Client Hyper-V

Windows 8 was the first desktop version of Windows to include a built-in hypervisor, which allows developers and IT pros to create virtual machines (VMs) running Windows or alternative operating systems, primarily for test and evaluation purposes. Client Hyper-V is also a useful compatibility tool, allowing users to run programs that require earlier versions of Windows without having to give up the benefits of the latest version of Windows.

Client Hyper-V uses the same technology and virtual-machine formats as in current versions of Windows Server, which allows you to move virtual machines between server and client machines and run them without modification. Client Hyper-V runs on 64-bit versions of Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. It supports 32-bit and 64-bit guest operating systems, which can be created on the fly from physical installation media or by mounting an ISO file. You can also create a virtual hard disk (VHD) from a physical disk, even one that contains a running operating system, using the Windows Sysinternals Disk2vhd tool, available from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/sysinternals/ee656415.

The Hyper-V management tools in Windows 10 should look familiar if you used this feature in Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2. Windows 10 adds some important features that IT pros will appreciate:

■ Production checkpoints This option, which is enabled by default in new VMs created with Windows 10, allows you to set a checkpoint that uses the Volume Snapshot Service to create “point in time” backups that can easily be restored. This feature is especially useful for testing scenarios and is more robust than the older checkpoint technology, which saved the current state of a VM and all running apps and services. Figure 8-1 shows this feature in the configuration settings for a VM.

■ New configuration file format VMs created in Windows 10 use configuration version 6.2 (available with the July 2015 release) or version 7.0 (introduced in Windows 10 version 1511) and save configuration information in a new binary file format that is more robust than the older XML-based format. The new configuration files use the .VMCX extension for virtual machine configuration data and the .VMRS extension for runtime state data.

■ New security options VMs created using the Generation 2 format support Secure Boot. Beginning with version 1511, Hyper-V machines now support a virtual Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which allows for full disk encryption on virtual machines. (Note that you must enable Isolated User Mode for this option to work.)

■ Hot add memory and network adapter You can adjust the amount of memory assigned to a VM while it is running, even if Dynamic Memory isn’t enabled. This option works for both generation 1 and generation 2 VMs. On VMs created using the Generation 2 option, you can also add or remove a network adapter while the virtual machine is running.

■ Connected Standby compatibility When the Hyper-V role is enabled on a computer that uses the Always On/Always Connected (AOAC) power model (such as a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 or 4 or Surface Book), the Connected Standby power state is available and works as expected. This configuration causes power-management problems on Windows 8.1.

■ Hyper-V Manager improvements The Hyper-V management console in Windows 10 supports more remote-management scenarios (including management of Hyper-V running on earlier versions of Windows desktop and server releases). It also allows the use of alternate credentials for managing Hyper-V on a remote computer or server.

Client Hyper-V is not enabled in a default installation of Windows 10. Before you can use it on an individual PC or as part of a standard image, you need to first confirm that you’re running a 64-bit operating system, that the host machine supports Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), and that this feature is enabled. Most modern 64-bit PCs designed for enterprise use include this capability.

Source of Information : Microsoft Introducing Windows 10 For IT Professionals