Dell for Microsoft Hyper-V Owner's Manual

Microsoft® Hyper-V™ Server 2008 for

Dell™ PowerEdge™ Systems

Networking Solutions Guide

www.dell.com | support.dell.com

Notes and Cautions

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of

your computer.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if

instructions are not followed.

____________________

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2008–2009 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc.
is strictly forbidden.

Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL
Broadcom is a trademark of Broadcom Corporation and/or its aff iliates in the United States and certain
other countries; Intel and ProSET are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other
countries; Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, MS-DOS, and Hyper-V are either trademarks or
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming
the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and
trade names other than its own.

April 2009 Rev. A01

logo, and PowerEdge are trademarks of Dell Inc.;

Contents

1Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Additional Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2 The Virtual Network Architecture

for Hyper-V Server 2008

Virtual Network Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Virtual Switches

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3 Supported Hardware and

Software Settings for the
Network Adapter

Supported Physical Network Adapter Settings . . . . . 13

Stateless Offload (LSO and CSO)

VLAN Tagging

Supported Physical Network Adapter Settings

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

. . . . . . . . . . 14

. . . . . 14

Contents 3

4 Determining a Virtual Network

Implementation

Private Virtual Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Advantages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Internal Virtual Network

Advantages

External Virtual Network

Disadvantages

Dedicated Virtual Network

Advantages

Disadvantages

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

5 Configuring the Virtual Network . . . . . . 23

Hardware Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Recommendations

Software Setup

Before You Begin

Initial Setup

Private Virtual Network

Internal Virtual Network

Configuring the Virtual Network

Configuring the Network

External Virtual Network

Dedicated Virtual Network

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4 Contents

Setting Up the VM and Configuring the
Guest Operating System.

Setting up the VM Network Environment

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

. . . . . 39

Setting Up the Network Driver for
the Guest Operating System

. . . . . . . . . . . . 40

A Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Best Practices for Administering
Network Adapter Drivers

Installing Network Adapter Drivers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

. . . . . . . . 41

Reinstalling or Upgrading
Network Adapter Drivers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

B Appendix B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Index

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Contents 5

6 Contents

Overview

The introduction of Microsoft® Hyper-V® Server 2008 has changed the way
a virtual machine (VM) interacts with the host operating system and network
resources. Unlike other Microsoft virtualization software like Virtual Server
and Virtual PC, the virtualization technology of Hyper-V is integrated into the
Microsoft Windows Server
better performance and increases integration of the virtualization layer
(hypervisor) with other Microsoft Windows

This document details the four available networking configurations for
running Hyper-V on Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems. It also discusses the
advantages and disadvantages of each networking configuration with an
emphasis on typical Dell system configurations.

This document assumes that you have a basic understanding of Hyper-V.

Additional Documentation

The documents listed below are available from the Dell Support website
at support.dell.com.

NOTE: To gain a preliminary understanding of Hyper-V solutions on Dell hardware,

it is recommended that you read the Dell Solutions Overview Guide for Microsoft

available, from the Dell Support website at

Hyper-V

reading this document

• Dell Storage Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

• Dell High Availability Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

®

2008 x64 operating system. This facilitates

®

components.

support.dell.com

.

, prior to

Overview 7

8 Overview

The Virtual Network Architecture for Hyper-V Server 2008

In Microsoft® Hyper-V® Server 2008, the parent partition manages
the I/O devices instead of the hypervisor.

To provide virtual machines (VMs) with access to the I/O devices, Hyper-V
supports a high-speed interconnect called the VMBus. Virtual devices for
each VM, such as network and storage adapters, communicate with the
parent partition through the VMBus.

The parent partition receives requests through the virtual service providers
(VSPs) and directs them to the underlying physical devices through
its I/O stack. This model requires device drivers for the physical devices to
be installed in the parent partition.

NOTE: Device-specific drivers and utilities created for Microsoft Windows

®

2008 x64 operating system do not require any change when Hyper-V

Server
is enabled.

NOTE: It is recommended that you download the latest Dell-certified drivers

available for your system and install them in the parent partition. Using the latest
drivers ensures that both the parent partition and the VMs are able to utilize the
underlying physical devices. Download the latest device drivers from the Dell
Support website at support.dell.com.

Virtual Network Architecture for Hyper-V 9

Figure 2-1 illustrates the Hyper-V architecture.

Figure 2-1. Hyper-V Architecture

Guest operating systems require specialized drivers (VSCs) provided by
Microsoft to access the VMBus. The drivers are specific to the type of device
that is presented to the guest operating system through the VM
configuration. They are installed as a part of the Integration Services available
for the Hyper-V supported guest operating systems.

NOTE: All architecture-related information provided in this document assumes that

the guest operating system has Integration Services installed.

10 Virtual Network Architecture for Hyper-V

Virtual Network Adapters

VMs can be presented with two types of virtual network adapters:
Legacy (or emulated) and Synthetic.

•

Legacy devices

Although this process provides networking services to a VM, it requires
additional host processing resources.

•

Synthetic devices

as network devices, but only pass bundles of data along the VMBus to
other networking resources. This process does not require software
emulation, and therefore offers higher networking performance for VMs.
It also lowers host system overhead.

emulate a physical network adapter in software.

are comparable to proxy devices that present themselves

Virtual Switches

A virtual switch forms the heart of connectivity in a Hyper-V virtual network.
The virtual switch functions like a physical network switch by connecting
physical and virtual network adapters. Like a physical network switch,
a virtual switch has internal and external switch ports (network ports).
The configuration of these ports is based on the type of virtual
network created.

