Microsoft Update

Hyper-V, Microsoft's first-generation hypervisor-based virtualization role for Windows Server 2008, has been released and can be downloaded as an update to 64-bit editions of the server. Hyper-V offers customers a new Windows Server 2008 virtualization role for consolidating servers. Separately, Microsoft announced that Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), a management tool for Hyper-V and other virtualization systems, will be available separately from other System Center management products.

Hyper-V Released

Hyper-V is Microsoft's hardware virtualization technology, which makes it possible for multiple, different OS and application instances to coexist on a single physical computer by putting each instance in a simulated computer or virtual machine (VM). Organizations commonly use virtualization technology to consolidate multiple server application and OS instances, each on its own physical hardware, to fewer physical servers. This reduces the number of devices that must be managed, powered, and cooled. Hyper-V, which shipped 37 days earlier than Microsoft's announced deadline, allows the company to more effectively compete against other virtualization vendors such as VMware and Citrix Xen in the virtualization market.

The Hyper-V role is currently available as a download for the Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Editions of Windows Server 2008 x64 or Windows Server 2008 Core x64. It will likely be included in Windows Server 2008 x64 media in the future. Servers running Hyper-V must have the following:

• An AMD-V or Intel VT x-64 based processor that includes virtual hardware assist
• The processor's Execute Disable or No Execute bit enabled
• Hardware virtualization enabled in the BIOS.