The fastest way to install a Hyper-V cluster utilizing cluster shared volumes and failover clustering is presented in this article. Overview You need a domain controller. If you don’t have one yet, set one up now and make sure you don’t use it for Hyper-V as well (you could but shouldn’t) Your CPUs used for all […]

Are you getting confused (like everyone else) about checkpoints, snapshots, VSS snapshots, Hyper-V snapshots, and SAN snapshots? It is confusing thanks to Microsoft and a couple of others…. Let’s get to work:   Hyper-V Snapshots are Now Called Checkpoints Hyper-V snapshots were called snapshots in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Then Microsoft […]

The professional method to backup VMware Workstation and other VMware products is to use BackupChain. BackupChain backs up virtual machines using the VMDK format and other virtual disk formats. VM backup is performed live, without interruptions, and you can restore VMs to the same host or other servers in just a few simple steps. Automated […]

Are Hyper-V virtual machine backups failing on your server? Or, are VMs being backed up using a Saved State? Chances are there is a mismatch in the Hyper-V Integration Services versions used on host and inside VMs. In case you wonder what else might happen if there is a version mismatch, check out this article. […]

It is possible to install a virtual machine inside another. In other words, you can install a virtual machine inside a virtual machine. We have this running in test labs for a long time and it works fine! What you need VMware Workstation. We tried it using version 8 and 10.   Steps First, you […]

In Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-v Snapshots were renamed to so-called “Checkpoints“. The following are 11 things to know about Hyper-V snapshots and checkpoints. Ideally an IT admin should be aware of all of them in order to make a well informed decision on when and how to use snapshots. Advantages of Hyper-V Snapshots / […]

In order to convert existing Hyper-V virtual disks in VHD file format to the new VHDX file format you can use the PowerShell to and run a conversion command as follows:   Convert-VHD –Path c:\MyVM\VHD-file.vhd –DestinationPath c:\NewVM\vhdx-converted-disk.vhdx   Converting to a VHDX gives you a couple of advantages over VHD, such as: * 4 KB […]

To convert a VMware ESX / ESXi virtual machine to a Hyper-V virtual machine, you could use a new tool called “Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter” You can download it at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34591    Requirements to convert ESX VMs to Hyper-V using Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter: You need to use a local administrator user. Install the MSI […]

After the introduction of update 2878635(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2878635) and update 2903939 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2903939), you now have a CSV Software snapshot life cycle management mechanism to fine tune VolSnap and VSS when using CSVs. It’s not uncommon for snapshots to add up and not be cleared by defective backup applications. Some backup applications are designed to use persistent VSS snapshots. […]

Tape backups have their place in many organizations, mostly large corporations. Sometimes their use is required directly or indirectly by law. For all other organizations who are free to choose the “best fit” we put together a couple of things to consider when planning to invest in tape backup infrastructure:   Tape drives are expensive. […]