Hyper-V: Microsoft virtualization

Hyper-V is a virtualization platform developed by Microsoft which allows you to run several virtual machines on a unique physical server. The Windows owner hypervisor facilitates the task of users, who are not dependent on external software, sometimes very complex.

What is Hyper-V?

To virtualize computer equipment, that is to say to create a hardware environment that does not exist physically in this form, it takes an intermediary between the physical computer and the virtual machine. This interface is called hypervisor. The physical host system can thus be connected to several virtual guest systems who share host equipment. Microsoft has created its own hypervisor, Hyper-V, which is directly included in the professional versions of Windows 8, 10 and 11. The software is also installed as standard in Windows Server.

Hyper-V gives Windows users the possibility of starting their own virtual machine. The latter makes it possible to virtualize a complete hardware infrastructure with RAM, space on the hard drive, processor power and other components. On this basis, a separate operating system (which should not necessarily be windows) works. It is very popular, for example, to execute an open source of Linux in a virtual machine.

Hyper-V application areas

Testing environments

Virtualization technology can be used in various scenarios. However, Hyper-V in particular is generally used in testing environments. In this context, virtualization has two advantages:

• It is possible to display IT environments to which otherwise not accessible. Instead of configuring your own PC with Linux, for example, you can easily display the operating system in a virtual machine.
• The virtual machine is also independent. So, if you run software that causes a system breakdown, the physical device is not in danger. Only the virtual machine should be reset.

Private users Can use Microsoft Hyper-V, for example, if they want to use software that would not work under their current Windows version. Either because the program requires an older version of the operating system, or because only Linux is supported.

Virtualization via hyper-v is a great advantage, especially for software developers : The program created can be tested in a wide variety of software and hardware conditions. In addition, thanks to autonomous virtual machines, you don't have to worry about defective codes that could damage your own system.

High availability and recovery after claim

Using hyper-V can help minimize breakdowns and protect critical systems. Essential technology is Hyper-V Replicawhich makes it possible to reply virtual machines (VM) asynchronously on a second server. In the event of a server failure, the replicated VM can be quickly activated in order to continue operations without major interruption. In addition, the dynamic migration Allows you to move VMs in progress between hosts without having to turn them off, which facilitates maintenance operations and reduces downtime. For even higher availability, Hyper-V can be combined with what is called the Failover Clusteringthanks to which virtual machines are automatically moved to another node of the cluster in the event of failure of a host.

Hybrid Cloud and Cloud

Hyper-V also plays a central role in virtualization in hybrid cloud and cloud environments, especially in combination with Microsoft Azure. Companies use hyper-V to effectively manage their local data centers while flexibly integrating cloud resources. Integration with Azure Virtual Machines and local azure Allows you to exploit and develop computer infrastructure both on-premises (on site) and in the cloud. Thanks to the dynamic hyper-V migration, companies can move workloads according to their needs. This hybrid cloud functionality offers flexibility, reduces material costs and improves the scalability of computer resources.

Microsoft Hyper-V architecture

Hyper-V allows the X64 versions of Windows to host one or more virtual machines, which in turn contain a fully configured operating system. These guest systems are treated as partitions. The term is also known as hard drive partitioning and hyper-V virtualization works in the same way. Each virtual machine is an isolated unit alongside the parent (or root) partition, the real operating system.

Individual partitions or guest systems are orchestrated by hypervisor. Children's partitions can be created and managed via an interface (called API Hypercall) in the host system. However, isolation is still maintained. Invited systems are assigned virtual material resources but can never access the physical equipment of the host. To request material resources, children's partitions use the  » Vmbus ». It is a channel that allows communication between partitions. Invited systems can request resources from the host, but theoretically, they can also communicate with each other.

The scores operate services that process requests and responses passing through the VMBUS. The host system operates the virtualization service provider Virtualization Service Provider (VSP), children's partitions operate virtualization services customers Virtualization Customer Service (VSC).

Differences between hyper-v and other virtualization techniques

Unlike any other virtualization solutions supplier, Hyper-V has the advantage of being closely integrated into Windows. Anyone using the Microsoft operating system for PC or servers can benefit from this good integration. Hyper-V is also a Type 1 hypervisorwhich only a few other solutions offer. This means that Microsoft Hyper-V is directly based on system equipment. If you compare type 1 and type 2 hypervisors, the main difference is that the latter must always go through the host's operating system to be able to provide resources.

Benefits

For Windows users, a very clear advantage is close connection to the operating system. This can also have budgetary advantages, because Hyper-V is often already included for free with Windows while being able to follow the competition in terms of functionalities. On the performance side also, Hyper-V users (as long as they only work with Windows as a guest system) do not have to make concessions. As the administration is relatively simple, even beginners can benefit from virtualization.

Disadvantages

Although Microsoft Hyper-V works very well with Windows, the software reaches its limits with other operating systems. On the one hand, it is not designed to operate on other systems; on the other hand, the possible guest systems are very limited. Apart from Windows, only a few selected Linux distributions can operate in a virtual machine. For example, if you want to use macOS as a guest system, you need to use a competitor product. In addition, it has been shown that when using several Linux guest systems, you should expect a strong loss of performance.

Alternatives to Hyper-V

If you are looking for an alternative to Hyper-V, you have the choice between several high-performance virtualization solutions.

• Vmware : one of the best known alternatives is VMware vSpherewhich is particularly used in corporate environments for its stability and great scalability. For small businesses, VMware Workstation and VMware Fusionwhich are easy to use and compatible with many operating systems are perfectly suitable.
• Virtualbox :: Virtualbox is an Oracle open source software, particularly suitable for tests and small virtualization projects, available for Windows and MacOS.
• Proxmox :: Proxmox Ve is an open source alternative for the virtualization of servers. KVM (Kernel-Based Virtual Machine) and LXC (Linux Container) are both taken care of.
• KVM/Qemu : Qemu is an integrated virtualization solution to Linux. It offers a flexible and efficient alternative, but often requires more manual configuration.
• Parallels Desktop : for macOS users, Parallels Desktop is one of the best solutions because it is specially optimized for Apple devices.