I have been making solutions around the Hyper-V bundles for my clients. For example, hyper-converged infrastructure, such as in vSAN and Vsphere for company data centers.
Senior Manager of Infrastructure with 501-1,000 employees
Management Tasks for Hyper-V 2012
The Hyper-V Manager interface is used to manage standalone Hyper-V Primary, Replica servers, and the virtualized workloads running on those servers. The Failover Cluster Manager interface is used if the Primary or Replica servers are part of a Hyper-V Failover Cluster. Hyper-V Replica management tasks can be categorized as follows:
Hyper-V Server Primary Site Management Tasks
Hyper-V Server Replica Site Management Tasks
Virtual Machine Primary Site Management Tasks
Virtual Machine Replica Site Management Tasks
Modifying Virtual Machine Replication Settings
Note: In the above list, Hyper-V Failover Cluster can be substituted for 'Hyper-V Server'.
Hyper-V Server Primary Site
Management tasks involving the Hyper-V Server at a Primary Site include:
Ensure the Hyper-V server (Hyper-V Failover Cluster) at the Primary site is configured as a Replica server to support Reverse Replication for a Planned Failover event
To configure the Hyper-V server at the Primary site as a Replica server:
1. In the Hyper-V Manager interface, Click on Hyper-V Settings in the Actions pane
2. In the Hyper-V Settings dialog box, Click on Replication Configuration
3. In the Details pane, Select Enable this computer as a Replica server
4. Choose an Authentication method to include the port that will be used (if not using the default port)
5. Configure Authorization and storage. This includes designating a specific location to store replica virtual machine files if the default location is not to be used. Should you not desire to allow all Hyper-V Primary servers to be serviced, you have the option to allow only specific Hyper-V servers (Primary servers) to send replication requests. Click Apply or OK when finished
Note: In a Replica cluster, use the Hyper-V Replica Broker role to configure the cluster nodes for replication.
Monitor the Replication Health of virtual machines configured for replication
To monitor the Replication Health of a virtual machine configured for replication:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, Right-click on one of the Column Headings and select Add\Remove Columns
3. Choose Replication Health in the Available Columns list, click Add to move it to the Displayed Columns list
4. Move the new column to the desired location in the listing and click OK
Monitor Hyper-V Replica specific Performance counters using Performance Monitor
To monitor Hyper-V Replica performance:
1. Click the Start button, then click Run and type perfmon.msc and press ENTER
2. In the navigation tree, expand Monitoring Tools, and then click Performance Monitor
3. In the menu bar above the Performance Monitor graph display, either click the Add button (+) or right-click anywhere in the graph and click Add counters from the menu. The Add Counters dialog box opens
4. In the Available Counters section, select counters to view in the Performance Monitor display. The counters for Hyper-V Replica are virtual machine specific and are listed under Hyper-V F Counter VM
5. Choose the desired counters and instances (virtual machines) then click the Add button to add the counters
6. When finished, click OK
For more information Performance Monitor, visit the Performance Monitor Getting Started Guide (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspx) on TechNet.
Evaluate Hyper-V Replica log data using the Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-VMMS\Admin log
To review Hyper-V Replica log data:
1. In the Server Manager Menu Bar, Click on Tools and choose Event Viewer from the list
2. In the navigation tree, expand Application and Services Logs, expand Microsoft, expand Windows, expand Hyper-V-VMMS
3. Click on Admin
Hyper-V Replica event messages are registered in the Hyper-V-VMMS channel.
Hyper-V Server Replica Site
Management tasks involving the Hyper-V Server at a Replica Site include:
Ensure the Hyper-V server (Hyper-V Failover Cluster) at the Replica site is configured as a Replica server
To configure the Hyper-V server at the Primary site as a Replica server:
1. In the Hyper-V Manager interface, Click on Hyper-V Settings in the Actions pane
2. In the Hyper-V Settings dialog box, Click on Replication Configuration
3. In the Details pane, Select Enable this computer as a Replica server
4. Choose an Authentication method to include the port that will be used (if not using the default port)
5. Configure Authorization and storage. This includes designating a specific location to store replica virtual machine files if the default location is not to be used. Should you not desire to allow all Hyper-V Primary servers to be serviced, you have the option to allow only specific Hyper-V servers (Primary servers) to send replication requests. Click Apply or OK when finished
Note: In a Replica cluster, use the Hyper-V Replica Broker role to configure the cluster nodes for replication.
