THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS "DIVA" : Virtualization

Time sync to an external source on a virtual platform

bradley — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:20:00 GMT

When you use HyperV or any virtualization, you want to remove the time syncronization that the child has to the parent. The reason is you want that child, especially if that's a domain controller to sync independently. In my case I also had to set up time sync on the parent as well as it was drifting. To the point of badly. So uncheck that box, and don't sync the time up to the parent and then that child server will independently sync to an external time source as it needs to.

>>>Hot Issue Nov-09 (Virtualization)<<<:

bradley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:41:00 GMT

>>>Hot Issue Nov-09 (Virtualization)<<<:
http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/partnervirtualserver/thread/fbca5f4a-e1c2-4f0a-8068-0e6c495fe18e

Virtualization

TOP SUPPORT ISSUES

[ISSUE 1]

Problem Description:
=============
Both Hyper-V instances report event id 1054 several times a day.

Resolution:
==========
Add the following keys to the server

Registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

Value name: GroupPolicyMinTransferRate

Value type: DWORD

Value Data: 0

Registry subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

Value name: GroupPolicyMinTransferRate

Value type: DWORD

Value Data: 0

[ISSUE 2]

Issue:

===========

Can I install the system and boot volume of a virtual machine direct to a physical hard disk from a DAS (direct attached storage)?

Solution:

===========

Look at table 2 of the following link, we can see guest can boot from VHD or passthrough disk when DAS/SAN on host.

http://blogs.technet.com/josebda/archive/2008/02/14/storage-options-for-windows-server-2008-s-hyper-v.aspx

Please note to attache the passthrough disk to IDE controller to successfully boot the VM.

Configuring Pass-through Disks in Hyper-V

http://blogs.technet.com/askcore/archive/2008/10/24/configuring-pass-through-disks-in-hyper-v.aspx

[ISSUE 3]

Problem

========

Hyper-V wbadmin error:

Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...

The backup operation stopped before completing.

Summary of the backup operation:

------------------

The backup operation stopped before completing.

Detailed error: ERROR - A Volume Shadow Copy Service operation error has

occurred: (0x80042336)

The writer experienced a partial failure. Check the component level error state

for more information.

Solution

========

Please save the following commands as the .bat file

==========================

net stop "System Event Notification Service"

net stop "COM+ Event System"

net stop "Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider"

net stop "Volume Shadow Copy"

cd /d %windir%\system32

net stop vss

net stop swprv

regsvr32 /s ole32.dll

regsvr32 /s oleaut32.dll

regsvr32 /s vss_ps.dll

vssvc /register

regsvr32 /s /i swprv.dll

regsvr32 /s /i eventcls.dll

regsvr32 /s es.dll

regsvr32 /s stdprov.dll

regsvr32 /s vssui.dll

regsvr32 /s msxml3.dll

net start "System Event Notification Service"

net start "COM+ Event System"

net start "Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider"

net start "Volume Shadow Copy"

==========================

After run the .bat file and restart the server.

NEW KB articles

SCVMM: Adding a SCVMM 2008 host in a external trusted domain fails with error 2917

http://support.microsoft.com/Default.aspx?id=2002404

How to upgrade Windows Server 2008 systems that have the Hyper-V role installed to Windows Server 2008 R2

http://support.microsoft.com/Default.aspx?id=957256

NEW & TOP DOWNLOADS

Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition x64 (Core Install) VHD

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=37264b32-c79f-4249-a5d4-b8696772a62a

Best regards,

Vicky Hu
Partner Online Technical Community
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We hope you get value from our new forums platform! Tell us what you think:
http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/partnerfdbk/threads
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Whoda thunk it's in security settings

bradley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:26:00 GMT

Whoda thunk that enabling the 64bit VT chip to enable either a 64bit guest or Windows 7 XP mode would mean that you needed to go into the security settings of the bios.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=115&prodSeriesId=3429268&prodTypeId=12454&prodSeriesId=3429268&objectID=c01484896

www.grc.com/securable said it would support the HyperV technology, but it wasn't kicking in. I knew it was in the bios, but couldn't figure out where the VT ON switch was until I searched on the HP site.

