Forum Discussion
DavidYorkshire
Aug 16, 2021Steel Contributor
Hyper-V Server 2022
Anyone know whether there will be a Hyper-V Server 2022? i.e. the free version which is just for running VMs and has no GUI? I've seen mentions on forums that this SKU is being dropped, but not ...
- Mar 25, 2022
Free 'Microsoft Hyper-V Server' product update
Since its introduction over a decade ago in Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V technology has been, and continues to be, the foundation of Microsoft’s hypervisor platform. Hyper-V is a strategic technology for Microsoft. Microsoft continues to invest heavily in Hyper-V for a variety of scenarios such as virtualization, security, containers, gaming, and more. Hyper-V is used in Azure, Azure Local, Windows Server, Windows Client, and Xbox among others.
Starting with Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019, the free ‘Microsoft Hyper-V Server’ product has been deprecated and is the final version of that product. Hyper-V Server 2019 is a free product available for download from the Microsoft Evaluation Center: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-hyper-v-server-2019
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019 will continue to be supported under its lifecycle policy until January 2029, see this link for additional information: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/hyperv-server-2019.
While Microsoft has made a business decision to no longer offer the free 'Microsoft Hyper-V Server' product, this has no impact to the many other products which include the Hyper-V feature and capabilities. This change has no impact to any customers who use Windows Server or Azure Local.
For customers looking to do test or evaluation of the Hyper-V feature, Azure Local includes a 60-day free trial and can be downloaded here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-local/ . Windows Server offers a free 180-day evaluation which can be downloaded from the Evaluation Center here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter
Microsoft remains committed to meeting customers where they are and delivering innovation for on-premises virtualization and bringing unique hybrid capabilities like no other can combined with the power of Azure Arc. We are announcing that Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019 was the last version of the free download product and that customers begin transitioning to one of the several other products which include Hyper-V or consider Azure.
Thank you,
Elden Christensen
Principal Group PM Manager
Windows Server Development Team
Elden_Christensen
Microsoft
Aug 24, 2021Yes, as we've discussed that Azure Stack HCI is our strategic direction as our hypervisor platform (for HCI and beyond), and that we have extended the free trial to 60-days for test and eval purposes, and that we recommend using Azure Stack HCI. Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019 is that's products last version and will continue to be supported under its lifecycle policy until January 2029. This will give customers many years to plan and transition to Azure Stack HCI.
If Azure Stack HCI does not meet your needs, would love the feedback in how we can make it better.
Thanks!
Elden
If Azure Stack HCI does not meet your needs, would love the feedback in how we can make it better.
Thanks!
Elden
bmartindcs
Sep 01, 2021Iron Contributor
Elden_Christensen We're a MSP. I know many of my peers that also are MSP's are likely in the same boat as me here on this. Our clients are SMB and the vast majority are hybrid, using M365 BP sku's and at least one on-prem Windows Server (running as a guest on top of Hyper-V Server) due to variety of reasons. We have intentionally rebuilt their networks from whatever it was at onboarding into a platform where their physical server(s) (most are single hosts) are running Hyper-V Server and their original server OS is virtualized onto said host (even if they only have a single server os). We do this for portability between hardware during upgrades, for testing of software upgrade process on key LOB apps, and also for fast recovery of disasters; be it hardware or something awful like a crypto attack.
For our own practice as it relates to how we deploy client infrastructure, our entire internal stack (including scripting, backups and management capabilities) rely on Hyper-V server on each and every server we manage. NONE of these are candidates for Azure Stack HCI for the following reasons: Cost, and minimum hardware requirements (need multiple servers, etc). The pricing structure of adding $10/core/month is a huge price increase (from zero) for these SMB clients when this adds no value over what they can do with alternative offerings that are still free. The ability to just use Server OS with HV role installed is a non-starter as well, as that opens up a large attack surface that is not otherwise needed (something you should be mindful of) as well as potential performance penalties that it will also introduce.
