Just found the most amazing resource for IT ebooks. http://www.packtpub.com/

OK, so i received this email out of the blue.

Hi James,

My name is Gavin and I work with Packt, a U.K. based publishing firm specializing in focused IT books. You can read more about us here:http://www.packtpub.com/ .
I came across your blog via Google search and noticed relevant amount of Hyper-V articles.

We have recently published a new book titled "Hyper-V Replica Essentials". This book is a practical step-by-step guide that goes beyond theory and focuses on getting hands-on.

We are looking out for professionals in this technology who'd be able to share their thoughts about the content of the book. Keeping in mind your knowledge in this subject and having looked at your contributions, I feel you'd make an excellent reviewer of this book. In case you'd like to write a review on your blog and/or Amazon, simply let me know your shipping details (Required for the registration of new reviewers) and I'll have the eBook added to your account and would provide you with the download instructions in my next e-mail. You can then download this book instantly.

If you have any queries, do let me know and I'd be happy to assist.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

Have a good day!

Gavin Cardoza
 Marketing Research Executive | Packt Publishing | www.PacktPub.com

This is such an honor and I have downloaded Hyper-v Replica Essentials in PDF form... it is so worth the read. If I was to write a book and publish it, this is the format I would use.  The Chapters are are well laid out with tons of screen captures (a picture is worth a thousand words), it clearly was written by someone who has worked with replication in hyper-v and knows the pitfalls and the right way to make it work. I am going to recommend Packtppub.com as a valuable resource from which to get quality ebooks for all your IT needs.

Hyper-V Replica Essentials is a step-by-step guide for configuring Hyper-V Replica
in various deployment scenarios, which will help you learn how to configure this
new feature and improve the systems' availability in your datacenter. This book will
give you an overview of what Hyper-V Replica is. Then, it will take you through
all the prerequisites you need to properly configure it, which will help you take
advantage of this easy-to-configure disaster recovery tool. You will learn how to set
up a modern datacenter with the help of a new concept called Server Message Block
(SMB) from Windows Server 2012. We will also take a look at how you can configure
Hyper-V Replica in your existing environment, whether it is a clustered or nonclustered
environment, and how to secure your data with the use of certificates.

What this book covers
Chapter 1, Introducing Hyper-V Replica, will take a deep dive into virtualization and
its importance to the modern enterprises. You will also get to know about the new
features of Windows Server 2012 called Hyper-V Replica; its functionalities, values,
and components.
Chapter 2, Failover Clustering, introduces a new concept for file sharing and
application data storage called SMB. It will also show you how install Hyper-V
on a server and join servers in a Failover Cluster.
Chapter 3, Configuring Hyper-V Replica, is all about different configurations of
Hyper-V Replica, depending on the various infrastructure models. This chapter
will teach you how to configure Hyper-V in a cluster environment or in a standalone
host environment.
Chapter 4, Authentication in Hyper-V Replica, will show you how to encrypt the
communication between the Primary and the Replica site with the help of certificates.
Chapter 5, Administration of Hyper-V Replica, will teach you how to maintain Hyper-V
Replica configuration and troubleshoot the Hyper-V Replica issues.

Check out these other titles as well:

Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Cookbook
ISBN: 978-1-84968-442-2 Paperback: 304 pages
Over 50 simple but incredibly effective recipes for mastering the administration of Windows Server
Hyper-V
1. Take advantage of numerous Hyper-V best practices for administrators
2. Get to grips with migrating virtual machines between servers and old Hyper-V versions,
automating tasks with PowerShell, providing a High Availability and Disaster Recovery
environment, and much more
3. A practical Cookbook bursting with essential recipes

Instant Hyper-V Server Virtualization Starter
ISBN: 978-1-78217-997-9 Paperback: 58 pages
An intuitive guide to learningVirtualization with
Hyper-V
1. Learn something new in an Instant! A short, fast, focused guide delivering immediate results
2. Step-by-step, practical guide to understanding and implementing virtualization for an
enterprise environment
3. Learn how to create a virtual machine in three steps

Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V: Deploying Hyper-V Enterprise Server Virtualization Platform
ISBN: 978-1-84968-834-5 Paperback: 410 pages
Build Hyper-V infrastructure with secured multitenancy, flexible infrastructure, scalability, and
high availability
1. A complete step-by-step Hyper-V deployment guide, covering all Hyper-V features for
configuration and management best practices
2. Understand multi-tenancy, flexible architecture,scalability, and high availability features of new

Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Windows Server 2012 Automation with PowerShell Cookbook
ISBN: 978-1-84968-946-5 Paperback: 372 pages
Over 110 recipes to automate Windows Server administrative tasks using PowerShell
1. Extend the capabilities of your Windows environment
2. Improve the process reliability by using well defined PowerShell scripts
3. Full of examples, scripts, and real-world best practices

NEW GUI hyper-v Manager hits the market and I helped create it..Probus-IT Hyper-V Manager (HVM)

NEW******************NEW*********************NEW*****************NEW
Just released a new hyper-v manager that is free for non commercial use and pay for use if commercial.

