With Windows Admin Center you can remotely manage Windows Server running anywhere—physical, virtual, on-premises, in Azure, or in a hosted environment.
The tool, available with your Windows Server license at no additional charge, consolidates and reimagines Windows OS tools in a single, browser-based, graphical user interface.
At Microsoft Ignite 2021 Global Virtual Event they launched Windows Admin Center version 2103. Here you find the download.
Set Proxy Server in Windows Admin Center Settings.
Open in a Separate Window
This is a Separate Window on my Second Screen, this works Awesome!
Windows Admin Center Virtual Tool improvements 🙂
Conclusion
Microsoft is working hard to make Hybrid IT Management better for Administrators to manage Hybrid Cloud datacenters. Windows Admin Center is a must have for managing
Windows Server Core, AzureStack HCI, and Cluster Services. I can say: I love to work with Windows Admin Center 🙂
Azure Arc enabled servers allows you to manage your Windows and Linux machines hosted outside of Azure, on your On-premises network, or other cloud provider consistent with how you manage native Azure virtual machines. When a hybrid machine is connected to Azure, it becomes a connected machine and is treated as a resource in Azure. Each connected machine has a Resource ID, is included in a resource group, and benefits from standard Azure constructs such as Azure Policy and applying tags. Service providers who manage a customer’s on-premises infrastructure can manage their hybrid machines, just like they do today with native Azure resources, across multiple customer environments, using Azure Lighthouse with Azure Arc.
To deliver this experience with your hybrid machines hosted outside of Azure, the Azure Connected Machine agent needs to be installed on each machine that you plan on connecting to Azure. This agent does not deliver any other functionality, and it doesn’t replace the Azure Log Analytics agent. The Log Analytics agent for Windows and Linux is required when you want to proactively monitor the OS and workloads running on the machine, manage it using Automation runbooks or solutions like Update Management, or use other Azure services like Azure Security Center.
Now we have my Dark20H2.MVPLAB.LOCAL Windows Server Core managed by Windows Admin Center, I like to connect the Windows Server 20H2 Core to Azure Arc Services for Hybrid IT Management to get the benefits of the Cloud.
In the next step-by step guide we will enable Azure Arc Services by installing the agent on the Windows Server 20H2 Core.
Prerequisites
If you don’t have an Azure subscription, create a free account before you begin.
Deploying the Arc enabled servers Hybrid Connected Machine agent requires that you have administrator permissions on the machine to install and configure the agent. On Linux, by using the root account, and on Windows, with an account that is a member of the Local Administrators group.
Before you get started, be sure to review the agent prerequisites and verify the following:
If the machine connects through a firewall or proxy server to communicate over the Internet, make sure the URLs listed are not blocked.
Azure Arc enabled servers supports only the regions specified here.
Open Azure Arc in the Portal.
Because I have already Azure Arc Active for my Azure Stack HCI Cluster in my MVPLAB.LOCAL, I will click on Servers on the left.
Click on Add
We will Generate a Script for the Single Windows Server 20H2 Core.
You can Add also Servers at Scale.
HTTPS Access to Azure Services is Needed
and
Local Administrator permissions, Click Next
Select the right Azure Subscription and the Resource Group.
Select the Azure Region and Operating System.
and the URL when you are behind a Proxy Server.
Click Next.
You can add Tags for Administrative tasks like Costs.
Click Next.
Here you can Copy and Paste the Script or Download it.
I downloaded the PowerShell Script.
Click on Close.
Windows Admin Center in action on Windows Server 20H2 Core
The Windows Server Dark20H2.mvplab.local is a basic installation and managed by Windows Admin Center
Now we have to do the following steps :
Copy the Azure Arc PowerShell Script to the Server with WAC.
Install Azure PowerShell on the Server
Run the Azure Arc PowerShell Script.
1. Copy the Azure Arc PowerShell Script to the Server with WAC
First we use Windows Admin Center to make a directory on the Server for uploading the Azure Arc PowerShell Script.
I have made a Azure Arc directory with Windows Admin Center.
Click on Upload.
Browse to your Azure Arc PowerShell Script.