Monitor the Replication Health of virtual machines configured for replication
To monitor the Replication Health of a virtual machine configured for replication:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, Right-click on one of the Column Headings and select Add\Remove Columns
3. Choose Replication Health in the Available Columns list, click Add to move it to the Displayed Columns list
4. Move the new column to the desired location in the listing and click OK
Monitor Hyper-V Replica specific Performance counters using Performance Monitor
To monitor Hyper-V Replica performance:
1. Click the Start button, then click Run and type perfmon.msc and press ENTER
2. In the navigation tree, expand Monitoring Tools, and then click Performance Monitor
3. In the menu bar above the Performance Monitor graph display, either click the Add button (+) or right-click anywhere in the graph and click Add counters from the menu. The Add Counters dialog box opens
4. In the Available Counters section, select counters to view in the Performance Monitor display. The counters for Hyper-V Replica are virtual machine specific and are listed under Hyper-V Replica Counter VM
5. Choose the desired counters and instances (virtual machines) then click the Add button to add the counters
6. When finished, click OK
For more information Performance Monitor, visit the Performance Monitor Getting Started Guide (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744567(WS.10).aspx) on TechNet.
Evaluate Hyper-V Replica log data using the Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-VMMS\Admin log
To review Hyper-V Replica log data:
1. In the Server Manager Menu Bar, Click on Tools and choose Event Viewer from the list
2. In the navigation tree, expand Application and Services Logs, expand Microsoft, expand Windows, expand Hyper-V-VMMS
3. Click on Admin
Hyper-V Replica event messages are registered in the Hyper-V-VMMS channel.
Virtual Machine - Primary Site
Management tasks involving virtual machines at the Primary Site include:
Planned Failover - This action initiates a failover of a virtual machine from a Primary to a Replica server. This is a 'planned' event as opposed to a Failover action, which is unplanned. Since it is a 'planned' event, there should be no data loss. This action executes a series of checks prior to executing the failover. One check determines if the Primary server has also been configured as a Replica server. This is done because the assumptions are first, the virtual machine being failed over to a Replica server will eventually be moved back to the Primary server and second, the Primary server will become the Replica server for the virtual machine that is being failed over. This action provides an Administrator the flexibility to execute the failover of a virtual machine to a replica server in a controlled manner before a disaster occurs
To execute a Planned Failover for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Planned Failover
4. A list of Pre-Requisites and Actions is presented. If the Virtual Machine has not been shut down and the Primary Server not configured as a Replica Server, complete those tasks before proceeding. By default, Start the replica virtual machine after Failover is checked (uncheck if this is not the desired action for the virtual machine after a Planned Failover completes)
5. Click on the Failover button.
6. If the Failover is successful, a pop-up dialog box appears reporting the Failover completed successfully (Note: If the option to start the virtual machine after the Planned Failover was left checked, then the virtual machine will be started on the Replica server). Close the dialog box.
7. If the Planned Failover does not complete successfully, review the information contained in the General Methodology for troubleshooting the virtual machine Failover process in the troubleshooting section.
Pause Replication - This action pauses replication for the selected virtual machine. The Replication Health column in the Hyper-V Manager interface (if selected for display) reflects a Warning Status
To Pause Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that is not paused
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Pause Replication
4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, will be updated and the Replication Health for the virtual machine will indicate a Warning. The State column still shows the Virtual Machine as Running
5. Right-click on the Virtual Machine, select Replication and then click on View Replication Health. The health report reflects an accurate Replication State which should be Replication Paused
Resume Replication (Available only if replication has been paused for a virtual machine) - This action resumes replication for the selected virtual machine (the action must be executed in the same site where replication was Paused). The Hyper-V Replica Network Services component re-establishes a connection to the Replica server (if needed) and replication resumes. If the virtual machine was in a Resynch Required state, Resume Replication performs a resynchronization. A resynchronization essentially compares blocks between the Primary and Replica VHDs and then sends the delta blocks to the Replica. Scenarios where this can happen include, but may not be limited to, a failure occurred on the Primary server when changes were being made to the replication log or, if the Primary is a Failover Cluster, an unplanned cluster failover occurred. The Replication Health column in Hyper-V Manager interface (if selected for display) reflects a status of Normal
To Resume Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a paused virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Resume Replication
4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, is updated and the Replication Health for the virtual machine is Normal
View Replication Health - This action provides data about the replication events for a virtual machine.
