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+--- Thread: How do you enable Hyper-V on a server running Windows Server Core? (/showthread.php?tid=1193)
How do you enable Hyper-V on a server running Windows Server Core? - savas - 01-26-2024
Enabling Hyper-V on a Windows Server Core installation might seem a bit daunting at first, especially since you don't have the familiar GUI to rely on. But once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty straightforward. Just picture us sitting in a café, and I’m sharing this step-by-step approach with you.
First things first, you need to kick off a PowerShell session, since that’s where most of the magic happens in Server Core. Type `powershell` at the command prompt. From here, you can use a simple command to confirm if your server can support Hyper-V. You would run `Get-WindowsFeature`, which will pull up a list of features available on your server.
Now, Hyper-V has its prerequisites. You need to verify that your processor supports virtualization. If you run the command `Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Processor | Select-Object Name, VirtualizationFirmwareEnabled`, you can check if the firmware-based virtualization is enabled on your CPU. If it isn’t, you might have to hop into your BIOS settings to enable this feature.
Once you know you’re good to go, it’s time to install Hyper-V. You’ll do this by using the `Install-WindowsFeature` command. You simply enter `Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools`. This command will not only install Hyper-V but also the management tools, which are handy to have, even if you’re working in a Core environment. Depending on your server’s performance and the features you're enabling, it might take a few moments to get everything set up.
After running that command, you’re going to want to see if the installation was successful. You can run `Get-WindowsFeature` again, but this time, just focus on the output to check the status of Hyper-V. If it shows "Installed," you’re on the right track.
Now, here’s the kicker: Hyper-V requires a restart to finalize the installation. You can execute the `shutdown /r /t 0` command to reboot the server immediately. Just make sure you’ve saved any important work before doing this, as it’ll kick everyone off.
Once your server is back online, you might still feel a bit limited because you’re in that Core environment. That's perfectly normal. Although you can’t directly manage Hyper-V there, you can use Hyper-V Manager from another machine that’s running a full version of Windows. Just connect to your server using the Hyper-V Manager, and you should see the new feature ready to roll.
This whole process can feel a bit like navigating uncharted waters, but once you get it done, managing virtual machines is a breeze, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish with just a few commands. It’s all about getting comfortable with the command line, which honestly, becomes second nature over time.
I hope my post was useful. Are you new to Hyper-V and do you have a good Hyper-V backup solution? See my other post