How can I configure Hyper-V on my Windows Dedicated Server?

To configure Hyper-V on your Windows Dedicated Server you must purchase your Windows dedicated server with a 64 bit version of Windows (windows server 2008 standard 64bit, 2008 enterprise 64bit, or windows 2008 datacenter 64bit). ITS ONLY supported on ‘2008’ edition of windows, and for 64bit.

Hyper V setup

This walkthrough will guild you through the process from the initial configuration of Hyper-V, through the creation of a Virtual Machine and up to network configuration on the new Virtual Machine.

Hyper-V Manager

The Hyper-V Manager is the management console from which you will operate Hyper-V. From the Hyper-V Manager you will be able to Create, Start, Stop, Delete and Configure all your Virtual Machines. This is also where you will set the default location to store your Virtual Hard Disks as well as the default location to store your Virtual Machine configuration files.

Hyper-V Manager is located under Administrative Tools on the windows Control Panel. On a fresh install of Windows 2008, you will be able to see Administrative Tools under the Programs section of the Start Menu. When you open the Hyper-V Manager program, a new window will appear on the screen. Take a moment to become familiar with this screen, all configurations and use of your Virtual Machines will be done here.

Configuration of Hyper-V

The first configuration to check is the storage location for your Virtual Hard Disks. From the Hyper-V Manager window, on the left side you will see Hyper-V Manger and just below that should be a line with your server name. Click on your server name and you will now see the information available to the Hyper-V service on your server. At this time, the middle of the screen will be empty since there are no Virtual Machines installed. On the right side of the screen, you will see a link for Hyper-V Settings. Clicking that link will bring up the basic settings for Hyper-V

The primary setting that you will need to look at is Virtual Hard Disks. This should be the default setting that is selected when you opened the window. On the right side you will see the default location that has been provided to store your Virtual Hard Disks. The default location you should see is:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks

This is where you will set the location you want to have all Virtual Hard Disks stored by default. When you create a Virtual Machine, you will be able to specify a specific place if you do not wish to store that specific Virtual Hard Disk in the default location. If you plan to store your Virtual Hard Disks in a different location, or on a different physical Hard Disk, this is where you will want to make that change. For example, if you want to store your Virtual Hard Disks on a second larger drive, Drive D in this example and you want those Virtual Drives stored in the VirtualMachine folder, you would enter the following into that field.

D:\VirtualMachine

You can also use the browse button to manually browse through folders to select the location you wish to use. Once you have completed this, click OK to save the changes and close the window.

Virtual Network Manager

Before configuring the Virtual Network devices, the first thing that needs to be done is to determine which network adapter is connected to the private network and which is connected to the public network. To do to this, from the Start menu bring up the Network Connections window. You will see 2 network devices here. The first thing to note is that your devices will be named PrivateNetwork and PublicNetwork. Right click on PrivateNetwork and select properties. At the top, you will see Connect using: this will show the device name for the private network adapter. Write this name down as you will need it when creating your Virtual Private Network device.

Configure Private Network Device

Now that we have configured the default location to store your Virtual Hard Disks, it is time to configure the Virtual Network Devices that the Virtual Machines will use. To open the Virtual Network Manager, click the link on the right side of the Hyper-V Manager window Virtual Network Manager.

Upon opening this window for the first time, you should see Virtual Networks on the left with the only listed option being new virtual network. On the right side, you will see 3 options, External, Internal and Private. Make sure External is selected and click Add. Now on the right side you will see a few fields. The first field you will want to fill in is Name. This will be the name that is associated with this network device. For this example, we will use the name Private to indicate that this device is connected to the Dream Line IT Solution Private network. The final setting is Connection type. Select the device that corresponds to your private network. This is the device name that you found earlier in the Network Connections window. Once you have selected the correct device, click OK. You will be presented with a warning that your network connection may be lost, click Yes to continue.

Configure Public Network Device

Your Private Network device is now installed. Repeat the steps above for the Public network. For this walkthrough we will use the name Public for the name of the device. Under connection type, select the other network device that was not used in the Private network setup. When you have created both the public and private network device, click OK.

Obtain Installation Media

Now that the virtual network devices have been created, before you are able to create a virtual machine, you will need to obtain the installation media. The installation media that will be used in this example is a CD/DVD image file. Dream Line IT Solution currently supports the following Operating Systems for Hyper-V; Windows server 2008 standard 64bit, Windows 2008 enterprise 64bit, or Windows 2008 datacenter 64bit. If you already have the installation media, please skip to Creating a Virtual Machine.

The installation media for windows 2003 and windows 2008 is available from the portal. You will need to log into the Portal, select Software then Hyper-V. This page will provide you access to the installation media for both windows 2003 and windows 2008. Licensing for those Operating systems is also explained in that location.

Creating a Virtual Machine

Now that you have your installation media, we will create a Virtual Machine. Creating a new Virtual Machine is done from the Hyper-V Manager. On the menu to the right side of the window you will see the option New, click on that option and select Virtual Machine. This will bring up the New Virtual Machine Wizard.

On the first screen click Next, this will bring you to the screen to select the name for the new Virtual Machine. Enter the name that you wish to see the Virtual Machine referred as in the Hyper-V Manger. This name can be changed at a future date. You will also have the option on this screen to change the location that the Virtual Hard Disk will be stored. The default value that you set earlier will be used unless you specify a different location here. Once you have completed this page, click next.

This screen is used to specify that amount of memory to allocate to this server. Generally you will want to ensure that you provide at least the minimum recommended memory Operating System being installed. After specifying the amount of memory to allocate, click Next. The next screen that you see will set the first network adapter for the Virtual Machine. As a Windows Operating System is being installed select Private. Once you have selected the appropriate connection based on the Operating System you are installing, click Next.

The following step is to configure the Virtual Hard Disk. There are options available to change the file name for the Disk, the location the disk will be stored and the size. To continue to the next setting, click Next. Finally, the installation media needs to be set. Select Install an operating system from a boot CD/DVD-ROM. Now selected Image file (.iso); this will allow you to set the location of the CD/DVD image file for your installation media. Click Next to advance to the summary page. Click Finish to close the window.

The final step before starting the new Virtual Machine is creating the Virtual Network Adapters. The new Virtual Machine will now be listed under the Virtual Machines section of the Hyper-v Manager. Right click the Virtual Machine you have created and select Settings.

Virtual Network Adapter for Windows Operating System

A list of hardware is now available for the Virtual Machine. On the list you will see Network Adapter and just below it, Private. If it says Not Connected, click on Network Adapter and on the right side, select Private from the list and click Apply. Next, click Add Hardware. There will be 3 options, select Network Adapter, this is different from the Legacy Network Adapter which will not be used by a windows operating system; click Add to add the Network Adapter to the hardware. This will be automatically selected when it is added. On the right side, select Public from the drop down box and then click OK.

Installing the guest Operating System

The Virtual Machine is now ready to be started. Right click the Virtual Machine and select Connect. The Virtual Machine console will now be open. From the Action menu, select Start. The new Virtual Machine will now boot to the installation media you selected. At this time, you will run through the Operating System installation as you would on any server. During the OS installation process, it is recommended that you configure the public network settings. The public network will be the 2nd network interface. When the Operating System installation has completed, you will have a working Virtual Machine. If you have configured the public network, you will now be able to remotely access the Virtual Machine.

The final step in the installation process is configuring the Private network. If the Virtual Machine will not be connecting to the Private network, the installation process is completed.