A Replication Health Report can be saved as a CSV file. A Replication Health Report indicates if it is being viewed as either a Primary or a Replica virtual machine (see a sample of a Replication Health Report on a Replica virtual machine later in this guide)
To view Replication Health for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose View Replication Health
4. The Replication Health Report for the virtual machine is displayed. The report can be saved as a CSV file by clicking on Save as … Button
Remove Replication - This action stops replication for the virtual machine. All connections for the virtual machine to the Replica server are terminated. The Replication Health in Hyper-V Manager on the Primary server, if selected for viewing, is Not Applicable. A corresponding action must be accomplished on the Replica server. Failure to execute this same action on the Replica server will result in errors should a Hyper-V Administrator attempt to re-enable replication for the virtual machine (more information is provided in the Troubleshooting section)
To Remove Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and choose Remove Replication
4. Acknowledge the pop-up Warning by clicking on Remove Replication
5. The Replication Health column, if displayed, indicates Not Applicable for the virtual machine
6. Connect to the Replica server and execute Steps 1-5. This will remove replication for the virtual machine on the Replica server and will initiate a merge for all the replica information for the virtual machine
7. The Replication Health column, if displayed, indicates Not Applicable for the virtual machine
8. Additional cleanup action is required on the Replica server. In Hyper-V Manager, Right-click on the virtual machine and choose Delete. Acknowledge the pop-up Warning by clicking on Delete. This removes the virtual machine reference in Hyper-V Manager. Some data files remain on the Replica server in the storage location specified for the replication data. To recover storage space, manually remove the data.
Enable Replication (Available only if replication is not enabled for a virtual machine) - This action enables replication for a virtual machine
To Enable Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Enable Replication
4. Review the information in the Before You Begin screen and click Next
5. In the Specify Replica Server screen, provide the name for the Replica Server using the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or NetBIOS format. There is also the option to Browse Active Directory for the server. If the Replica Server is configured correctly, the Specify Connection Parameters screen is populated. If not, an error is registered and an option to Configure Server is available to configure the server to be a Replica Server. If data compression is not desired, Uncheck the box Compress the data that is transmitted over the network. Click Next
6. In the Choose Replication VHDs screen, ensure all disks to be replicated are Checked and then click Next (i.e. uncheck those disk you do not want replicated. An example might be a disk functioning as a repository for the virtual machine page file)
7. In the Configure Recovery History screen, select as desired. For an explanation of the options, review the section on Enabling a virtual machine for replication. Click Next
8. In the Choose Initial Replication Method screen, select as desired. For an explanation of the options, review the section on Enabling a virtual machine for replication. Click Next
9. Review the information in the Summary screen, and click Finish
Once replication has been enabled for a virtual machine, the Replication Health column, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager will be updated. Once the Initial Replication (IR) has been completed, the Replication Health for a virtual machine will be Normal.
Virtual Machine - Replica Site
Management tasks involving virtual machines at the Replica Site include:
Failover - This action executes a process that starts a virtual machine on the Replica server using a replica (Recovery Point) selected by the Hyper-V Administrator. This is an unplanned event unlike the Planned Failover action, which is a planned event. Executing a Failover for a virtual machine could result in data loss depending on which recovery point is selected
To Failover a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Failover
4. In the next screen, choose a recovery point from the drop-down listing of all the recovery points associated with the virtual machine and then click Failover
5. The virtual machine starts and the Replication Health indicates Warning. If the Primary server remains the same, the Replication Health for the virtual machine that was recovered is also Warning. To complete the process and remove the Warnings, either Cancel Failover or configure Reverse Replication and allow Initial Replication to complete. If a new Replica Server is needed, configure Reverse Replication to the new Replica server.
