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 found anything official.
Thanks
Aug 16 2021 08:28 AM
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 found anything official.
Thanks
Aug 16 2021 08:41 AM - edited Aug 16 2021 08:42 AM
I'm running the Insider Preview version of Server 2022 in my lab on Hyper-V 2022 with Desktop Experience. But I expect that it will also work in the Core version. So I don't expect them to remove that in the final release.
Aug 16 2021 08:59 AM
Aug 17 2021 05:33 AM
I encourage you to check out Azure Stack HCI, it has a free trial offering:
Azure Stack HCI Registration | Microsoft Azure
Thanks!
Elden
Aug 17 2021 05:39 AM
Aug 19 2021 06:58 PM
I was just about to post similar question, now that full Server 2022 is GA.
Aug 21 2021 12:42 AM
Aug 22 2021 01:01 AM
Aug 24 2021 06:10 AM
Aug 24 2021 06:14 AM
Aug 24 2021 09:15 AM - edited Aug 24 2021 09:16 AM
Yes, there is a Windows Server 2022 Essentials edition. Some minor changes to pricing and channels, announcements coming very soon.
Our strategic direction for a hypervisor platform is with Azure Stack HCI, it is a purpose built solution hybrid infrastructure for running virtual machines. We recently extended the AzS HCI free trial period from 30 to 60 days, to provide a platform for test / eval.
Thanks!
Elden
Aug 24 2021 10:30 AM
So it that a no for Hyper-V Server 2022?
You're not actually clearly answering the question, are you aware of that?
Aug 24 2021 11:44 AM
Aug 24 2021 12:57 PM
Aug 24 2021 01:56 PM
Aug 24 2021 07:58 PM
Aug 25 2021 10:11 AM
We innovated sconfig, and it is true that it now has dependencies on PowerShell. The new sconfig is in AzS HCI, Windows Server 2022 core, and if we had shipped a Hyper-V Server 2022 it would have been in there as well. So it wouldn't have been a differentiator per se.
I'm curious why you want to remove PowerShell, as that obviously has some major management trade-off's?? I'm assuming your goal is more about .NET'less? Would love to better understand the scenario / goals. Are your feelings different about .NET Core with PowerShell7?
Can you elaborate on your footprint feedback? Disk drives for the boot device are plenty big these days... which value is important to you? We have lots of room to further optimize the composition of AzS HCI... but I want to understand what's most important to you.
One of our very intentional goals with AzS HCI was for it to be familiar and love current Hyper-V admin's. That's why it uses the same tools and management experience... such as PowerShell, Windows Admin Center, and all the existing MMC tools work as well (Failover Cluster Manager, Hyper-V Manager, etc...). For a customer that doesn't desire Azure, they can use AzS HCI as they are using Hyper-V today (in WS or Hyper-V Server). The only difference is that it's a subscription model. For those looking to augment on-prem with hybrid capabilities, we provide the Azure integration to enhance AzS HCI... and with a goal that it's just incremental on top of a Hyper-V admin's existing skillset. But it's your choice if you want hybrid capabilities or not.
The 60-day free trail with AzS HCI is a little different than an Evaluation with a perpetual license. Eval is a special product that is time-bombed and can only be used for a period of time before you must move to a licensed product. The free trial gives the first 60-days as free for all subscriptions, so that's a value you can take advantage of for production deployments as well. So some trade-off's. AzS HCI also charges based on core usage to scale down for SMB customers.
Hyper-V Server and Windows Server Datacenter are the licensing inverses of each other, where Hyper-V Server provided a free host OS and required the guest OS's be independently licensed. Where Datacenter is a purchased license and the guest OS's are free. With that said, I'm curious how you were licensing the guest OS's on Hyper-V Server? Windows Server Standard is also an option for SMB customers (with VM limits).
Thanks!
Elden
Aug 25 2021 02:16 PM
We innovated sconfig, and it is true that it now has dependencies on PowerShell. The new sconfig is in AzS HCI, Windows Server 2022 core, and if we had shipped a Hyper-V Server 2022 it would have been in there as well. So it wouldn't have been a differentiator per se.
Yeah, I understand that. The new sconfig certainly is better than the 2016 one. Even though I'd prefer it clickable (and winlogon too) since user32 is still present, even on the most stripped down installation. But I guess you don't want to close the door to bringing back something like Nano Server on bare metal ...which would be awesome IMHO.
I'm curious why you want to remove PowerShell, as that obviously has some major management trade-off's?? I'm assuming your goal is more about .NET'less? Would love to better understand the scenario / goals. Are your feelings different about .NET Core with PowerShell7?