Holy cow this really works but this is really unsupported

bradley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:15:00 GMT

Holy cow this really works! - THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS "DIVA":
http://msmvps.com/blogs/bradley/archive/2009/11/05/holy-cow-this-really-works.aspx

Please keep in mind that in the next few days as I blog about the migration from SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 test run that I'm doing that the SBS 2003 installed in HyperV is totally and utterly unsupported when it's in that HyperV like that. Exchange 2003 is not supported in HyperV, only in Virtual Server.

If you put SBS 2003 on a platform that virtualization is not supported, you will get push back from support where they will tell you you have to recreate the issue on a supported platform.

Support policy for Microsoft software running in non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/897615

Exchange is normally the one that sets the support line in the sand.

Summary Support Statement*
This configuration is Not Supported.

* Customers with Premier-level support agreements should contact their account manager for more information
* Additional information is available in the "Support policy for Microsoft software running in non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software" which can be viewed here

Support Statement Details

Product: Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 on Hyper-V with Windows Server 2003 SP2 (x86) Guest OS

More Information

For Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 only Virtual Server 2005 R2 and later is supported as hardware virtualization software. See here for specific configuration information.

http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/svvp.aspx?svvppage=svvpwizard.htm

For those asking about ESXi

Summary Support Statement*
This configuration is Supported.

Support Statement Details

Product: Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 on VMware ESXi with Windows Server 2008 (x64) Guest OS

Search the Knowledge Base for information related to this configuration

More Information

Exchange 2007 SP1 and later must be deployed on the Windows Server 2008 operating system. (Note: Windows Server 2008 R2 is not currently supported with Exchange Server 2007 on hardware virtualization). For more information about support and scaling see the Microsoft Support Policies and Recommendations for Exchange Servers in Hardware Virtualization Environments here .

Supported features: Anti-Virus, Back-up Software, Virtual Machine Management Software, Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR), Virtual Processors

Unsupported features: Unified Messaging, Dynamically Expanding Virtual Disks, Virtual disks that use differencing or delta mechanisms, Hyper-V Quick Migration combined with Exchange Clustering, Virtual Machine Snap Shots

Making sure you don't sync with the Parent

bradley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:41:00 GMT

I have eventsentry.com on my existing SBS 2003 which also means it's now on my HyperV clone. So I kept getting a time change alert..

DATE / TIME 11/5/2009 9:36:21 PM MESSAGE The system time was changed.
Process ID: 1368
Process Name: C:\WINDOWS\system32\vmicsvc.exe

I had forgotten to uncheck the box on the time sync setting on the HyperV. You still want the DC inside the HyperV to get and grab it's own time from the various ntp time sync portals and not try to sync up with the HyperV parent.

Uncheck the box in that settings window and all is well.

Hey AU... you don't even have to get up early for this one!

bradley — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:30:00 GMT

Event Title : WNS92PAL: Microsoft Hyper-V Server - Stand Alone Server Virtualization Product February 25, 2009 from 10-11am Australia/Sydney Time
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 provides a simplified, reliable, and optimized virtualization solution, enabling improved server utilization and reduced costs. This webcast provides an introduction and overview of Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, and a comparison between Microsoft Hyper-V Server, Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition with Hyper-V, and Data Center Edition with Hyper-V. Since Hyper-V Server is a dedicated stand-alone product, which contains only the Windows Hypervisor, Windows Server driver model and virtualization components, it provides a small footprint and minimal overhead. Microsoft Hyper-V Server easily plugs into customers’ existing IT environments, leveraging their existing patching, provisioning, management, support tools, processes, and skills.

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=260615

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Time Zone : (GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

The bios flip did the trick

bradley — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:55:00 GMT

http://msmvps.com/blogs/bradley/archive/2008/12/14/attempting-to-load-a-64-bit-application.aspx

And to answer that question, yes, virtualization was disabled in the bios and thus even the vmware workstation wouldn't support a 64bit guest loaded up on a 64bit host.

Rule of thumb... always check the bios first before starting a virtualization project.

Attempting to load a 64-bit application

bradley — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:38:00 GMT

Workstation running Vista 64bit (so you know the CPU is 64bit compatible) attempting to load up a VMware 64bit OS... what gives?