Test Failover - This action allows a Hyper-V Administrator to test a virtual machine on the Replica server without interrupting the production workload running on the Primary server. The network configuration for the test virtual machine is disconnected by default so as not to interfere with the production workload. If network connectivity is to be tested, the recommendation is to create a separate test network and connect the test virtual machine to that network. The virtual machine created and started has the same name as the original virtual machine with a modifier of Test added on to the end
To start a Test Failover for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Test Failover
4. In the next screen, choose a recovery point from the drop-down listing of all the recovery points associated with the virtual machine and then click Test Failover. A new test virtual machine is created but is not started. At this point, the virtual machine can be started and then a connection can be made to the virtual machine and a verification process can be completed
Stop Test Failover (Available only if a test is already running for the selected virtual machine) - This action stops a test that is in progress for the selected virtual machine. The virtual machine is stopped and deleted from Hyper-V Manager (Note: If the Test Failover is being executed on a Replica cluster, the Test-Failover role that is created in Failover cluster Manager will have to be manually deleted)
To stop a Test Failover for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select the virtual machine being tested, not the test virtual machine that is running. Right-click on the virtual machine, select Replication and then choose Stop Test Failover
3. The test virtual machine is stopped if it is running and is removed from Hyper-V Manager as the test is completed
Pause Replication - This action pauses replication for the selected virtual machine. The Replication Health column in Hyper-V Manager, if selected for viewing, indicates a Warning
To Pause Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that is not paused
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Pause Replication
4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, is updated and indicates a Warning
Resume Replication (Available only if replication has been paused for a virtual machine on the Replica server) - This action resumes replication for the selected virtual machine. If a 'resynch' is required for the virtual machine, that action will be initiated on the Primary server. The Replication State column, if selected for viewing in Hyper-V Manager, indicates Replication Enabled
To Resume Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a paused virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Resume Replication
4. The Replication Health, if visible, in Hyper-V Manager, is updated and indicates Normal
View Replication Health - This action provides data about the replication events for a virtual machine.
A Replication Health Report can be saved as a CSV file. A Replication Health Report indicates if it is being viewed on either a Primary or a Replica server
To View Replication Health for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose View Replication Health
4. The Replication Health Report for the virtual machine is displayed. The report can be saved as a CSV file by clicking on Save as…
Remove Replication - If a Remove Replication action is executed on the Replica server, a corresponding action must be executed on the Primary Server. This action stops replication for the virtual machine. Prior to re-enabling replication, the virtual machine must be deleted in Hyper-V Manager on the Replica server. This destroys the virtual machine on the Replica Server. If the virtual machine is not deleted, a Replication error is reflected in Hyper-V Manager and associated error logs are registered (more information is provided in the Troubleshooting section)
To Remove Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click and select Replication and then choose Remove Replication
4. Acknowledge the pop-up Warning by clicking on Remove Replication
5. The Replication Health column, if displayed, indicates Not Applicable
6. A process will start to merge all recovery point data into the VHD that was initially replicated
7. Connect to the Primary server. In Hyper-V Manager, the virtual machine Replication Health indicates Normal
8. Execute Steps 1-5. This removes replication for the virtual machine on the Primary server
9. The Replication Health column, if displayed, now indicates Not Applicable on the Primary server. If Step 8 is not accomplished before the next 5 minute replication interval, Replication Health will indicate Critical
10. Additional cleanup action is required on the Replica server. In Hyper-V Manager, Right-click on the virtual machine and choose Delete. Acknowledge the pop-up Warning by clicking on Delete. This removes the virtual machine reference in Hyper-V Manager. Some data files remain on the Replica server in the storage location specified for the virtual machine. To recover storage space, manually remove this data
Cancel Failover - This action is available if a Failover action was executed for a virtual machine. This allows a Hyper-V Administrator to cancel the Failover action if, for example, he decides the recovery point chosen was not the desired one. After cancelling the Failover, another recovery point can be selected and another Failover process initiated. A Failover can only be cancelled if the virtual machine state is Failed over - Waiting Completion. If a Reverse Replication has been completed, the Failover can no longer be cancelled
To Cancel Failover for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that has a Replication Health of Warning but viewing the Health Report shows Failover Complete
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click, select Replication and then choose Cancel Failover
4. Acknowledge the pop-up Warning by clicking on Yes. On the Replica server, the virtual machine is turned off and the Replication Health indicates Normal. On the Primary server, the Replication Health shows Critical.