The following sections introduce virtual network types, discuss how they
differ, and provide best practices for implementing each switch.

Virtual Network Architecture for Hyper-V 11

12 Virtual Network Architecture for Hyper-V

Supported Hardware and Software Settings for the Network Adapter

NOTE: It is recommended to use the latest network adapter drivers for your

Dell™ PowerEdge™ system running Microsoft
downloaded from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

NOTE: Dell does not support drivers obtained from third-party vendors.

These applications can be used to configure physical network adapters that are
not connected to the virtual networks.

Hyper-V supports all network adapters recommended for Dell systems
running the Microsoft

®

Windows Server® 2008 x64 operating system.

®

Hyper-V® Server 2008

Supported Physical Network Adapter Settings

Guest operating systems are able to utilize physical devices present in a
system, including some of the advanced features of these devices.

NOTE: When you configure physical network adapters for virtual networking in the

Hyper-V environment, some functionality of the physical network adapters may not
be accessible to the virtual networks.

Generally, physical network adapter features can be grouped into two
categories: stateless and stateful.

• Stateless — Only stateless features may be leveraged for virtual networks.
These features include Large Send Offload (LSO), Checksum Offload
(CSO), and VLAN tagging (IEEE 802.1Q).

NOTE: Hyper-V does not support LSO and CSO in an IPv6 network.

• Stateful — Stateful off-load features such as Broadcom® TCP offload
engine (TOE) and Intel
leveraged by the Hyper-V virtual network. These features are not leveraged
even if they are enabled on the physical adapter that is connected to the
virtual network. However, network adapters connected exclusively to the
parent partition network adapter may still access all physical network
adapter features including TOE and I/OAT, as supported by the system
and network adapters.

®

I/O Acceleration Technology (I/OAT) are not

Supported Hardware and Software Settings 13

Stateless Offload (LSO and CSO)

The adapters provide the LSO and CSO capabilities if both the network
adapters and drivers support them. If the network adapters or the drivers do
not support these features, then these capabilities are still available, but
performed by the operating system. It is recommended to use adapters with
LSO and CSO capabilities as some overhead is incurred when the operating
system provides these capabilities.

NOTE: The latest Dell-supported network adapters offer LSO and CSO hardware

offload support. Hyper-V does not support CSO and LSO in an IPv6 network. In an
IPv6 network, a team that supports CSO and/or LSO, and is bound to a Hyper-V
virtual network, reports CSO and LSO as an offload capability in Broadcom
Advanced Control Suite (BACS), even when CSO and LSO do not work. This is a
limitation of Hyper-V.

VLAN Tagging

VLAN tagging (IEEE 802.1Q) of Hyper-V is supported. It allows both parent
partition and VMs to logically separate their network connections. VMs may
have more than one virtual adapter, and each virtual adapter may belong to
any VLAN.

Supported Physical Network Adapter Settings

Table 3-1 summarizes the physical network adapter features supported by
Hyper-V when connected to a virtual network.

NOTE: Network adapters not connected to virtual networks may be used for

advanced features offered by third-party software from Intel and Broadcom.
However, you must not use this software to manage or configure physical
network adapters connected to virtual networks.

14 Supported Hardware and Software Settings

Table 3-1. Physical NIC Support Features Matrix for Hyper-V Virtual

Networks

Stateless Features (Supported) Stateful Features (Not Supported)

LSO 802.1p (QoS)

CSO Receive-Side Scaling (RSS)

VLAN Tagging (within Hyper-V) Flow Control

Teaming with one primary and
one standby adapter

NOTE: For configuring NIC team and VLAN, the minimum supported driver version

for the Broadcom NIC is 12.6 and for Intel NIC is 11.0. It is recommended that you
download the latest drivers from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

NOTE: Hyper-V cannot manage tagging when using a teaming software. Instead,

the teaming software can be used for VLAN tagging.

Jumbo Frames

Wake-On-LAN

TOE

VLAN Tagging (within third-party
software)

Network MAC Address

Supported Hardware and Software Settings 15

16 Supported Hardware and Software Settings

Determining a Virtual Network Implementation

As mentioned in earlier sections, the virtual switch, or vSwitch, forms the
core of all the Microsoft

NOTE: The virtual switch never appears as an entity or icon in the

Microsoft
Network Connection window. It is a logical representation.

Four virtual network options are available in Hyper-V. Each of these options
offer different advantages and disadvantages, and some are only appropriate
for special cases. The virtual network options are:

• Private virtual network

• Internal virtual network

• External virtual network

• Dedicated virtual network

®

Windows Server® 2008 parent partitions, including the

NOTE: The dedicated virtual network implementation allows virtual machine

(VM) traffic to be dedicated to a specific physical network port instead of
being shared between VMs and the parent partition. The dedicated virtual
network is the preferred implementation for most deployments of Hyper-V.

®

Hyper-V® Server 2008 virtual networks.

Private Virtual Network

In Hyper-V, you can use the private virtual network to allow network
communications between VMs on a host. Private virtual network is the first of
the three virtual switch configuration modes that you can configure from the
Hyper-V GUI.

When you select and configure the private virtual network:

• A virtual switch is created and made available for VMs. See the
in Figure 4-1.

vSwitch #1

Virtual Network Implementation 17

Advantages

•The p

Figure 4-1 shows the logical representation of the private network
configuration. It additionally shows VMs connected to the virtual switch.

