- Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview introduces new capabilities for rolling cluster upgrades without downtime, upgrading VM configurations, and servicing VM drivers. It also includes features like secure boot support for Linux guests, distributed storage QoS, production checkpoints, and dynamic memory resizing. The preview refines the Hyper-V architecture for improved backup reliability and adds capabilities like hot add of VHDx and network adapters.

1. WINDOWS SERVER “10”:
ЧТО НОВОГО В ВИРТУАЛИЗАЦИИ И
КЛАСТЕРИЗАЦИИ
A. Kibkalo

2. ROLLING CLUSTER UPGRADES
• No new hardware
• No downtime
• Roll-back if needed

3. VM CONFIGURATION CHANGES
• New virtual machine configuration file
• Binary format for performance and scale (in Replica mostly, due
to IOPS storms)
• Resilient logging for changes
• New file extensions
• .VMCX and .VMRS

4. NEW VM UPGRADE PROCESS
• In Windows Server 2012 R2:
• Hyper-V automatically upgrades VM configuration
• No ability to roll-back the process
• No way to import VM to previous systsems

5. NEW VM UPGRADE PROCESS
• In Windows Server Technical Preview:
• Hyper-V doesn’t automatically upgrade VMs
• Manual process, separate from upgrading host
• No new features before upgrade, but..
• Live Migration to previous systems supported
• Snapshots and export supported

6. NEW VM UPGRADE PROCESS
• In Windows Server Technical Preview:
• PowerShell process only
• New cmdlet: Update-VMConfigurationVersion
• Can be done online and simultaneously

7. VM SERVICING CHANGES
• In Windows Server 2012 R2:
• VM drivers (Integration Services) updated with host release
• Required for VM drivers to match the host version
• Drivers shipped with host

8. VM SERVICING CHANGES
• In Windows Server Technical Preview:
• VM drivers (Integration Services) updated when needed
• Require lstest available drivers for guest system
• Drivers delivered directly to guest from Windows Update
• Meaning:
• No VM drivers inside Windows Server Technical Preview
• No update button in Hyper-V Manager

9. SECURE BOOT SUPPORT FOR LINUX
• Kernel code integrity protectors for Linux guests
• Works with:
• Ubuntu 14.04+
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
• Need to change the security template
• Can be done via:
• Set-VMFirmware “Ubuntu” –SecureBootTemplate
MicrosoftUEFICertificateAuthority

10. DISTRIBUTED STORAGE QOS
• In Windows Server 2012 R2:
• Introduced an ability to limit maximum IOPs per disk
• In Windows Server Technical Preview:
• Define IOPs reserves for virtual disks
• Define IOPs reserves and limits for group of VMs/disks

11. KNOWN TECH PREVIEW BUG 1
• Error applying Hard drive changes:
• When storing VHDs on SMB share
• Already fixed in later builds
• Can be fixed in TP via:
• Reg add
“HKLMSystemCurrentControlSetControlLsaKerberosParameters
/v DevicePKinitEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0”

12. ENHANCED HYPER-V BACKUP
• New architecture to improve scale, reliability and performance
• Decouples backups of VMs from backing up the underlying storage
• No longer dependent on hardware snapshots, but still able to take
advantage of hardware capabilities

13. BUILT-IN CHANGE TRACKING FOR BACKUP
• Current backup systems implement kernel level file system filters
• Difficult for backup partners to follow service packs and upgrades
• Lowers the reliability of Hyper-V
• In Windows Server Technical Preview
• Effective change tracking for backups is now a part of platform

14. PRODUCTION CHECKPOINTS
• Delivering same checkpoint experience, as in Windows Server 2012 R2
but now fully supported for production environments
• Uses VSS instead of Saved State to create a checkpoint
• Restoring is now just like restoring from backup

15. REPLICA SUPPORT FOR HOT ADD VHDX
• When you add a disk to a replicated VM, it’s added to replication
• No extra configuration needed

16. DYNAMIC MEMORY RESIZE
• For Windows Server Technical Preview guests you can now increase
and decrease the amount of static memory, assigned to a running VM

17. HOT ADD/REMOVE NETWORK ADAPTERS
• Network adapters can be added to Gen2 VMs. Finally!

18. NETWORK ADAPTER IDENTIFICATION
• You can name individual network adapters in VM configuration… -
and see that name inside the guest system!
• PowerShell on host:
• Add-VMNetworkAdapter –VMName “TestVM” – SwitchName
“MySwitch” – name “Alex” | Set-VMNetworkAdapter –
DeviceNaming on
• PowerShell in guest:
• Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty | ?{$_.DisplayName –eq
“Hyper-V Network Adapter Name”} | Select Name,
DisplayValue

19. HYPER-V MANAGER IMPROVEMENTS
• Connecting via WinRM instead of WMI (easy Firewalls)
• Support for alternate credentials (requires CredSSP on server and client)
• Connect via IP address
• Able to manage WS2012, WS2012R2 and vNext TP hosts from one
console

20. KNOWN TECH PREVIEW BUG 2
• I can’t see any machines in Hyper-V Manager!
• Solution:
• Get-VM | ?{$_.heartbeat –eq “OKApplicationsUnknown”}
DisableVMIntegrationService “Heartbeat”

21. HYPERVISOR POWER MANAGEMENT
• Updated power management model
• Connected Standby works!

22. HYPER-V CLUSTER MANAGEMENT
• A single view to Hyper-V Cluster via WMI:
• “Just one Hyper-V Server”
• Can enumerate VMs and receive Live Migration notifications
• RootHyperVClusterv2

23. ???