Hyper-V: Ready for Prime Time
When Hyper-V (Microsoft’s software that allows you to run virtual servers inside Windows Server 2008) first came out, we advised our clients to go slow until the inevitable bugs were found and fixed. Now that Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 has been out for a while, we feel confident recommending this product to those who want to run virtual servers in a Microsoft environment.
Buy 1 Get 1, 4 or As Many As You Want Free
The chief benefit of Hyper-V versus VMware’s popular ESX server is the potential cost savings. While one of the main reasons to use virtual servers at all is to save money, sometimes by the time you pay for server licenses for both the host and guest operating systems the savings pretty much evaporate. Microsoft changes this equation.
To help make virtualization affordable, Microsoft bundles licenses for Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 in with the Microsoft Server 2008 product. Depending on which version of Server 2008 you purchase, the savings can be substantial:
- Buy Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, Get 1 Hyper-V license free
- Buy Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise, Get 4 Hyper-V licenses free
- Buy Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter, Get unlimited Hyper-V licenses free
So, for example, if you have a pretty beefy server and want to run a substantial number of virtual servers inside it, you should consider purchasing a Datacenter license and using Hyper-V.
The Savings Don’t Stop with the License Fee
Of course, as with any virtualization project, you can also enjoy significant savings in hardware and energy costs. We’ve found that an average 2U server in a standard data center costs about $180 per month to run in power and cooling costs alone. If you put just 6 virtual machines inside one physical server, your energy savings will add up to over $10,000 per year!
HIncludes Many Useful Features
Hyper-V Server 2008 R2’s feature set is equal to that of VMware and includes:
- Live migration
- Ability to use snap shots
- Cloning (with purchase and use of Virtual Machine Manager)
- Host clustering
- Pass-through disks
- Support for large memory on the host operating system (1 TB)
- Excellent performance speed
- High availability
Four Important Things to Keep in Mind
There are four important lessons we’ve learned in our experience with Hyper-V:
- Be Sure You’re Using Windows Server 2008 R2. Before you install Hyper-V R2 make sure that you’re running a fully updated R2 operating system. If not, you’re likely to run into problems with the Hyper-V installation.
- Don’t Scrimp on the Host Hardware. Everything is riding on the host, so be sure to buy a solid machine. The hardware should be fully redundant and server class. Plus, be aware that virtualization is very memory-intense. Your physical server needs to have plenty of memory to ensure that everything will work smoothly.
- Only Use Supported Hardware. Be sure to choose a machine that’s on the list of supported hardware at www.WindowsServerCatalog.com. Otherwise you will not be able to make use of all the features of Hyper-V R2, including clustering and live migration.
- Monitoring is Crucial. Virtual servers are dependent on their host servers. It is imperative that you continuously monitor the host hardware and software, so you can discover and resolve any issues before they become major problems.
Conclusion
Have questions about Hyper-V or need help virtualizing your system? Give Coyote Creek Consulting a call. We have extensive experience virtualizing a wide variety of environments. We’re here for you!
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