Windows Server 2012 R2 VM -- Enable Hyper-V

[MyCommunityName]

I have a 2013 MBP with Core i7, 16GB RAM and SSD's running Maverick 10.9.2

I am running VMWare Pro 6.0.2

In Fusion I have a vanilla Windows 2012 R2 VM, fully Windows Updated, connected to a domain.

Under Fusion -> VM -> Settings -> Processors I have ticked 'Enable hypervisor applications in this virtual machine"

When I got to Roles and Features and try to enabled Hyper-V i receive a dialog saying:

"Hyper-V cannot be installed: A hypervisor is already running"

As far as i know I should be able to enable and use hyper-v. Help?

[WoodyZ]

Under Fusion -> VM -> Settings -> Processors I have ticked 'Enable hypervisor applications in this virtual machine"

You need to manually add the following options to the .vmx configuration file too.

hypervisor.cpuid.v0 = "FALSE"

mce.enable = "TRUE"

Have a look at: Editing the .vmx file for your Fusion virtual machine (1014782)

[MyCommunityName]

I tried that, but it did not seem to work. I restarted the VM (not the actual host OS if that matters).

I actually just created a new VM picking the "Hyper-V (Not Supported)" template and it is working on that VM.

I can rebuilt my lab VM on this new VM.

The VM I was trying to enabled Hyper-V on was created by picking the "Windows Server 2012" template.

Whats the difference between the Hyper-V and W2012 templates?

[WoodyZ]

Whats the difference between the Hyper-V and W2012 templates?

The primary differences between the two .vmx configuration file taking default settings and not yet starting the VM's are:

Hyper-V (unsupported)	Windows Server 2012
ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"	ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000e"
guestOS = "winhyperv"	guestOS = "windows8srv-64"
	keyboardAndMouseProfile = "528012fe-5e19-5990-f152-fea4aa11"

The rest is going to be on how VMware Fusion is coded to respond the the guestOS type.

[MyCommunityName]

Thanks.

I've blown away the VM that did not support Hyper-V. However for future reference (& the good of the community) should I be able to update the guestOS in my vmx file and then be able to instal the Hyper-V role in a VM that was not setup for the Hyper-V template originally?

[admin · Accepted solution]

MyCommunityNameIsDavid wrote:

Thanks.

I've blown away the VM that did not support Hyper-V. However for future reference (& the good of the community) should I be able to update the guestOS in my vmx file and then be able to instal the Hyper-V role in a VM that was not setup for the Hyper-V template originally?

Yes; if you set the guestOS to Hyper-V, then you should be able to install the Hyper-V role.

The main reason for the two different guest OS types is that Microsoft requires that we comply with their "HV#1" interface for Windows guests to be eligible for SVVP certification.  However, if Hyper-V finds itself in a VM that complies with the HV#1 interface, it will refuse to run.

[MyCommunityName]

thanks

[admin]

I should also point out that Hyper-V is "unsupported" because there are some timing issues in Windows 2012 which we have only been able to solve through the use of Windows enlightenments. Without HV#1, the guest is unaware of the available Windows enlightenments.  Thus, with the Hyper-V guestOS type, you may see occasional BSODs due to CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT.  You will not see these BSODs with the Windows 2012 guestOS type.