Hyper V Server - Questions

markyb · 12 Jan 2009 at 06:43

I'm planning on testing with Hyper-V Server. My only issue is I can't test Hyper-V server on VMware as it seems I can't communicate to it via the network. From what I've read people are having the same issues with networking on VMware as well.

I wish to Virtualize the following...

- Windows 2003 (File Server, AD & DNS)
- Windows 2003 (DHCP Server, Possible Additions in the future)
- Open SuSE 11.1 (Testing)

I have a HP ML115, 1x160Gb (OS Drive) and 3x320Gb Raid 5 (Storage) with 3.5Gb of RAM.

I have a few questions about Hyper-V-Server...

- General feelings and views on Hyper-V-Server
- Anyone use it in production?
- Anyway to get the networking to work in VMware? I can ping to all machines from the Hyper-V Server but unable to ping in.
- Will Hyper-V's virtual machines pick up my RAID5 strorage?

m4cc45 · 12 Jan 2009 at 07:07

I'm assuming by Hyper V you mean Microsoft's variation on VMWare?

Running Hyper V through VMWare would, in my opinion, be a massive mistake as you are doubling up on the VM side of things.

With that in mind just use one.

So if you take Microsofts variation you install Hyper V as an operating system - from there it should detect all of your hardware and you should have full network access. The problem with putting it on VM is that you are virtualising the O/S and Hyper V can't see your hardware properly. Once you have HV installed you should be fine to virtualise it will see your RAID5 as just one disk as you would expect.

Obviously if you are going to use this in production you would be better off thinking about RAID 0 for the O/S side of things as having several servers on there with a single point of failure is not good.

M.

markyb · 12 Jan 2009 at 07:29

Agreed, although at this stage it is just a test server.

I wanted to use VMWare with Hyper-V just to test and get a feel if I could.

My only concern with Hyper-V Server is that it will install all of it's own hardware rather than use the HP's native controllers e.t.c. With this in mind how would it then pickup the Nvidia RAID Controller? ...If you get what I mean

sidethink · 12 Jan 2009 at 09:25

I'm not surprised that Hyper-V doesn't like being installed inside VMWare - that approach really doesn't make any sense at all.

If you just want to have a look at it for eval purposes, select a piece of hardware that is on the Windows 2008 server HCL and install either 2008 Server with Hyper-V enabled or just the standalone Hyper-V.

Leave VMware well and truly out of this particular equation.

markyb · 12 Jan 2009 at 09:37

It was only just to have a look inside of the OS without installing it on the server first. It gave me a insight into the setting up of the VMWare Server. I never planned to use it properly within WMWare.

I plan to install it this week but unsure if it will pick up the RAID5 volume.

Five_Star · 12 Jan 2009 at 12:05

We use Hyper-V to run the company from one server and SAN. Adamantly it's not a huge company (under 20 staff) but we have 8 servers virtualised.

For what you’re wanting to do it would be easiest to install a full version of Server 2008 on the hardware, and then add the Hyper-V role.

Next create the two virtual machines for the two Server 2003 machines.

Your RAID5 volume will be accessible by the Server2008 install on the physical hardware and is where you will want to store the vhd files that make up the two Server 2003 virtual machines.
Inside the Server 2003 machines you can create another vhd file and add that to the machine as a separate data store or whatever, this too would be stored on the physical RAID5 volume.

For the vmware setup I have no idea, never used it.

markyb · 12 Jan 2009 at 16:47

Five_Star said:
We use Hyper-V to run the company from one server and SAN. Adamantly it's not a huge company (under 20 staff) but we have 8 servers virtualised.

For what you’re wanting to do it would be easiest to install a full version of Server 2008 on the hardware, and then add the Hyper-V role.

Next create the two virtual machines for the two Server 2003 machines.

Your RAID5 volume will be accessible by the Server2008 install on the physical hardware and is where you will want to store the vhd files that make up the two Server 2003 virtual machines.
Inside the Server 2003 machines you can create another vhd file and add that to the machine as a separate data store or whatever, this too would be stored on the physical RAID5 volume.

For the vmware setup I have no idea, never used it.

I've built up a Windows 2008 on another Server with the Hyper-V role installed and worked very well.

However I currently do not have access to a 2008 Server Licence and would prefer, If I can, to do this without any more additional cost.

I guess the remaining question is will any of the virtual machines which will be run from Hyper-V Server will allow me to use the storage volume on the RAID controller.

Five_Star · 12 Jan 2009 at 17:05

ah i see what you mean, server1 has 2008 Hyper-V on it and you wish to store the virtual machines on server2 running some other OS, but run them virtualised under Server1?

I don't think you can do this. I assume you would map a drive on server2 from server1 and try and load the vhd files that way? It might be possible though. If you've got the Server 2008 setup and running just download a trial vhd of some OS and try and mount it within the Hyper-V environment.