Designating a Host for Virtual Machines

[This is prerelease documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

The target host server must meet the software requirements listed below in order to be designated as a host. Please review System Requirements and Supported Platforms prior to designating a server as a host for virtual machines.

Supported Operating Systems
- Windows Server 2008 R2, x64 only
- Windows Server 2008 Standard or Enterprise Edition (x86 and x64)
- Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later (x86 and x64)
Prerequisites
- Host servers running Windows Server 2003 SP1 must have the following components installed:
  - Windows Virtual Server 2005 R2 and above
  - WinRM 1.1 and above
- Host servers running Windows Server 2008 must have the following components installed:
  - Windows Virtual Server 2005 R2 and above (x86)
  - On 64-bit platforms, the Hyper-V role must be enabled and Hardware Assisted Virtualization (HAV) must be enabled in the BIOS
- Host servers running Windows Virtual Server 2005 R2 must have the following updates installed:
  - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Update 948515—http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=160366
- Host servers running Windows Server 2008 with the Hyper-V role enabled must have the following updates installed:
  - Microsoft KB Update 950050—http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=160367
  - Microsoft KB Update 956589—http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=160370
  - Microsoft KB Update 956774—http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=160372

System Center Essentials 2010 performs compatibility checks to determine the eligibility of servers that can be designated as hosts. If Essentials is unable to designate the selected server as a host, you will be notified of the cause and potential solutions.

Issues you might encounter when designating a host include the following:

The server you selected does not meet the software requirements. Install or upgrade the software to meet the system requirements and then restart the process of designating a host. If the server is running the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008, ensure that the Hyper-V role is enabled and that Hardware Assisted Virtualization (HAV) is enabled in the BIOS.
Essentials will only show physical servers that are available to be designated as hosts. On a server running Windows Server 2008, Essentials 2010 will enable Hyper-V during the host designation process. Once a host has been designated, the Hyper-V role should not be uninstalled. If you have an existing host, it must still be designated as a host in Essentials 2010 to be used for virtualization management.
Designating a host results in the creation of a virtual network, but in this release of Essentials you will not be notified if virtual network creation was successful. If the virtual network creation is successful and you later experience network connection problems or add a new physical network card to the server, remove the server designated as host and repeat the steps to redesignate it as a host. Essentials will treat both the server and the virtual machines like any other Essentials-managed computer until you redesignate the host server.
If all eligible servers have already been designated as hosts, you will not be able to designate any further hosts.
If you are running Essentials on a virtual machine and try to designate this machine as a host for virtual machines, you may lose connectivity to the Essentials console.

See Also

Concepts