| Microsoft releases server virtualization technology |
Jun. 27, 2008
 Microsoft has announced the RTM (release to manufacturing) and an available download for its new hypervisor-based server virtualization platform. Hyper-V allows a single physical server to be divided into as many as 64 virtual machines, each running its own server operating system, according to the company.
(Click here for a larger view of Microsoft's Hyper-V)
Hyper-V is being marketed as a key feature of the Windows Server 2008 operating system. While the final version of Hyper-V was not ready for Windows Server 2008's February launch, customers can download it today, and it will also soon be included in most Windows Server 2008 SKUs (stock keeping units), according to Microsoft.
Hyper-V runs on 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008, and requires either AMD64 or Intel IA-32e/EM64T (x64) processors with hardware-assisted virtualization support; it does not support Itanium (IA-64) processors, says Microsoft. Possible guest server OSes can be either 64-bit or 32-bit, and are said to include the following:- Windows Server 2008 (x64 or x86, with 1, 2 or 4 virtual processors)
- Windows Server 2005 (x64 or x86, with 1, 2 or 4 virtual processors)
- Windows Server 2003 (x64 or x86, with 1 or 2 virtual processors)
- Windows Vista SP1 (x64 with up to 2 virtual processors)
- Windows XP SP2 (x64 with up to 2 virtual processors)
- Windows XP SP2 (x86)
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 with Service Pack 1 or 2 (x64 or x86, with single virtual processor only)
Other guest operating systems, such as different Linux distros, "might work" on top of Hyper-V, according to Microsoft. However, alternative guests have not been officially tested or supported with relevant integration components, the company adds.
Subject to physical hardware limitations, Hyper-V permits up to 64 virtual machines. Each quest operating system can be provided with up to 64GB of RAM, and from one to four virtual cores, according to Microsoft. And, while today's announcement made no mention of thin client computing, virtualized server OSes apparently retain all their native potential for hosting thin clients based on Windows Embedded Standard, Windows XP Embedded, or Windows CE operating systems.
Advantages touted by Microsoft for Hyper-V include:- Server consolidation, allowing elimination of underutilized physical servers
- Development and testing
- Hosting legacy operating systems and applications
- Simplified disaster recovery
- Management of physical and virtual resources with a single set of tools
Hyper-V stores its virtual machines using the .VHD (virtual hard disk file format). Originally devised for Virtual PC, this format has now been adopted by some third-party hypervisors. It permits storage of an entire guest operating system and application stack in a single file.
Like the competing, enterprise-oriented hypervisors offered by VMware, Citrix, and a host of other companies, Hyper-V simplifies backup of virtual machines and allows them to be moved quickly from one physical server to another. As Microsoft notes, this is extremely useful when hardware upgrades or repairs are required. Hyper-V also is said to include "wizards" for easily converting physical servers into virtual equivalents, for subsequent redeployment via the hypervisor.
On the other hand, Hyper-V reportedly lacks a few features that are present in competing hypervisors. For example, shifting virtual machines from one physical host to another is automated, but requires that the virtual machines be taken offline. In contrast, VMware's VMotion feature is claimed to perform a "live" migration of virtual machines that is undetectable to their users. Microsoft officials say some features had to be omitted from Hyper-V to meet the company's promised ship date of "six months after Windows Server 2008," but will be added in future releases.
Feasting on Hyper-V chow
According to today's announcement, Microsoft has been feasting on its own dog food. Hyper-V is being used in production environments such as the web servers for TechNet, MSDN, and Microsoft.com -- which are said to have average page views of more then 1, 3, and 38 million per day. By the end of June, Microsoft.com will be more than 50 percent virtualized, says the company.
Posting on the Windows Server Division Weblog, Technology Architect Rob Emanuel says the company began its transition of Microsoft.com in March, with a single server running on a Hyper-V beta. "This single VM was as stable, reliable, and performed better with live internet load as compared to the older physical servers in the cluster. With the success of the first VM running www.microsoft.com, we decided to expand to an entire cluster of servers," he writes.
On Jun, 5, a cluster of 16 virtual machines was deployed that is now handling 25 percent of the Microsoft.com traffic without problems, according to Emanuel. By the end of the month, he adds, Hyper-V virtual machines will be handing about 50 percent of Microsoft.com traffic, and the number of physical servers devoted to the site will have been halved.
Microsoft's Rob Emanuel discusses migration of Microsoft.com to Hyper-V
Source: Microsoft
Further information
To read Rob Emanuel's posting about Microsoft.com's migration to Hyper-V based servers, go here. To read Microsoft's Hyper-V FAQ, visit the company's website, here. An interesting analysis of Hyper-V appears on the eWEEK.com website, here.
Hyper-V itself can be downloaded from the Microsoft website, here.
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