hyper v server

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Expert Reerence Series o White Papers

1-800-COURSES www.globalknowledge.com

Hyper-V Server

2008 R2Free Virtualization without a

Server Operating System


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Copyright 2011 Global Knowledge Training LLC. All rights reserved. 2

Hyper-V Server 2008 R2: Free Virtualization

without a Server Operating SystemGlenn Weadock, Global Knowledge Instructor and Course Developer,MCITP, MCSE, MCT, A+

IntroductionVirtualization has become such a hot topic that the number o virtualization techniques, tools, and technologiesis into the dozens, and thats just rom Microsot. Some o the benets o virtualization include hardware costsavings (initial and ongoing), role separation, conguration optimization, less disruption when one specializedVM goes down, easier reallocation o resources such as memory, supporting legacy applications (-i.e., in Win-dows 7s Windows XP Mode), and providing a convenient test platorm.

Hyper-V, Microsots high-end virtualization platorm, debuted shortly ater Windows Server 2008, and has sincebeen available as part o that server operating system. However, many people are surprised to learn that youcan get Hyper-V without Server 2008, and at no cost! The similarly-named Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 lets youdeploy virtual machines in situations where you really dont need a ull-fedged underlying server operatingsystem.

The hypervisor sits on top o the hardware in a very thin layer and talks to the virtualization-specic processesrunning on compatible processors, such as Intel-VT and AMD-V. (This hardware assist dramatically improvesthe perormance o virtual machines running in the Hyper-V environment.) Hyper-V Server 2008 is basically thehypervisor without the surrounding server, and it comes with no device drivers, although it does support the

Windows Server driver model or compatibility with a wide range o hardware.

I youre amiliar with Server Core, the GUI-less version o Server 2008, Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 has a similar eelto it, minus most o the services, roles, and eatures you get with Server Core. You get a command-line interaceand a ew command les to help you perorm the initial setup, and thats it. The idea is that you will spend aslittle time as possible getting Hyper-V Server 2008 up and running, ater which you will manage it remotely, withriendlier tools.

The topics in this white paper are as ollows:

Comparisonvs.WindowsServer2008 Hyper-VManageronDifferentPlatforms

Requirements CreatingandConguringVirtualMachines InstallingHyper-VServer2008 Conclusion

Initialsetup

Devicedrivers


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Comparison vs. Windows Server 2008Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 and the version that comes with the ull Windows Server 2008 R2 product are very simi-lar in the eature set. Both support up to 384 virtual machines (in case the original Hyper-Vs limit o 192 wasa problem or you!), ailover clustering, and virtual machine snapshots. Both support standard Windows driversand high-perormance I/O or enlightened virtual machines (more on that in a minute). Both support direct-

attached storage (SATA, eSATA, PATA, SCSI, USB, Firewire) and storage area networks (iSCSI and Fiber Channel).And both are aster than the original version o Hyper-V, particularly in the areas o TCP ofoad, dynamic virtualhard drives, and dierencing disks.

In another bit o good news, virtual hard drives (VHD les) are completely compatible and portable between thetwo environments.

Additional similarities include the ollowing:

Supportforboth64-bitand32-bitguestoperatingsystems

Supportfornon-Windowsguestoperatingsystems(e.g.,certainversionsofLinux)

Upto64GBguestoperatingsystemmemory

Upto1TBtotalmemory(thisisupfrom32GBintheoriginalWindowsServer2008versionofHyper-V)

Upto4processorcoresemulatedforguestoperatingsystems

Upto64logicalprocessorcoresonthehost

SupportforclusteringacrossmultipleguestVMs

SupportforNetworkLoadBalancingacrossclusters

AbilitytomigrateoneVMbetweenclusternodeswithnoperceiveddowntime(LiveMigration,alsonew since Windows Server 2008)

The big dierence is that Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 is not an operating system, but rather a stand-alone virtualmachine platorm. However, there are a ew other dierences, too.

Hyper-VServer2008R2supportsupto8sockets,justlikeWindowsServer2008R2EnterpriseEdition,butWindowsServer2008R2DatacenterEditionletsyougoupto64sockets.

TheresnolocalGUIforadministrationwithHyper-VServer2008R2.WindowsServer2008R2providesthe Hyper-V Manager MMC console.

Hyper-VServer2008R2conveysnorightsforWindowsServervirtualmachines.WindowsServer2008R2EnterpriseEditionincludeslicenserightsforupto4VMs,andDatacenterEditionincludesunlimitedrights.


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RequirementsHyper-V Server 2008 R2 requirements dont dier much rom the requirements or Hyper-V in Windows Server2008 R2.

Youmustuseexplicitvirtualizationsupport,knownasHAV(Hardware-AssistedVirtualization).Tondout whether a given system supports HAV, Microsot oers a ree downloadable Hardware-Assisted

Virtualization Detection Tool. Intel calls their HAV implementation Intel VT and AMD calls theirsAMD-V. You will usually nd this setting in the BIOS.

Youmusthavea64-bit(x64)environment.TheresnosupportforItaniumsystems.

