Module 1: Introduction to the Cloud Model

This module explains the key business and technical requirements behind choosing a cloud model and the elements it contains. The module also shows how to use Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 to monitor and operate clouds, ensuring that it is configured correctly and running in a healthy state. Finally, you will use System Center to verify cloud infrastructure for the cloud environment.

Lessons

• Overview of the Cloud Computing Model
• Requirements for a Private Cloud
• Requirements for a Public or Hybrid Cloud
• Operating a Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure with System Center
• Maintaining the Health of a Cloud
• Integrating System Center Components

Lab: Verifying the Private Cloud Infrastructure

• Verify the Infrastructure
• Verifying System Center Components

After completing this module, students will be able to describe:

• The features of a cloud computing model.
• The requirements for a private cloud.
• The requirements for a public cloud.
• How you can use System Center to monitor and manage a hybrid cloud.
• How to maintain the health of a hybrid cloud infrastructure.
• How to integrate System Center components.

Module 2: Configuring a Private Cloud Environment

This module examines how Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 – Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) plays a pivotal role in the private cloud. The module first provides an overview of Virtual Machine Manager, and will then show how it is used to manage a virtual environment. Additionally, this module explains how to create private clouds by using Virtual Machine Manager. In the lab, you will create a private cloud and then optimize it so that is ready for production use.

Lessons

• Overview of System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager
• Managing the Virtual Environment with Virtual Machine Manager
• Creating Clouds

Lab: Configuring and Optimizing a Microsoft Private Cloud

• Configuring Network Resources
• Creating a Cloud
• Create a VM Network using Software Defined Networks Isolation
• Creating the Contoso Cloud Tenant for StockTrader Production

After completing this module students will be able to:

• Describe the core components, key features, architecture, and security features of Virtual Machine Manager, and the role that it plays in a cloud environment.
• Use Virtual Machine Manager to manage cloud infrastructure.
• Build and configure resources and security for a private cloud.

Module 3: Deploying Cloud Services

This module reviews the key elements that form a service in VMM and how the service is deployed to the private cloud.

Lessons

• Overview of Service Templates
• VMM Profiles
• Web Deploy Packages
• Overview of Server App-V
• Data-Tier Application Packages
• Deploying Services through App Controller

Lab: Importing and Deploying the StockTrader Application

• Deploying a Single Tier Service
• Configuring Prerequisites
• Preparing the StockTrader Service Template
• Deploying the Service Template

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Create service templates in VMM by using the Service Template Designer.
• Create VMM machine profiles.
• create Web Deploy packages.
• Sequencing applications by using Server App-V.
• Create data-tier application packages.
• Deploy services by using App Controller.

Module 4: Monitoring Cloud Based Applications

When you provide services in a cloud, performance and availability of the service must be monitored and maintained. Monitoring of the service should be proactive and should provide detailed information, including alert notifications and reports to let you know when potential issues are about to occur in the environment that the service is running in. When issues do occur, you should have the ability to automatically take action and remediate where appropriate, which helps keep the service available and provides the performance and usability that end users expect. This module shows how Operations Manager is used to monitor the services deployed in a cloud.

Lessons

• Overview of System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager
• Agent Deployment in Operations Manager
• Configuring Custom Monitoring
• Monitoring the Network Infrastructure
• Monitoring Distributed Applications

Lab: Monitoring Private Cloud Services

• Deploying an Agent
• Configuring Custom Monitoring
• Creating a Distributed Application Model
• Detecting and Recovering From a Failure

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe what Operations Manager is, including the architecture, key features, and security.
• Deploy Operations Manager agents to application servers.
• Configure custom monitoring for applications and services in the cloud.
• Monitor the networking infrastructure that applications and services rely upon.
• Monitor Distributed Applications.

Module 5: Configuring Application Performance Monitoring

This module explains how to configure APM to monitor the performance and availability of a .NET application. Additionally, it discusses how Operations Manager 2012 R2 detects and reports failure of these monitors with its alerting and diagnostics tools.

Lessons

• Application Performance Monitoring
• Advanced Monitoring in APM
• Viewing Application Performance Data in Operations Manager

Lab: Configuring Application Performance Monitoring

• Configuring Basic Monitoring in Application Performance Monitoring
• Customizing the Performance Thresholds
• Validating Monitoring
• Creating a Distributed Application Model for the DinnerNow Application

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the core components in APM and the best practices when implementing them.
• Implement advanced monitoring features that are available in APM.
• View application performance in Operations Manager.

Module 6: Operating and Extending Service Management in the Private Cloud

This module covers the core features of Service Manager and the security model that supports it. It also covers how to map critical IT processes to Service Manager, and how to use the features of Service Manager to administer these processes. Additionally, the module describes methods to create and manage change requests, incidents, and release records.

Lessons

• Overview of Service Manager
• Configuring Security and User Roles
• Configuring Work Items
• Configuring Incident Queues
• Configuring Service Offerings for a Cloud

Lab: Operating and Extending Service Management in a Cloud

• Configuring Security Roles
• Configuring Notifications
• Publish an Incident Service Offering
• Raising an Incident
• Creating a Change Request
• Creating a Release Record

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe Service Manager.
• Configure security and user roles.
• Configure work items.
• Configure incident queues.
• Configure service offerings.

Module 7: Automating Incident Creation, Remediation, and Change Requests

This module describes Orchestrator, reviews the integration features that are available through the installation of the System Center Integration Packs, and explains the processes to follow in setting up automation between Operations Manager and Service Manager.