Click on Submit.
The Azure Arc PowerShell Script is now on the Server.
2. Install Azure PowerShell on the Server
In the following steps we will install Microsoft Azure PowerShell on the Server via Windows Admin Center.
Type: $PSVersionTable.PSVersion
You need at least PowerShell 5.1
Make sure you have the latest version of PowerShellGet. Run Install-Module -Name PowerShellGet -Force
Run the following script :
———————————————————————-
if ($PSVersionTable.PSEdition -eq ‘Desktop’ -and (Get-Module -Name AzureRM -ListAvailable)) { Write-Warning -Message (‘Az module not installed. Having both the AzureRM and ‘ + ‘Az modules installed at the same time is not supported.’) } else { Install-Module -Name Az -AllowClobber -Scope CurrentUser }
———————————————————————–
Type Y or A ( Yes or Yes to All)
Installing the Azure PowerShell Modules.
Now we are ready for the Azure Arc PowerShell Script.
3. Run Azure Arc PowerShell Script on the Server.
From here we are going to install the Microsoft Azure Arc PowerShell Script to join this server to Azure Arc Services with an Agent.
Run .\OnboardingScript (1).ps1
It will ask for a Device login to Azure with a Code.
I did that on the Windows Admin Center Server.
When you Login to Azure with your Account you will see this Screen.
The Next screen is the completion in Windows Admin Center PowerShell of the Windows Server 20H2 Core.
This Dark20H2.mvplab.local Server is now connected with Azure Arc Services.
Azure Arc Enabled Server.
Here we see the Windows Server 202H2 Core in Azure Arc.
Azure Arc Services
Installing Azure Arc Insights
Here we start with one of the Azure Arc Services on the On-Premises Windows Server 20H2 Core called Azure Arc Insights.
Click on Insights on the Left of the Azure Arc Server.
Click on Enable.
Select your Azure Subscription and Log Analytics Workspace.
Click on Enable.
Installation of Azure Arc Insights in progress……
It’s Ready and waiting for data in Azure.
Performance View of On-Prem Servers.
Azure Arc Service Map will come available
Conclusion
With Microsoft Azure Arc Services you get the Azure Cloud Management services connected with On-Premises Servers. You get Azure Security Center, Log Analytics, Azure Monitoring and Alerting, Update Management, Change tracking and Automation tasks. This is the power of Hybrid IT Management and get the best of Tools there is like Windows Admin Center supporting me with Windows Server 20H2 Core. Azure Arc Services with Kubernetes and Azure Stack HCI Management is powerful and with a Single pain of Glass in IT Management. Hope this helpful for you, and Go for it yourself. 😉
The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) gives you the most command-line tools, utilities, and applications directly on Windows. I’m using Microsoft Windows Admin Center and Windows Server Core 20H2 with Build version 19042.746 to deploy WSL 2 with Ubuntu 18.04 Linux Distro. Here you find the installation of the Windows Server Core 20H2 with Windows Admin Center
In the following steps we will install the Following :
Ubuntu 18.04 is Running in WSL2 on Windows Server Core 20H2 😉
Conclusion
First of All Microsoft Windows Admin Center is supporting me in the Installation of Windows Subsystem for Linux. We have WSL 2 Running with Ubuntu 18.04 with a lot of possibilities!
What I really like is integration, like in Windows 10 and Docker for desktop with the WSL 2 Engine. Here my Blogpost
Together with VSCode Remote WSL is Cool.
Would be awesome to run Docker Windows and Linux Containers in combination with WSL 2 integration on Windows Server Core edition. Maybe in the Future, who knows?
Upload, download, and manage Azure blobs, files, queues, and tables, as well as Azure Cosmos DB and Azure Data Lake Storage entities. Easily access virtual machine disks, and work with either Azure Resource Manager or classic storage accounts. Manage and configure cross-origin resource sharing rules.
Here you see how easy it is to create a snapshot before you begin with a Installation on the Azure Virtual Machine.
Create a Snapshot
Give the Snapshot a Name and select the Resource Group.
