Hyper-V | Role of Hyper-V

Hyper-V is the newest version of Windows Server Virtualization. Once codenamed Viridian, Hyper-V is a native hypervisor in Windows Server. It’s used to create and manage a virtual server computing environment. By creating multiple virtual machines, businesses can run multiple operating systems on a single computer, while keeping each instance completely isolated.

Hyper-V is available on Windows Server and some Enterprise editions of Windows. It can also be used to create virtual environments when using Nano Server.

Microsoft designed Hyper-V to be customized to a business’s needs. The three main uses include scalability, networking and security. However, the main role is virtualization to improve business efficiency and reduce hardware costs.

Separation Through Partitions

Hyper-V isolates individual virtual systems via partitions. Each operating system functions independently on its own partition. In a hypervisor setup, there must be one parent partition with Windows Server 2008 or later for the virtualization stack to run and correctly manage server resources among all virtual instances.

The parent partition is the only partition with direct access to hardware resources. Child partitions, or the virtual instances, are assigned resources.

Full Management and Control

When using Hyper-V for virtualization, administrators have a wide range of management and server control options. Some of the most notable features include:
  • Create virtual machines without dealing with product keys
  • Create checkpoints and snapshots of virtual machines
  • Hyper-V Replica to replicate virtual machines
  • Live migration to avoid impacting users
  • Easy to use import and export tools
  • Resource monitoring
  • Remote Nano Server management
If your business is already using Windows Server and wants to implement virtualization, contact us today to learn more about the benefits of Hyper-V and how it compares to other virtualization solutions.