Your decision on this has a pretty substantial impact on our long term plans as it relates to pushing the MS ecosystem. Our clients trust and buy/use whatever we advise them to (being their trusted technology advisors) and as a result we now have to evaluate what we do long term as this impacts our clients and also us (which by extension will impact them further). I can say right off the bat that killing Hyper-V Server will not force people into Stack HCI/Azure-itself. That is a miscalculation. We will move to VMWare or more likely to XCP-ng and by extension so will ALL of our customers over time. This also by osmosis causes us all to look at other competitors for things beyond just the Hypervisor too.
Small fish become big fish, and companies that will now have to use a competitor stack (vmware or otherwise) are not going to later move to MS as they grow; that's an incorrect assumption. I think this is something you guys perhaps did not think about. The Hyper-V Server platform is the entry into the entire infrastructure side of your ecosystem and has a low friction pathway to Azure as they grow. Taking that away ensures that future Azure business will not materialize since once on another platform you cannot easily change it.
I think the solution here is to have Azure Stack be free in some capacity; your goal is to get this out there and adopted right? That solves all problems I mentioned. One sku can do the basics like we did with HV Server, the other paid sku has all the bells and whistles of Azure Stack. This keeps people in the ecosystem with a no-resistance pathway to the full sku and/or Azure as they grow. Short of something like this, you're basically giving up your entire position in the infrastructure space for all SMB and also inviting competitors to encroach on unrelated services that spawn from this move... first we look at XCP-ng, and since that's open source and worked great perhaps we then look at alternatives to Azure AD or M365, etc etc etc.
Another intangible here that applies not only to the businesses out there, but also the future IT engineers just getting started, who may learn on something else now and likely not give MS a look (losing evangelists along the way by extension). Every green tech I have hired over the years were all exposed to and trained on Hyper-V systems. That will go away too as they learn on some other platform.
If there are discussions on pairing back this change, don't wait too long and please do not handicap it with less features than we can do now with HVS as it stands. Everyone else out there in the same position as we are will soon start the journey of moving platforms. It will take a long time for us and others to do out there, but once the glacier is moving it will be hard to reverse it.
I'd prefer to stay in the ecosystem and don't want to switch fwiw.
- Elden_ChristensenNov 27, 2024
Microsoft
Guest OS licenses depends on the edition you choose. If you have Standard, then it includes 2 guest OS licenses. If Datacenter, then it includes unlimited guest OS licenses.
So yes, you can install the Hyper-V role on your Windows Server. Then create a VM and install another instance of Windows Server in the VM. You can also run all the Linux VMs you want.
Thanks!
Elden - technoticNov 27, 2024Copper Contributor
ChrisAtMafElden_ChristensenI, too, am curious about this. I purchased Windows Server 2022 without SA or CALs because I am the sole user. I needed some integration that my Linux servers do not fully provide/support.
My understanding is that I cannot simply install the Hyper-V feature without GUI and use it as a type 1 hypervisor, like Hyper-V server, and run my Windows Server 2022 as a VM. I would need to purchase another Windows Server 2022 license to do this, correct? I will look into Azure Local. My biggest frustration is cloud dependency. My home is my office and my NOC, and the only fail over internet access I could get would be 5G/LTE. Switching to Spectrum Business would be the exact same SLA and equipment path to the backbone. I have my rack because I prefer on-prem with policy routing for split tunnel wire guard/OSPF site-to-site for some special needs.
So as to not derail the thread, is there a way to discuss more separately, either via thread or .... Teams? I've pulled away from MS server/azure since around earlier 2019 and I am curious what sort of integration with Azure hybrid might work for me. Utilizing my free tier Azure is fine, but one reason for on-prem is that azure/AWS/gcp/IBM/Oracle data buckets with hybrid failurover/HA compute machines would likely result in a net loss. I still need to look at HCI
Thanks for your dedication to this thread, even if none of us are happy with the elimination of Hyper-V server.
- Karl-WENov 20, 2024MVP
I am not sure if Linux as a base OS for the platform is released, is it? As of today it requires Azure Local PAYG for active cores per month or Windows Server Datacenter with SA (Enterprise Agreement only!) or CSP Subscription (MCA).