Snapshot Created Successfully 😉
When you open the Azure Portal and search for snapshots :
Phantom OS Disk with a Full Snapshot.
Azure Storage Explorer Emulator for Developers
Azurite open source Azure Storage API compatible server (emulator)
Azurite is an open source Azure Storage API compatible server (emulator). Based on Node.js, Azurite provides cross platform experiences for customers wanting to try Azure Storage easily in a local environment. Azurite simulates most of the commands supported by Azure Storage with minimal dependencies.
Azurite V2 is manually created with pure JavaScript, popular and active as an open source project. However, Azure Storage APIs are growing and keeping updating, manually keeping Azurite up to date is not efficient and prone to bugs. JavaScript also lacks strong type validation which prevents easy collaboration.
Compared to V2, Azurite V3 implements a new architecture leveraging code generated by a TypeScript Server Code Generator we created. The generator uses the same swagger (modified) used by the new Azure Storage SDKs. This reduces manual effort and facilitates better code alignment with storage APIs.
3.0.0-preview is the first release version using Azurite’s new architecture.
Features & Key Changes in Azurite V3
Blob storage features align with Azure Storage API version 2020-04-08 (Refer to support matrix section below)
Queue storage features align with Azure Storage API version 2020-04-08 (Refer to support matrix section below)
SharedKey/Account SAS/Service SAS
Get/Set Queue Service Properties
Preflight Request
Create/List/Delete Queues
Put/Get/Peek/Updata/Deleta/Clear Messages
Features NEW on V3
Built with TypeScript and ECMA native promise and async features
New architecture based on TypeScript server generator. Leverage auto generated protocol layer, models, serializer, deserializer and handler interfaces from REST API swagger
Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer tool can make your life easier to do your Azure Storage Management. Copy – Paste data is a Great and handy feature for Administrators.
Hope this is useful and go try it yourself.
Working with Dapr in WSL2 Remote VSCode and Ubuntu 20.04 distro
Dapr is a portable, event-driven runtime that makes it easy for any developer to build resilient, stateless and stateful applications that run on the cloud and edge and embraces the diversity of languages and developer frameworks.
Developer language SDKs and frameworks
To make using Dapr more natural for different languages, it also includes language specific SDKs for Go, Java, JavaScript, .NET and Python. These SDKs expose the functionality in the Dapr building blocks, such as saving state, publishing an event or creating an actor, through a typed, language API rather than calling the http/gRPC API. This enables you to write a combination of stateless and stateful functions and actors all in the language of their choice. And because these SDKs share the Dapr runtime, you get cross-language actor and functions support.
I’m using Windows Insider Build version 21277-RS with Docker for Windows Edge and Visual Studio Code.
Docker for Windows Edge Version Running.
Because Docker for Windows Edge support WSL2 Engine and Visual Studio Code too, brought me to an idea to build dapr into Ubuntu 20.04 WSL Distro on my Windows Insiders 21277 RS version on my Surface Book 3. There for you must activate the WSL2 integration with my default WSL distro Ubuntu-20.04.
Dapr init ( in the Ubuntu-20.04 WSL2 Linux distro )
Here you find the Dapr dev environment installation types for Dapr init, I did the standalone version. Dapr makes then the following containers :
Dapr Containers.
Then we have the following running :
Dapr Dashboard
Zipkin
Zipkin is a distributed tracing system. It helps gather timing data needed to troubleshoot latency problems in service architectures. Features include both the collection and lookup of this data.
Zipkin Traces
Dapr Dashboard
Now we have Dapr running in the WSL2 Ubuntu-20.04 distro, you can use Visual Studio Code on Windows Insiders using Remote WSL and work with your favourite dapr SDK like the list above 😉
From here you can work with your dapr application.
In this guide dapr is running with Docker containers, but you can also install it on Kubernetes or K8s, AKS, Azure any where, see this overview :
Dapr with Kubenetes Containers.
Dapr Overview.