Figure 4-1. Private Virtual Network Diagram

rivate virtual network offers

partition and the external network.

NOTE: The private virtual network is not recommended for environments utilizing

Failover Clustering because the private network is localized to each host.

complete isolation from the parent

Internal Virtual Network

In Hyper-V, you can use the internal virtual network to allow network
communication between VMs on a host, and also between VMs and the
parent partition.

When you select and configure the internal virtual network:

1

A virtual switch is created and made available for the VMs. See the

vSwitch #1

2

A new virtual network adapter is created and connected to
the parent partition.

18 Virtual Network Implementation

in Figure 4-2.

Advantages

• The internal virtual network enables isolation of VMs from the
external network.

NOTE: The internal virtual network is not recommended for environments

utilizing failover clustering because the internal network is localized to each host.

Figure 4-2 shows the logical representation of the internal virtual network
configuration. It additionally shows two VMs and the parent partition
connected to the virtual switch.

Figure 4-2. Internal Virtual Network Diagram

External Virtual Network

In Hyper-V, you can use the external virtual network to allow network
communication between VMs, the parent partition, and the external
network.

When you select and configure the external virtual network:

1

A virtual switch is created and connected to the VMs. See the
in Figure 4-3.

2

A new virtual network adapter is created and connected to the
parent partition.

Virtual Network Implementation 19

vSwitch #1

3

The parent partition virtual network adapter is connected to the
virtual switch.

4

The virtual switch is connected to the physical network adapter that
you enabled for external network access.

Disadvantages

• The second adapter in the parent partition can cause host connectivity
issues. These issues include multiple DNS entries, delayed or incomplete
NetBIOS resolution, and routing confusion.

• The multiple parent partition network adapter causes delayed NetBIOS
resolution or incomplete network browsing. Multiple browsing lists are
associated with each network adapter.

Figure 4-3 shows the logical representation of the external virtual network
configuration. This diagram shows two VMs, the parent partition, and one
physical network adapter connected to the virtual switch.

Figure 4-3. External Virtual Network Diagram

20 Virtual Network Implementation

Dedicated Virtual Network

The dedicated virtual network is a modified form of the external virtual
network offered by Hyper-V. This virtual network allows VMs to communicate
with other VMs on the same system and to VMs on other systems. The VMs
can also access the external network.The VMs have access to the parent
partition through the external network if the parent partition virtual network
adapter is connected to the virtual switch.

NOTE: The VMs on a dedicated virtual network do NOT have direct access to the

parent partition as with the external virtual network configuration. Removing this
direct path eliminates many of the drawbacks of the external virtual network.

Unlike the other three virtual network types, you cannot directly configure
the dedicated virtual networks with the Hyper-V Virtual Network Manager.
You can create the dedicated virtual network by first creating an external
virtual network and then modifying the virtual network adapter that you
added to the parent partition.

Advantages

• The physical network adapter is dedicated for VM traffic, so there is no
sharing with the parent partition

Disadvantages

• The disabled network adapter appears in the
window of the parent partition. You must not modify the network adapter
settings or enable the network adapter.

Network Connections

NOTE: The Microsoft® Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) can be used

to implement a dedicated virtual network without causing an additional virtual
network adapter to appear in the parent partition. For more information, see the
Hyper-V WMI programming reference listed in "Appendix B" on page 43.

Figure 4-4 shows the logical representation of the dedicated virtual network
configuration. It shows two VMs, the parent partition, and one physical
network adapter connected to the virtual switch.

Virtual Network Implementation 21

Figure 4-4. Dedicated Virtual Network Diagram

22 Virtual Network Implementation

Configuring the Virtual Network

This section offers guidance with the hardware and software setup, and
best practice recommendations for configuring virtual machines (VMs).
The information presented here builds on the virtual network types and usage
models discussed in previous sections.

Hardware Setup

This section helps in determining how many network adapters are required to
support various implementations of the Microsoft
operating system. Table 5-1 to Table 5-4 discuss two key Hyper-V
implementation features: iSCSI support and Failover Clustering support.
To use the tables, determine the combination of these features you need in
your Hyper-V implementation.

The assumptions used in the Hyper V configurations are:

• The system has a minimum of two built-in network adapters (LOMs).

NOTE: Some systems have four built-in adapters.

• Systems are dedicated to hosting VMs. These systems have no other
Microsoft

These recommendations are based on the following best practices.
Other combinations may be possible, but are not recommended:

• All iSCSI implementations use two connections to reduce single points of
failure. Additionally, iSCSI connections do not share physical network
adapters with adapters used for other types of connections like parent
partition network, VM network(s), etc.

• If you use an external virtual network, the parent partition does not share
a physical network adapter with an adapter connected to a virtual switch.

®

Windows Server® 2008 roles installed.

®

Hyper-V® Server 2008

Configuring the Virtual Network 23

• One network adapter is dedicated for parent partition management
including remote desktop access and name resolution (DNS/NetBIOS).
This adapter is used for

public

network access in the failover clustering

configuration.

• Failover cluster configurations use separate network adapters for cluster
public and private traffic.

NOTE: The cluster public adapter may be shared with the parent partition

management network adapter.

Table 5-1 to Table 5-4 offer minimum port allocations required for various
iSCSI and failover clustering configurations, and one configuration for
implementing additional VM networks. It is recommended to use additional
VM networks when the number of VMs increase.

