Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V

Public FAQ

Contents

New Functionality in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Release Candidate (RC) Build
................................................................................................................................... 3
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC Production Support..........................................4
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Questions..............................................................4
Clustering and Live Migration..................................................................................... 5
Supported Guests....................................................................................................... 6
Hyper-V Upgrade Guidance........................................................................................ 8
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V (RC)...............8
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V (Beta) Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V (RC)
................................................................................................................................ 8
Future release upgrade path: Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V (RC) Windows
Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V (RTM)................................................................................9
Networking Guidance................................................................................................. 9
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) Support.....................................11

New Functionality in Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Release

Candidate (RC) Build
Q: What is new in the Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC build
compared to the R2 Beta?
A: The Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Release Candidate build includes
the following improved and new functionality over beta.

Support for up to 64 Logical Processors increasing the logical

processors support from 24 to 64 enables customers to achieve
higher consolidation ratios and more scalable virtualization
scenarios on Windows Server than ever before.

Processor Compatibility Mode for live migration allows live

migration across different CPU versions within the same processor
family, (e.g.Intel Core 2-to-Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Opteron-toAMD Athlon) enabling migration across a broader range of Hyper-V
host hardware.

VM Chimney (TCP Offload) and VMQ support are disabled by default

The following are new Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V features that were
also in the R2 beta.

Live Migration

Jumbo Frame Support

Hot Add/Remove of storage (VHDs and Pass Through Disks)

Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) processor support for both

Intel (EPT) and AMD (RVI)

Core Parking

Improved network performance via support for TCP Chimney and

VMQ (specific hardware NICs required)

Improved VHD performance for dynamic and difference disks

Q: When will the Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC build be

released?
A: Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC is currently available from
www.microsoft.com/hyper-v.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC Production Support
Q: Are production deployments of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
RC supported?
A: Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V is still in the pre-release phase and
production deployments are not recommended / supported.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Questions
Q: What does WS08 R2 Hyper-V contain?
A: With WS08 R2 Hyper-V, customers will get a compelling solution for core
virtualization scenarios Production server consolidation, dynamic
datacenter, test & development and business continuity. With the initial
version of Hyper-V, we have seen massive customer interest and adoption for
Hyper-V with over 300K downloads of the RTM and the latest IDC report
showing that Microsoft has 23% market share in virtualization. Windows
Server 2008 R2 provides customers better flexibility with features like live
migration and cluster shared volumes for storage flexibility; greater
scalability with support for up to 64 logical processors and improved
performance with support for enhanced networking support (TCP offload
support for virtual machines) and support for hardware page tables.
Q: Whats new in R2?
A: The major technology investment areas for WS08R2 are Virtualization,
Web, and Management these along with several features that improve
Scalability & Reliability and deliver a strong value proposition along with
WIN7 Clients. These features include:

Live Migration - Allows customers to move virtual machines from one

host to another in seconds with no loss of performance. This facilitates
hardware maintenance and upgrades, manual failover, and the
consolidation of workloads on fewer servers. Automation in the
datacenter also helps trim IT spending on labor and maintenance.
DirectAccess Allows remote workers to securely connect to their work
environment as if they were on the corporate network and it also lets
IT administrators manage those PCs as if they were on premise,
without the use of a VPN. Resulting in greater flexibility for remote
workers and reduced office costs.
Branch Cache Customers can greatly reduce Wide Area Network
(WAN) bandwidth consumption between the datacenter and branch
offices. The result is a significant reduction in networking costs
because most organizations pay for bandwidth by the byte.

Q: What is the number of logical processors that will be supported

by Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2?
A: Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 will support up to 64 logical
processors in the physical machine.
Q: Why is there a difference between the number of logical
processors supported in Windows Server 2008 R2 and the number of
logical processors supported by Hyper-V?
A: The Windows Server OS is designed to run on the widest range of HW from
single processor servers to the largest scale-up servers. Hyper-V is designed
for the most common hardware configurations that customers will deploy for
virtualization. The vast majority of servers that will be deployed for
virtualization will be 2 and 4 socket servers. Hyper-V will support up to 64
logical processors in Windows Server 2008 R2 and we will continue to work
with our partners to provide solutions to help customers take advantage of
future hardware innovations to meet their current and future business needs.

Q: When will Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RTM?

A: Server 2008 R2 will RTM in the second half of 2009.
Q: How many guest OSes can I run?