I'll be the bit isn't flipped in the registry to allow for virtualizatoin to work, whadday wanna bet?

Be right back after a reboot to let you know.

Hey check out Tim's videos on HyperV

bradley — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:04:00 GMT

YouTube - SBS 2008 on Hyper-V Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X71rOKEZtjk
YouTube - SBS 2008 on Hyper-V Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmdO_BYq9Hw

Cool!

Hotfixes for Hyper V

bradley — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:36:00 GMT

Jose Barreto's Blog : Apply these Windows Server 2008 hotfixes to avoid known Hyper-V issues:
http://blogs.technet.com/josebda/archive/2008/12/04/apply-these-windows-server-2008-hotfixes-to-avoid-known-hyper-v-issues.aspx

The SBSized version of Jose's Grid is as follows with my comments as to whether they are needed for virtualization in SMB in italics

Article Number	Description	Date Released	When it’s needed
950050	Hyper-V RTM	26-Jun-2008	Always, also in Windows Updates - Must have in order to have SBS 2008 be deployed in the Child of the HyperV parent
950182	Resolve issue with Hyper-V virtual machine running x86 version of Windows using fewer processors than expected if the number of cores on a socket is not a power of 2	11-Apr-2008	If Windows x86-based VM used with a 6-core processor, apply to child *Not needed as SBS 2008 is 64bit*
951308	Increased functionality and virtual machine control in the Windows Server 2008 Failover Cluster Management console for the Hyper-V role	11-Sep-2008	If Failover Clustering is used Can't do clustering so not needed
951636	Hyper-V Language Pack Update for Windows Server 2008	11-Sep-2008	If using the additional languages offered Only needed if you plan to localize in your language
952627	Remote management of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V	11-Sep-2008	If managing Hyper-V remotely, apply to remote - *Need to plan for remote management if you don't use the full GUI of Windows*
953585	Resolve issue when you try to start a Hyper-V virtual machine on a Windows Server 2008 computer that uses the NUMA architecture	04-Sep-2008	If NUMA hosts are used NUMA what? :-) Not needed.
953828	Resolve issue with NLB host not working as expected on virtual machines	25-Jun-2008	If NLB is used, apply to child Network load balancing probably not used in a SBS setting
956589	Resolve potential issues when you manage Hyper-V with SCVMM	23-Sep-2008	If SCVMM is used You might use this
956697	Resolve issue in which the Hyper-V Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) does not back up virtual machines properly	08-Sep-2008	If VSS is used for backups You might need this?
956710	Increased number of logical processors to 24 and virtual machines to 192	23-Sep-2008	If more than 16 logical processors are used If you install a system with more than 16 processors, I want to hear from you and get a picture of that box :-)
956774	Resolve the scenario where a BITS client cannot handle files that have paths that contain the volume GUID in Windows Server 2008	23-Sep-2008	If volume GUIDs are used - *not needed*
957967	Resolve issue with Hyper-V memory management	08-Oct-2008	If issue described surfaces - *appears to only occur on clustering*
958065	Resolve issue with Hyper-V and Failover Clustering combined with a storage device managed by a third-party clustered file system or a third-party replication solution	03-Nov-2008	If third-party clustered file system or third-party replication solution used - *probably not needed*
958184	Resolve issue with virtual machine backup operations failing in Windows Server 2008 when Hyper-V virtual machine files are saved on a volume that is mounted on a failover cluster by using a volume GUID	05-Nov-2008	If backing up a volume mounted using a volume GUID - probably not needed

So how's that networking do-dads work in HyperV anyway?

bradley — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:59:00 GMT

Virtual PC Guy's WebLog : Understanding Networking with Hyper-V:
http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2008/01/08/understanding-networking-with-hyper-v.aspx

So how does this networking stuff work in HyperV anyway?

I've found I will build a box with a legacy nic, the server will install and then after it's builtI will flip it to a "synthetic nic" as it's called.

My hyperV box has two physical network cards, one is connected to my duplicate router. As you can see once the HyperV role is enabled I now have four network connections. The reason is that I have two virtual networks setup to hold the network topologies I have set up.