5. To clear the Critical health state, right-click on the virtual machine and select Replication and then choose Resume Replication
Reverse Replication - This action is available if a Failover action was executed for a virtual machine. This allows the Hyper-V Administrator to designate a Hyper-V server as a Replica server for the virtual machine that was recovered
To enable Reverse Replication for a virtual machine:
1. Open Hyper-V Manager
2. In the details pane, select a virtual machine that has a Health of Warning
3. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click, select Replication, and then choose Remove Recovery Points. This merges all the recovery points into the original VHD. This completes Failover but Replication Health still indicates Warning
4. With the virtual machine selected, Right-click, select Reverse Replication
5. Complete the Reverse Replication wizard by either selecting the Primary server (the default) as the Replica y server or choosing another Replica server. Keep in mind that if the selected Hyper-V server has not been enabled as a Replica server and the appropriate firewall rule enabled, the Reverse Replication process will fail
Remove Recovery Points - This action is available only during a Failover scenario. When this action is executed, all recovery points (snapshots) for a Replica virtual machine are deleted. When the action is executed, a pop-up dialog box is presented to the user indicating all recovery points will be removed and Cancel Failover will no longer be available. The user must acknowledge the pop-up by clicking either Yes or No. If Yes is selected, the Failover is committed and the recovery points are merged down into the base VHD for the virtual machine. At this point Reverse Replication can be configured to clear the Warning for Replication Health and an Initial Replication can begin to the new Replica Server
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Solutions Specialist at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Powerful, easy to use, but more integration needed
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very powerful, easy to use, user-friendly, and integrates well with Windows. If you are looking for a hundred percent Microsoft environment it would be a good idea to go with Hyper-V. They work wonderfully together."
- "In an upcoming release, they can improve by having better cloud integration. We are all moving towards the clouds and the integration is only through the Azure Stack, there should be tools built in to move the VMs natively to the cloud and infrastructure. Additionally, they could provide some form of multi-cloud integration."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is very powerful, easy to use, user-friendly, and integrates well with Windows. If you are looking for a hundred percent Microsoft environment it would be a good idea to go with Hyper-V. They work wonderfully together.
There are a lot more features and is easier to use compared to previous releases. They were using PowerCLI for the management but now it is all GUI-based which has made it a lot easier to use.
What needs improvement?
Hyper-V is not a type one hypervisor, such as vSphere. When it comes to Hyper-V, it is a role in Windows Server. Hyper-V could have been much leaner and much more powerful, but it becomes only the Hyper-V part of it. There should be some distribution or limit to Hyper-V, such as in vSphere.
The missing factor or parameter, in Hyper-V and all of the functionality, is a role it plays inside the Windows operating system. You have to enable those roles. That is something not appreciated in a data center because Windows is a general-purpose operating system, not for the sole purpose of doing these types of operations. They could skim down the version of the operating system and have it customized for virtualization, not as a general-purpose operating system.
In an upcoming release, they can improve by having better cloud integration. We are all moving towards the clouds and the integration is only through the Azure Stack, there should be tools built in to move the VMs natively to the cloud and infrastructure. Additionally, they could provide some form of multi-cloud integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been involved with Hyper-V for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable in my experience.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is good because there are a lot of administrators out there in the market who are well-versed in Microsoft technologies.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward. The installation time can vary depending on if you have preloaded configurations. If you were to do it from scratch then it would take approximately 20 minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Hyper-V is cost-effective and is a one-time purchase. Microsoft has multiple licensing options available, such as a subscription model and an outside purchase model that customers can choose as per their requirements.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated VMware vSphere.
What other advice do I have?
Hyper-V is very popular in the market for data centers and most of my clients are using Microsoft in some form or another but it might not be their core ERP.
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Hyper-V a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
Hyper-V
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Hyper-V. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
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PreSales Manager at UC-Solutions
Stable with minimal downtime, and it has a good licensing model
Pros and Cons
- "There are two very good things about this product including licensing and stability."
- "It would be nice if they provided a free management console that we could use to manage all of the hosts for no additional fee."
What is our primary use case?
I am a solution provider and Hyper-V is one of the products that I implement for my customers.
What is most valuable?
There are two very good things about this product including licensing and stability.
What needs improvement?
If you have a lot of Hyper-V servers then you will need an additional product, which is the System Center Virtual Machine Manager, so that you can control the host environments of all of your virtual machines. It would be nice if they provided a free management console that we could use to manage all of the hosts for no additional fee.
There should be a way to restart the services and not the whole station, which would minimize downtime, especially when updating the operating system. This is a feature that everybody needs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started working with Hyper-V in 2012, between eight and nine years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable, in particular with the most recent version of Windows Server. This is true even in a cluster environment, and I have never found an issue with stability.
