Hyper-V Server

 Hyper-V Server

Microsoft Hyper-V (formerly codenamed Viridian) is hypervisor-based visualization for Windows Server based  x86-64 systems. The beta  of Hyper-V  shipped some x64 editions of Windows Server 2008 , and the finalized version  was released via Windows Update in June 2008 and has since been released as a free stand-alone  version (Hyper-V Server 2008 R2). Hyper-V currently exists in two  distinct versions:  a stand-alone product called   Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 and as an integral part of  Windows Server 2008 R2.

Getting Started

The first requirement is for a  machine which can support a 64-bit operating system. You will need a clean installation of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition  (64-bit version) , as Hyper-V will not run within a virtual machine due to the need for hardware-assisted virtualization.

Prior to installing Hyper-V you should take some precautions, namely:

Back up all data on the system.

Take an inventory of all virtual machines you will be migrating to the Hyper-V machine, including all of the virtual hardware settings for the virtual machines.

Back up all virtual hard disks (VHDs) which will be migrated.

Enable the hardware-assisted virtualization. This is normally found in the computer’s BIOS, and it may be necessary to refer to the documentation or contact  for how to enable this.

Install Windows Server 2008 / or 2008 R2. In this case, we will be using the full installation option (but note  that Hyper-V can be also used on a Server Core installation).

Do not install other roles on  the target machine – Hyper-V should be the sole  role  on the machine that will host virtual machines.

Install  Hyper-V

Log in as an administrator and perform the following steps:

Start the Server Manager (Start menu > Administrative Tools > Server Manager).

Under Roles Summary, select Add Roles, then select Hyper-V.

Complete the remainder of the setup wizard. You  are not required to allow virtual machines to access network resources, but one network card needs to be selected, so that this can be bound to a virtual switch. You will also be shown a warning if your computer has just a single network adapter; two are network adapters are recommended.

Restart the computer once the wizard is complete.

When  the system has restarted, reload the Server Manager, expand Roles in the left pane, and select Hyper-V.

From the right pane, verify that both “vhdsvc” and “vmms” are running, if so then the installation of the Hyper-V role has been completed successfully.

If you are using a Server Core installation, the Hyper-V installation is very straightforward – just enter the below  command in  the command line, and restart when prompted.

start /w ocsetup Microsoft-Hyper-V

Getting Started with Hyper-V Management Tools

Most  Hyper-V  settings and configurations can be management  from  the Hyper-V Manager MMC console which is accessible in the Administrative Tools group in the Start menu.

Using the Hyper-V Manager Console to create a new VM (virtual machine) :

Launch the New Virtual Machine manager from   the Hyper-V Manager console.

Next Before You Begin screen is shown,  you can quickly create a new VM  without completing the rest of the wizard by clicking Finish and a new VM will be created with the default configuration. To customize the configurations, click Next.

The Specify Name and Location screen is shown next. Choose a name for your virtual machine and also the path where it will be stored. Then click Next.

On the Assign Memory screen, specify an appropriate amount of memory to allocate to the new VM. Then click Next.

Next the Configure Networking screen is shown, here you  can connect the new VM  to virtual networks that  have been created elsewhere, or you can leave the VM disconnected. Then click Next.

On the  Connect Virtual Hard Disk screen, connect a new virtual hard disk (VHD) or an existing one to the new VM and click Next.

On the Installation Options screen, to install your guest OS  after completion of the  wizard, specify a path to the OS  installation disc and click Next.

Click Finish once you have reviewed the   settings to close the wizard and create the new VM.

When creating a new VM, there are some issues to consider. Firstly , Hyper-V supports  32- and 64-bit guest operating systems, and supports a variety of different storage mechanisms, including iSCSI and SANs over fiber channel. Up to 64 GB of memory can be allocated to any  VM, and you can enable an integrated virtual switch to eliminate the requirement to traverse the virtual-physical-virtual layers   to get network interface activity done.

Removing Hyper-V Server

Removing Hyper-V is very straightforward: just load the Server Manager, from the right pane under Roles Summary, click Remove Roles. Next, select Hyper-V in the Remove Roles Wizard, and then restart the system, and the uninstall is complete.