Azure Local and Azure Stack HCI is the same product but it adds more capabilities now and in the future and so the name didn't fit any longer.
More information on Azure Local
On the topic yes it uses Hyper-V as virtualization platform, just like Azure itself does - with exception of dedicated HW in Azure with VMware or Azure VMware solution offering.
- EelvleeNov 20, 2024Brass Contributor
I don’t think Azure Local and Azure Stack HCI are the same thing. Azure Stack HCI is an operating system, while Azure Local is a service that allows you to connect your local server and remotely access it through the Azure portal. With Azure Local, you also have the option to install Linux instead of Azure Stack HCI.
- DavidYorkshireNov 20, 2024Steel Contributor
I've not read the documentation in any detail, but isn't Azure Local just Azure Stack HCI with a new name? That was what I assumed from the news items.
- EelvleeNov 20, 2024Brass Contributor
Azure local is pretty awesome! $10/core is deal breaker 😟 my cpu is not even that good. Core doesnt mean anything my budget for microserver is $10 a month at most.
- bmartindcsNov 20, 2024Iron Contributor
Elden_ChristensenI just saw the Azure Local announcement video, and the Low Cost wording really had my attention.
I was so excited, thinking MS listened to all of us MSP's about how abandoning Hyper-V server left SMB in the lurch. Then I watched the video... it looked perfect, like an introduction/entry-level Stack HCL, with budget server gear. Only to flip over to the Product Page and discover this isn't any change or new SKU at all. The licensing is still the same $10/core. Who can afford to pay for Stack, but then uses cheap hardware? 🤔
Announcement: 'Good news - Stack now runs on budget hardware!' Translation: 'After buying Stack licenses, budget hardware is all you'll be able to afford!' 🙃 I kid I kid.Jokes aside, the reality is that price model absolutely does not work for SMB. There is no chance our clients in the SMB space will pay hundreds of dollars a month just for the OS platform - let alone the OS/CAL's too. I can see it being of value in a min-datacenter at a corp HQ, but not for SMB. We MSP's control our client's hardware/infra to a pretty significant level. We don't want to go back to bare metal with HV role. There are numerous advantages to having a thin hypervisor OS with all the servers being VM's. Your retreat from SMB and VMware jumping the shark has led to ancillary software vendors taking notice and embrace XCP-NG and Proxmox. Veeam is one example and now has full support. This pushes us in those directions - away from MS. We don't want to do this and I don't understand why MS wants us to.
Why not make it easy for SMB and maintain vendor-lock-in? A free "light tier" is warranted and solves everything. Make it limited to 3 hosts restricted at the Azure Tenant level or something. Doing this does not cannibalize any Stack sales in this scenario, as anyone interested in this would never have paid for Stack - they would use a different platform (which is our current plan for all clients). This gets everyone into the Stack/Azure ecosystem as well as achieve vendor-lock-in. As they grow they logically move right into "Full Stack" via Key change, and/or Azure itself. This also would solve all the home-lab folks wanting to learn/tinker and help us all eat our own dogfood doing so.
You don't need to abandon the SMB space, so please don't. I will give you exactly 3 goats for making this a reality. Can't resist that kind of logic, and carrot, right?
- Elden_ChristensenSep 06, 2024
Microsoft
Hey Zak, this is a really big long thread. For Imschmidt's sanity and the huge numbers of others who get email spam notifications about it, let's not hijack this thread to another topic. Please start a new thread, and I'm happy to talk about Windows Server UI strategy.
Thanks!
Elden - ZakGhaniSep 06, 2024Copper ContributorChrisAtMaf thanks for the speedy reply, I'll have a look but I think I may have looked some time ago and again it doesn't give me a very good preview of the console without killing a background connection to the vm
- ChrisAtMafSep 06, 2024Steel Contributor
ZakGhani I’m not from Microsoft, but have seen one report of a rule not to update any legacy MMCs in Windows Server and that jives with my experience.
However Windows Admin Center can manage Hyper-V and can be installed on Windows Server for free. It’s under active development so you could raise feedback about that if it doesn’t do what you want. Have you tried it?