Important Note : Dapr is now production ready with version 1.0 ! Developers, DevOps, AzOps, you can start with it and Build and Test your own microservices and Container apps ! Hope you are having fun with it too 😉
It’s a year full of misery with the Covid-19 virus around the world. People who lose their loved one, It’s a very sad time for all of us! Microsoft technologies are still going on strong with new features in Azure Cloud Services but also supporting the people who are working in the healthcare, data analytics, Microsoft Teams for Collaboration and much more. But what I want to say to all HealthCare people over the world : THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO 👍
I have deep respect for you all !
Community, Microsoft Product Teams, MVP Lead, WIndows Insiders, I wish you and your family happy holidays and a Healthy 2021 with lot of Success! 🎄😍
Manage all your server environments with familiar yet modernized tools, such as the reimagined Server Manager and streamlined MMC tools, from a single, browser-based, graphical user interface. Admins can manage Windows Server instances anywhere: on-premises, in Azure, or in any cloud.
Operate hybrid seamlessly
Extend on-premises deployments of Windows Server to the cloud by using the Azure hybrid services found in Windows Admin Center. Use Azure for:
Backup and disaster recovery
Additional capacity for compute, file servers and storage
Centralized management for monitoring, threat protection and update management
In the following steps we will install Windows Server Core 20H2 version Build 10.0.19042 via Windows Admin Center on my Hyper-V Host called Starship01.mvplab.cloud.
I have Windows Admin Center already running for my MVPLAB with a Windows Server 2019 Hypervisor host. From here I will install a New Windows Server Core 20H2 Machine.
Click in the Left toolbar on Virtual Machines
and then on Add New
Deployment settings for the New Virtual Machine.
Here we set the following settings :
Virtual Machine Name
Generation VM ( gen 2 is recommended )
The path of the VM settings and Disk
Virtual Processors
a mark for nested virtualization ( for the Hyper-V feature )
Memory
Network / Virtual Switch
Storage
When you Add Storage you can select also the new ISO file for Installation.
I changed the Size of the Operating Disk from 127GB to 50GB
And I selected the path to the Windows Server Core 20H2 ISO.
Then Click on Create.
Windows Admin Center will create the Virtual Machine really fast.
Now the Window Virtual Machine Dark20H2 is created by Windows Admin Center on the Hyper-V Host, we can do the Windows Server Core 20H2 Installation by starting the Virtual Machine.
Before you Start running the VM, have a look at the settings
If you want you can set more Security features here.
You can set Encryption and Security Policy.
Start the Virtual Machine here for Installation of Windows Server Core 20H2
( The ISO is connected )
Installation of Windows Server Core 20H2 version Build 10.0.19042
The virtual Machine is running and now we can connect it via Windows Admin Center to do the installation of Windows Server.
Click on Connect
Use your Windows Admin Center account and mark
for the certificate. Then Click on Connect
Here we see the Console for the Windows Server Installation.
Install Now.
The Windows Server Core 20H2 is Installed.
Of course you can now configure the Machine via SConfig.exe, I only gave the Server name and a static IP address with DNS.
Via Windows Admin Center ( Manage) you can add the Machine to the domain.
Add the Server to the domain with your account and Click on Join
Server will Restart, Click on Yes
Dark20H2 Joined the Domain MVPLAB.CLOUD Successfully
Adding the Windows Server Core 20H2 to Windows Admin Center
Add Dark20H2.mvplab.cloud to Windows Admin Center.
Of course I want to manage the server with Windows Admin Center and use all the tools I need to securely manage this Server.
Windows Server Core 20H2 in Windows Admin Center.
First thing what I do in my MVPLAB is Windows Updates.
December Updates for Windows Server Core 20H2
Updates Installed Successfully 🙂
Azure Hybrid Services
Azure Hybrid Services
You can extend on-premises deployments of Windows Server to the cloud by using Azure hybrid services. These cloud services provide an array of useful functions, both for extending on-premises into Azure, and for centrally managing from Azure. Think of :
Windows Admin Center is a must have when you have to manage Windows Server Core versions, you don’t have to worry about all the Commands of Windows Server Core. With Windows Admin Center it becomes easy to do the complete installation of the server and this include also all features of Windows Server Core 202H2 Build 10.0.19042. It becomes really powerful when you use it in a Hybrid way by connecting to Microsoft Azure Cloud Services. Earlier I wrote a blogpost about Windows Admin Center and Azure Security Center
I Hope this is useful for you, and start your journey with Windows Admin Center & Windows Server Core versions 😉
Security Center is in active development and receives improvements on an ongoing basis. To stay up to date with the most recent developments, this page provides you with information about new features, bug fixes, and deprecated functionality.
