Supported Windows Guest Operating Systems for Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8
Applies To: Hyper-V Server 2012, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8
Hyper-V includes integration services for supported guest operating systems that improves the integration between the physical computer and the virtual machine. Some operating systems have the integration services built-in, while others require that you install or upgrade this package as a separate procedure after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. For more information, see Integration Services. For instructions on installing integration services, see Install or upgrade integration services.
The following table lists the operating systems supported in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 for use as guest operating systems in Hyper-V virtual machines, as well as provides information about integration services. For information about guest operating systems supported for Hyper-V on other versions of Windows, see:
Supported Windows Guest Operating Systems in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1
Linux and FreeBSD Virtual Machines on Hyper-V for information about running Linux as a guest operating system on Hyper-V.
About Virtual Machines and Guest Operating Systems for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Microsoft provides support for guest operating systems in the following manner:
Issues found in Microsoft operating systems and in integration services are supported by Microsoft support.
For issues found in other operating systems that have been certified by the operating system vendor to run on Hyper-V, support is provided by the vendor.
For issues found in other operating systems, Microsoft submits the issue to the multi-vendor support community, TSANet.
Supported Windows Server guest operating systems
| Guest operating system (server) | Maximum number of virtual processors | Integration Services | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | 64 | Built-in | |
| Windows Server 2012 | 64 | Built-in | |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | 64 | Upgrade the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard and Web editions. |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP 1) | 64 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard and Web editions. |
| Windows Server 2008 with Service Pack 2 (SP 2) | 8 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Datacenter, Enterprise, Standard and Web editions (32-bit and 64-bit). |
| Windows Home Server 2011 | 4 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | |
| Windows Small Business Server 2011 | Essentials edition - 2 Standard edition - 4 |
Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Essentials and Standard editions. |
| Windows Server 2003 R2 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) | 2 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Standard, Web, Enterprise, and Datacenter editions (32-bit and 64-bit). |
| Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 | 2 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Standard, Web, Enterprise, and Datacenter editions (32-bit and 64-bit). |
Important
Microsoft support for Windows Server 2003 R2 with SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP2 ended on July 14, 2015. So Microsoft support isn't available for issues you may run into when you use these operating systems as guest operating systems. Integration services for these operating systems aren't updated. For more information, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Server 2003.
Supported Windows client guest operating systems
| Guest operating system (client) | Maximum number of virtual processors | Integration Services | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.1 | 32 | Built-in | |
| Windows 8 | 32 | Built-in | |
| Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP 1) | 4 | Upgrade the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Ultimate, Enterprise, and Professional editions (32-bit and 64-bit). |
| Windows 7 | 4 | Upgrade the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Ultimate, Enterprise, and Professional editions (32-bit and 64-bit). |
| Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (SP2) | 2 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate, including N and KN editions. |
| Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3) | 2 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Professional. |
| Windows XP x64 Edition with Service Pack 2 (SP 2) | 2 | Install the integration services after you set up the operating system in the virtual machine. | Professional. |
Important
Microsoft support has ended for the following operating systems: Microsoft support isn't available for issues you may run into when you use these operating systems as guest operating systems. Integration services for these operating systems aren't updated. For more information, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows Vista and Windows XP.