Client Hyper-V* with Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT):
Client Hyper-V* virtualizes your Windows 8* installation. It allows you to add one or more child virtual machines, running other Operating Systems, as windows inside the Windows 8 desktop.
If you give Hyper-V* a try, you won’t have to worry about the effect of Hyper-V on your Intel vPro platform. Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) functionality is still available with Hyper-V* enabled.
- Hyper-V* can be enabled or disabled on vPro systems at any time.
- Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) can be enabled and provisioned with or without Hyper-V*.
Note: Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) provides the capability for IT departments to manage client systems even when the PCs are powered down.
The advantage of Hyper-V*
There have been significant barriers to implementing other Client Virtualization solutions including:
- Deployment:
Other virtualization solutions, utilizing a hypervisor, may require a new installation which deletes whatever is already on the hard drive. The existing OS and data are lost. With Windows 8 there is no need to replace the operating system.
Hyper-V is relatively easy to deploy. In the Windows 8 features list, simply turn Hyper-V on and reboot. Windows 8 is now virtualized, although you wouldn’t notice it unless you were told. It doesn’t appear any different than Windows 8 without Hyper-V enabled. All of the user settings remain as before.
- Platform Compatibility
Other virtualization solutions may have a difficult time keeping up with the HW devices and platform models that are available. The hypervisors used by other solutions may only install on a fraction of the systems supported by Windows 8*.
While not all windows 8* compatible systems will run Hyper-V*, there is a broader range of hardware that is compatible with Hyper-V* than some of the other client virtualization solutions. See the list of Hyper-V requirements below.
- VM management
The Hyper-V* manager provides the capability to easy manage VMs. VMs can be managed locally or on a Windows 2012* server. On the local system you can create snapshots of your VMs. For example, you can create a base install and create a new snapshot. Then add a service pack to that snapshot and create another snapshot. Next you could add applications and create yet another snapshot.
You can also create different branches from the various snapshots. Based on the example above you could create a new snapshot of the base install and add another set of applications without installing the service pack. Using the Hyper-V manager you can switch to any snapshot and make it active.
Hyper-V* Requirements:
- 64 bit PCs with Second Level Address Translation running 64 bit versions of Windows 8 pro or enterprise
- 4 G of Memory
- HW virtualization such as Intel’s VT-x technology
Resources:
- About Virtual Machines and Guest Operating Systems
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794868(v=ws.10).aspx
- Client Hyper-V
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh857623.aspx
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/7704.client-hyper-v-survival-guide.aspx
Hyper-V Enabling Process
Hyper-V* is enabled through Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off.
After Hyper-V is enabled a reboot is required. Once the system has rebooted, launch the Hyper-V Manager and select the system name in the left pane. Next, select new -> Virtual Machine under options in the right pane. The New Virtual Machine Wizard will launch.
New Virtual Machine Wizard
Skip the “Before You Begin” screen.
Specify Name and Location:
Assign Memory:
Configure Network: for the first VM the only choice will be “not connected”. The network will be added later.
Connect Virtual Hard Drive:
Installation Options:
Completing the New Virtual Machine Wizard:
Select Finish and follow the OS install instructions. The new Virtual Machine is now visible in the Hyper-V Manager. Select the VM and start it by selecting “connect”.
Once the OS is installed disconnect the ISO image from the CD/DVD drive. Click on settings of the VM and then select the DVD drive under the IDE Controller. Select “none” under media. Note: do not delete the CD/DVD drive.
Virtual Switch Manager
From the Hyper-V Manager select the Virtual Switch Manager. Create a new “External” virtual network switch for your wired LAN, and if needed create another for your wireless LAN.
Wired network settings:
Wireless network settings:
Running the VM
After launching the Virtual Machine you can see Windows 7 running in a separate window on the Windows 8 desktop.
Below you can see that Windows 7 and Windows 8 both have internet access.
VM Snapshots
Hyper-V provides the capability to take snapshots of your VM. You can create a snapshot of your base OS install and then use that to create separate snapshots that have different applications or configurations. You can instantly switch to any snapshot you want by selecting it and applying it to the VM. Snapshots can even be taken when the VM is running.