I'll blog more on this later as well as I'm still getting a handle on this myself in the meantime read -- Hyper-V Getting Started Guide:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732470.aspx

After you install Hyper-V and create an external virtual network, your computer will operate differently. After installation, the parent partition uses a virtual network adapter to connect to the physical network. When you look at Network Connections on the parent partition, you will see the original network adapter and a new virtual network adapter. The original physical network adapter has nothing bound to it except the Microsoft Virtual Network Switch Protocol, and the virtual network adapter now has all of the standard protocols and services bound to it. The virtual network adapter that appears under Network Connections will have the same name as the virtual network switch with which it is associated. It is possible to create an internal virtual network, which will expose a virtual network adapter to the parent partition without the need to have a physical network adapter associated with it. Hyper-V only binds the virtual network service to a physical network adapter when an external virtual network is created. However, networking will get disrupted for a short period of time on the network adapter when a virtual network gets created or deleted.

The part I need to still understand and investigate more is how to have a single nic SBS box not be hooked to the physical network adapter. That's the part that I'm not quite gelling in my mind of how the magic works. Stay tuned.

When Hyper-V is installed in SBS 2008 it causes the bindings for DHCP to bind to the incorrect interface

bradley — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:13:00 GMT

So why am I trying to install the Hyper V role ON a SBS 2008?

958829 When Hyper-V is installed in SBS 2008 it causes the bindings for DHCP to bind to the incorrect interface
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;958829

Because I'm proving the point of why virtualizing on top of SBS 2008 is not a wise thing.

Stay tuned.  My goal is to blow up a SBS box.

So what can you load in HyperV?

bradley — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:16:00 GMT

Windows Server 2008 Virtualization with Hyper-V: Supported Guest OS:
https://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-supported-guest-os.aspx

If you want to test a migration from SBS 2000 to SBS 2008 with a swing up to Win2k3 in the middle, for the record, a SBS 2000 will load in HyperV. However ensure that you patch it up to SP4 in order to be able to use a mouse over an RDP window

Yes that is a SBS 2000 inside a hyper V. And after I got it up to SP4 and it found a new virtual nic I think it's screwing up the dns as it's dog slow now. And my first thought was 'dang, there's no fix my network wizard'.

Sometimes instead of waxing poetic about how wonderful and simple technology used to be in the "good old days", dig out of your archives that old software and see just how painful it was back then. Patch Management was a joke. Reconfiguring networking was a peril. Configuring Exchange was a series of how tos.

In case you are wondering the best way to do virtual floppies..check out this post: Virtual Floppy Drive - Floppy Disk Imaging and Virtualization Part II - the freeware review:
http://www.freewarereview.info/2006-03/virtual_floppy_drive_-_floppy_disk_imaging_and_virtualization_part_ii.html

Hyper V tips and tricks

bradley — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:12:00 GMT

Generally troubleshooting Tips:
--------------------------------------------------
Troubleshooting Hyper-V
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc742454.aspx

Hyper-V: VM on USB Disk fails to start
http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2008/08/28/hyper-v-vm-on-usb-disk-fails-to-start.aspx

Hyper-V: Why does Hyper-V Manager not always work over VPN connection?
Access Denied or RPC server unavailable errors.
http://blogs.technet.com/jhoward/archive/2008/08/07/hyper-v-why-does-hyper-v-manager-not-always-work-over-vpn-connection-access-denied-or-rpc-server-unavailable-errors.aspx

Hyper-V: Why is networking reset in my VM when I copy a VHD?
http://blogs.technet.com/jhoward/archive/2008/07/22/hyper-v-why-is-networking-reset-in-my-vm-when-i-copy-a-vhd.aspx

Hyper-V: MAC Address allocation and apparent network issues MAC collisions
can cause
http://blogs.technet.com/jhoward/archive/2008/07/15/hyper-v-mac-address-allocation-and-apparent-network-issues-mac-collisions-can-cause.aspx

Unable to install the Hyper-V role from the server management console:

A possible error message is:

"Server manager has detected that the processor on this computer is not
compatible with Hyper-V. To install this roll, the processor must have a
supported version of hardware-assisted virtualization and that feature must
be turned on in the BIOS."

