hyper-v-expert

name

hyper-v-expert

description

Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization expertise for Windows Server environments. Use when Claude needs to assist with (1) Installing and configuring Hyper-V hosts, (2) Creating and managing virtual machines, (3) Virtual networking - switches, VLANs, NAT, (4) Storage - VHD/VHDX, checkpoints, shared disks, (5) Live migration and high availability, (6) Hyper-V Replica for disaster recovery, (7) GPU acceleration - DDA and GPU partitioning, (8) Security - shielded VMs, Secure Boot, encryption, (9) PowerShell automation for Hyper-V, or any other Hyper-V administration and implementation tasks.

Hyper-V Expert

Comprehensive Microsoft Hyper-V administration and implementation expertise for Windows Server virtualization.

Quick Reference

Task	Reference File
Install Hyper-V, create VMs	deployment.md
Live migration, integration services	management.md
Virtual switches, VLANs, NAT	networking.md
VHD/VHDX, checkpoints, Fibre Channel	storage.md
Shielded VMs, Secure Boot, encryption	security.md
DDA, GPU partitioning	gpu-acceleration.md
Hyper-V Replica, failover	replication.md
Cmdlets, automation patterns	powershell.md

Core Workflows

Install Hyper-V

# Windows Server
Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools -Restart

# Windows 10/11
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

Create Virtual Machine

# Create Gen 2 VM with new disk
New-VM -Name "VMName" -Generation 2 -MemoryStartupBytes 4GB `
    -NewVHDPath "C:\VMs\disk.vhdx" -NewVHDSizeBytes 60GB `
    -SwitchName "vSwitch"

# Mount ISO and start
Add-VMDvdDrive -VMName "VMName" -Path "C:\ISOs\windows.iso"
Start-VM -VMName "VMName"

Create Virtual Switch

# External (internet access)
New-VMSwitch -Name "External" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet" -AllowManagementOS $true

# Internal (host + VMs only)
New-VMSwitch -Name "Internal" -SwitchType Internal

# Private (VMs only)
New-VMSwitch -Name "Private" -SwitchType Private

Enable Live Migration

Enable-VMMigration
Set-VMMigrationNetwork 192.168.1.0/24
Set-VMHost -VirtualMachineMigrationAuthenticationType Kerberos

# Move VM
Move-VM -Name "VMName" -DestinationHost "DestHost"

Create Checkpoint

# Production checkpoint (recommended)
Set-VM -Name "VMName" -CheckpointType Production
Checkpoint-VM -VMName "VMName" -SnapshotName "Before Update"

# Restore
Restore-VMCheckpoint -VMName "VMName" -Name "Before Update" -Confirm:$false

Enable Hyper-V Replica

# On replica server
Set-VMReplicationServer -ReplicationEnabled $true `
    -AllowedAuthenticationType Kerberos `
    -DefaultStorageLocation "D:\Replicas"

# On primary - enable replication
Enable-VMReplication -VMName "VMName" `
    -ReplicaServerName "ReplicaHost.domain.com" `
    -ReplicaServerPort 80 `
    -AuthenticationType Kerberos

# Start initial replication
Start-VMInitialReplication -VMName "VMName"

Decision Trees

VM Generation Selection

Is guest OS Windows XP/Server 2003 or older?
├─ Yes → Use Generation 1
└─ No → Is it a 32-bit OS?
         ├─ Yes → Use Generation 1
         └─ No → Use Generation 2 (recommended)

Storage Format Selection

Is this for a guest cluster (shared storage)?
├─ Yes → Use VHD Set (.vhds)
└─ No → Do you need legacy compatibility?
         ├─ Yes → Use VHD (max 2TB)
         └─ No → Use VHDX (max 64TB, recommended)

GPU Acceleration Selection

Need dedicated GPU per VM with max performance?
├─ Yes → Use Discrete Device Assignment (DDA)
└─ No → Need to share GPU across multiple VMs?
         ├─ Yes (Server 2025+) → Use GPU Partitioning (GPU-P)
         └─ No → Use software rendering

Scheduler Type Selection

Are you running untrusted workloads?
├─ Yes → Use Core scheduler (security isolation)
└─ No → Is SMT/hyperthreading enabled?
         ├─ Yes → Use Core scheduler (recommended)
         └─ No → Classic scheduler is acceptable

Best Practices

Host Configuration

• Use Server Core for reduced attack surface
• Dedicate separate NICs for management and VM traffic
• Enable BitLocker on storage volumes
• Apply Windows Security Baselines
• Configure antivirus exclusions for Hyper-V files

VM Configuration

• Use Generation 2 for modern OSes
• Enable Secure Boot
• Enable vTPM for BitLocker support
• Use Production checkpoints for production VMs
• Configure integration services appropriately