YourCPUspeedmustbe1.4GHzorfaster.

Youmusthavehardware-enforcedDataExecutionPrevention(DEP),whichisusuallysetintheBIOS.

Youmusthaveatleast8GBofavailablediskspace,althoughtheactualamountyouwillneedwilldepend on the VMs you plan to host.

Physicalmemoryneedstobeadequatefortheenvironment(s)tobevirtualized.Thismeansatleast1GB, although Microsot recommends 2 GB or more; the actual amount you need will depend on howmanyVMsyouplantohostandhowmuchmemorytheyneedtoworkwell.Themaximumamountof

physical memory you can use is 1 TB.

Installing Hyper-V Server 2008The initial installation o Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 is quite easy. Here are the main steps.

DownloadtheISOlefromMicrosoft(itsabout1.5GBinsize)

BurnaDVDfromtheISOwithyourfavoritetool(personally,IlikeImgBurn)

SetupyourHyper-VservermachinesBIOStoenableHardware-AssistedVirtualizationandDataExecu-tion Prevention

BoottheDVDonyourdesignatedHyper-Vservermachine

Chooselanguage,time,andcurrencyformats,andkeyboardlayout

ClickInstall Now and agree to the license agreement

Specifywhereyouwanttheproducttobeinstalled(youcandelete,create,andformatdiskpartitionshere)

Getacupofcoffee,ortwoorthree.

Createapasswordforthelocaladministratoraccount(youllbepromptedforthis)

NotethatyoucanalsousetheHyper-VServer2008R2DVDasarecoverytoolinmuchthesamewayastheWindows Server 2008 R2 installation DVD. Instead o choosing Install Now, choose Repair your computer.

Oh, by the way: you cant upgrade to Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 rom Windows Server 2008 R2, nor can you goin the reverse direction.


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Initial SetupFinishing the Hyper-V Server 2008 installation is a little anticlimactic, but i you did it correctly (and its hard tomessitup),thenwhenyouloginasthelocaladministrator,youshouldseethetext-modeServerCongurationTool, shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The Server Confguration Tool

You can return to this script anytime by typing SCONFIG.CMD. (By the way, this is basically the same tool youget with Server Core 2008 R2.) Here are the steps you will normally perorm here.

Joinadomain

Assignacomputername Addanaccount(e.g.,adomainaccount)tothelocaladministratorsgroup

Setupremotemanagement

- Allow management by the Hyper-V MMC

- Allow management by PowerShell

- Allow management by Server Manager

- Show Windows Firewall settings

SetupWindowsUpdate

DownloadandinstallWindowsUpdatepatches

PermitRemoteDesktopsessions SetupTCP/IP

Settheclockandcalendar

Enableordisablefailoverclustering

Logoff,restart,shutdown


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You can do just about all o the above tasks with other tools, but the Server Conguration Tool is handy in thatit reduces the number o command-line programs you need to remember. Theres not a lot o documentation orthistool,butthebestsourcethatIvefoundisathttp://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=134202whereyoucanclick Confguring a Server Core installation o Windows Server 2008 R2 with Sconfg.cmd.

NotethatitispossibletosetupyourHyper-VServer2008hostsothatitsnotactuallyamemberofyourActiveDirectory domain, but the virtual machines that it hosts are members o the domain. However, although tech-nically there are ways to manage HVS2008 when the host machine and/or remote machines are not domainmembers,itcanbealotmorecomplextocongure.MygeneralrecommendationistomakethehostandtheVMs members o the domain unless you have a specic reason to do otherwise.

By the way, i you happen to accidentally close both the Server Conguration tool and the command promptwindow, and nd yoursel staring at a lovely but blank teal display, just press Ctrl-Alt-Del to start Task Man-ager and click the New Task button, then type CMD.

Device DriversWhen it comes to conguring your hardware, the device driver model is basically the same as in the WindowsServer2008R2versionofHyper-V(seeFigure2).JustabovethehypervisoristheVMBus,orVirtualMachineBus, where communications occurs between the dierent virtual machines and with the parent partition. Theparent partition is where the device driver support lives, even though it doesnt contain an operating system.

Figure 2. The parent partition contains drivers, but no operating system.


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So-called enlightened clients (ones such as Windows Server 2008 R2, that know about, and take advantageo, Hyper-V) running in child partitions use the device drivers provided by the parent partition with low over-head.Theparentpartitionisinchargeofallthehardwareforthephysicalbox.

I necessary, you can add device drivers to this partition by opening a command-line session rom the Server

CongurationToolandrunningthePNPUTILprogram(seeFigure3).

Figure 3. You can add drivers that work with Windows Server 2008 R2.

Hyper-V Manager on Dierent PlatormsYou can manage your Hyper-V systems remotely, but the specic tools youll need to install or download dependon the operating system you use.

OnWindowsServer2008R2,eitherx86orx64versions,youcanuseHyper-VManager(seeFigure4),which is an MMC snap-in. I the Hyper-V role has not been enabled on the server, you can install theadministrative console via Server Manager. Its part o the Remote Server Administration Tools eature.

