user or process with administrative privileges to the VMOTHER CAPABILITIES
Windows Server 2016 provides two distinct groups of new capabilities for Hyper-V:
those that are part of the Hyper-V role and those that the Hyper-V role will benefit
from. Both are equally important in many scenarios, but there is a definite theme of
enabling Windows Server 2016 and Hyper-V to be the definitive platform for the cloud
on-premises, in hosting partners, and in Microsoft’s own Azure public cloud for
Windows and Linux workloads. Customers will have a choice of how to deploy their
services without having to change how they write their applications and complete
hybrid options.
When first considering the Hyper-V role specifically, there is a new VM hardware
version available, version 7, that enables the new features discussed in the rest of this
section. A version 7 virtual machine can be used only on a Windows Server 2016 host
and uses a new binary VMCX configuration file instead of the old XML-based
configuration that was prone to corruption. Generation 2 VMs can now have memory
and network adapters hot-added and removed, providing more flexibility in VM
resource configuration. Virtual TPMs are also now available for generation 2,
hardware version 7 VMs, enabling high-security features such as shielded VMs and
BitLocker. Linux VMs can now use the Secure Boot feature initially introduced for
Windows VMs in Windows Server 2012 R2.
When looking at the rest of Windows Server 2016, many of the features, while usable
by many technologies, certainly have Hyper-V as the focus role that will benefit from
the technology. The new Nano Server deployment option for Windows Server, which
features a completely refactored architecture that is a fraction of the size of a Server
Core deployment, is the recommended option for cloud fabric servers, Hyper-V
servers, and file servers, in addition to born-in-the-cloud application servers. Nano
Servers are quick to deploy, require less patching and rebooting, and have no real local
interface, but they can be managed remotely in rich ways. Windows Server 2016 has
new builds released at a far greater pace than the regular once-every-two-years
frequency to which we have grown accustomed. To enable easy adoption of new
builds, rolling upgrades will be supported that allow a mix of Windows Server 2016
builds in a single cluster, and this functionality also extends to Windows Server 2012
R2, allowing organizations to add Windows Server 2016 nodes in their existing
Windows Server 2012 R2 clusters. Major new storage technologies enable new types
of replication and new ways to use direct-attached storage in cluster nodes.