Obviously, when you are using Windows Server update, it will restart the server occasionally and you will have downtime, but it will be minimal. If you don't want to have any downtime then you will need multiple hosts in a cluster environment. You can move your virtual machines from one host to another, which means that you can restart the server and not affect the service. This can be important because sometimes, the restart process takes too much time to complete.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very easy to scale Hyper-V. However, it depends on the version that you have because if you have the Standard Edition then you only have three hosts. If you want more than three hosts then you will need a Datacenter version.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with VMware and one of the nice features is that you can restart a service after an update and everything goes live in seconds, rather than minutes.
These two technologies compete with each other, and in deciding which to use, I speak with users about their needs. I also speak with them about the knowledge of their technical team and the budget. These are all factors in the decision because I want to provide the best solution from both a technical and budget perspective.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. All you have to do is watch a 10-minute YouTube video and you can deploy the hardware.
It can be deployed in different ways. If you need to have a virtual environment then it will be hosted on Microsoft Azure. If instead, you have your own private cloud then it will be hosted on-premises, on your physical servers.
The tricky part about this field is not the deployment. It's troubleshooting and finding solutions for issues. For just about any software, you can deploy anything. Even if you don't understand anything about the product, you can deploy anything from scratch and there is no issue with it. The problem is figuring how to solve issues and find solutions outside of the box. Almost all Microsoft issues are solved in this way. It's not about what you find online or in the documentation. Rather, you need to think outside the box. It's the hardest part about this field.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you have the standard edition of Windows server then with each copy of the operating system, you have two virtual machines for free.
If you have a Windows Datacenter license then you have unlimited virtual machines for free. This is much better compared to ESXi or VMware, where each virtual machine requires its own license. In the Windows Datacenter, you can have as many as you want.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Chief, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Digestive Disease Institute at a government with 201-500 employees
It is a good replica service
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Hyper-V is the replica service."
- "Hyper-V requires improvement with manageability."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Hyper-V is the replica service.
What needs improvement?
Hyper-V requires improvement with manageability.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Hyper-V for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are running Hyper-V on-premise, so the scalability is limited.
How are customer service and support?
We rely on Microsoft inputs for Hyper-V, at times it is a bit difficult to get the information that we want.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of the solution is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed Hyper-V in-house. We have two people dedicated to the maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Hyper-V is part of Windows Server, so there are no extra costs for the product.
What other advice do I have?
Anyone considering implementing Hyper-V into their organization should do so in a way that allows for upgrades at a later stage.
Overall, I would rate Hyper-V an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Budget-friendly, but needs security and other feature improvements
Pros and Cons
- "This is the best solution for customers with budget constraints."
- "Security, computing balance, and taking snapshots could be improved. Features like DRS and memory ballooning could be added."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is for customers who want to virtualize their infrastructure, but are on a budget and don't need advanced features.
What is most valuable?
This is the best solution for customers with budget constraints.
What needs improvement?
Security could be improved and they need to have some sort of a Distributed Resource Scheduler like VMware. Hyper-V doesn't have that kind of a solution. Computing balance could be improved. If you have three or four nodes in a cluster, it should look at the load and based on the algorithm they use, it will place the VMs automatically onto a utilized node in the cluster. Memory ballooning, where unused memory can be cleaned and given to demanded VMs, is a feature I would like to see.
Taking snapshots could also be improved. It's not straightforward and I had a couple of issues with the Windows server 2000 tool when I took a snapshot of the active directory. When I went to restore that snapshot, I had a problem with active directory sync issues. VMware doesn't have this problem. Even if you're taking a snapshot of the active directory, you can easily revert back and you will not have any trouble with active directory replications.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Hyper-V since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, especially if you do Hyper-V clustering. Some customers don't invest much into IT infrastructure, so I design Hyper-V-cluster-based solutions. The only potential problems are attacks on Windows servers, vulnerability issues, or receiving stolen packages could require you to restart it. But it does its job.
How are customer service and support?
Some of my customers have software assurance from Microsoft, but those who don't have to pay if they need technical assistance. Microsoft Azure has support, but if a customer has deployed the infrastructure on-premises and they don't have software assurance, they will have a problem getting support from Microsoft.
How was the initial setup?
The installation took about fifteen to twenty minutes for a Microsoft Windows server.
