Hyper V Questions

[Chiefcrowe]

hi,

I had a couple of questions about Hyper V -

I'm running the host pc with windows 2008 server R2 and this has to do with automatic updates. If the updates require a reboot, what happens to the Virtual Machine that is running on there? is it advisable to leave automatic updates turned on?

Also - what is the best way to back up hyper V virtual machines?

thanks!

 

[Nothinman]

It reboots? If the updates inside a VM require a reboot then you have to reboot it just like a normal server, there's nothing special about it. If an update requires a reboot of the host then you have to reboot all of the VMs or migrate them to another server before rebooting, if HyperV has that feature now.

This is one of the reasons I would go with ESX before Hyper-V.

 

[RebateMonger]

Unlike previous Microsoft virtualization software, Hyper-V can force its virtual machines to shut down before the Hyper-V server shuts down, and to restart them automatically when the Hyper-V server comes back up.

No, it is NOT considered good practice to enable automatic updates on the host Hyper-V server. Of course, few people turn on Auto Updates on servers anyway. Updates should be done manually on the Hyper-V host. One of the primary reasons for Hyper-V Server (the command-line version) is that it should need very few patches or reboots.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

thank you. i'll leave the auto updates off.

Also, do you know if the regular windows server backup is good enough to back up the VMs?

 

[Nothinman]

Also, do you know if the regular windows server backup is good enough to back up the VMs?

Again, it works as well as it does on a real server except that you might have issues pointing it to a tape drive.

We have client doing both snapshot backups of VMs and normal backups with Backup Exec in VMs, it all depends on what you need and what your budget it. Of course this is with ESX, I don't know the state of snapshots in Hyper-V.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Chiefcrowe
Also, do you know if the regular windows server backup is good enough to back up the VMs?

It depends. If your virtual machine doesn't have Integration Component support, then WSB will have to freeze the VM to back it up. Also, there were issues backing up Exchange Server in a VM. Supposedly that's fixed by now.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

how do i know if it has integration component support?

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Chiefcrowe
how do i know if it has integration component support?

That's the thing you install in each VM to make the mouse cursor automatically move from the VM without hitting hotkeys. It's generally installed using a virtual CD that's contained in Server 2008.

If you look at the "Settings" page for your VM in the Hyper-V Manager, you'll find an area that lists services that are installed, including VSS support for backups.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: Chiefcrowe
hi,

I had a couple of questions about Hyper V -

I'm running the host pc with windows 2008 server R2 and this has to do with automatic updates. If the updates require a reboot, what happens to the Virtual Machine that is running on there? is it advisable to leave automatic updates turned on?

The machine Saves State or shuts down depending on what you have configured. When the host comes back up, the machines are restored.

Also - what is the best way to back up hyper V virtual machines?

Most Windows backup software includes an Agent option for Hyper-V hosts. Backing up within the VM is the same as with a physical box.

Personally, I have a script that saves the VM state, exports it to a backup server, then restores the VM.