- ZakGhaniSep 06, 2024Copper Contributor
Elden_Christensen or anyone else in MS for that matter.
Apologies for hijacking the thread/announcement, was just wondering if any love is to be given to Hyper-V manager for those of us that use it. Any chance we can have a much larger preview window of the VM within the summary windows in the default view. I'm struggling to see what's on the screen at any given time. If I connect to the console to get a better look, I kill the connection coming in from packer during the build stages.I'm currently sat here pondering if my machine is building or not but am reluctant to launch the console just in case it is building and I break it mid flight. I mean for context the Virtual Machines sub window and Checkpoints sub-Window directly Above the Summary window is 2-3 times larger yet all the information delivered there is either obtainable by other means within the app or not required for my needs, none of the sub-windows are resizable.
Would appreciate a change or feedback
regards
Zak
- imschmidtAug 30, 2024Brass Contributor
OMG,
Why is this conversation even still something that ding's in my email... Let's lay it out real quick (ok, turned out long) for people not caught up on the last 3+ years or so of conversation. (Yes I had issues with hardware vs software lifecycles I had to deal with... (in 2021!?); done... Years ago)..?
1) If you do not have a single Windows Server VM in your environment, Don't run Hyper-V. That's it... just don't do it? Why would you? Move along...best wishes?
2) If you have Windows VM's in your environment that are not S2022, run HV2019, done... You've already done the hard part and licensed the S2003-S2019 VM's 'Somehow'(right?)...
3) If you have S2022 VM's in your environment; run S2022 core w/HV role installed. DO NOT count this HV as a Server in your licensing for Windows Server VM's. The HV with no other roles installed Does Not count towards your S2022 workloads. It Doesn't Exist from a licensing perspective if it's Only a HV role is installed. (which is exactly the same as HV2008,HV2012, R2, HV2016, & HV2019) Nothing Has Changed.? (why are we still talking about this?!?!?)
4) License your Windows Server is based on the number of physical cores that can be assigned to Any VM on a HV (16c minimum). You get two VM's per Server Standard Lic. (don't count the HV server doing HV ONLY), by the time you cross ~7 vm's, you're better to go with Datacenter and get unlimited VM's on the physical box. (Clarity, a physical server with 16 or less physical cores, can run S2022 with nothing but the HV role, that serves no purpose than running up to two Windows Server 2022 VM's, with unlimited Linux VM's. All with a default Server Standard 2022 license for the physical box)
5) In any scenario beyond #1, where you do not have any single Windows Server VM above S2019, go ahead and run 39,6732 VM's of any other operating system (arbitrary number). You ONLY LICENSE YOUR WINDOWS VM's.
==========
If you are "Testing", "Lab", "Pre-production", "doing something anywhere that is not in production, making money, learning, or anything other than using Windows Server to run a functioning organization. Download and install an evaluation and run that... Bonus, every three year you are forced to learn about how to do a new migration to the next version of Windows Server Eval, which you need to practice anyways if you're an IT professional....
===========***You Do Not Pay for the physical box running your VM's. The Hypervisor role is, and Always Has Been "Included" (not free because you pay for the VM's). You pay for the Production VM's running workloads that your business (or client businesses) need.
This is not a "cash grab", this is not the end of the world, this is day to day changes in IT infrastructure. License your sh*t, NOTHING has actually changed if you're running Windows VM's in your environment beyond how you install the hypervisor.OMFG
F*k - bmartindcsAug 30, 2024Iron Contributor
JacobW1195 uhh that was a weird flex but ok.
- JacobW1195Aug 28, 2024Copper Contributor"It's the year of give us your money and shut up. Follow us like the sheep you are!"
Which is why I use Linux virtualization. It has the added benefit of supporting containers
(Freedom of speech is a protected right) - EelvleeFeb 01, 2023Brass ContributorOh I see haha I guess I am in the wrong discussion.
I was looking for the standalone solution... - DavidYorkshireFeb 01, 2023Steel Contributor
Azure Stack HCI is effectively a server core installation with Hyper-V installed. The point is that it has to be tied to an Azure tenant; it's not standalone like Hyper-V Server (or Windows Server).
