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In this security conscious age, it makes sense to build your hypervisor (the layer that has access to EVERYTHING that goes to the physical resources in a virtual scenario) on a hardened underlying operating system.

In order to allow for this, Microsoft has constructed Hyper-V so that you can use the Server Core edition of the operating system to install Hyper-V on.

Installing on Server Core allows you to minimize the footprint of the operating system and the attendant vulnerabilities potentially created by the number of unnecessary components in the full Windows Server 2008 install (like the .NET framework, for example).

The drawback is that you do not have the user friendly windows and elements provided by those "unnecessary components".

To install the Hyper-V role on Server Core, the last step is actually the installation.

First, you need to ensure your hardware is compatible.

Then check to make sure your operating system is correct and ready for the installation.

THEN install Hyper-V on the core installation.

This mini-guide examines the server core installation from the BIOS check through to the installation of the role. This guide makes the assumption that the necessary portions like setting up your disk arrays has already taken place at a hardware level and that you are using directly connected storage or otherwise a storage arrangement which does not require additional steps. Should you need to install or configure a driver manually on server core, insert those procedures as necessary in this guide.


Read Installing Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008, Server Core