A: The actual number of guest OSes will depend on the physical hardware
and the characteristics of the different virtualized workloads. Windows Server
2008 R2 Hyper-V will support upto 64 logical processors and 1 TB of memory
for the host system. We will announce the maximum number of guest
instances than can run on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V closer
to RTM. Additionally, each guest OS must have a valid license.
Clustering and Live Migration
Q: Up to how many nodes on a cluster does Live Migration support?
A: Live Migration is supported on up to 16 node failover clusters.
Q: What is the maximum number of supported VMs per node?
A: For production deployment, up to 32 VMs per node for server workloads
and up to 64 VMs per node for VDI workloads are supported. Customers
must plan for adequate capacity when a failover occurs and VMs from the
failed host are brought online on different nodes of the cluster.
Q: Will Live Migration work on with a cluster of mixed AMD and
Intel host nodes?
A: For Live Migration or Quick Migration to work, all cluster nodes must
have processors from the same processor vendor, for example Intel or AMD.
Q: Assuming host nodes have a virtualization capable processor
from the same manufacturer, can I migrate a VM from a host using
an older processor to a host with a newer processor?
A: It is highly recommended to use identical processors on all nodes of a
cluster using Quick or Live Migration.
A new functionality introduced in RC is the Processor Compatibility Mode
option. This functionality can be enabled for VMs to allow both Live Migration
and Quick Migration from newer to older processors from the same
manufacturer.

The setting is under VM settings > Processor > Migrate to a physical

computer with a different processor version.
You can live migrate or quick migrate a running VM from an older processor
to new processor and back without the Processor Compatibility Mode
option as long as the VM is running all the time.
Q: Are there any new tools included with Windows Server R2 Server
Core to help manage the Hyper-V?
A: A new server configuration script is available in the Windows Server 2008
R2 Hyper-V RC. Type sconfig at the command line to start the server
configuration utility.

Supported Guests
Q: What operating systems are supported as guests on Windows
Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC?
A: The following operating systems are supported as guests with integration
services with Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC:

Windows Server 2000 Server and Advanced Server with SP4

(uniprocessor)

Windows XP SP3 32 bit (uniprocessor)

Windows Vista SP1 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)

Windows 7 client 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)

Windows 7 client 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, two virtual

processors)

Windows Server 2003 SP2 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)

Windows Server 2003 SP2 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, two virtual

processors)

Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)

Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, two

virtual processors)

Windows Server 2008 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)

Windows Server 2008 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, four virtual

processors)

Windows Server 2008 R2 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)

Windows Server 2008 R2 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, four virtual

processors)

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (x86/x64) (uniprocessor, no

integration components)

Q: What Linux guests are supported in Windows Server 2008 R2

Hyper-V RC?
A: Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V is still in the pre-release phase and
production deployments are not recommended / supported. Single processor
VMs of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 without integration components are
currently the only recommended Linux distribution during RC.
Hyper-V Upgrade Guidance
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
(RC)
Q: Can I upgrade my existing Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V host to
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC?
A: Yes. Upgrade of Hyper-V installations from WS2008 Hyper-V to WS2008
R2 Hyper-V RC is supported. You can perform an in-place upgrade of your
machine from Windows Server 2008 to Windows Server 2008 R2 and still
have the Hyper-V role enabled on the system.
Q: I have a number of virtual machines that I created using
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V. Can I move these virtual machines
to Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC?
A: The following methods of moving a VM from WS2008 Hyper-V to WS2008
R2 Hyper-V RC will be supported:
1. In-place upgrade of the host from WS2008 Hyper-V to WS2008 R2
Hyper-V RC.

