Dynamic Memory for Hyper-V R2 goes RC1

Earlier this year Microsoft announced plans for the first service pack release for Windows Server 2008 R2. Generally, these service packs contain roll-ups of cumulative updates and minor feature enhancements of no major significance. However, Microsoft surprised the IT community with the announcement of two major Windows capabilities that will be made available in the update (Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX). Microsoft made true on their promise and presented the first beta release to the public in July. Rumors of when the highly anticipated service pack would be released was kept under tight wraps until today when Microsoft officially released RC1 to the public with the final release expected within Q1 of 2011.

SP1 will include a new feature called Dynamic Memory which provides enhanced and efficient memory configurations on Windows Server 2008 R2 servers running the Hyper-V role. Unlike today where we have hard, static memory assignments to virtual machines, Dynamic Memory allows memory to be grouped in pools for dynamic distribution based on demand by virtual guest. The new memory configuration will allow better utilization of available host memory, improving VM density ratios and answering a need that many potential VMware switchers state is necessary.

Another feature that will be made available is RemoteFX, which introduces a cost effective enhanced audio/visual remote user experience that enables a rich media environment. RemoteFX also extends the capabilities of existing VDI and SBD environments to support a wide array of USB devices to improve user productivity.

To learn more about Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and to download the release candidate, then visit the Windows Server 2008 R2 site found here.

Dude, Where's My VHD?

Have you recently found yourself managing a VM using System Center Virtual Machine Manger 2008 R2 to remove a VHD only to find that the VHD has been deleted? Well, your not the first and I thought that this was old news at this point, but I constantly have folks emailing me asking if I have seen this behavior. The answer is yes and there is a fix available.

If you detach a VHD from a virtual machine and find that the VHD has been deleted instead, then you need to visit the link below and obtain a hotfix to correct this behavior.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=976246

This condition only exist with SCVMM 2008 R2 and doesn't exist within the Hyper-V Manager Snap-in.

Change of Scenery

Boy have I been busy! So, as you all are aware, I haven't been posting a lot of content in the last month, actually nothing at all...and I am sorry, but there is a reason.

After a very busy couple of years of transforming and optimizing Crutchfields infrastructure with Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization, I have decided it was time to move on. I have turned the page and started a new chapter by accepting a position with SyCom Technologies, an IT services provider and Microsoft partner. With SyCom, I will be working as a Sr. Systems Engineer where I will be privileged enough to work day in and out with customers like yourself, designing and implementing your Microsoft Virtualization, Systems Center and enterprise storage needs.

So, be patient while I complete my relocation and when I return, we will be bringing you a piece I know you are all very anxious to read, "How to Configure NIC Teaming in a Hyper-V R2 Cluster". Yes, its true and it works and I am going to show you how!

Configure Antivirus Exclusions for Improved Hyper-V Performance

This is a topic that has been discussed in plenty of detail across the web for some time now. But, recently I have noticed an increased number of inquiries regarding the proper configurations of antivirus solutions installed on Hyper-V host and general performance problems tied to improperly configured antivirus agents. I expect this recent surge is contributed to the increased adoption rate of Hyper-V R2 and the incorporation of Live Migration with Cluster Shared Volumes.

I am sure we all understand the importance of running antivirus on any server in the enterprise. It protects us from all the bad stuff that is crawling the web and from time to time creeps its way into our networks. Any good AV solution intercepts calls to local memory and disk and in some cases can even intercept running processes. This interception is by design and is what keeps our systems safe, but can lead to poor performance, especially on a Hyper-V host.

Proper configuration of your AV solution on a Hyper-V host includes exclusions of both processes, directories and file types and not doing so correctly can not only lead to poor performance, but can even lead to your VM’s going offline. So let’s look at what the exclusion configuration should look like.

On any Hyper-V host you will find a couple of core processes that is crucial to host and VM performance. Prevent the following processes from AV scans by excluding the following as part of you Hyper-V AV policy.

VMMS.exe
VMWP.exe

You also want to exclude the root directories where VM configurations and Virtual Hard Disks are stored. Exclude the following directories.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Hyper-V
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks
Custom VM configuration, Virtual Hard Disk and Snapshot directories

Next, you want to create AV exclusions for the following file extensions.

*.XML
*.VHD
*.AVHD
*.VFD
*. VSV
*.ISO

Finally, if you are using Hyper-V R2’s Live Migration feature with Cluster Shared Volumes, then you will need to exclude the CSV path and any sub-directories. The CSV path is as follows.

C:\Clusterstorage

Failure to create this exclusion on hosts using CSV, can not only result in poor performance, but can also result in a missing or corrupt VM configuration. Refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 961804 found at the link below for more information on this issue.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961804