Table 5-1. Port Layout Without iSCSI or Failover Clustering

Parent Partition/Cluster
Public Network Adapter

2 Ports (minimum) Port 1 Port 2

3 Ports (as needed) Port 1 Ports 2 and 3

Table 5-2. Port Layout Without iSCSI and With Failover Clustering

Parent
Partition/Cluster
Public Network
Adapter

3 Ports (minimum) Port 1 Port 2 Port 3

4 Ports (as needed) Port 1 Ports 2 and 3 Port 4

Table 5-3. Port Layout With iSCSI and Without Failover Clustering

Parent
Partition/Cluster
Public Network
Adapter

4 Ports (minimum) Port 1 Port 2 Ports 3 & 4

5 Ports (as needed) Port 1 Ports 2 & 3 Ports 4 & 5

Virtual Network
Adapter

Virtual Network
Adapter

Virtual Network Adapter

Cluster Private
Network Adapter

iSCSI Network
Adapter

24 Configuring the Virtual Network

Table 5-4. Port Layout with iSCSI and Failover Clustering

5 Ports
(minimum)

6 Ports
(as needed)

Parent Partition/
Cluster Public
Network
Adapter

Port 1 Port 2 Ports 3 & 4 Port 5

Port 1 Ports 2 & 3 Ports 4 & 5 Port 6

Virtual Network
Adapter

iSCSI Network
Adapter

Cluster Private
Network
Adapter

Recommendations

• Functional areas with more than one connection must be spread across
adapters to help maintain redundant connectivity in the event of a device
or port failure.
For example, for iSCSI implementations, dual paths to iSCSI targets allow
for the loss of one network port or an adapter if the connections are spread
across different adapters. This distributed iSCSI connection layout,
when used in conjunction with a proper iSCSI initiator and a multi-path
driver configuration, allows the parent partition and VMs to maintain
access to storage resources in the event of a connectivity topology change.

• Proper configuration is required to maintain connectivity in the event of a
limited hardware failure.
To ensure proper iSCSI configuration, see the

Hyper-V

support.dell.com

guide available from the Dell Support website at

. The document discusses the proper installation of all
storage-specific drivers (such as the multipath I/O drivers) and support
software. This document also contains information to ensure the correct
external network switch configuration.

• Proper planning is required for the failover clustering environment.
To ensure proper configuration, and for more information on high
availability options available on Hyper-V, see the

Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

website at s

upport.dell.com

.

available from the Dell Support

Dell Storage Solutions for

Dell High Availability

Configuring the Virtual Network 25

Software Setup

These configuration steps assume the following:

• A fresh installation of Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 (with Hyper-V).

• You have applied the latest updates, including the Hyper-V RTM update,
to the operating system.

For instructions to download the RTM Hyper-V update, see "Appendix B" on
page 43.

Before You Begin

• Due to the number of network connections involved with Hyper-V
deployments, you must clearly label all network connections in the
Windows Server 2008
to label connections in the beginning rather than doing it during a
Hyper-V rollout.

• Ensure that you are running the latest Dell-qualified network drivers for
your system and network hardware. Prior to enabling the Hyper-V role,
you must apply the updates that are available on the Dell Support website
at

support.dell.com

• The internal and external virtual network configurations place a virtual
adapter in the parent partition. In these configurations, the virtual adapter
is a second network adapter for the parent partition. Presenting two
networks to Windows Server 2008 can cause name resolution issues,
and slow or incomplete network browsing.
The best practices presented in the "Internal Virtual Network" on page 28
and "External Virtual Network" on page 31 help mitigate these issues.

Network Connections Manager

.

. It is often easier

26 Configuring the Virtual Network

Initial Setup

1

In the

Network Connections

installation, label each LAN on Motherboard (LOM) port for your system.
It is recommended to use
LOM

PP Mgmt #1

NOTE: The enumeration of these ports may NOT be correctly shown in the

Windows Server 2008 Network Connections window. Verify correct mappings
between the LOM numbering displayed on the back of the system and the
name assigned in the Windows GUI. You may be required to plug an active
network cable into the ports, one at a time, to map the physical ports to the
Windows network adapters.

2

Label each port for each add-in network adapter in your system. It is

for P

recommended to use a format similar to:

<Vendor>-<PCIe slot #>-<Port n>

For exa mpl e,

NOTE: The slot numbers can be found on the back of the system chassis.

3

Verify that the system is using the latest qualified network adapter drivers

Broadcom-PCIe Slot 4-Port 2

as listed on the Dell Support website at

4

Assign static IP addresses to each network adapter during configuration.
Although it is possible to use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) addressing, it is recommended to use static addresses for all
system connections.

It is recommended to assign static addresses by function from different
subnets to all system connections. These include:

• Parent partition management including Failover Clustering public address

• Failover Clustering private address

• iSCSI connections
For specific requirements that may vary by storage solution, see the

Storage Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

Support website at

support.dell.com

window of the Windows Server 2008

LOM Port #1

for these LOMs. Label the first

arent Partition Management #1

.

.

support.dell.com

available on the Dell

.

.

Dell

Configuring the Virtual Network 27

• VM networks (as needed)

• VLANs or separate network fabrics must be used to segregate network
traffic

NOTE: Unlike other Windows Server 2008 clustered applications, clustered VMs do

not utilize the public IP address; instead, they maintain their own addresses for
each virtual network adapter in each guest operating system. The public address is
used to manage the cluster.

NOTE: VLAN tagging is available on a per-VM connection basis that is configured

on each network adapter of each VM, and for the parent partition that is configured
in the Virtual Network Manager for each virtual network. Third-party software may
be used to tag all other traffic presented exclusively to the parent partition.
Switch-based tagging may also be used to tag traffic from all physical
network adapters.

For special iSCSI network configuration best practices, see the Dell Storage
Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

support.dell.com

.

available on the Dell Support website at

The following sections provide Dell-specific configuration information for
each of the four virtual network configurations.

NOTE: These steps are not intended to be used serially, but rather they must be

used as needed to implement each of the different virtual network types.

Private Virtual Network

Private virtual networks are completely isolated from the parent partition and
the external network. No changes are made to either environment once you
complete the general installation and naming steps mentioned in the
previous sections.

Internal Virtual Network

The following steps are the best practice recommendations for configuring
the internal virtual network configurations within Hyper-V. These steps
assume that you have already performed the general installation and naming
steps mentioned in the previous sections.

28 Configuring the Virtual Network

The following steps modify the default configuration of the Windows Server
2008 parent partition network settings. You need to perform these steps
because an additional virtual network adapter is added to the parent partition
when the internal virtual network is implemented. These changes include:

• Modifying the adapter binding order so that the dedicated parent partition
physical network adapter is preferred.

• Modifying the adapter metric values to ensure that the dedicated physical
network adapter is the preferred route.

• Modifying the DNS resolution and the NetBIOS settings to ensure proper
name registration.

• Disabling any unused network adapters.

Figure 5-1. Implementation of the Internal Network (Two Adapter System)

Configuring the Virtual Network 29

Configuring the Virtual Network

1

On the

Create Virtual Networks

prompted, but do not select any network adapters.
Continue with the installation, rebooting as required. You require multiple
reboots. The installation continues when you login.

2

Launch the

Administrative Tools→ Hyper-V Manager

3

Under

Name

Example,

4

Ensure that

5

Click OK to finalize the virtual network configuration.

6

Close the
A virtual switch named

Hyper-V Manager

Actions

field, enter a name for the virtual switch.

on the right pane, select

vSwitch #1 (Internal)

Internal

Hyper-V Manager

is selected. Click

vSwitch #1 (Internal)

Configuring the Network

1

Open

Network Connections

NOTE: The Device Name field now shows vSwitch #1 (Internal), indicating

that the new parent partition network adapter is connected to a virtual switch.
The status field may show Unidentified network to indicate a domain name
was not located on this network. Once a domain controller is added to this
virtual switch, the status field changes.

2

Re-name the new parent partition virtual network adapter to

NIC #1

3

Go to
adapter binding order to ensure that
in the

.

Network Connections→ Advanced→ Advanced Settings.

Connections

window.

screen, enable the Hyper-V role when

by navigating to

, and select your system.

Virtual Network Manager

Add

.

window.

is created.

.

PP Mgmt NIC #1

is listed at the top

Hyper-V PP

. In the

Modify the

NOTE: The network adapter labeled Hyper-V PP NIC #1 must appear second.

30 Configuring the Virtual Network

4

Go to

Network Connection→ Hyper-V PP NIC #1 properties→ IP v4
properties
Hyper-V PP NIC #1 to 9999

This setting ensures that the parent partition traffic does not prefer the
new Hyper-V virtual network adapter to the dedicated physical parent
network adapter. A value of
highest user-assignable link cost.

5

In the
adapter, select the

in DNS

This prevents the system from registering the connection in DNS. Only
the
prevent this network adapter from handling any traffic besides virtual
machine traffic.

6

Click the

Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP

7

Disable any unused network adapters.

→

IP settings→ Advanced→ IP Settings.

Advanced TCP/IP

.

PP Mgmt NIC #1 NIC

WINS

tab in the

dialog box for the

DNS

tab, unselect

Set the metric for

.

9999

assigns the virtual network adapter the

Hyper-V PP NIC #1

Register this connection's addresses

is allowed to register in DNS to further

Advanced TCP/IP Settings

, and unselect

Enable LMHOSTS lookup

window. Select

network

External Virtual Network

The following steps are best practice recommendations for configuring the
external virtual network configurations within Hyper-V. These steps assume
you have already performed the general installation and naming steps
mentioned in the previous sections.

The following steps modify the default configuration of the Windows Server
2008 parent partition network settings. These steps are needed due to the
additional virtual network adapter added to the parent partition when the
external virtual network is implemented. These changes include:

• Renaming a parent partition virtual network adapter.

• Disabling network adapter power management.

• Modifying the adapter binding order so that the dedicated parent partition
physical network adapter is preferred.

.

Configuring the Virtual Network 31

• Modifying the adapter metric values to ensure that the dedicated physical
network adapter is the preferred route.

• Disabling auto-negotiate, and setting port duplex and speed.

• Modifying DNS resolution and the NetBIOS setting to ensure proper
name registration.

• Creating a static DNS entry for secondary network adapter of parent
partition (optional).

• Disabling any unused network adapters.

Figure 5-2. Implementation of External Network (Two Adapter System)

32 Configuring the Virtual Network

Configuring the External Virtual Network

Any settings assigned to the physical network adapter prior to the virtual
switch creation are transferred to the new virtual network adapter.
Additionally, the physical network adapter is exclusively bound to the
Microsoft Virtual Network Switch Protocol after the virtual switch creation.
All other bindings are removed.

