X

Hyper-V virtualization in action

How well does the latest beta of Microsoft's virtualization solution work? In this gallery, Ed Bott looks at Hyper-V in action on Windows Server 2008.
By Ed Bott, Senior Contributing Editor
197263.jpg
1 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
By Ed Bott

Recently, I took a closer look at Microsoft's release candidate of Hyper-V, the virtualization platform that didn't quite make it into Windows Server 2008.After less than a week, I'm hooked. In this image gallery, I'll show you how Hyper-V works, what it can and can't do, and where it falls short on the client side.

To work interactively with a Hyper-V virtual machine, you open it in a window like this one, either locally or from a remote terminal. The toolbar along the top of the window allows you to start, stop, or pause the machine or save its state. The VMBus devices shown here enable integration with a mouse pointer and enhanced video settings.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197264.jpg
2 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
To create a new virtual machine or work with an existing one, you use the Hyper-V Manager. The left-hand pane allows you to connect to a server; the pane on the right includes links that let you change VM settings without connecting interactively. The snapshot pane below the list of VMs allows you to roll back a VM to an earlier state.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197265.jpg
3 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
This wizard allows you to specify the virtual hardware to be used in a new VM. After defining the amount of memory, hard disk size, and network settings, you can assign media to use for OS installation. In this case, I've assigned an ISO image of a Windows Vista DVD.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197266.jpg
4 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
Default settings for a virtual CPU use a single processor core. You can assign additional cores - up to four, in this example where the physical machine has a quad-core CPU. You can also restrict CPU usage to prevent a VM from monopolizing the resources of a physical machine.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197267.jpg
5 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
Every component in a virtual machine is available for editing in this window, although most settings are changeable only if the VM is shut down. This pane shows the virtual DVD attached to an ISO file with the integration files that have to be added after a machine is created.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197268.jpg
6 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
Before a VM can access network resources, you have to connect its virtual adapter to a physical network. For VMs that don't have integration components installed, you'll need to create a legacy adapter first.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197269.jpg
7 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
For server installations more complex than this one, you could install multiple physical network cards and assign them to different groups of VMs. You can also isolate individual machines from external networks.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197270.jpg
8 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
In a VM, what appears to be a hard disk is actually a VHD file. When you inspect an individual disk file, you can see how much space it actually occupies - in this case, 127 GB is set aside for expansion, but only 2 GB is in use on the physical machine.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197271.jpg
9 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
After creating a virtual hard disk, use this wizard to compact, defragment, or expand it.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197272.jpg
10 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
The list of available settings for the Hyper-V server itself are relatively limited. You can specify the location of VM settings and virtual disk files and also control the credentials used to connect to virtual machines.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.
197273.jpg
11 of 11 Ed Bott/ZDNET
The physical machine hosting this collection of virtual machines is using a quad-core CPU with 6 GB of RAM. With three VMs started but not running any tasks, CPU usage is practically nonexistent. Memory usage corresponds almost perfectly to the amount of virtual memory assigned.

For the full review, see Is Hyper-V ready for the Windows desktop?.

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos