Hyper-V

 

Applies To: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

The Hyper-V server role in Windows Server lets you create a virtualized server computing environment where you can create and manage virtual machines. You can run multiple operating systems on one physical computer and isolate the operating systems from each other. With this technology, you can improve the efficiency of your computing resources and free up your hardware resources. For the most current versions of the topics in this section, see Hyper-V on Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview.

Did you know that Microsoft Azure provides similar functionality in the cloud? Learn more about Microsoft Azure virtualization solutions. Create a hybrid virtualization solution in Microsoft Azure: - Learn about running virtual machines in Microsoft Azure - Move VM’s between Hyper-V and Microsoft Azure - Move VMware, AWS, Hyper-V and Physical Servers to Microsoft Azure

The following table lists the topics in the Hyper-V documentation library for the Hyper-V role in Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. It provides links to other information resources, including downloadable content, blogs, videos and a contact link you can use to ask questions and provide feedback.

Hyper-V resources for IT Pros

For the most current versions of these topics, see Hyper-V on Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview.

	Evaluate Hyper-V Review the following resources to learn why you should use Hyper-V. - Compare VMware - Why Microsoft. - Learn about the features in Hyper-V. - Learn about the Windows and Linux supported guest operating systems for Hyper-V virtual machines. - Download the Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster and Hyper-V Mini-Posters. - Check out the Windows Server 2012 R2 Evaluation Center. - Find more evaluation resources about Virtualization for your modern datacenter and hybrid cloud.  Scenarios and whitepapers - Achieving Over 1-Million IOPS from Hyper-V VMs in a Scale-Out File Server Cluster Using Windows Server 2012 R2 (whitepaper) - Building Your Cloud Infrastructure - Increasing Server, Storage, and Network Availability - Virtualization Fabric Design Considerations Guide
	Get started Learn how you can get started with Hyper-V on Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. - Install Hyper-V and create a virtual machine
	Configure and manage Hyper-V - Configure - Remotely manage Hyper-V - Security guide for Windows Server 2012 - Scalability - Hyper-V Replica
	Tools for Hyper-V - Windows PowerShell - Hyper-V Cmdlets in Windows PowerShell - Integration Services - Hyper-V WMI provider (V2)
	Virtualize server workloads Review the list of Microsoft server software that’s supported in a Hyper-V virtualized environment and check out how you can get started virtualizing workloads like Exchange email. - Microsoft server software and supported virtualization environments - Introduction to Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Virtualization (Level 100) - Exchange 2013 virtualization - Virtualize SharePoint 2013 learning roadmap - Virtualizing SQL Server on Hyper-V and on Windows Azure VMs - Converged Data Center with File Server Storage
	Videos Watch subject matter experts walk through tasks and explain Hyper-V related concepts. - Introduction to Hyper-V Jump Start - The Hidden Treasures of Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V? - Hyper-V Network Virtualization: 100+ Customer Service Provider Deployments - Deploying Hyper-V Network Virtualization - Migrating to Microsoft: VMware to Hyper-V and Microsoft Azure - Virtualizing Linux and FreeBSD Workloads on Windows Server Hyper-V
	Blogs Check out the latest posts from Program Managers, Product Managers, Developers and Testers in the Microsoft Virtualization and Hyper-V teams. - Ben Armstrong's Virtualization Blog - Taylor Brown's Blog - Virtualization Blog - Windows Server Blog
	Forum and newsgroups Got questions? Talk to your peers, MVPs, and the Hyper-V product team. - Windows Server Hyper-V
	Give feedback Give us feedback about the documentation for Hyper-V. Click Yes or No in the Did you find this helpful section at the bottom of the page and add your comments. To suggest content or request more documentation (or report an error), please contact us at virtua@microsoft.com
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Related technologies

The following table lists technologies that you might want to use in your virtualization computing environment.

Technology	Description
Client Hyper-V on Windows 8.1 or Hyper-V on Windows 10	Virtualization technology included with Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 that you can install through Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 and Hyper-V Server 2012	Stand-alone product that contains only the Windows hypervisor, a Windows Server driver model, and virtualization components.
Windows Server Containers	An isolated and portable operating environment where an application can run without affecting the rest of the system and the system won’t affect the application.
Failover Clustering	Feature that enables a group of independent computers to work together to increase the availability and scalability of clustered roles.
File and Storage Services	Server role that includes technologies that help you set up and manage one or more file servers, which are servers that provide central locations on your network where you can store files and share them with users.
Remote Desktop Client	Tool that allows you to connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere.
Remote Desktop Services	Server role that provides technologies that enable users to connect to virtual desktops, RemoteApp programs, and session-based desktops.
Virtual Machine Connection	Tool that you use to connect to a virtual machine so that you can install or interact with the guest operating system on the virtual machine.
Virtual Machine Manager	System Center component that provides a management solution for the virtualized datacenter. You can configure and manage your virtualization hosts, networks, and storage resources so you can create and deploy virtual machines and services to private clouds that you’ve created.