2. Exporting a VM from a machine running WS2008 Hyper-V and

importing to a machine running WS2008 R2 Hyper-V RC.
3. Backing up a VM from WS2008 Hyper-V and restoring it on WS2008 R2
Hyper-V RC
At the end of each operation above, the VM configurations that were created
in WS2008 Hyper-V will still be registered in WS2008 R2 Hyper-V RC.
Although all guest synthetic devices with continue to function with the older
drivers on RC, updating the guest integration services to the latest R2
version is highly recommended to access the optimal performance of the R2
drivers and integration services of RC.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V (Beta) Windows Server 2008 R2
Hyper-V (RC)
Q: Will I be able to upgrade my Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
(Beta) host to the R2 RC?
A: Yes. Upgrade of installations from Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Beta
to Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC is supported. You can perform an inplace upgrade of your machine from Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Beta
to Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC and still have all the virtual machines
available.
Q: Will I be able to reuse my virtual machines that were created
with the R2 beta release with Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC?
A: The following methods of moving a VM from R2 Beta to R2 RC will be
supported:
1. In-place upgrade of the host from Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
Beta to Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC.
2. Exporting a VM from a machine running HVS2008 R2 Beta and
importing to a machine running Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC.
3. Backing up a VM from Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Beta and
restoring it on Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC
Save states and snapshots will upgrade normally with beta to RC upgrades.

Although all guest synthetic devices with continue to function with the beta
drivers on RC, updating the guest integration services to the latest R2
version is highly recommended to access the optimal performance of the R2
drivers and integration services for RC.
Future release upgrade path: Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
(RC) Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V (RTM)
Q: Will I be able to do an in-place upgrade of my Windows Server
2008 R2 Hyper-V RC host to the RTM release of R2?
A: Upgrade of Hyper-V installations from RC versions to RTM of R2 will be
supported. You can perform an upgrade of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
from RC to RTM.
Q: Will I be able to reuse my virtual machines that were created
with the R2 RC release with Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RTM?
A: Yes. VMs that were running with the RC version of Windows Server 2008
R2 Hyper-V will automatically be upgraded to run on RTM version. Note this
upgrade will not update the integration services inside the virtual machine.
Users will need to install the latest integration services for optimal stability
and performance.
Networking Guidance
Q: What are the VMQ and TCP Chimney offload features?
A: Windows Server 2008 R2 is being delivered with new optional
optimizations to enhance the networking performance of virtual machines.
The networking optimization features are Chimney for Virtual Machines (VMChimney) and Virtual Machine Queues (VMQ). Depending on the NICs
available to you and the traffic types you encounter, one or both of these
technologies may produce substantial improvements in your networking
performance, either through greater bandwidth utilization or, in slower NICs,
lower CPU utilization to process the same load.

Both VM-Chimney and VMQ require hardware support. These features are
only available when using specific hardware NICs (please refer to the section
below for supported NICs).
NICs:
For Windows Server 2008 R2 RC,

VM-Chimney capable drivers are available on the RC media for the

following NICs:
o Broadcom Net-Xtreme II 1 Gb/s NICs (Models 5706, 5708, and
5709)
o Broadcom 10Gb/s NICs (Models 57710, 57711)

VMQ capable drivers are available on the RC media:

o Intel Kawela (E1Q) 1 Gb/s NICs (also known as Pro/1000 ET NICs)
o Intel Oplin NICs (IXE) 10Gb/s NICs (also known as 82598)

To determine which NIC(s) your system has, go to the Windows Device

Manager and expand the Network Adapters entry. If one of the above
mentioned Network Adapters is listed, then your host should be capable
of using the associated networking optimization feature.
Drivers for additional NICs that support these features are expected to be
available in the RTM timeframe. Some vendors may produce VMQcapable or Chimney-capable drivers for their NICs and release them
through other channels such as their own support web sites.
Feature interactions:

A connection will not be offloaded if it is part of an IPSec rule.

Connections may not be available if the Windows Firewall or any other
filter driver that requires packet inspection for that particular
connection.
Currently available NIC teaming drivers do not support the use of
either of these features.
There are known issues with the in-box 10Gb/s Broadcom NICs with
Chimney turned on.
VMQ and Chimney may be independently available on separate NICs in
the same host machine.
If both Chimney and VMQ are available on the same NIC at the same
time, Windows Server 2008 R2 will use VMQ (for Windows Server 2008
R2 RC there are no NICs we are aware of that support both).

System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) Support

Q: Can I manage Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V hosts with
SCVMM?
A: The SCVMM 2008 R2 release will enable management of Windows Server
2008 R2 Hyper-V hosts from SCVMM. A beta version of SCVMM 2008 R2 is
currently available for customers from www.microsoft.com/scvmm.
Q: Can I manage Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC hosts with
SCVMM R2 Beta?
A: No, The current beta of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2
will not support managing Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC. The RC for
SCVMM 2008 R2 will be available by June 2009. A beta version of SCVMM
2008 R2 is currently available for customers from
www.microsoft.com/scvmm.