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It's Official: Windows 8 To Offer Hyper-V Machine Virtualization
Hyper-V is coming to Windows 8 but the hypervisor technology will have some limitations on the client operating system.
Microsoft has officially announced plans to support its Hyper-V virtualization technology in Windows 8, confirming earlier reports. Hyper-V currently runs on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
The Hyper-V integration into the client OS will allow users to run 32-bit and 64-bit virtual machines on top of Windows 8 running on x86 metal. It will allow software developers to work with multiple environments, while IT pros will be able to leverage desktop virtualization for different test configurations, according to a blog post on Wednesday by Matthew John, a program manager on the Microsoft Hyper-V team.
The announcement confirms early reports by veteran Microsoft watcher Mary-Jo Foley. She tracked the idea back to a 2009 mention by a Microsoft executive.
Bringing Hyper-V to Windows 8 took some engineering savvy to pull off, according to John, who describes the architectural thinking behind a Microsoft "bridge" solution that enables Wi-Fi packets to move from the external world into a virtual machine running on Windows 8. Microsoft worked out a solution that enables an external network switch to work with a physical network interface controller, for instance.
However, Hyper-V on Windows 8 will still have some limitations, which John described:
- Apps dependent on hardware (for example, BitLocker and Measured Boot) will not work well in a virtual machine;
- Apps with low latencies (below 10 milliseconds), such as music-mixing apps, could have issues in a virtual machine; and
- Games requiring graphics processing units might not work well.
One potential roadblock for organizations running virtual machines on top of Window 8 might be found in the licensing aspects. John noted that "as a reminder, you will still need to license any operating systems you use in the VMs." It will also require having a 64-bit x86-based PC with 4 GB of RAM to run three or four virtual machines on Windows 8.
A few features were noted by John. Windows 8 Hyper-V will have the following capabilities:
- Dynamic memory for on-the-fly memory allocation (already a feature of Hyper-V running on Windows Server 2008 R2);
- VM Console or Remote Desktop Connection for monitoring virtual machines;
- A "live storage move" capability that enables virtual machines to be moved, even while running;
- A snapshot capability;
- Automatic patching via Windows Update ("Hyper-V virtual machines have all of the manageability benefits of Windows," John explained).
Microsoft currently offers desktop virtualization support on Windows 7 through its Virtual PC technology running Windows XP Mode. This solution allows Windows XP to run in a virtual machine on top of Windows 7, but it lacks the sort of robust management support that IT shops may require. Microsoft also offers desktop virtualization for Windows 7 clients that has such management capabilities via its Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) solution.
MED-V is benefit for organizations that can afford to pay for Microsoft's Software Assurance licensing option. It's also available for $1 per user per month more as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack suite for Windows Intune subscribers. MED-V access rights also can be obtained through the Virtual Desktop Access license that Microsoft established in July 2010.
Microsoft's blog did not explain what happens to Virtual PC and MED-V desktop virtualization technologies when Windows 8 is released having Hyper-V capabilities.
In general, Microsoft plans to talk in greater detail about Windows 8 and Windows Server 8 at its sold-out Build conference. Build is scheduled to start on Sept. 13 next week in Anaheim, Calif.
Here's a scorecard of features expected in Windows 8, as revealed by Microsoft so far:
Windows 8 Feature | Source/Chronology |
System-on-chip integration on ARM platform designs, as well as x86 platforms from AMD and Intel, enabling new form factors for devices | Steve Ballmer at the Computer Electronics Show, January (link) |
Touch-enabled user interface similar to Windows Phone 7, along with traditional menu access via mouse and keyboard | Steven Sinofsky at All Things Digital's D9 event and Mike Angiulo at Computex Taipei, June (link) |
Backward compatibility with hardware that can run Windows 7 | Steven Sinofsky, building Windows 8 blog, August (link) |
An App Store link built into the OS | Steven Sinofsky, building Windows 8 blog, August (link) |
USB 3.0 support | Dennis Flanagan, building Windows 8 blog, August (link) |
Management of multiple copy jobs via a single dialog box | Alex Simons, building Windows 8 blog, August (link) |
Ribbon user interface for Windows Explorer for file management | Alex Simons, building Windows 8 blog, August (link) |
Quick access to the contents of ISO files and VHD files | Rajeev Nagar, building Windows 8 blog, August (link) |
| Windows Media Center include | Steven Sinofsky, building Windows 8 blog, September (link) |
| Hyper-V for Windows 8 client | Matthew John, building Windows 8 blog, September |
About the Author
Kurt Mackie is online news editor, Enterprise Group, at 1105 Media Inc.