Virtualization can be used for different purposes. For example, cloud computing and container technologies work with it. Fortunately, as a Windows user, you don't have to rely on external software. With Hyper-V, Windows has installed its own hypervisor. So what does this tool do?
What is Hyper-V?
In order to virtualize hardware, i.e. create a hardware environment without physical form, you need an intermediary between the physical computer and the virtual machine. This interface is called the hypervisor. A physical host system can be mapped to multiple virtual guest systems (child partitions) that share the host hardware (parent partition). Microsoft has created its own hypervisor, Hyper-V, which is included in the professional editions of Windows 10, 11 or Windows 8. This software is also installed on Windows Server.
Windows 11 Hyper-V virtualization platform
Hyper-V gives Windows users the ability to start their own virtual machines. In this virtual machine, the complete hardware infrastructure with memory, hard disk space, processor power and other components can be virtualized. A separate operating system runs on top of it, it doesn't have to be Windows. For example, it is very popular to run an open source Linux distribution in a virtual machine.
What do you need Hyper-V for?
Virtualization technology can be used in different situations for different needs. Hyper-V is often used in test environments. In this case, virtualization has two advantages:
-
Computer environments that would otherwise be inaccessible can be accessed. For example, rather than setting up your own computer with Linux, it's easier to display the Linux operating system in a virtual machine.
-
Virtual machines are self-contained. This means that if the software you run causes the system to crash, the physical device is not at risk. Only the virtual machine needs to be reset.
Private users can use Hyper-V, for example, if they want to use software that won't run under their current version of Windows -- either because the program requires an older version of the operating system, or because only Linux is supported.
Virtualization via Hyper-V is a great advantage especially for software developers. Any program they create can be tested under a wide range of software and hardware conditions. Furthermore, due to the self-contained nature of the virtual machine, there is no need to worry about problematic code causing damage to their own system.
Architecture of Microsoft Hyper-V
Hyper-V allows an x64 version of Windows to host one or more virtual machines containing a fully configured operating system. These "sub" systems are treated as partitions. This term is known from hard disk partitioning - Hyper-V virtualization works in a similar way. Each virtual machine is an isolated unit next to the "parent" partition (the actual operating system).
The individual partitions are coordinated by the hypervisor. Subordinate partitions can be created and managed through the interface (Hypercall API) of the parent system. However, isolation is always maintained. Subsystems are assigned virtual hardware resources, but never have access to the parent system's physical hardware.
To request hardware resources, child partitions use the VMBus. This is a channel that enables communication between partitions. Subsystems can request resources from the parent system, but in theory they can also communicate with each other.
Partitions run services that handle requests and responses over the VMBus. The host system runs a virtualization service provider (VSP), and the lower-level partition runs a virtualization service client (VSC).
Differences between Hyper-V and other virtualization technologies
Unlike any other virtualization technology, Hyper-V's strength lies in its integration with Windows. Anyone using a Microsoft PC or server operating system can benefit from this tight integration. Hyper-V is a Type 1 hypervisor, something that only a few other technologies offer. This means that Hyper-V is directly based on the system hardware. Type 2 hypervisors, on the other hand, must always provide resources through the parent operating system.
-
Advantage
For Windows users, a very obvious advantage is the tight connection with the operating system. It also means a more cost-effective solution, since Hyper-V usually comes free with Windows. In terms of features, Hyper-V can keep pace with the competition. Hyper-V users can expect high performance as long as they only use Windows as a guest system. Even beginners can benefit from Hyper-V's virtualization because of the relative ease of management.
-
shortcoming
Although Hyper-V works very well under Windows, the software reaches its limits under other operating systems. Hyper-V was not designed to run on other systems, and the possible client systems are very limited. Besides Windows, only a few selected Linux distributions can be run in a virtual machine. For example, if you want to use macOS as a guest system, you must use an additional product. Unfortunately, there is a high performance hit when you run multiple Linux systems simultaneously.
at last
If you only use Windows, Hyper-V is a great alternative to other virtualization solutions. Since the software is usually already installed on Windows, Hyper-V is also great for small projects. However, the software has its weaknesses when dealing with other operating systems. In this case, you need to use other software solutions such as VMware. Although Hyper-V has a wide range of features and good performance, it is ideal for small projects, but struggles in large projects.