Microsoft Service Template Explorer Beta Program

Microsoft Service Templates for SCVMM 2012

If you are into System Center and want to stay ahead, please join the Beta program for Microsoft Service Templates. You can join the program with this link: https://connect.microsoft.com/site14/MicrosoftCloudPack

So what’s the Microsoft Service Template Explorer Beta program?

To get you started, get some insight to the service concept in System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 - http://kristiannese.blogspot.no/2012/02/getting-started-with-services-in-vmm.html

This new cool concepts let you deploy scalable, multi-tier applications in your private cloud.

The Service Template Explorer Beta program is an add-in to your VMM server, so that you can explore, download and import service templates directly to your VMM infrastructure, and leverage pre-configured templates from Corp.

Why do we need this?

If you have been exploring the massive service concept, you have probably seen that it may be complex to deploy all the wide diversity of server roles, applications, and to select the proper deployment order and so on. The service templates from Corp is already configured so that you can deploy them into your environment, ready to be used.

Currently available in the Service Template Explorer:

 

·         Windows Server 2012 with Active Directory Domain Services

Since Hyper-V and System Center now supports network virtualization, you would probably think this is great. Customers, application owners etc, can now deploy their own domain controllers through service deployment in an isolated network. Maybe they have an application that requires domain access, or just simply wants to deploy an infrastructure in a quickly and reliable manner. Oh, and remember. If you touch some of the advanced OS configuration in a VM template, like server roles and features, the template will be deployed as a Service instead of a virtual machine – or else these options would be ignored during deployment.

 

·         Windows Server 2012 Domain Name System (DNS)

A service template ready to serve the need for a DNS infrastructure with all the required roles and features enabled for install.

·         Windows Server 2012 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

This service template will include the DHCP role, but if your VMM server will manage the IP addresses and configuration in your virtual environment – also for your VM networks, you might leave this one alone.

·         Windows Server 2012 File Services

Personally, I find this template quite useful in my demo and lab environment, where I can quickly show off the SMB3.0 enhancements to simulate continuously availability and virtual machines over a network share. A lot of other scenarios will require file services too, so this is a good template.

·         Windows Server 2012 Internet Information Services

A lot has been done with IIS in Windows Server 2012, and this template will let you benefit from it all. If you are deploying traditional service templates – which has native support for Server App-V, web applications and dacpacs, this one is very handy.

Getting started with Service Template Explorer Beta

1.       Install the .msi file to a preferred destination.

2.       Go to settings in your VMM console and click ‘Import Console add-in’

3.       Navigate to where you installed the .msi file

4.       Once the import has completed successfully, go to ‘VMs and Services’ workspace in VMM.

5.       Click on ‘Service Template Explorer’

6.       You’ll be presented to the available templates from Corp and you can download these bits to your library.

Once this is completed, you can import the templates into your VMM library server(s) and map them to your resources (networks, VHDs).

The screenshot below is an example of a service deployment in my environment, using the Active Directory service template. As you can see, the service is installed with AD DS and is ready to be promoted as a Domain Controller.