Installing Hyper-V
Hyper-V is a role of Windows Server 2008 and above that is enabled after the
installation of the Windows Server operating system, and it’s simple to enable it.
Remember from Chapter 1, “Introduction to Virtualization and Microsoft Solutions,”
that the Hyper-V role is available in both the Standard and Datacenter SKUs of
Windows Server. It’s also the only role available in the free Microsoft Hyper-V Server
offering that is aimed at VDI and Linux workloads that don’t need the Windows Server
guest licenses that are part of Standard and Datacenter licenses. The capabilities and
scalability were the same for all three versions up to Windows Server 2016. However,
with Windows Server 2016, the Datacenter SKU now has capabilities that the other
versions do not—such as Storage Replica, Storage Spaces Direct, new network
virtualization stack (HNVv2), and support for shielded VMs (which are covered later
in this chapter). The scalability remains the same for all three versions in Windows
Server 2016. The version you choose will depend on your exact requirements, but
typically you’ll choose the version based on the following:
Windows Server Datacenter Used when you have a large number of virtual
machines running Windows Server operating systems, especially when clustering
hosts to provide maximum mobility for virtual machines. Datacenter also is an
appropriate choice if you want to use the new network virtualization stack that has
been inspired by Microsoft Azure (HNVvs) or need to use the new highly secure
shielded VMs capability. While not a Hyper-V feature, many deployments today are
hyperconverged, with both the compute and storage provided by the same systems,
and this makes the 2016 Datacenter storage features Storage Spaces Direct and
Storage Replica very useful. Datacenter allows an unlimited number of licenses for
Windows Server virtual machines (known as virtual operating environments in
Microsoft parlance).
Microsoft Hyper-V Server Used when not running Windows Server guest operating
systems, which means that the virtual instance rights provided with Standard and
Datacenter are not needed. Primarily aimed at environments in which VMs do not
require Windows Server licenses, such as VDI environments that run Windows client
operating systems in virtual machines and Linux environments. Both scenarios
require their own separate licensing of the operating systems in the virtual machines.
Windows Server Standard Not typically used in virtualization environments,
because Standard provides only two virtual OS instance rights running Windows
Server that cannot be moved between servers. May be used in very lightly virtualized
environments where clustering is typically not used.
Whether you use Standard or Datacenter, there is no difference in any operational
activities; they are basically the same operating system. When you use the free
Microsoft Hyper-V Server, the Hyper-V role is automatically enabled, removing the
manual role additional action.