Networking

• Use SET (Switch Embedded Teaming) over NIC teaming
• Isolate management traffic from VM traffic
• Use VLANs for network segmentation
• Enable bandwidth management for critical VMs

Storage

• Use VHDX format (64TB max, resilient)
• Place VHDs on separate physical volumes from OS
• Use fixed-size VHDs for performance-critical VMs
• Enable Storage QoS for shared storage

Troubleshooting

VM Won't Start

# Check VM status and notes
Get-VM -Name "VMName" | Format-List *

# Check event log
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashTable @{LogName="Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-Worker-Admin"} -MaxEvents 20

Network Connectivity Issues

# Verify switch connection
Get-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName "VMName"

# Check VLAN settings
Get-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -VMName "VMName"

# Test from host
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName "VM-IP"

Replication Errors

# Check replication health
Get-VMReplication -VMName "VMName"

# Measure replication statistics
Measure-VMReplication -VMName "VMName"

# Force resync
Resume-VMReplication -VMName "VMName" -Resynchronize

Performance Issues

# Enable resource metering
Enable-VMResourceMetering -VMName "VMName"

# Check resource usage
Measure-VM -VMName "VMName"

# Check scheduler type
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashTable @{ProviderName="Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-Hypervisor"; ID=2} -MaxEvents 1

Live Documentation Lookup

When you need to verify accuracy, check for updates, or answer questions about edge cases, use WebFetch to retrieve official documentation.

When to Fetch Live Documentation

• User asks about version-specific features (Server 2025, etc.)
• User questions accuracy of provided information
• Topic involves recent changes or new features
• Local references don't cover the specific scenario
• User asks about cmdlet parameters or syntax details

Documentation Sources

1. Microsoft Learn - Hyper-V PowerShell Reference

For cmdlet syntax, parameters, and examples:

Base URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/

Common cmdlet documentation URLs:

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/new-vm
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/get-vm
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/set-vm
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/new-vmswitch
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/enable-vmreplication

URL pattern: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/{cmdlet-name}

2. GitHub - Windows Server Docs Repository

For conceptual documentation, architecture guides, and detailed explanations:

Base URL: https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs/tree/main/WindowsServerDocs/virtualization/hyper-v
Raw content: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs/main/WindowsServerDocs/virtualization/hyper-v/

Key documentation paths (append to raw content base URL):

Topic	Path
Live migration overview	manage/live-migration-overview.md
Scheduler types	manage/manage-hyper-v-scheduler-types.md
CPU groups	manage/manage-hyper-v-cpugroups.md
Integration services	manage/Manage-Hyper-V-integration-services.md
Remote management	manage/Remotely-manage-Hyper-V-hosts.md
VHD Set files	manage/Create-VHDSet-file.md
Persistent memory	manage/persistent-memory-cmdlets.md

To discover additional paths: Fetch the GitHub tree URL to browse available files: https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs/tree/main/WindowsServerDocs/virtualization/hyper-v/{subdirectory}

Subdirectories: get-started/, plan/, deploy/, manage/

Fetch Workflow

1. Identify the topic - Determine if it's a cmdlet question (→ Microsoft Learn) or conceptual (→ GitHub docs)

2. Construct the URL:

   • For cmdlets: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/{cmdlet-name-lowercase}
   • For concepts: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs/main/WindowsServerDocs/virtualization/hyper-v/{path}

3. Use WebFetch with a focused prompt:

   WebFetch(url, "Extract the {specific information needed} from this documentation")
   

4. Cross-reference with local reference files if needed

Example Fetch Scenarios

Scenario: User asks about New-VM parameters for Server 2025

WebFetch URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/new-vm
Prompt: "List all parameters for New-VM cmdlet with their descriptions"

Scenario: User asks about live migration requirements

WebFetch URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs/main/WindowsServerDocs/virtualization/hyper-v/manage/live-migration-overview.md
Prompt: "Extract the requirements and configuration steps for live migration"

Scenario: User asks about scheduler types

WebFetch URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs/main/WindowsServerDocs/virtualization/hyper-v/manage/manage-hyper-v-scheduler-types.md
Prompt: "Explain the different hypervisor scheduler types and when to use each"

Scenario: User needs cmdlet parameter details

WebFetch URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/hyper-v/set-vm
Prompt: "Find the CheckpointType parameter values and their meanings"

Scenario: Discover available documentation on a topic

WebFetch URL: https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/windowsserverdocs/tree/main/WindowsServerDocs/virtualization/hyper-v/deploy
Prompt: "List all markdown files in this directory related to deployment"

External Resources

• Official Hyper-V Documentation
• Hyper-V PowerShell Module
• Windows Server Documentation