I endorse this product as I helped in it's design and features and the GUI is much better than my product.
http://www.probus-it.se/hypervtools/hypervmanager

Probus-IT Hyper-V Manager (HVM) will help you to manage Hyper-V Servers and virtual machines. It is especially useful on core installations where you cannot run Microsoft Hyper-V manager locally. No RSAT or DOT-Net install needed. No fiddling with cmdkey and HVRemote-scripts. Installs on 32 and 64-Bit windows. Use it on Servers, desktops and Core installations both 32 and 64-Bit.
Thanks Håkan Lindén

NEW******************NEW*********************NEW*****************NEW

There are 5 Hyper-v Manager products for hyper-v 2012 that I know of:
Listed by feature set only
1. Hyper-v Manager from Microsoft (requires you have windows 8 or server 2012)
2. Vtutilities (www.vtutilities) has all the features of the microsoft product, has a 14 day trial and then costs $119 per server you install it on)
3. Probus-IT Hyper-V Manager (HVM)  above... great product still needs import and export feature, free for non commerical use and is a pay for product (still working on the US $ price point, but the more people who download it the cheaper the price will be) I helped develop this product and it has many of the features of the Microsoft and VTutilities products, the GUI is much better than my free product and frankly I wish I could code as good as Håkan Lindén.
4. PSHVM30 - My free powershell GUI hyper-v manager (will always be free and most likely wili not be developed further as the other free product choices grow and improve)
5. 5Nine Hyper-v manager (there is a free version and I have talked to the CIO and they know it is not even close to the above 4 choices as far as features) I have been promised that the next 2 or 3 versions will be a vast improvement over what has just been released, however the paid version $149 is just too expensive for what you are getting.

If you are listing by cost and then feature set.
1.  Probus-IT Hyper-V Manager (HVM) ( free for now, price point TBD)
2. PSHVM30 - Free and ugly but it works, as one reviewer wrote not real coding and poorly written.
3. Vtiltities - $119 per server can get expensive in a hurry
4. Windows 8 and server 2012 If you already own them then this is #1 but if you have to buy them #4.
5. 5Nine v3.6 (even though this is free it just lacks so many features it is less than helpful with its current set of features)

Here is my must have list of features for any hyper-v manager

Create a VM from scratch ( meaning new everything and attach an ISO to DVD drive)

Create a VM from existing VHDX file

Attach/Eject and ISO and the MS integration Tools to a VM

Create a Virtual hard disk (fixed or dynamic) and attach it to a VM

Manage the VM's vswitch (Add or remove  vswitches)

Manage the VM's NIC(s) (Add or remove a NIC)

Create a virtual switch on the VHOST (remove a vswitch from a vhosts)

Set the vHost virtual machine path

Set the vHost virtaul hard disk path

Start/Stop VM's

Import/Export VM's

Delete a VM

Connect/control any VM weither it has a IP address or not

Edit the VM's Setting's

  NUMLOCK

  RAM (amount and if fixed or dynamic)

  vCPU Count

  vSwitch(s)

  NIC(s)

  VM NAME

  Virtual Hard Drives (create\add\attach\manage)

It's Official I will be teaching a Continuing Ed course on Hyper-v for Collin College this spring

Class did not make, but it will be offered this summer again and we can see if the class will make.

So if you are the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex and you want to learn about Microsoft Hyper-v Free Core Server or Datacenter 2012 Server in standalone environments.

The classes will all be held at the continuing Ed Campus located at 4800 Preston Park Blvd, Plano Texas

I will teaching 12 hours on hands on instruction over 4 evenings Tue/Thurs starting 2/25 thru 3/6 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm.

To register call 972-985-3711 and reserve your seat or go to http://www.collin.edu/ce/courses/MS_hyper-v_3.html to see the course outline or sign up at https://cereg.collin.edu/flexibleregistration/index.jsp?frc=CE&q=subj:xjva+numb:0108

Lesson Plan

Session 1:

What is a hypervisor and how does it work.

Lab 1: Install, configure and update Core Server 2012 with hyper-V 3.0

Lab 2: Create Virtual switch(s) and Data Store location

Lab 3: Creating a Virtual Machine, vCPU, vRAM, etc.

Session 2:

Lab 4: Modifying Virtual Machines and learning how to manipulate VHD and VHDx files

Lab 5: Using Virtual Machine Templates and Backing up your VM’s

Lab 6: Converting: VMware Virtual Machine to Hyper-v Virtual Machine and Physical Server to Hyper-v Virtual Machine

Session 3:    

Lab 1: Install, configure and update DataCenter Server 2012 with hyper-V 3.0

Lab 2: Create Virtual switch(s) and Data Store location

Lab 3: Creating a Virtual Machine, vCPU, vRAM, etc.

Session 4:

Lab 4: Modifying Virtual Machines and learning how to manipulate VHD and VHDx files

Lab 5: Using Virtual Machine Templates and Backing up your VM’s

Lab 6: Basic Powershell 3.0 command-lets and using them in Powershell scripts