1

On the

Create Virtual Networks

screen, enable the Hyper-V role when
prompted, but do not select any network adapters.
Continue with the installation, rebooting as required. You require multiple
reboots. Installation continues when you login.

2

Launch the

Administrative Tools→ Hyper-V Manager

3

Under

Hyper-V Manager

Actions

on the right, select

by navigating to

, and select your server.

Virtual Network Manager

. In the

Name

field, enter a name for the virtual switch.
For example:

4

Ensure

vSwitch #1 (External

External

is selected, and click

)

Add

. Select the physical network
adapter or LOM to be connected to the virtual switch.
For this example, the second LOM is selected and modified as needed
based on the available hardware.

NOTE: While configuring the new virtual network, you may configure a parent

partition VLAN. Setting this parameter only affects the parent partition
connection. Virtual machines can be configured to other VLANs or no VLANs
as needed without affecting parent partition traffic. Verify that the network is
configured to accept VLAN-tagged traffic prior to setting a VLAN ID.

5

Click OK to finalize the virtual network configuration.

6

Close the

vSwitch #1 External

Hyper-V Manager

window. At this point, a virtual switch named

has been created.

Configuring the Virtual Network 33

Configuring the Network

1

Open

Network Connections

NOTE: The LOM selected in the Virtual Network Manager has changed to an

Enabled status. This indicates that the network adapter is now connected to a

virtual switch,
Name field. Also notice that a new network adapter has been added to the
parent partition to replace the network adapter now connected to the virtual
switch.

2

Re-name the new parent partition virtual network adapter to

PP NIC #1

3

Make the following changes to the physical network adapter providing

vSwitch #1 (External) as shown in the Device

.

.

Hyper-V

external connectivity to the virtual switch LOM #2:

– Re-name the network adapter to:

vSwitch #1 to External Network Connection

– Disable power management for this network adapter by navigating to

Network Adapter Properties→Configure→Power Management

unselecting

Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power

– Set the speed and duplex for this network adapter. Select the speed to

match the speed of your network. If the network parameters for this
connection are unknown, set it to

NOTE: Incorrectly setting the speed and duplex may cause your system and

VMs to lose connectivity.

4

Modify the adapter binding order to ensure that
listed at the top in the

Hyper-V PP NIC #1

Connections

→

Connections

must appear last in the list. Navigate to

Advanced→ Advanced Settings

Auto

.

PP Mgmt NIC #1

window. The network adapter labeled

to access the adapter

settings.

5

Set the metric for

Hyper-V PP NIC #1

to

9999

by navigating to

Network Connection→ Hyper-V PP NIC #1 properties→ IP v4
properties

IP settings→ Advanced→ IP Settings

. This setting ensures

→

that the parent partition traffic does not prefer the new Hyper-V virtual
network adapter to the dedicated physical parent network adapter.
Avalueof

9999

assigns the virtual network adapter the highest

user-assignable link cost.

.

and

is

Network

.

34 Configuring the Virtual Network

6

In the

Advanced TCP/IP

this connection's addresses in DNS

registering this connection in DNS. Only the

window, click the

. This prevents the system from

DNS

tab. unselect

PP Mgmt NIC #1

Register

network
adapter must be allowed to register in DNS to further prevent this network
adapter from handling any traffic besides VM traffic.

7

Click the

Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP

8

Disable any unused network adapters.

9

Create a static DNS entry for the secondary parent partition (

PP NIC #1

partition if the primary address (

WINS

tab of the

NOTE: The step 9 is optional.

Advanced TCP/IP Settings

). This provides a secondary address for accessing the parent

, and unselect

Enable LMHOSTS lookup

PP Mgmt NIC #1

window. Select

Hyper-V

) is not available. The

static DNS name must NOT be the same as the name of the server.

The Network Connections window displays the following settings:

Network Identifier (Domain Name)(2)

Hyper-V PP NIC #1vSwitch #1 (External)
PP Mgmt NIC #1Broadcom BCM5708C NetXtreme II GigE

(NDIS VBD Client)

Enabled (1)

vSwitch #1 to External Network Connection Broadcom
BCM5708C NetXtreme II GigE (NDIS VBD Client) #2

.

Dedicated Virtual Network

The following steps represent the best practice recommendations for
configuring a dedicated virtual network within Hyper-V. These steps assume
you have already performed the general installation and naming steps
mentioned in the previous sections.

The following steps modify the default configuration of the Windows Server
2008 parent partition network settings. These changes include:

• Re-naming a parent partition virtual network adapter.

• Disabling network adapter power management.

• Disabling auto-negotiate, and setting port duplex and speed.

Configuring the Virtual Network 35

• Disabling the new virtual network adapter in the parent partition. This
disabled network adapter is referred to as a Stub adapter because it is
present, but disabled by design.

• Disabling any unused network adapters.

Figure 5-3. Implementation of Dedicated Network (Two Adapter System)

Configuring the Dedicated Virtual Network

Any settings assigned to the physical network adapter prior to the virtual
switch creation is transferred to the new virtual network adapter. Additionally,
the physically network adapter is exclusively bound to the Microsoft Virtual
Network Switch Protocol after the virtual switch creation. All other bindings
are removed.

1

On the

Create Virtual Networks

screen, enable the Hyper-V role when
prompted, but do not select any network adapters.
Continue with the installation, rebooting as required. You require multiple
reboots. The installation continue when you login.

2

Launch the Hyper-V Manager by navigating to

Administrative Tools→ Hyper-V Manager

, and select your server.

36 Configuring the Virtual Network

3

Under

Actions

field, enter a name for the virtual switch,

on the right, select

Virtual Network Manager

vSwitch #1 (Dedicated)

for this example.

4

Ensure

External

is selected, and click

Add

. Select the physical network
adapter or LOM to be connected to the virtual switch. For example,
the second LOM is selected and modified as needed based on the
hardware available.

NOTE: While configuring the new virtual network, you may configure a parent

partition VLAN. It is important to note that setting this parameter only affects
the parent partition connection. You can configure VMs to other VLANs or
no VLANs as needed without affecting parent partition traffic. Verify that
the network is configured to accept VLAN-tagged traffic prior to setting
aVLANID.

5

Select OK to finalize the virtual network configuration. You may lose
connectivity during this process.

Configuring the Network

1

Close the

2

Re-name the new parent partition virtual network adapter to

Hyper-V PP NIC #1

Hyper-V Manager

NOTE: The LOM selected in the Virtual Network Manager changes its status

to Enabled. This indicates that the network adapter is now connected to a
virtual switch, vSwitch #1 (Dedicated) as shown in the Device
Name field.

NOTE: A new network adapter is added. This is a new virtual network adapter

that is added to the parent partition to replace the LOM that is lost when
connected to the virtual switch.

window, and open

Network Connections

.

. In the

Stub

Name

.

Configuring the Virtual Network 37

3

Make the following changes to the physical network adapter providing
external connectivity to the virtual switch LOM #2:

– Re-name this network adapter to

Network Connection

vSwitch #1 to External

.

– Disable power management for this network adapter by unselecting

Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power (Network
Adapter Properties

→

Configure→ Power Management

).

– Set the speed and duplex for this network adapter. Select the speed to

match the speed of your network. If the network parameters for this
connection are unknown, leave these set to

NOTE: Incorrectly setting the speed and duplex may cause your system and

VMs to lose connectivity.

4

Disable the

Stub Hyper-V PP NIC #1

Auto

.

network adapter.
This removes the network adapter from the parent partition, creating a
dedicated path for VM traffic.

NOTE: These steps assume that the network adapter (Stub Hyper-V

PP NIC #1

If this cannot be guaranteed, you must perform the network configuration
steps in "External Virtual Network" on page 31 section, and disable the
network adapter as a final step instead of the steps given here.

) is never turned on and becomes active in the parent partition.

Alternately, a second method to ensure the stub network adapter does not
negatively interfere with the host is to disable all of the network adapter
bindings from the network adapter. If the network adapter is accidently
turned on, it is essentially blind to the environment around it.

5

Disable any unused network adapters.

The Network Connections window displays the following settings:

PP Mgmt NIC #1Broadcom BCM5708C NetXtreme II GigE
(NDIS VBD Client)

Disabled (1)

Stub Hyper-V PP NIC #1vSwitch #1 (Dedicated)

Enabled (1)

vSwitch #1 to External Network Connection Broadcom
BCM5708C NetXtreme II GigE (NDIS VBD Client) #2

38 Configuring the Virtual Network

Setting Up the VM and Configuring the Guest Operating System.

The following represent Dell's best practices for setting up and configuring
VMs in a Hyper-V environment while running on Dell systems.

The recommendations presented here assume the host Hyper-V environment
has already been configured using the best practice recommendations
mentioned earlier in this document. Also, these recommendations assume
that the VMs have some connectivity to other VMs, the parent partition,
and/or the external network environment. If no connectivity is required,
these steps are not needed.

Setting up the VM Network Environment

When a VM is created, Hyper-V, by default, presents the VM with a synthetic
virtual network adapter. This adapter tightly integrates with the Hyper-V
VMBus, as discussed in "The Virtual Network Architecture for Hyper-V Server
2008" on page 9, to provide high performance while minimizing resource
overhead. Due to its tight integration with the virtualization microkernel, a
special driver must be utilized with this synthetic adapter. For more
information on the driver installation, see "Setting Up the Network Driver for
the Guest Operating System" on page 40.

In all situations, except special situations such as PXE booting, you must use
the higher performing synthetic network adapter instead of the legacy
network adapter. When used in conjunction with the Integration Services
discussed in "Setting Up the Network Driver for the Guest Operating System"
on page 40, the synthetic network adapter offers the best performance.

Configuring the Virtual Network 39

Setting Up the Network Driver for the Guest Operating System

As mentioned earlier, Hyper-V offers a Legacy Network Adapter and a
Synthetic Network Adapter for VMs. The legacy network adapter is an
emulated Intel
device has a device driver in most supported guest operating systems.
A device driver for the synthetic NIC is installed as part of the Integration
Services installation. Drivers for this adapter are available for supported guest
operating systems. For a list of supported guest operating systems,
see "Appendix B" on page 43.

For more information on Integration Services installation, see the
Dell Solutions Overview Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V available from the
Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

®

21140-based PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter device. This legacy

40 Configuring the Virtual Network

Appendix A

Best Practices for Administering Network Adapter Drivers

This section provides instructions to install or upgrade the network
adapter driver of a system running Microsoft

®

Hyper-V® Server 2008.