For deployment, you need expertise in terms of storage, network, and computing. If a customer requires a high performance, we need to look at the computing, processor, and what kind of storage and network switches we're using. You need an expertise team in order to get the best solution.
What about the implementation team?
I installed this product myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I recommend Hyper-V to customers with budget constraints.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
VMware has a lot of features. For example, with vMotion, if an administrator wants to do maintenance, they can do live migrations. Hyper-V does the job and is okay, but it's not the same as VMware.
What other advice do I have?
If you are on a budget and can't invest too much into IT infrastructure, I recommend Hyper-V. If budget isn't a problem and you're looking for the best solution, I would go for VMware. I have about 85 customers that are using Hyper-V clusters at the moment. Hyper-V is okay for utilizing the file server, clusters, or active directory, but you won't get advanced features.
I would rate Hyper-V a six out of ten because it is missing a lot of features.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
IT Infrastructure Specialist at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A scalable and user-friendly native hypervisor
Pros and Cons
- "I like that it's easy to use."
- "The backup site could be better. We used to face a lot of issues, and we are looking to solve that now. We are in the process of moving all the infrastructure to the cloud. It could also use more integration on the management part. We also need more integration on the monitoring sites."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for anything like production and everything we're running on right now.
What is most valuable?
I like that it's easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The backup site could be better. We used to face a lot of issues, and we are looking to solve that now. We are in the process of moving all the infrastructure to the cloud. It could also use more integration on the management part. We also need more integration on the monitoring sites.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Hyper-V for four to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It could be more stable. We faced a lot of issues on the backup site.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Hyper-V is a scalable solution. We are a global center, and we use Hyper-V across 22 countries.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use VMware vSphere.
How was the initial setup?
It is a straightforward implementation. If you want to put Hyper-V as a single load, it will take about one to two hours. If you want high availability, it will take approximately four to five hours.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I have been using VMware and Hyper-V. Comparing the two, I love to use VMware more than Hyper-V. However, I would recommend this solution to potential users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Hyper-V an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head of enterprise systems at Fidelity Bank Plc
Reasonably priced, but could be more flexible
Pros and Cons
- "The support with Microsoft is great."
- "I also use VMware which I find to be more scalable and stable overall."
What is our primary use case?
We use Hyper-V for production, testing, and development.
It's a core infrastructure solution, so it's not a user-solution. It's for server virtualization. It's actually deployed virtually for other services that need to deploy virtual machines using it.
We plan to keep using this solution in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution since 2008.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Hyper-V is both stable and scalable; however, I also use VMware which I find to be more scalable and stable overall.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support with Microsoft is great.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use VMware, but Hyper-V is much cheaper; however, VMware is more robust, more scalable, more agile for us. It was a mix of both because we wanted to be able to see our way through technology skills.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quite easy.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of seven. If it were a little more flexible and stable, I'd give it a higher rating.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Works at a healthcare company with 201-500 employees
Its performance, stability, and redundancy are all very dependable
Pros and Cons
- "It works very well. Its performance, stability, and redundancy are all very dependable."
- "It allows for quick deployment of servers and workloads."
- "I would love to see other options for connecting VMs to large data storage."
- "We have our cluster connected to a Dell EMC VNX (SAN). The Hyper-V nodes are on Cisco UCS blades, and everything is interconnected via fiber. I attempted to use a virtual Fibre Channel connection to present a SAN volume to a VM but was not able to make that work."
What is our primary use case?
We run the majority of our production servers from our Hyper-V 2012 R2 Cluster.
How has it helped my organization?
- It was our first step into virtualization around five years ago.
- It allows for quick deployment of servers and workloads.
What is most valuable?
- Live motioning of VMs, which I consider to be a standard function.
- When upgrading clusters from Windows Server 2012 to 2012 R2, we were able to live motion VMs from one cluster to another.
What needs improvement?
I would love to see other options for connecting VMs to large data storage.
We have our cluster connected to a Dell EMC VNX (SAN). The Hyper-V nodes are on Cisco UCS blades, and everything is interconnected via fiber. I attempted to use a virtual Fibre Channel connection to present a SAN volume to a VM but was not able to make that work.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It works very well. Its performance, stability, and redundancy are all very dependable.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: May 2024
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Thanks for the excellent review on Hyper-V. Just wanted to know if there is any limit of hosts on hyper-V? What external monitoring tool do you recommend for monitoring hyper-v servers?