- EelvleeFeb 01, 2023Brass ContributorPerhaps... I could just install Hyper-v feature in Azure Stack HCI.. and use it...
- EelvleeJan 31, 2023Brass ContributorAll I want is VMM for local use from Azure Stack HCI. At least I can install that windows-feature to use it!
- GlenBarney1Oct 12, 2022Brass Contributor
Elden_Christensen Speaking only for myself (but likely for many others) I just want to express appreciation to Microsoft for listening. Even if we all don't get what we want all the time, the very fact that you are here in this thread participating (and therefore MICROSOFT is here, participating) means a lot, and I for one am very grateful. So, THANK YOU!
Glen - Elden_ChristensenOct 12, 2022
Microsoft
Wonderful, I'm glad you saw this. First off, I just want to say thank you to everyone here for their feedback... as these announcements today are a testament to, we are listening and responding. Software Assurance customers can now take advantage of Azure Stack HCI at no additional cost. Nothing on those licensing channels for today, but we are always listening, discussing, and evolving. Thanks! - ChrisAtMafOct 12, 2022Steel Contributor
News from Ignite today:
New benefit for Software Assurance customers
Today we’re introducing a new Azure hybrid benefit for Windows Server customers.
We heard your feedback that you want to adopt Azure Stack HCI, but you’re already locked into a Software Assurance contract for Windows Server Datacenter. That’s why, effective today, Enterprise Agreement customers with Software Assurance can exchange their existing licensed cores of Windows Server Datacenter to get Azure Stack HCI at no additional cost. This includes the right to run unlimited Azure Kubernetes Service and unlimited Windows Server guest workloads on the Azure Stack HCI cluster! See the licensing terms for full details.
This new benefit dramatically reduces the cost of modernizing your Hyper-V environment to Azure Stack HCI.
Activate the benefit directly from the Azure Portal on your cluster’s Configuration page
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-stack-blog/what-s-new-for-azure-arc-and-azure-stack-hci-at-microsoft-ignite/ba-p/3650949Elden_Christensen This is good news, although note that this is for Enterprise Agreements. Are there any plans to extend this to other licensing models such as Open License and Open Value Subscription?
- Elden_ChristensenOct 11, 2022
Microsoft
Thank you for reporting the issue, we are aware and have a fix coming... it is currently slated to be released late this week.
Thank you!
Elden - LainRobertsonOct 11, 2022Silver Contributor
It's worth noting the following comment:
- Fixed Defender Platform update failure on Server Core 2019 SKUs
Taken from this month's update summary:
It's sufficiently vague that it may provide relief for Hyper-V Server 2019, which has the issue in my environment where "normal" Server Core does not.
Cheers,
Lain
- LainRobertsonOct 11, 2022Silver Contributor
Microsoft botched the March 2022 engine update and re-released it.
This coincides with the breaking of subsequent platform updates on Hyper-V Server 2019 - but not Server Core 2019, though the engine updates continue to be successfully applied. In effect, only one half of each monthly update is now working as intended.
The nett result is that while the engine has correctly remained up-to-date (current version as of August is 1.1.19600.3), the product version remains locked in time at version 4.18.2203.5.
Unless you're a sufficiently-sized client and can log a premier support case, there's nothing you can do about this. This kind of issue isn't going to be acknowledged here.
Cheers,
Lain
- SpenceFoxtrotOct 11, 2022Iron Contributor
Hello,
New strategic way for MS : Stop updates for HyperV Server before 2029 !Since 3 months or more, we all have the same update error about defender :
"1> Update for Microsoft Defender Antivirus antimalware platform - KB4052623 (Version 4.18.2207.7): Failed
Installation Result: Failed"
https://i.ibb.co/M28gNXG/2022-10-11-14h15-10.jpg
Maybe you have never paid attention, but just try to list update and try to install the KB4052623.
Tested it on fresh install continue to occur the pb.
The proof the pb is known since "a lot" (more than 3 months) :https://www.google.com/search?q=hyperv+defender+platform+fail+2207