Can you elaborate on your footprint feedback? Disk drives for the boot device are plenty big these days... which value is important to you? We have lots of room to further optimize the composition of AzS HCI... but I want to understand what's most important to you.
This is actually somewhat tangential to Hyper-V Server, but: A significant portion of our (as a company) projects are in telco domain. One of our largest partnership involved mixed proprietary communications routed and processed on a proprietary hardware. The specs of the hardware were well under the officially supported Windows Server minimum, e.g. 4 GB of disk space, so we properly stripped down the OS.
Something like Intel's DE3815TYKHE.
The small on-board storage allows one to deploy Hyper-V Server onto it, but freely swap the SATA disk with VMs to run. Not the actual scenario in this story though.
If you are asking why Server SKU and not IoT Enterprise LTSC, then basically the latter wouldn't fit, and the partner had procured Telco SKU licenses. We've even deployed some as the aforementioned Nano Server 2016, but that wasn't usually possible due to various driver incompatibilities, and even then we reverted most due to partner being uncertain if the licensing applied properly.
On several of the larger devices, used in backbone, we needed to isolate a problematic legacy voice software from our services, and for several reasons, we deployed them into different VMs, with Hyper-V Server 2016 as host. Now, yes, the licensing would allow us to use the 3rd instance to manage the VMs, but using stripped-down Hyper-V Server, we saved about 0.5 GBs of disk space. Insignificant amount in many scenarios, but this time it helped a lot.
Side note: Uninstalling WoW64 leaves behind about 300 MB of unused DLLs in SysWow64. I've reported it both here and on FeedbackHub, but probably it's not a priority. Just FYI.
I would not normally remove PowerShell nor .NET, if the space constrains allowed, because doing so often breaks Windows Update, but luckily these installations weren't updated (on isolated network), classic tools were enough to manage what I needed to, and the partner's administrators had their own ways.
And yes, PowerShell7 is great, especially since it's self-contaned. I can bring it on a flash drive, plug it onto any stripped down installations of mine, and it works. It even runs on the Nano Server (although I've so far tested it only in container, not in 2016 VM or bare-metal installation).
The last part of my footprint concerns is lab testing. When simulating higher amount of nodes, through swarm of local VMs, the used disk space quickly adds up. It's good being able to remove everything not needed and minimize the images. And this applies to Hyper-V Server too, since I've discovered the support for nested virtualization. I am using that SKU for some middle layer VMs. Now with AMD-V support I might be using it even more ...well in Server SKU if Hyper-V Server 2022 is not coming.
That's why it uses the same tools and management experience... such as PowerShell, Windows Admin Center, and all the existing MMC tools work as well (Failover Cluster Manager, Hyper-V Manager, etc...).
If some of the basic MMC tools, the GUI part, were available locally, I wouldn't be even mad. Not all things from ServerCoreAppCompatibility packs, just a couple of locally useful tools, e.g. diskmgmt.msc.
The 60-day free trail with AzS HCI is a little different than an Evaluation with a perpetual license. Eval is a special product that is time-bombed and can only be used for a period of time before you must move to a licensed product. The free trial gives the first 60-days as free for all subscriptions, so that's a value you can take advantage of for production deployments as well. So some trade-off's. AzS HCI also charges based on core usage to scale down for SMB customers.
So, do I read it right that we CAN continue to use Azure Stack HCI, after the 60-day free trial, the way we use Hyper-V Server now? Given we don't connect any Azure subscription and the guests are properly licensed?
Aug 26 2021 01:57 AM
@EldenChristensen wrote:With that said, I'm curious how you were licensing the guest OS's on Hyper-V Server?
I am using Hyper-V Server 2019 paired with Windows Server 2019 Standard licensed under SPLA which I host for my customers, plus a Linux VM for management and other tasks not suitable for Windows Server. It works great, I like the low memory footprint, ease of management (Windows Admin Center), and being able to move VMs between physical hosts easily if need be.
Under the licensing terms of SPLA (The SPUR) I am allowed to use the full Windows Server 2019 for the sole purpose of hosting the licensed server:
Standard edition permits use of one Running Instance of the server software in the Physical OSE on the Licensed Server (in addition to one Virtual OSE), if the Physical OSE is used solely to host and Manage the Virtual OSE.
