Windows Server 2008 R2 : Build Virtual Machines (part 2) - Work with Virtual Machine Settings

3. Work with Virtual Machine Settings

Every virtual machine consists of two components: a virtual hard disk and the virtual machine settings. As you saw in the previous example, the settings are what tie the VHD to the virtual machine. They define the operating environment of the virtual machine. You can manage the settings to maximize the performance of both the virtual machines and the physical server that is hosting the virtual machines.

The settings are broken down into two parts, the hardware settings and the management settings.

The hardware settings include the following:

Add Hardware, as shown in Figure 4 This setting allows you to add a SCSI controller, a network adapter, or a legacy network adapter.

Figure 4. Add Hardware setting

BIOS, as shown in Figure 5 Using this setting you can modify the order of the devices in the BIOS start order using the up and down arrows.

Figure 5. BIOS setting

Memory, as shown in Figure 6 Memory is critical to the operation of a virtual machine. This setting specifies the amount of physical RAM that is allocated to the virtual machine.

Figure 6. Memory

Processor, as shown in Figure 7 You can modify the number of virtual processors assigned to a virtual machine based on the number of physical processors and cores on each processor. You can also balance the usage of your processing resources between virtual machines. In addition, you can limit the processor features that a virtual machine can use to make it more compatible with different versions of processors, such as to make a processor more compatible with an older operating system like Windows NT.

Figure 7. Processor

Controller settings, as shown in Figure 8 The Controller settings specify the IDE and SCSI controllers and what they are connected to. Traditionally, IDE 0 is connected to the VHD file that is the base of the operating system. IDE 1 is generally connected to the DVD drive, and you can define exactly what media you want to use with that DVD/CD drive; for example, you may have an ISO image of an operating system and want to install the OS using the image file. You can associate the ISO image with IDE 1.

Figure 8. Controller settings

Network Adapter, as shown in Figure 9 The Network Adapter setting allows you to define which of the available virtual networks you will connect to.

Figure 9. Network Adapter

COM settings, as shown in Figure 10 The COM settings allow you to configure the virtual machine to communicate with the physical computer through a named pipe.

Figure 10. COM settings

Diskette Drive, as shown in Figure 11 Floppy disks are almost nonexistent in modern physical servers. However, they were commonplace in legacy hardware and often were the vehicle for delivering data, applications, and even operating systems. Should you need to use a floppy disk with a virtual machine, you will use this setting. A floppy disk is virtualized by using a virtual floppy disk file (.vfd).

Figure 11. Diskette Drive

The management settings associated with the virtual machine are as follows:

Name, as shown in Figure 12 Each virtual machine has a name. The name can be whatever you choose. It is recommended that you choose a name that allows you to easily recognize your virtual machines. The name of the virtual machine is not permanent. Like any other file, the virtual machine can be renamed.

Figure 12. Name setting

Integration Services, as shown in Figure 13 Running a virtual machine can present some interesting challenges and opportunities for interaction between the operating system hosting the Hyper-V server and the virtual machines. These services are called the integration services, and you can adjust them based on need. You can also rename the virtual machine with the link in the Actions pane. It will update the value in the settings file.

Figure 13. Integration Services setting

Snapshot File Location, as shown in Figure 14 The snapshot file location defines the physical location where snapshots of virtual machines will be stored. The snapshot allows the administrator to make a point-in-time snapshot of a virtual machine, and then if desired, the administrator can apply the snapshot file to return the virtual machine to the point in time when the snapshot was taken. You will learn more about snapshots later in this chapter.

Figure 14. Snapshot File Location

Automatic Start Action, as shown in Figure 15 The automatic start action defines what you want the virtual machine to do when the physical machine is started. This setting makes it possible to start a virtual machine automatically each time its associated physical machine is started. You can also configure an automatic start delay so that the virtual machine is not competing with the physical machine for resources necessary to start up.

Figure 15. Automatic Start Action

Automatic Stop Action, as shown in Figure 16 The Automatic Stop Action setting defines what you want this virtual machine to do when the physical machine that is hosting it shuts down. The default value saves the virtual machines state. You could of course shut down the virtual machine or let it turn off (not recommended since this is the equivalent of pulling the plug).

Figure 16. Automatic Stop Action