Virtualization

Virtualization has been a successful testing and lab tool recently. Currently virtualization is used in enterprise networks for running virtual servers especially DNS and DHCP servers. It has many advantages for the company. I list some of them below.

Less hardware requirements: You install a server on a powerrful physical server and enable the Hyper-v and install more servers.
Easy physical security efforts: When you’ve dozens of physicals servers, maintaining physical security is difficult. While you have less physical servers you easily can handle the task.
Cost effective: You should pay money for hardware. Using Hyper-v, you buy some powerful physical servers and install many virtual servers on.

Before we create the virtual machine and install Windows server on Hyper-v, you need to know what is virtual machine.

Virtual machines (VMs) run in its own isolated environment. VMs are self-contained units that can easily be moved from one physical computer to another physical computer. At the time of creating virtual machine, the hardware is abstracted and multiple virtualized hardware environments are created. On the virtual environment you can run a complete copy of operating system (OS) separately.

In this article I’m going to install Windows server 2016 on Hyper-v. Read Hypver-v beginner guide.

Topics covered in this article:

Create Virtual Machine (VM)
Install Windows servver 2016 on VM
Conclusion

Install Windows Server 2016 on Hyper-v

Create Virtual Machine

Firstly, we create the virtual machine. Secondly, we install Windows server 2016 on the VM we have created.

1. Open Hyper-v Manager. In the right pane, right-click on New tool and choose Virtual Machine. A new window will be opened.

2. You have nothing to do in the Welcome page. Just click on Next button. In the Specify Name and Location page you need to assign a name for the virtual machine. Then specify the path which you want to store VM’s files in. Then click on Next button.

3. In the Specify Generation page, you have to specify the generation of the virtual machine. You have got two options: Generation 1 and Generation 2. Generation 1 supports both 32-bit and 64-bit processor architectures. Generation 2 supports only 64-bit processor architecture. Also be aware that once you select one of the generations, later you can’t change that.

4. Assign the memory based on MB in the box next to startup memory. Put a mark in the vacant box next to Use dynamic Memory for the virtual machine. It is a very useful option. Selecting this option, virtual machine uses memory dynamically. It means it uses the amount of memory which is needed, not the all of the memory which is specified. If you don’t select the option, the amount of memory you specified for the virtual machine would be abstracted fully when virtual machine is turned on. Click on Next button to move to the next page.

5. Network adapter is the tool which a machine can be connected to network through. Use a network adapter that you have created before. Then click on Next button.

6. You need to connect the virtual machine to a virtual hard disk. For the purpose, click on Create a virtual hard disk. All Windows server files would be copied in the hard disk which you connect the virtual machine to. You can specify name, location and size for the hard disk. By default, the location of the hard disk is the folder which you have stored virtual machine files inside. If you want you can change the location. If you have created a hard disk before, select Use an existing virtual hard disk and then specify path.

While you’re done, click on Next button.

7. Select the Install an operating system from a bootable CD/DVD-ROM option. Then elect the Image file (.iso) file. You need to have the operating system with .iso extension. Type the path where you have stored the image file. If you don’t know the path, click on Browse button and search for the location of the image file through file explorer. When finished click on Next button.

8. Finally we’re done. We created the Virtual machine. Click on Finish button to close the wizard.

Install Windows Server 2016

We are ready to install Windows server 2016 on virtual machine.

1. Open Hyper-v Manger and right-click on the Virtual machine name which you have created. Select the Connect option. Virtual machine windows will be opened.

2. Click on Start button to turn on the virtual machine. Also you can click on Action in the menu bar and select Start.

3. It is the time to specify installation language, time format and keyboard. When finished click on Next button.

4. We are ready to go. Just click on Install now button shown in the picture below to start the installation.

5. Select the appropriate edition that meets your needs. I choose Datacenter edition with full GUI (Graphical User Interface). Then click on Next button.

6. We are doing clean installation. It means we install new operating system. Therefor select the second option.

7. Select the drive you want to install the Windows server on. If you want you can do the partitions here. If not, you can do it later when your installation is finished. For doing the partition select the disk you want to part, then click on New button below and continue the instructions. Click on Next button.

8. Be patient for a while. Files should be copied on your local drive from image file. Some features are needed to be installed. Your machine will reboots several times.

9. While Windows installed on your computer, you need to assign a user name and password as administrator. User name is Administrator by default. Type a complex password (containing uppercase, lowercase, numbers & symbols). Click on Finish button to finish the installation process. If your screen size is not big enough, scroll down to see the Finish button.

10. Account is created. Log in to the Windows server 2016. Type your password and hit Enter button.

Finally we are done. Windows server 2016 is installed and you can see the default background image of Windows server 2016.