Azure Security Center’s features cover the two broad pillars of cloud security:
Cloud security posture management (CSPM) – Security Center is available for free to all Azure users. The free experience includes CSPM features such as secure score, detection of security misconfigurations in your Azure machines, asset inventory, and more. Use these CSPM features to strengthen your hybrid cloud posture and track compliance with the built-in policies.
Cloud workload protection (CWP) – Security Center’s integrated cloud workload protection platform (CWPP), Azure Defender, brings advanced, intelligent, protection of your Azure and hybrid resources and workloads. Enabling Azure Defender brings a range of additional security features as described on this page. In addition to the built-in policies, when you’ve enabled any Azure Defender plan, you can add custom policies and initiatives. You can add regulatory standards – such as NIST and Azure CIS – as well as the Azure Security Benchmark for a truly customized view of your compliance.
Microsoft Azure Sentinel is a scalable, cloud-native, security information event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automated response (SOAR) solution. Azure Sentinel delivers intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across the enterprise, providing a single solution for alert detection, threat visibility, proactive hunting, and threat response.
Microsoft Azure Arc enables you to manage your entire environment, with a single pane of glass, by projecting your existing resources into Azure Resource Manager. You can now manage virtual machines, Kubernetes clusters, and databases as if they are running in Azure. Regardless of where they live, you can use familiar Azure services and management capabilities. Azure Arc enables you to continue using traditional ITOps, while introducing DevOps practices to support new cloud native patterns in your environment.
IT Management with Azure ARC
With Microsoft Windows Admin Center I Build a Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Clusterand the Nodes are connected with Azure Arc Services. In the following steps you will see a security feature of Microsoft Azure Arc Services with remediation of the Risks on the Azure Stack HCI Cluster On-premises.
Azure Arc Security Remediation
Here you see the Azure Arc Servers with Azure Stack HCI
On Skywalker01 Node we have two Security Risks
When you click on the risk, you see the description and the remediation steps to solve this risk issue. Here you can also see the remediation script:
Automatic Remediation Script.
Select the Azure workspace ID and when you don’t have one you can Create new Workspace in Azure.
Select the resource, in my case Skywalker01
Click on remediate resource.
Remediation in progress
The Microsoft Azure Monitor Agent extension in Azure Arc is successfully installed.
Done.
I did the same for Skywalker02 Azure Stack HCI Cluster Node.
The Next Medium Risk is a Vulnerability assessment on the Azure Stack HCI Cluster nodes. Just follow the steps of the wizard.
Azure Arc Security Vulnerability Assessment with Azure Defender
Click on remediate.
This one will use Qualys in Azure Defender.
Click on remediate resource.
The vulnerability scanner included with Azure Security Center is powered by Qualys. Qualys’ scanner is one of the leading tools for real-time identification of vulnerabilities. It’s only available with Azure Defender for servers. You don’t need a Qualys license or even a Qualys account – everything’s handled seamlessly inside Security Center.
Azure Arc Insights of the Azure Stack HCI Cluster Node
Because we have installed the Microsoft Azure Monitor extension in Azure Arc on this Azure Stack HCI Node Server, telemetry and analytics will do his job for Monitoring in Azure and data will be collected. In Azure maps you see the connectivity of the Server.
Here you can see the Fired Alerts by severity and Investigate 🙂
Here you see the power of Hybrid IT management via Microsoft Azure Arc services and get Azure Cloud services for your On-premises Servers. You have the Free Microsoft Windows Admin Center Tool and integration with Azure Arc for all the innovative tools like Azure Monitor, Azure Security Center, Azure Defender, Update management and more. I hope you see the benefits too, Get started Today !
