Microsoft Hyper-V (formerly codenamed Viridian) is hypervisor-based visualization for Windows Server based  x86-64 systems. The beta  of Hyper-V  shipped some x64 editions of Windows Server 2008 , and the finalized version  was released via Windows Update in June 2008 and has since been released as a free stand-alone  version (Hyper-V Server 2008 R2). Hyper-V currently exists in two  distinct versions:  a stand-alone product called   Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 and as an integral part of  Windows Server 2008 R2.

Getting Started

The first requirement is for a  machine which can support a 64-bit operating system. You will need a clean installation of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition  (64-bit version) , as Hyper-V will not run within a virtual machine due to the need for hardware-assisted virtualization.

Prior to installing Hyper-V you should take some precautions, namely:

• Back up all data on the system.
• Take an inventory of all virtual machines you will be migrating to the Hyper-V machine, including all of the virtual hardware settings for the virtual machines.
• Back up all virtual hard disks (VHDs) which will be migrated.
• Enable the hardware-assisted virtualization. This is normally found in the computer’s BIOS, and it may be necessary to refer to the documentation or contact  for how to enable this.
• Install Windows Server 2008 / or 2008 R2. In this case, we will be using the full installation option (but note  that Hyper-V can be also used on a Server Core installation).
• Do not install other roles on  the target machine – Hyper-V should be the sole  role  on the machine that will host virtual machines.

Install  Hyper-V

Log in as an administrator and perform the following steps: