Welcome to the Instant Hyper-V Server Virtualization Starter.

This book has been specially created to provide you with all the information that you need to get set up with Microsoft © Hyper-V server 2008 R2. You will learn the basics of virtualization, get started with building your first virtual machine, and discover some tips and tricks for using Microsoft © Hyper-V server 2008 R2.

This document contains the following sections:

So, what is Microsoft © Hyper-V server 2008 R2? – find out what virtualization actually is, what you can do with it, and why it's so great.

Requirements and Installation – learn what is needed to install and how to install Hyper-V server with the minimum fuss and then configure it so that you can use it as soon as possible.

Quick start – create a virtual machine in 3 steps – this section will show you how to perform one of the core tasks of Microsoft © Hyper-V server 2008 R2; creating a virtual network so that your virtual machines can communicate between them and the world. Follow the given steps to create your own virtual infrastructure, which will be the basis of most of your work in Microsoft © Hyper-V server 2008 R2.

Top features you need to know about – here, you will learn all the necessary steps to get your virtualization infrastructure working, how to create a virtual machine, and make it more robust by anticipating any possible failures. You will also learn how to integrate this service into your existing network and how to measure and dimension it correctly. You will even learn to be aware on how to calculate the costs involved in your virtualization solution based on Microsoft © Hyper-V virtualization solution.

People and places you should get to know – this section provides you with many useful links to the project page and forums, as well as a number of helpful articles, tutorials, blogs, and the Twitter feeds of Microsoft © Hyper-V Server 2008 R2.