Windows Server 2022 Hyper-V Configuration Guide

Tyler Maginnis | January 15, 2024

Windows Server 2022Hyper-VVirtualizationConfiguration

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Windows Server 2022 Hyper-V Configuration Guide

Introduction

Hyper-V in Windows Server 2022 provides enterprise-class virtualization capabilities with improved performance, enhanced security features, and better integration with cloud services. This guide covers the complete setup and configuration of Hyper-V on Windows Server 2022.

Prerequisites

  • Windows Server 2022 (Standard or Datacenter edition)
  • Hardware with virtualization support (Intel VT-x or AMD-V)
  • Minimum 4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended)
  • At least 32 GB free disk space
  • SLAT-capable processor for certain features

1. Hardware Requirements Verification

Check Virtualization Support

# Check if virtualization is supported and enabled
Get-ComputerInfo | Select HyperVisorPresent, HyperVRequirementDataExecutionPreventionAvailable, HyperVRequirementSecondLevelAddressTranslation, HyperVRequirementVirtualizationFirmwareEnabled, HyperVRequirementVMMonitorModeExtensions

# Alternative method using systeminfo
systeminfo | findstr /i "hyper"

Enable Virtualization in BIOS/UEFI

  1. Restart the server
  2. Enter BIOS/UEFI settings
  3. Enable:
  4. Intel VT-x (Intel) or AMD-V (AMD)
  5. Intel VT-d (Intel) or AMD IOMMU (AMD) for device passthrough
  6. SLAT/EPT support

2. Installing Hyper-V

# Install Hyper-V with management tools
Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools -Restart

# Verify installation
Get-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V*

Using Server Manager

  1. Open Server Manager
  2. Click "Add roles and features"
  3. Select "Role-based or feature-based installation"
  4. Select your server
  5. Check "Hyper-V" role
  6. Add required features when prompted
  7. Complete installation and restart

3. Initial Hyper-V Configuration

Configure Hyper-V Settings

# Set default paths
Set-VMHost -VirtualHardDiskPath "D:\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks" -VirtualMachinePath "D:\Hyper-V\Virtual Machines"

# Configure memory settings
Set-VMHost -MaximumStorageMigrations 4 -MaximumVirtualMachineMigrations 4

# Enable enhanced session mode
Set-VMHost -EnableEnhancedSessionMode $true

# Configure NUMA spanning
Set-VMHost -NumaSpanningEnabled $false

Configure Resource Metering

# Enable resource metering for all VMs
Get-VM | Enable-VMResourceMetering

# View resource usage
Get-VM | Measure-VM

4. Virtual Switch Configuration

Create External Virtual Switch

# List physical network adapters
Get-NetAdapter

# Create external virtual switch
New-VMSwitch -Name "External vSwitch" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet" -AllowManagementOS $true

# Configure bandwidth settings
Set-VMSwitch "External vSwitch" -DefaultFlowMinimumBandwidthWeight 50

Create Internal Virtual Switch

# Create internal switch for host-VM communication
New-VMSwitch -Name "Internal vSwitch" -SwitchType Internal

# Configure IP address for the host
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias "vEthernet (Internal vSwitch)" -IPAddress 192.168.100.1 -PrefixLength 24

Create Private Virtual Switch

# Create private switch for isolated VM-to-VM communication
New-VMSwitch -Name "Private vSwitch" -SwitchType Private

5. Storage Configuration

Configure Storage Pools

# Get available disks
Get-PhysicalDisk -CanPool $true

# Create storage pool
New-StoragePool -FriendlyName "Hyper-V Storage Pool" -StorageSubsystemFriendlyName "Windows Storage*" -PhysicalDisks (Get-PhysicalDisk -CanPool $true)

# Create virtual disk
New-VirtualDisk -StoragePoolFriendlyName "Hyper-V Storage Pool" -FriendlyName "Hyper-V VMs" -Size 500GB -ResiliencySettingName Mirror -ProvisioningType Thin

# Initialize and format
Get-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName "Hyper-V VMs" | Get-Disk | Initialize-Disk -PartitionStyle GPT
Get-VirtualDisk -FriendlyName "Hyper-V VMs" | Get-Disk | New-Partition -AssignDriveLetter -UseMaximumSize | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "Hyper-V-VMs"

Configure Storage QoS

# Create Storage QoS policy
New-StorageQosPolicy -Name "Gold" -MinimumIops 1000 -MaximumIops 5000 -PolicyType Dedicated
New-StorageQosPolicy -Name "Silver" -MinimumIops 500 -MaximumIops 2500 -PolicyType Dedicated
New-StorageQosPolicy -Name "Bronze" -MinimumIops 100 -MaximumIops 1000 -PolicyType Dedicated

6. Creating Virtual Machines

Create Generation 2 VM

# Create new VM
New-VM -Name "WebServer01" -MemoryStartupBytes 4GB -Generation 2 -NewVHDPath "D:\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks\WebServer01.vhdx" -NewVHDSizeBytes 100GB -SwitchName "External vSwitch"

