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Scripting Basics For Virtual Server 2005 R2

Monday, 21 August 2006 by Michel Roth

In an article on MCPMag.com, Desmond Lee introduces you to the scripting basics for Virtual Server 2005 R2: Virtual Server 2005 R2 is an enterprise level application designed by Microsoft to support the simultaneous running of multiple virtual machines on a high performance, scalable and reliable platform. Management can be performed using the Administration Website or writing scripts by taking advantage of the comprehensive Component Object Model (COM)-based Application Programming Interface (API).

As Microsoft enriches more and more products with scripting capability such as PowerShell (code named "Monad") in the highly anticipated Exchange Server 2007, administrators are being empowered to automate routine tasks through scripting instead of having to click through loads of Wizards dialog boxes. Using scripts to automate this rudimentary process ensures high-quality, standard and consistent output. It is with this in mind that we set off to explore the rich programmatic capabilities already available today to simplify the administration of Virtual Server.

In order to develop scripts for Virtual Server, a basic development environment must already exist. Start by downloading and install the free Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition. Whether you're using Windows XP SP2 or Windows Server 2003 as the host development platform, ensure that Internet Information Server (IIS) is already installed. At a minimum, the World Wide Web Publishing service must be running prior to starting the installation process. Microsoft provides support on Windows XP SP2 for non-production use only.

Read on here.