Lessons

• Overview of System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator
• Integrating Orchestrator with Operations Manager and Service Manager

Lab: Automating Incident Creation, Remediation and Change Requests

• Configuring the Incident Template
• Configuring Incidents that affect the StockTrader Service
• Automatic Incident remediation and Change Requests

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the Orchestrator components and the available Integration Packs.
• Integrate Orchestrator with Operations Manager and Service Manager.

Module 8: Problem Management in the Private Cloud

This module explains how a defined set of processes can help reduce the time to resolve problems. It also reviews how incidents and problems are managed within Service Manager. Additionally, this module explains how the integration of Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator, and System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager can provide an automated method of generating problem records in Service Manager.

Lessons

• Overview of Problem Management
• Creating Custom Rules

Lab: Automating Problem Management in the Private Cloud

• Manually Creating a Problem Record
• Creating a Custom Event Rule in Operations Manager
• Configuring Automated Problem Record Creation

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe problem management.
• Create custom rules in Operations Manager.

Module 9: Automating Self-Service Provisioning

The process of managing public or private clouds involves many processes, activities, and functions. To provide services through a public or private cloud, you should perform many data center activities, such as provisioning the virtual machines, network, and storage. Once the service is deployed, you need to manage and maintain it, which involves a different set of processes and activities. This module introduces the Microsoft System Center 2012 Cloud Services Process Pack that delivers many of the functions and processes that are required to deliver services to a private cloud.

Additionally, this module explains how to install and configure the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack, including integrating it with other System Center 2012 R2 components.

Lessons

• Installing and Configuring the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack
• Cloud Services Configuration Items
• Cloud Services Request Items

Lab: Automating Self-Service Provisioning

• Completing the Prerequisites for the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack
• Installing the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack
• Configuring the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack
• Deploying a Virtual Machine for StockTrader by Using the Cloud Services Process Pack

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Install and configure the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack.
• Describe the various Cloud Services configuration items that make up the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack.
• Describe the various Cloud Services request items that are included in the System Center Cloud Services Process Pack.

Module 10: Operating a Self-Service, Multi-tenant Cloud with Windows Azure Pack

In this module you will learn how the Windows Azure Pack can be used to provide a self-service portal for tenants and administrators, and a multi-tenant framework for onboarding users. You will also learn how to provision web site, virtual machine and service bus clouds as well as looking at providing database services and automation.

Lessons

• Windows Azure Pack Key Concepts
• Administer Windows Azure Pack
• Windows Azure Pack Providers

After completing this module students will be able to:

• Describe the core components, key features, architecture and security features of Windows Azure Pack.
• Describe the Windows Azure Pack concepts.
• Provision and Configure services in the Windows Azure Pack.

Module 11: High Availability, Protection, and Recovery for the Cloud

This module explains how to manage a highly available cloud Infrastructure using SQL Server 2012 Always-On, Hyper-V Replica and Azure Cloud Recovery. This module also details how to use Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 – Data Protection Manager (DPM) to provide data protection for a cloud.

Lessons

• High Availability for a Cloud
• Protecting Data in the Private Cloud
• Recovering Data in the Private Cloud

Lab: Cloud Protection and Recovery

• Configuring Manual Protection and Recovery of Key Service Data
• Configuring Automatic Protection and Recovery of Key Service Data
• Monitoring Protection Status

After completing this module, students will be able to configure:

• High availability for a cloud.
• Data protection for a cloud.
• Data recovery for a cloud.

Module 12: Optimizing Your Cloud Infrastructure

It is important that your cloud infrastructure is managed and maintained at all times to ensure it is operating at optimum levels. To facilitate this you should ensure that the cloud infrastructure is kept current with the most recent security and application updates. Virtual Machines hosted in the cloud infrastructure should also be kept up to date. In this module you will learn how Virtual Machine Manager can be used to keep your cloud infrastructure up to date.

Lessons

• Using Virtual Machine Manager to Keep the Cloud infrastructure Up-To-Date
• Using Configuration Manager to Keep Virtual Machines Up-To-Date
• Using System Center Advisor to Optimize Cloud infrastructure
• Using Pro-Tips to Optimize Cloud infrastructure

Lab: Optimizing Your Cloud Infrastructure

• Configuring Update Baselines
• Configuring Pro-Tips

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Apply security updates to the host infrastructure with Virtual Machine Manager.
• Apply security updates to the host and guest infrastructure with Configuration Manager.
• Optimize your platform with System Center Advisor.
• Optimize your virtual machine workloads with Pro-Tips.

Module 13: Configuring SLAs, Dashboards, and Widgets

As an IT operations toolset, Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 produces and collects a vast array of data. The challenge for IT organizations as a whole is to gather this information and present it in a meaningful way to the relevant stakeholders. This module explains the various available methodologies within System Center to collect, measure, and scorecard the performance and availability of the private cloud infrastructure.

Lessons

• Service Level Tracking
• Configuring and Deploying Widgets and Dashboards
• Publishing Real-Time State with Microsoft Visio Snap-in
• System Center Analytics
• Using Excel and SSRS to View Data
• Configuring Service Reporting

Lab: Configuring SLAs, Dashboards, and Widgets

• Configuring Service Level Tracking
• Configuring Service Level Management for a cloud
• Configuring Microsoft Excel Analytics

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe Service Level Tracking in Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 – Operations Manager.
• Configure and deploy widgets and dashboards.
• Describe publishing in real-time state with Microsoft Visio.
• Describe using System Center analytics.
• View data with Microsoft Office Excel and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).
• Install, configure and use Service Reporting to create chargeback reports.