- Running Instance means an Instance of software that is loaded into memory and for which one or more instructions have been executed. (Customer “Runs an Instance” of software by loading it into memory and executing one or more of its instructions.) Once running, an Instance is considered to be running (whether or not its instructions continue to execute) until it is removed from memory.
Instance means an image of software that is created by executing the software’s setup or install procedure or by duplicating an existing Instance.
- Physical OSE means an OSE that is configured to run directly on a physical hardware system. The operating system Instance used to run hardware virtualization software or to provide hardware virtualization services is considered part of the Physical OSE.
- Operating System Environment (OSE) means all or part of an operating system Instance, or all or part of a virtual (or otherwise emulated) operating system Instance which enables separate machine identity (primary computer name or similar unique identifier) or separate administrative rights, and instances of applications, if any, configured to run on the operating system Instance or parts identified above. A physical hardware system can have one Physical OSE and/or one or more Virtual OSE.
- Virtual OSE means an OSE that is configured to run on a virtual hardware system.
- Licensed Server means a single Server to which a License is assigned. For purposes of this definition, a hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate Server.
- Server means a physical hardware system capable of running server software.
- License means the right to download, install, access and use a Product.
- Manage OSE means to solicit or receive data about, configure, or give instructions to the hardware or software that is directly or indirectly associated with the OSE. It does not include discovering the presence of a device or OSE.
As you can see, the wording is very convoluted. And everyone knows that if you ask 5 different Microsoft Reps what the License means, you will get 5 different answers.
I interpret this to mean that the physical machine can run WS2019 in Hyper-V to run the licensed WS2019 in a VM, and no other VM. Even if that VM had it's own license as well or had a license belonging to another customer or was a Linux VM. It doesn't let me spin up a second Hyper-V host without extra licensing to act as a Hot Spare.
I rather remove the ambiguity of this and stick with Hyper-V 2019 to avoid licensing confusion and not have to worry about it, and having maximum flexibility in putting any VM onto the host that I need to.
I am not going to be buying Azure just to host a VM, thanks but no thanks, I will switch to free software before I would do that.
I am pleased that I can keep this going until 2029, which I appreciate, but we all know that Microsoft starts putting less effort into maintaining old products well before the official EOL. Plus we won't be getting WS2022 features such as being able to run the Hyper-V MMC snap-in locally, or AMD-V Nested Virtualisation.
If it was about some people using Windows Hyper-V as a Desktop OS, although I never heard of that, and it's against the license, you could have put in watermarks and the like to discourage such use.
Hopefully the licensing of WS2022 would be loosened up at some point to to be less restrictive in using it only as a Hyper-V host
Aug 26 2021 03:51 AM
The only difference is that it's a subscription model.
This is a pretty big difference, dont you think?
I run it at home because its free and highly compatible with my hardware. Now, with no 2022 version, I will have to switch to something else.
Mar 24 2022 06:06 PM
SolutionSince 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 Stack HCI, Windows Server, Windows Client, and Xbox among others.
With the release of Windows Server 2022, Hyper-V is included as an in-box role in Windows Server 2022 Datacenter, Standard, and Essentials editions just as it has with previous releases for well over a decade.
We continue to innovate on-premises virtualization with a new product released in December 2020 called Azure Stack HCI. Azure Stack HCI is a purpose-built virtualization host with deep hybrid integration. It takes the Hyper-V host you know and love today and combines it with the power of Azure. It takes those on their first steps in the journey to the cloud, empowers those who live in a hybrid world, yet is still familiar for those existing Hyper-V administrators in what you know and love. The same tools, processes, and skillset can manage an Azure Stack HCI solution.
Azure Stack HCI is Microsoft’s premier hypervisor offering for running virtual machines on-premises. We recommend that all customers using Hyper-V today evaluate Azure Stack HCI. We have an exciting roadmap of features and innovation coming!
With the arrival of Azure Stack HCI, one change is that the free ‘Microsoft Hyper-V Server’ SKU which is a hypervisor host available for download is being discontinued starting with the 2022 version. 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.
For customers looking to do test or evaluation, Azure Stack HCI includes a 60-day free trial and can be downloaded here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-stack/hci/hci-download/. Azure Stack HCI is billed through a subscription model which can be cancelled at any time.
Microsoft remains committed to meeting customers where they are and delivering innovation for on-premises virtualization and bringing unique capabilities like no other can combined with the power of Azure. We are announcing that there will be no Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2022 version of the free download, giving customers several years to evaluate, give feedback, and take their journey to Azure Stack HCI.
Thank you,
Elden Christensen
Principal PM Manager
Windows Server Development Team