OnWindows7,youcanalsouseHyper-VManager,butyoullhavetodownloadtheRemoteServerAdministration Tools.

OnWindowsVistaSP1andnewer,youllhavetodownloadtheHyper-VConsoleforVista(seeMicrosoftKnowledgeBasearticleKB952627).


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Figure 4: Hyper-V Manager running on Windows Vista

You can also use Microsots System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, or SCVMM or short, i youre aSystem Center customer.

I you preer using PowerShell, you can use that remotely as well as locally. In act, some Microsot employeeshavepreparedaPowerShellManagementLibraryforHyper-V(seehttp://pshyperv.codeplex.com)thatwillallow you to perorm the ollowing activities remotely.

FindaVM

ConnecttoaVM

DiscoverandmanipulateVMstates

Backup,export,andtakesnapshotsofVMs

AddandremoveVMs

Manipulatediskcontrollers,drives,anddiskimages

ManipulateNetworkInterfaceCards

WorkwithVHDles

Various independent developers have also produced PowerShell modules or use with Hyper-V.


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Finally, i youre already procient with WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation), you can talk to Hyper-VServer2008R2viaWMIcalls.TheMicrosoftDeveloperNetwork(MSDN)websiteincludesdetails.

Notethatyoucanuseanycombinationoftheaboveutilitiesandtools.

Creating and Confguring Virtual MachinesCreation, conguration, and management o virtual machines are perormed remotely rom the machine runningHyper-V Server 2008 R2. Using the Hyper-V Manager, you can easily create a new VM rom scratch by right-click-ingtheserverinthenavigationpaneandchoosingNewandVirtualMachinetolaunchtheNewVirtualMachinewizard(seeFigure5).

Figure 5: Remotely Creating a New VM with the Wizard

You can later modiy any o the virtual machines using the consoles Settings link in the Action pane (see Figure6).Again,theresnoGUItodoanyofthisattheactualHyper-VServer2008R2machineitself,althoughifyouenable PowerShell support, you can perorm some o these tasks locally via PowerShell.


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Remember that all the operating systems in your virtual machines need to be licensed and need proper antivirusand antimalware protection. However, also remember that the Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 parent partition does notneed antivirus or antimalware protection, because it doesnt have an operating system!

Youcan,ifyoulike,useBitLockerdriveencryptionontheparentpartitionofyourHyper-VServer2008R2box.

Use the OCSETUPcommandtoinstalltheBitLockerfeature,andthenusetheMANAGE-BDE command-linetooltocongureBitLockertoyourspecications.

ConclusionHyper-V Server 2008 R2 is a good solution or situations where you need a virtualization platorm but not theoverhead,complexity,orcostofafull-blownoperatingsystem.Forexample,IuseaHyper-VServersetupinmyown oce as a nice alternative to having eight physical computers running the dierent operating systems Ineedtoexperimentwithformyteachingandconsultingwork.Hyper-VServer2008R2hasarelativelysmallootprint and is readily managed remotely ater the initial setup. I oer kudos to Microsot or making a useulproduct available at no charge.

Learn MoreLearnmoreabouthowyoucanimproveproductivity,enhanceefciency,andsharpenyourcompetitiveedge.Check out the ollowing Global Knowledge courses:

Conguring,Managing,andMaintainingServer2008R2(M6419)

ImplementingandManagingMicrosoftServerVirtualization(M10215)

For more inormation or to register, visit www.globalknowledge.com or call 1-800-COURSES to speak with asales representative.

Ourcoursesandenhanced,hands-onlabsandexercisesofferpracticalskillsandtipsthatyoucanimmediatelyputtouse.Ourexpertinstructorsdrawupontheirexperiencestohelpyouunderstandkeyconceptsandhowtoapply them to your specic work situation. Choose rom our more than 1,200 courses, delivered through Class-rooms,e-Learning,andOn-sitesessions,tomeetyourITandbusinesstrainingneeds.

About the AuthorGlenn Weadock is a longtime instructor or Global Knowledge and has co-developed with Mark Wilkins twoMicrosot Ocial Curriculum courses on Server 2008 Active Directory and Server 2008 network inrastructure.GlennalsoconsultsthroughhisColorado-basedcompanyIndependentSoftware,Inc.,providesexpert-witness

services, and is the author o 18 computer books.
http://www.globalknowledge.com/training/course.asp?pageid=9&courseid=10662&catid=184&country=United+Stateshttp://www.globalknowledge.com/training/course.asp?pageid=9&courseid=10662&catid=184&country=United+Stateshttp://www.globalknowledge.com/training/course.asp?pageid=9&courseid=15623&country=United+Stateshttp://www.globalknowledge.com/training/course.asp?pageid=9&courseid=15623&country=United+Stateshttp://www.globalknowledge.com/training/course.asp?pageid=9&courseid=15623&country=United+Stateshttp://www.globalknowledge.com/training/course.asp?pageid=9&courseid=10662&catid=184&country=United+States

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