1. Introducing Hyper-V for Windows 8
If you are new to virtualization, Windows 8 is the perfect platform
to familiarize you with virtualization. For a number of reasons, it is
a great technology that will enable you to do more with your computing
environment. Further, there is an incredible virtualization community
on social sites such as blogs, Twitter, and podcasts and at major
events around the globe.
A virtual machine might at first seem difficult to explain. To
compound this, a number of definitions in use in the technology space
seem to vary based on which virtualization engine is in use. For
Windows 8, a virtual machine running in Hyper-V is a contained instance
of an operating system with direct access to physical hardware.
Hyper-V virtual machines run within the same computer on which
Windows 8 is installed. Today, the hardware used for desktops,
notebooks, and other mainstream computing devices are quite capable
systems, and the processors have other virtualization technologies
built in.
In terms of the operating system being an “instance,” this just
means that the computer running Windows 8 runs it with its own name,
TCP/IP address, installed applications, and other aspects.
Note
VIRTUALIZATION IS A CONSOLIDATION TECHNOLOGY
Running one or more virtual machines on one physical computer system
is great, but it is important that resources become shared in this
situation. This means that the four core resources of the computer are shared among the running virtual machines and the Windows 8 system with the Hyper-V feature enabled. The four core resources are processor, disk, network, and memory.
Hyper-V Manager provides the console in which you perform virtual machine tasks, and, as shown in Figure 1,
the Actions bar on the right is where many tasks and configuration
settings are applied. It is important to note that multiple objects are
in play. Both the individual virtual machines are a collection of
objects, and the Windows 8 system with the Hyper-V feature is an
object. Each type of object can have individual settings applied.
Not every Windows 8–based computer should have Hyper-V enabled. In
fact, enabling it should be a selective process. Users who most often
encounter the typical situations that warrant virtual-machine usage
include developers, system administrators, and other power users who
need access to many systems. Avoid putting Hyper-V on a computer
running Windows 8 unless you have a specific need.
This poses the question of when Hyper-V
should be enabled and for what specific uses. There are no clear-cut
rules because every computing environment is different. However, a few
popular cases should help you see when Hyper-V might be a good option on a client computer system.
Test environments for system administrators
If you are a system administrator, you might want to enable Hyper-V
on your computer to provide test environments for client or server
operating systems. In fact, on Windows 8 with the Hyper-V feature
enabled, you can run a Windows Server 2012 virtual machine! This
virtual machine can join the domain, have applications installed, and
receive Windows updates (and set additional configuration options)
without interfering with Windows 8. This use for critical applications
can keep the Windows 8 environment clean, yet enable you to provide
adequate and representative test environments for server applications.
Application compatibility situations
There are a number of situations when an application might not work
on a newer operating system. This can be due to an application being
built for x86 environments, needing a specific obsolete browser, or
reproducing client computing environments in which the operating
systems are mixed. With Hyper-V on Windows 8, virtual machines can be
added to accommodate all these situations.
Test environments for desktop support technicians
Client computing professionals might want to have a virtual machine
available to test configuration elements such as automated application
deployments, granular permissions, environment scripting, and more.
Having a Hyper-V virtual machine on the Windows 8–based computer can
enable you, as the desktop support technician, to provide this test
environment without compromising your primary workspace.
Environments for application developers
Application developers have an incredible opportunity with
virtualization on the client. This can even be an opportunity to reduce
unfavorable situations such as server sprawl in the data center. If you can run your critical virtual machines locally for testing
and code development, that might also reduce the burden on the
virtualized server infrastructure. Consider offering Windows 8
virtualization on the client to help reduce the development
infrastructure requirement in the data center.
3. Data management and licensing
In all situations in which Hyper-V is deployed, data protection
needs to be considered. Specifically, if any of the virtual machines
are being used in any sort of production capacity (or code is kept
there), additional steps need to be taken to ensure that the work is
not lost and all data is kept in the correct locations. This primarily
means backups or code revision control.
Important
HYPER-V AND VIRTUAL MACHINE LICENSING
It is also critical to note that although Hyper-V is a feature of Windows 8, it does not include any licensing
provisioning for virtual machines. Linux VMs are easier to address
because many distributions have free licensing models, but consult your
Microsoft licensing authority for options on how you can use this
feature within your compliance guidelines for Windows virtual machines.