To troubleshoot this issue, please make sure you meet the following hardware
requirement:

- An x64-based processor. Hyper-V is available only in the x64-based
versions of Windows Server 2008-specifically, the x64-based versions of
Windows Server 2008 Standard, Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, and Windows
Server 2008 Datacenter.

- Hardware-assisted virtualization. This is available in processors that
include a virtualization option; specifically Intel VT or AMD Virtualization
(AMD-V, formerly code-named "Pacifica").

- Hardware Data Execution Protection (DEP) must be available and be enabled.
Specifically, you must enable Intel XD bit (execute disable bit) or AMD NX
bit (no execute bit).

Hyper-V HW & SW requirement:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc816844.aspx

----------------------------------------------------
Install the Integration Services failed

To troubleshoot this kind issue, please make sure the following is true:

1. The Guest OS is a supported OS on Hyper-V:

Guest operating systems that are supported on a Hyper-V virtual machine
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954958/en-us

2. Make sure the New Hardware Wizard Window is cancelled. If there is a New
Hardware Wizard Window open, the integration services won't be installed and
it is always in the following status:

"Waiting for previous device installation to complete"

3. Manually install the Integration Services:

3.1. Turn off or shutdown the current VM. Then turn on the VM again.

3.2. Go to Actions>Insert Integration services setup disk, open My Computer

3.3. Go to the CD/DVD drive, X:\support\X86

3,4. Click the Setup.exe and see if he could install it successfully in this
way. If it is installed successfully, it will prompt to restart the VM.
==================

If the problem doesn't match any entries above, what information needed for
support engineer to troubleshoot issues:

Information Needed:

1. Failed to Add the Hyper-V server role
=======================
1.1 Screen Shot of the error message

1.2 System event Log

1.3 the CBS.log (C:\Windows\Logs\CBS)

1.4 Setupapi.app.log
---------------------------------------------------------------

2. Failed to install the Integration Services inside the VM on Hyper-V
================================================

Three logs files located in the %windir% directory inside the VM, that can
be useful.

-Vmguestsetup.log
-Vmginst.log
-Vmgcoinstall.log

Note: Vmginst.log will not be found on fully enlightened guests (Windows
Vista sp1 and Windows Server 2008).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Failed to create, start or shutdown a Virtual Machine:
===================================
1. Screen Shot of the error message
2. Hyper-V-VMMS event logs:
2.1 Clicks start>run>eventvwr>
2.2 Go to Application and Service logs -> Microsoft -> Windows ->
Hyper-V-VMMS

3.Process Monitor Logs

3.1. Download procmon.exe
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/processmonitor.mspx
3.2. Logon as the administrator on the server and Run procmon.exe

3.3. Stop the current logging by clicking on the magnifying glass button and
Clear the current log by clicking on the eraser button.

3.4. Reproduce the issue.Start the capturing by clicking on the magnifying
glass button, then click the Next in the update driver wizard, after the
issue is reproduced, Stop the current logging by clicking on the magnifying
glass button.

3.5. Click the File menu > Save to save the file as Issue.pml.

3.6. Zip up and send the resulting log files to support engineer

4. Enable UI tracing:
=================
To help diagnose errors and performance issues, it can be helpful to enable
tracing in the UI.

4.1 In order to enable tracing, open a command prompt and navigate to the
directory: "%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Hyper-V\Client\1.0\".

4.2 This is the directory used by the UI to store the user's local
configuration. Inside this directory add a file named "VMClientTrace.config"
with these contents:

-------------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
    <Microsoft.Virtualization.Client.TraceConfigurationOptions>
        <setting name="TraceTagFormat" type="System.Int32">
            <value>3</value>
        </setting>
        <setting name="BrowserTraceLevel" type="System.Int32">
            <value>5</value>
        </setting>
        <setting name="VMConnectTraceLevel" type="System.Int32">
            <value>5</value>
        </setting>
        <setting name="VHDInspectTraceLevel" type="System.Int32">
            <value>5</value>
        </setting>
    </Microsoft.Virtualization.Client.TraceConfigurationOptions>
</configuration>
----------------------------

4.3 After saving this file, restart the UI and repro your issue.

[Note that the UI must be restarted, we do not support dynamically turning
on tracing. The tracing files are written to %temp%. The file name will be
in the format: AppName_Trace_Timestamp, where AppName is the name of the UI
app being traced: VMBrowser, VMConnect, or VHDInspect and Timestamp is the
time at which the app was started.]

