing business needs by creating
the basis for a powerful, flexible, and adaptable computing environment. Many
organizations can draw benefits from the implementation of Hyper-V technology,
including potential cost savings that can result from workload virtualization.
Server consolidation, test and development infrastructure, business continuity,
and branch office environments in enterprise settings are some of the principal
targets of Hyper-V technology solutions. However, small and medium businesses
also benefit from workload virtualization. Therefore, our purpose for this book
was to provide information and tools that could be useful to a broad spectrum of
IT professionals and organizations.

Within this Resource Kit, you will find in-depth information and procedures
to help you manage all aspects of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Hyper-V
Server 2008, including manual and automated installation, security configuration,
virtual machine and host-level failover clustering, virtual machine creation and migration
processes, monitoring, and backup and recovery techniques. In addition,
we have included guidance to assist you with all aspects of a virtualization project
from the early vision and scope setting phase through the project pilot phase.
In this book, you will find numerous sidebars contributed by members of the
Windows Virtualization product team, Microsoft Consulting Services, Microsoft
Support Services, Microsoft Sales, and Microsoft Partners that explain Hyper-V
design details, feature highlights, and best practices and optimization tips to assist
you in getting the most from a Hyper-V deployment. Finally, the companion
media includes sample scripts and job aids that you can use and customize to help
you automate various aspects of managing Hyper-V environments.