Conclusion

We installed Windows server 2016 on the Hyper-v. You can go ahead and do the initial configurations. For the purpose refer to this link and learn more about.

Check out: Initial Configuration of Windows server 2016

For any kind of question feel free and leave comment below.

Virtualization is successful method for creating lab and testing tool in recent years. Hyper-v enables Windows administrator to create virtual machine (VM). Virtual machines run in their own isolated environment. VMs are self-contained units that can easily be moved from one physical computer to another physical computer.

At the time of creating virtual machine, the hardware is abstracted and multiple virtualized hardware environments are created. On the virtual environment you can run a complete copy of operating system (OS) separately. As a result of enabling Hyper-v and sufficient hardware configurations you can run many operating systems on physical computer. Finally, you can manage virtual machines as standalone computers.

You create network card which works as a physical connection. The computers which use the same network cards are placed in the same network. You have complete authority on a virtual machine (VM). You can delete, stop and turn on, off and restart a virtual machine.

VMs have their own storage. When you create a virtual machine, virtual hard drive (VHD) is created for each machine. You can add many of them for each machine. Your physical hard drive is virtually divided to many other hard drives. The same as your physical hard disk you may have many hard drives with the same functionality. It is called virtual hard drive (VHD) which is saved by .vhd extension. Logically your VHDs seems like physical drive but all files stored on each VHD, in fact stored on one physical hard drive.

One of the useful tools in Hyper-v is Checkpoint. While you want you easily create a checkpoint. It is the screenshot of your machine state. When you want, you can run the checkpoint and you are taken to the state you had created the checkpoint. It is a good tool and makes your life easy. In addition your time won’t be wasted especially when you are testing some thing.

The term host computer is used for the computer that hosting the Hyperr-v. Let’s go and enable Hyper-v on Windows 10.

Hardware Requirements

To enable Hyper-v, these requirements are necessary, but not all hardware requirements that the host computer should have. There are many more requirements that I don’t mention here.

64-bit processor
CPU support for VM Monitor Mode Extension (VT-c on Intel CPU’s)
Minimum of 4GB RAM. Virtual machines share their memory with the host computer. You need to provide enough memory to handle the workload.

The following items must be enabled on system BIOS

Virtualization technology
Hardware Enforced Data Execution Prevention

Operating system requirements

All editions of Windows 10 can’t support Hyper-v. Therefore, appropriate edition of operating system needs to be installed on host computer. Here is the list of Windows editions that can or can’t support the Hyper-v.

Windows 10 editions which can support Hyper-v:

Windows 10 Enterprise
Windows 10 Professional
Windows 10 Education

Windows 10 editions which can’t support Hyper-v:

Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Mobile
Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise

Enable Hyper-v on Windows 10

It is really easy to enable Hyper-v on Windows 10. Also make sure that you have logged in with an account with administrative privileges. Otherwise you won’t be able to do upcoming tasks.

1. Open Control Panel. You can open Control Panel in many ways. Search for Control Panel in search box in Start menu. While found, click on to open it. If you like, keep pressing the Start menu button then press the R button: start+R. When run is opened type control and click on the OK button.

2. Scroll down and find Programs and Features. Click on Programs and features. Here is the place you can uninstall the applications and features you don’t want. Of course, if you want to add a feature you are at the right place.

3. In the left pane you see Turn Windows features on or off option. Click on that and Windows Features page will be opened for you.

4. You see the Hyper-v with a vacant box next to it. Put a check mark in the box and click on Ok button to turn on the feature on host computer.

5. Be patient for a while. Windows searches for some files needed due to enable the Hyper-v on Windows. Finally Windows wants you to restart your computer. Click on Restart now button due to reboot your machine.

Enable Hyper-v through PowerShell

1. Search for the PowerShell in Start menu. While found, right-click on the PowerShell and run it as an administrator because you need PowerShell with administrative privileges for turning on the feature.

2. Hyper-v is an optional feature. First of all enable the feature typing this command in PowerShell window: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-v -All

So, press the Enter button to run the command.

3. Finally you need to reboot your computer. If you like you can type Y which the contracted form of Yes, as shown below. If you want to restart your computer in other way you can do so.

Open Hyper-V

1. Log in to your computer. In the Start menu search for Hyper-v typing the word Hyper-v. Because of the easy access pin the Hyper-v in Start by right-clicking on it. Then select the Pin to start option. After that while you press the Start menu button you can see the Hyper-v there.

2. At the end you can see the Hyper-v manager. No virtual machine is created. In the left pane below the Hyper-v manager you see Client03 which is the host computer’s name. When you create VMs, they will be listed below my computer’s name.

Conclusion

Consequently we are done. Finally Hyper-v enabled on the computer. Also you can create virtual machines on Hyper-v.

Check out: Install Windows Server 2016 on Hyper-v step by step