The tracing config file allows a few options over which traces are gathered
and how they are formatted. The first tag is TraceTagFormat. A value of 1
instructs the tracing system to tag each message with a time stamp and a
value of 2 tags each message with source information, though this only works
in chk builds. You can bitwise-or these values together so that you have
both options by using the value of 3.

The other tags specify what tracing level to use for each UI app. UI tracing
supports 6 different levels of tracing, each level includes all of the
tracing from the prior levels, plus some additional information. For example
the value of 5, includes all exceptions, WMI calls, user actions, WMI
events, and general information. The levels are:

0 - None
1 - Exception (all caught exceptions will be traced)
2 - WMI call (information about each WMI call made by the UI)
3 - UserAction (each user action, such as the user is launching the new vm
wizard)
4 - Events (Turning on/off or receiving WMI events from the server)
5 - Information (Generic information)
6 - Verbose

Hyper-V Event Logs and what it represents
==================================

Hyper-V Configure

Events are logged here that relate to problems access a virtual machine
configuration files

Hyper-V High-Availability

Events are logged here that relate to quick migration or failover clustering
between two virtual machines

Hyper-V-Hypervisor

Events are logged here that relate to problems with the Hypervisor itself,
or if the Hypervisor fails to load because of a problem. If the Hypervisor
doesn't load because hardware virtualization is not enabled in the Bios, the
event will not be logged here

Hyper-V-Integration

Events are logged here that relate to problems with the integration
components

Hyper-V-Network

Events are logged here that relate to problems with the virtual switch

Hyper-V-SynthNic

Events are logged here that relate to network communication using the
synthetic NIC

Hyper-V-SynthStor

Events are logged here that relate to any storage issues when using the
synthetic storage

Hyper-V-vhdsvc (Hyper-V-Image-management service)

Events are logged here that relate to virtual hard disks. Failures to add.
Delete merge, expand convert and mount virtual hard disks will write events
to this log

Hyper-V-VMMS

Events are logged here that relate to the Virtual Machine management service

Hyper-V-Worker

Events are logged here that relate to the worker processes functionally.

Some Generally KB articles for Hyper-V.
===========================================
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V VSS writer is not used during a backup job
because of corrupted or invalid virtual machine configuration files
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/956697

The NLB host does not converge as expected on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
virtual machines
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953828/en-us

Error message when you try to start a Hyper-V virtual machine on a Windows
Server 2008-based or Windows Vista-based computer that uses the NUMA
architecture: "An error occurred while attempting to change the state of
virtual machine VMNAME"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953585/en-us

When you try to enable, disable, or update Hyper-V technology, the process
stops responding
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950792/en-us

You are not prompted for credentials after you receive an "Access Denied"
error message when you try to connect to a virtual machine from the Windows
Server 2008 Hyper-V MMC snap-in
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954279/en-us

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V VSS writer is not used during a backup job
because of corrupted or invalid virtual machine configuration files
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956697/en-us

Error message when you try to export a virtual machine on a Windows Server
2008-based computer that uses Hyper-V: "An error occurred while attempting
to export the virtual machine"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954280/en-us

Virtual machine backup operations fail in Windows Server 2008 when Hyper-V
virtual machine files are saved on a volume that is mounted on a failover
cluster by using a volume GUID
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958184/en-us

When Hyper-V is installed in SBS 2008 it causes the bindings for DHCP to
bind to the incorrect interface
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958829/en-us

Windows 2000 with Integration Services may shut down slowly while running as
a guest on Server 2008 with Hyper-V
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/959781/en-us

From the Partner newsgroup -- Hyper V info

bradley — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:53:00 GMT

The virtual machine could not be started because the hypervisor is not running

bradley — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:12:00 GMT

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/HowToInstallingWindowsVirtualizationServicesHypervisorOnWindowsServer2008RC0.aspx

"GOTCHA NOTE: You might get an error saying "The virtual machine could not be started because the hypervisor is not running." That can be a little confusing, but the dialog has three things you can confirm in order to get things going.