# Configure VM settings
Set-VM -Name "WebServer01" -ProcessorCount 4 -DynamicMemory -MemoryMinimumBytes 2GB -MemoryMaximumBytes 8GB -CheckpointType Production

# Add DVD drive for OS installation
Add-VMDvdDrive -VMName "WebServer01" -Path "C:\ISO\WindowsServer2022.iso"

# Configure boot order
$dvd = Get-VMDvdDrive -VMName "WebServer01"
Set-VMFirmware -VMName "WebServer01" -FirstBootDevice $dvd

# Enable nested virtualization (if needed)
Set-VMProcessor -VMName "WebServer01" -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true

# Configure automatic start/stop
Set-VM -Name "WebServer01" -AutomaticStartAction Start -AutomaticStartDelay 30 -AutomaticStopAction ShutDown

Create VM from Template

# Export VM as template
Export-VM -Name "Template-Windows2022" -Path "D:\Templates"

# Import as new VM
$vm = Import-VM -Path "D:\Templates\Template-Windows2022\Virtual Machines\[GUID].vmcx" -Copy -GenerateNewId -VhdDestinationPath "D:\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks" -VirtualMachinePath "D:\Hyper-V\Virtual Machines"
Rename-VM -VM $vm -NewName "WebServer02"

7. Advanced Networking

Configure SR-IOV

# Enable SR-IOV on virtual switch
Set-VMSwitch "External vSwitch" -EnableIov $true

# Enable SR-IOV on VM network adapter
Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "WebServer01" -IovWeight 100

Configure SET (Switch Embedded Teaming)

# Create SET-enabled switch
New-VMSwitch -Name "SET-vSwitch" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet", "Ethernet 2" -EnableEmbeddedTeaming $true -AllowManagementOS $true

# Configure load balancing
Set-VMSwitchTeam -Name "SET-vSwitch" -LoadBalancingAlgorithm HyperVPort

VLAN Configuration

# Configure VLAN for VM
Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -VMName "WebServer01" -Access -VlanId 100

# Configure trunk mode for multiple VLANs
Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -VMName "Router-VM" -Trunk -AllowedVlanIdList "100,200,300" -NativeVlanId 1

8. Storage Features

Configure Deduplication

# Install deduplication feature
Install-WindowsFeature -Name FS-Data-Deduplication

# Enable deduplication on volume
Enable-DedupVolume -Volume "D:" -UsageType HyperV

# Configure deduplication schedule
Set-DedupSchedule -Name "BackgroundOptimization" -Days Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday -Start 22:00 -DurationHours 6

Storage Replica Configuration

# Install Storage Replica feature
Install-WindowsFeature -Name Storage-Replica -IncludeManagementTools -Restart

# Configure replication partnership
New-SRPartnership -SourceComputerName "HyperV01" -SourceRGName "RG01" -SourceVolumeName "D:" -DestinationComputerName "HyperV02" -DestinationRGName "RG02" -DestinationVolumeName "D:" -LogVolumeName "L:" -LogSizeInBytes 8GB

9. High Availability

Configure Hyper-V Replica

# Enable Hyper-V Replica on primary server
Set-VMReplicationServer -ReplicationEnabled $true -AllowedAuthenticationType Kerberos -ReplicationAllowedFromAnyServer $false -DefaultStorageLocation "D:\Hyper-V\Replica"

# Configure firewall
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Hyper-V Replica*"

# Enable replication for VM
Enable-VMReplication -VMName "WebServer01" -ReplicaServerName "HyperV02.domain.com" -ReplicaServerPort 80 -AuthenticationType Kerberos -CompressionEnabled $true -RecoveryHistory 4

Live Migration Configuration

# Enable live migration
Enable-VMMigration

# Configure authentication
Set-VMMigrationNetwork 192.168.1.0/24 -AuthenticationType Kerberos

# Set performance options
Set-VMHost -MaximumVirtualMachineMigrations 4 -MaximumStorageMigrations 4 -VirtualMachineMigrationPerformanceOption SMB

10. Security Configuration

Shielded VMs

# Install Host Guardian Service
Install-WindowsFeature -Name HostGuardianServiceRole -IncludeManagementTools

# Create guardian
New-HgsGuardian -Name "HGS_Guardian" -GenerateCertificates

# Configure VM as shielded
Set-VM -Name "SecureVM01" -EnableShielding $true

Encrypted Virtual Networks

# Configure encrypted virtual network
$cert = Get-ChildItem Cert:\LocalMachine\My | Where-Object {$_.Subject -like "*HGS*"}
Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "SecureVM01" -EncryptionEnabled $true -CertificateThumbprint $cert.Thumbprint

11. Performance Optimization

Configure Dynamic Memory

# Optimize memory settings
Set-VM -Name "WebServer01" -DynamicMemory -MemoryStartupBytes 2GB -MemoryMinimumBytes 1GB -MemoryMaximumBytes 8GB -MemoryBuffer 20