Installing Network Adapter Drivers

NOTE: It is recommended to use the latest drivers for your Dell™ PowerEdge™

system by downloading them from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

If you have installed the Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 x64 operating
system using the media provided by Dell, the onboard and add-in network
adapters are operational with basic features. However, for full functionality of
the network adapter, download and install the latest available drivers from the
Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Reinstalling or Upgrading Network Adapter Drivers

NOTE: It is recommended to record all network-related settings such as

IP addresses, subnet masks, and gateways, and Hyper-V virtual networking settings
or mappings, prior to reinstalling or upgrading network adapter drivers and software.

You may upgrade drivers at any time to ensure maximum network adapter
feature support. Updated drivers may contain new features, functionality,
and bug fixes that help improve your system performance.

When you uninstall any network adapter driver, the network adapter is reset
to default settings and disassociated from all virtual switches. After you
re-install the driver, you must re-configure all settings and virtual switches.

When you uninstall network adapter drivers from a system running Hyper-V,
all virtual networks connected to the physical network adapters become
Internal type. The external connections are uninstalled.

Appendix A 41

After you re-install the network adapter driver, follow the steps below to
reconnect the virtual switch to the external network:

1

Select the virtual network in the

2

Change the connection type to

3

Select a valid physical network adapter or the physical network adapter
that was previously connected to the virtual network.

Virtual Network Manager

External.

.

42 Appendix A

Appendix B

References

• Dell Solutions for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V available from the
Dell and Microsoft- Virtualization Solutions for Today and Tomorrow
website at

– Dell Virtualization Solutions Advisor Tool

–

– Dell Networking Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

– Dell Storage Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

–

•

How to Install Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-install.aspx

•

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V FAQ

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-faq.aspx

•

Microsoft Virtualization and Consolidation with Hyper-V

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/virtualization­consolidation.aspx

•

Supported Guest OS in Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-supported­guest-os.aspx

•

Windows Server 2008 TechCenter

us/windowsserver/2008/default.aspx

•

Upgrading Beta Hyper-V Code to Gold Code

with Microsoft KB950050 to upgrade the beta Hyper-V code found on the
Dell media to the final code (a.k.a RTM code)

dell.com/hyper-v

Dell Solutions Overview Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

Dell Virtualization Reference Architecture for Hyper-V

from

from

from

from

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-

: Install the update associated

from

Appendix B 43

•

Hyper-V Functional Specification

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=91e2e518­c62c-4ff2-8e50-3a37ea4100f5&displaylang=en

•

WinHEC 2006 Presentation Slides

http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/archive/2006/06/14/WinHEC­2006-Slides.aspx

•

Dell High Availability Solutions Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V

support.dell.com

.

from

from

from

44 Appendix B

Glossary

CHILD PARTITION — Any partitian (VM) that is created by the root partition.

DEVICE VIRTUALIZATION — A mechanism that lets a hardware resource be abstracted

and shared among multiple consumers.

EMULATED DEVICE — A virtualized device that mimics an actual physical hardware

device so that guests can use the typical drivers for that hardware device.

ENLIGHTENMENT — An optimization to a guest operating system to make it aware of

VM environments and tune its behavior for VMs.

GUEST — Software that is running in a partition. It can be a full-featured operating

system or a small, special-purpose kernel. The hypervisor is "guest-agnostic."

HYPERVISOR — A layer of software that sits just above the hardware and below one or

more operating systems. Its primary job is to provide isolated execution environments
called partitions. Each partition has its own set of hardware resources (CPU, memory,
and devices). The hypervisor is responsible for controls and arbitrates access to the
underlying hardware.

ROOT PARTITION — A partition that is created first and owns all the resources that

the hypervisor does not own, including most devices and system memory. It hosts the
virtualization stack, and creates and manages the child partitions.

SYNTHETIC DEVICE — A virtualized device with no physical hardware analog so that

guests might need a driver (virtualization service client) to that synthetic device.
The driver can use VMBus to communicate with the virtualized device software in
the root partition.

VIRTUAL MACHINE (VM) — A virtual computer that is created by software emulation

and has the same characteristics as a physical computer.

VIRTUALIZATION STACK — A collection of software components in the root partition

that work together to support VMs. The virtualization stack works with and sits above
the hypervisor. It also provides management capabilities.

The terms and definitions listed here are from public Microsoft Hyper-V
documentation. They are considered to be industry-used terms for Hyper-V
environments. A complete list can be found at

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/sysperf/Perf_tun_srv.mspx

Glossary 45

46 Glossary

Index

B

Broadcom Advanced Control

Suite, 14

F

failover clustering, 19

Failover Clustering support, 23

G

gateways, 41

H

hypervisor, 7, 9

I

I/O Acceleration Technology, 13

N

NetBIOS, 20

Network Adapter Drivers

reinstall, 42
uninstall, 41
upgrade, 41

Network Connections

Manager, 26

S

stateful, 13

stateless, 13

stateless features, 13

Stub adapter, 36

subnet masks, 41

Switch-based tagging, 28

Synthetic devices, 11

Integration Services, 10

iSCSI support, 23

L

Legacy devices, 11

T

TCP offload engine, 13

term

parent partition, 9
VMBus, 9

Index 47

U

upgrade drivers, 41

V

Virtual Network Manager, 42

virtual service providers, 9

VLAN tagging, 14, 28

vSwitch, 17

W

Windows Management

Instrumentation, 21

Index 48