Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking
    • Virtualization

    Ready or Not, VMware, Here Comes Hyper-V

    By
    Cameron Sturdevant
    -
    July 16, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      With its June 26 release of Hyper-V, Microsoft presented x86 server virtualization leader VMware with what may prove its toughest challenge to date.

      That’s because while Hyper-V trails VMware’s ESX Server in core features, management options and guest operating system support, Microsoft’s new virtualization offering boasts a pair of significant-and familiar-advantages.

      Hyper-V is bundled with Windows Server 2008, and carries no additional charge. Microsoft will, however, sell you a version of Server 2008 sans Hyper-V. The estimated MSRP of Windows Server 2008 Standard is $999. The same server without Hyper-V is $971.

      At the very least, the entrance of Microsoft and Hyper-V into a market in which Xen-based offerings are already giving VMware a run for its money means that the days of VMware as the “no-brainer” option for server consolidation and similar virtualization-based tasks are over.

      Based on eWEEK Labs’ tests, Hyper-V is worthy of consideration as a virtualization option at sites of all sizes, and particularly those already running or planning on upgrading to Windows Server 2008. Hyper-V does require server hardware powered by x86-64 processors with hardware virtualization extensions, so companies that wish to use older x86 hardware as hosts for virtualization must stick with ESX Server, or opt for Microsoft’s lower-performance Virtual Server product.

      This first version of Hyper-V, which eWEEK Labs previously tested in beta form, currently lacks some of the scalability offered by VMware’s ESX Server. For instance, Quick Migration, where a virtual machine is moved from one physical host to another, is nowhere near as sophisticated-nor as quick-as the analogous function in VMware.

      However, based on Microsoft’s track record for overcoming scalability issues, as in Exchange Server and Active Directory, I expect that Microsoft will manage to make up scalability ground as it revs through subsequent Hyper-V versions.

      Less clear is whether Microsoft will close the gap between Hyper-V and ESX Server in the breadth of guests that Hyper-V hosts effectively. As matters now stand, Microsoft’s support for operating systems beyond Windows is characteristically poor. While pretty much any x86-based operating system will run under Hyper-V, the so-called “enlightened” drivers required for full performance are available for most Windows versions and for Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

      Hyper-V in the lab

      I installed Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V on an HP ProLiant ML115 server with an AMD Athlon dual-core 4450 B processor. The server was equipped with 4GB of RAM and a single 1GB NIC (network interface card). Hyper-V is treated in Windows Server 2008 as a server role, but since the version of Hyper-V that shipped with Server 2008 RTM was a beta, I had to download the updated Hyper-V code from Microsoft’s Web site.

      I set about creating some virtual machines by firing up Microsoft’s Hyper-V Manager, with which I built four virtual machines: VM One ran Windows Server 2003 with service pack 1; Two and Three were W2K3SP2 (Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2) and VM Four was Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 with SP2.

      I also tried my hand at importing a few VMs that I’d created, but the fact that I’d built those VMs using the beta version of Hyper-V frustrated those import efforts.

      As with VMware’s ESX server, the first order of business after installing a guest operating system is installing helper files to optimize guest performance in the hypervisor environment. In the case of Hyper-V, Microsoft currently supplies helper utilities called “integration services” (sometimes referred to as “integration components”) for a limited range of guest operating systems. I was able to use the virtual integration services setup disk on my W2K3SP2 virtual machines but was met with an “unsupported operating system” error message when I attempted the same thing on my Windows Server 2003 SP1 machine.

      Hyper-V’s management interface made it easy to adjust the attributes of my VMs, including their assigned memory, processor type, IDE controller type, network adapters and other hardware components. I also used the interface to change the VM name, install integration services, and change the snapshot file locations.

      The Hyper-V Manager is quite simple to use and IT managers should have little trouble training staff to use the system to create and maintain VMs. The system provided me with useful error messages when I attempted illegal actions. For example, I directed two VMs to use the DVD drive at the same time. It was easy to manually remediate the problem, although I’d like to see Microsoft automate remediation of device contention so that the Hyper-V Manager handles physical device delegation based on requests without manual configuration changes.

      I found virtual networking simple to set up and easy to use in Hyper-V. There are only three kinds of networks that can be created: external, internal and private. I used external networks to enable my VMs to access the Internet and internal networks so that the VMs could provide services on my local network. Private networks are used to isolate traffic to VMs installed on a physical host. I didn’t try this type of network, but for workloads that must be securely contained from the rest of the network it’s a handy feature.

      As in VMware’s management environment, I was able to accomplish certain configuration tasks while my VMs were turned on and running, such as installing integration services. Other actions, such as modifying my network hardware, required that I shut down my VMs.

      The Hyper-V Manager sits at the core of a larger management portfolio that includes the optional SCVMM (System Center Virtual Machine Manager) 2007, which is suitable for controlling larger Hyper-V deployments. I’m looking forward to the release of SCVMM 2008, which will add support for managing non-Microsoft hypervisors as well, and should enable Microsoft shops to work around the guest limitations of Hyper-V by bringing more cosmopolitan hypervisors into the mix.

      During my tests, I was able to abuse one test server while other virtual machines on the same physical host quietly processed away on their workloads. My VMs ran with very little contention and did not interfere with each other. In subsequent tests I’ll be stressing CPU, disk and network I/O more rigorously to see how Hyper-V handles the load.

      Hyper-V, in conjunction with Windows Server 2008, provides for failover clustering. The clusters can use SAS (serial-attached SCSI) or Fibre Channel to network the clustered servers and mass storage devices. There are several limitations on setting up failover clusters that have more to do with the underlying Windows OS than Hyper-V. IT managers should carefully consider these factors, such as the use of identical NICs and no parallel iSCSI, when making a decision about using Hyper-V to construct a failover compute cluster.

      eWEEK Labs Technical Director Cameron Sturdevant can be reached at csturdevant@eweek.com, or through his blog, here.

      Cameron Sturdevant
      Cameron Sturdevant is the executive editor of Enterprise Networking Planet. Prior to ENP, Cameron was technical analyst at PCWeek Labs, starting in 1997. Cameron finished up as the eWEEK Labs Technical Director in 2012. Before his extensive labs tenure Cameron paid his IT dues working in technical support and sales engineering at a software publishing firm . Cameron also spent two years with a database development firm, integrating applications with mainframe legacy programs. Cameron's areas of expertise include virtual and physical IT infrastructure, cloud computing, enterprise networking and mobility. In addition to reviews, Cameron has covered monolithic enterprise management systems throughout their lifecycles, providing the eWEEK reader with all-important history and context. Cameron takes special care in cultivating his IT manager contacts, to ensure that his analysis is grounded in real-world concern. Follow Cameron on Twitter at csturdevant, or reach him by email at cameron.sturdevant@quinstreet.com.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×