In my case, I had forgotten that most machines ship with the VMM (Virtualization) hardware bit turned OFF by default. You'll have to go into the BIOS and turn it on. Note also that you'll often need to CUT POWER COMPLETEY after you've flipped the bit...a soft reboot doesn't always work."

Thank you Scott...

The way to virtualize

bradley — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:16:00 GMT

"I want to put a virtualized platform on top of my SBS 2008 box. I want to have virtual OS's on top of the operating system that is running SBS 2008. I don't understand why Microsoft won't support that?"

Small Business Server 2008 RpcProxy.dll | Welcome to Pariswells.com:
http://pariswells.com/blog/?p=56

There's a good reason right there. An application of a third party virtualization software paved over the IIS web site of SBS. Now mind you, that Vmware was also a messy installer since SBS puts OWA into it's own separate web site so that means that the installer did it's damage up at the root of the IIS and make changes down the site.

So why is it best.. if you are going to virtualize to place the virtualization platform down and then put a virtualized SBS side by side with what you want to virtualize? Several reasons:

1. SBS 2008 needs/wants/works the best with it's own memory space. Don't crowd it, nor make your life horrific trying to debug it by placing a virtualization platform AND more operating systems on top of it.

2. Just like the above blog post showcases.. third party stuff has a lovely habit of paving over stuff.

Remember that HyperV base is a free platform to virtualize on. If you opt for SBS 2008 premium you get the ability to have a GUI base for your virtualization platform and then can virtualize SBS on top of that. But consider that that little box is doing a lot already and to add more on top of itself already is risky, adding a lot of complexity, and potentially putting yourself in an unsupported state.

HyperV RTMs

bradley — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:10:00 GMT

From Charlie Russel and Joe Raby

RTW of Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 
Press Release
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/oct08/10-01HyperVRTM08PR.mspx

Web
http://www.microsoft.com/servers/hyper-v-server/default.mspx  

Free Download (Real Soon Now)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5CEACA28-7AC0-4613-9227-D0FA337331FD&displaylang=en

HyperV Dowload--  http://www.microsoft.com/servers/hyper-v-server/how-to-get.mspx

FAQ http://www.microsoft.com/servers/hyper-v-server/faq.mspx  

Video
http://edge.technet.com/Media/First-Look-Hyper-V-Server

Hyper-V Server 2008 Getting Started Guide

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=26426203-de3c-4d74-851e-4e1388a81d5f&displaylang=en

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 Configuration Guide
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e1e111c9-fa69-4b4d-8963-1dd87804c04f&displaylang=en

HyperV License terms -- http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6af67a54-24e5-410e-a0f8-04bd260e812f&DisplayLang=en

Looking for the virtualizatoin webcasts?

bradley — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:09:00 GMT

The recording links are not yet live, but keep an eye out here:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?systemid=1818320&page=/plc/search_adv.aspx for SBS

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?systemid=1820163&page=/plc/search_adv.aspx for EBS

HyperV and support

bradley — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:28:00 GMT

The kicker here, and where many journos reported inaccurate information, is that 3rd-party vendors' hypervisors must first pass the validation test before customers can get cooperative support from Microsoft and that vendor. For example, it was reported that VMware signed an agreement to participate in the Server Virtualization Validation Program. That much is true. However, it doesn't mean that cooperative support is now in place. First, ESX Server must go through and pass the validation test. Once validated, they'll be added to KB article 944987, where we list "support partners for non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software." Today only Novell is listed, and that's due to the broader technical collaboration agreement in place between the companies.

http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/archive/2008/08/19/Thoughts-on-today_2700_s-virtualization-licensing-and-support-news.aspx

The other day someone was indicating about support on virtualization and as you can see "at the present time" ESX server is not a validated platform for virtualization. Thus at this time the only supported for SBS 2008 virtualization platform is HyperV. Even with that, if you want to virtualize the SBS 2008 box, faxing will not be supported due to the fact that serial port support is not available in HyperV