# Configure memory weight
Set-VMMemory -VMName "WebServer01" -Priority 80

CPU Configuration

# Configure processor settings
Set-VMProcessor -VMName "WebServer01" -Count 4 -Reserve 10 -Maximum 100 -RelativeWeight 200

# Enable processor compatibility for migration
Set-VMProcessor -VMName "WebServer01" -CompatibilityForMigrationEnabled $true

Disk Performance

# Configure disk QoS
Set-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName "WebServer01" -ControllerType SCSI -ControllerNumber 0 -ControllerLocation 0 -MaximumIOPS 5000 -MinimumIOPS 1000

# Enable write-back cache
Set-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName "WebServer01" -ControllerType SCSI -ControllerNumber 0 -ControllerLocation 0 -CacheEnabled $true

12. Monitoring and Management

Configure Performance Monitoring

# Create data collector set
$datacollector = New-Object -ComObject Pla.DataCollectorSet
$datacollector.DisplayName = "Hyper-V Performance"
$datacollector.Duration = 300
$datacollector.SubdirectoryFormat = 1
$datacollector.SubdirectoryFormatPattern = "yyyy-MM-dd"
$datacollector.RootPath = "C:\PerfLogs\Hyper-V"

# Add performance counters
$collector = $datacollector.DataCollectors.CreateDataCollector(0)
$collector.FileName = "Hyper-V_Performance"
$collector.FileNameFormat = 0
$collector.FileNameFormatPattern = "yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm-ss"
$collector.PerformanceCounters = @(
    "\Hyper-V Hypervisor\*",
    "\Hyper-V Virtual Machine Health Summary\*",
    "\Hyper-V Virtual Network Adapter(*)\*",
    "\Hyper-V Virtual Storage Device(*)\*"
)
$datacollector.DataCollectors.Add($collector)
$datacollector.Commit("Hyper-V Performance", $null, 0x0003)

PowerShell Direct

# Connect to VM using PowerShell Direct
$cred = Get-Credential
Invoke-Command -VMName "WebServer01" -Credential $cred -ScriptBlock {
    Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Running"}
}

# Copy files to VM
Copy-VMFile -Name "WebServer01" -SourcePath "C:\Scripts\Configure.ps1" -DestinationPath "C:\Scripts\Configure.ps1" -CreateFullPath -FileSource Host

13. Backup and Recovery

Configure Hyper-V Backup

# Install Windows Server Backup
Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Server-Backup

# Create backup policy
$policy = New-WBPolicy
Add-WBSystemState -Policy $policy
Add-WBBareMetalRecovery -Policy $policy
$virtualMachines = Get-WBVirtualMachine | Where-Object {$_.VMName -like "*"}
Add-WBVirtualMachine -Policy $policy -VirtualMachine $virtualMachines

# Set backup schedule
Set-WBSchedule -Policy $policy -Schedule 02:00

# Set backup target
$target = New-WBBackupTarget -NetworkPath "\\BackupServer\Hyper-V-Backups"
Add-WBBackupTarget -Policy $policy -Target $target

# Enable the policy
Set-WBPolicy -Policy $policy

Checkpoint Management

# Configure checkpoint settings
Set-VM -Name "WebServer01" -CheckpointType Production -AutomaticCheckpointsEnabled $false

# Create checkpoint
Checkpoint-VM -Name "WebServer01" -SnapshotName "Pre-Update $(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd')"

# List checkpoints
Get-VMSnapshot -VMName "WebServer01"

# Apply checkpoint
Restore-VMSnapshot -Name "Pre-Update 2024-01-15" -VMName "WebServer01" -Confirm:$false

14. Troubleshooting

Common Diagnostics

# Check Hyper-V event logs
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-*" | Where-Object {$_.Level -le 3} | Select-Object -First 50

# Test VM connectivity
Test-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "WebServer01" -Receiver -SenderIPAddress 192.168.1.10 -ReceiverIPAddress 192.168.1.20

# Validate configuration
Test-VMReplication -VMName "WebServer01"

# Check resource usage
Get-VM | Select-Object Name, State, CPUUsage, MemoryAssigned, MemoryDemand, MemoryStatus

Performance Analysis

# Analyze VM performance
Measure-VM -VMName * | Format-Table -AutoSize

# Check storage latency
Get-StorageSubsystem | Get-StorageHealthReport

# Network statistics
Get-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName * | Select-Object VMName, Name, MacAddress, Status, IPAddresses

Best Practices Summary

  1. Planning
  2. Size host hardware appropriately
  3. Use Generation 2 VMs when possible

  4. Plan network architecture before deployment

  5. Performance

  6. Use fixed VHDs for production workloads
  7. Configure anti-affinity rules for clustered VMs

  8. Monitor and adjust dynamic memory settings

  9. Security

  10. Enable shielded VMs for sensitive workloads
  11. Use encrypted networks

  12. Implement proper VLAN segmentation

  13. Availability

  14. Configure Hyper-V Replica for DR
  15. Use failover clustering for HA

  16. Regular backup testing

  17. Management

  18. Use Windows Admin Center for GUI management
  19. Automate with PowerShell
  20. Implement proper monitoring

Additional Resources