LAN-Tech Network Management

Windows 8 desktop O/S will include Hyper-V support, however there seems to be some confusion about hardware requirements.

Hyper-V server has always required:

“Processor : x64 compatible processor with Intel VT or AMD-V technology enabled.
Hardware Data Execution Prevention (DEP), specifically Intel XD bit (execute disable bit) or AMD NX bit (no execute bit), must be available and enabled.”  (from http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=3512)

This hasn’t changed with the Hyper-v server version of Windows 8, but the desktop version of Hyper-V will require the processor also be SLAT compatible.  So, how do I know if my system will support Hyper-V?  Microsoft has a simple little command line tool called CoreInfo that will check for all requirements.   http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc835722

Simply open a command window with elevated privileges and run  coreinfo –v  to display the supported virtualization features.  An asterisk indicates supported and a dash means unsupported.

Intel64 Family  –  indicates 64 bit support
Hypervisor is present  –  shows if the Hypervisor role is currently enabled
Supports Intel hardware-assisted virtualization  – verifies Virtualization support
Supports Intel extended page tables (SLAT)  –  confirms SLAT compatibility

Another little utility worth mentioning is Securable by GRC.com   This has been a standard for testing for Hyper-V compatibility, but so far does not include tests for SLAT support.  It does however have a specific DEP check. http://www.grc.com/securable.htm

I should also point out, if you plan to enable Remote FX support on a Hyper-V server (a server O/S), whether Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 8, you will need a SLAT compatible processor.