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How to Install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019: 3 Methods

Microsoft strives to make its products effective, reliable, and practical, improving the overall user experience and operational efficiency. And Hyper-V was designed with such simplicity and usability in mind, allowing you to customize every aspect of the infrastructure. For this reason, there are at least three ways to install Hyper-V: by using PowerShell, Server Manager, or DISM. In this post, we will guide you through the three installation methods.

Before You Install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019

Before you can start installing Microsoft Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019, you need to ensure that specific hardware requirements are met. Otherwise, the installation process will fail.

The minimum system prerequisites for successful Hyper-V deployment include:

• 4 GHz 64-bit CPU
• Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
• VM Monitor Mode Extensions
• Minimum 4 GB of RAM, which should be enough for running the host and VMs at the preliminary stage of Hyper-V deployment
• Hardware-assisted virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V enabled in UEFI/BIOS
• Hardware-enforced Data Execution Prevention (DEP) with the XD bit (for Intel systems) or the NX bit (for AMD systems)

However, if you are still not sure that your system fully meets the listed requirements, you can open Windows PowerShell or cmd.exe and run the following command: systeminfo.exe. After that, you will be presented with a report showing all the Hyper-V requirements with which your system complies.

How to Install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019

In this section of this blog post, we’ll describe the different ways to install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019: PowerShell, DISM, or Server Manager.

Note: The process of installing Hyper-V on Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2016 is the same as for Windows Server 2019.

Method 1. Hyper-V installation using Windows PowerShell

Hyper-V installation process using PowerShell commands can be completed in less than a minute. For this purpose, you need to open PowerShell in the Administrator mode and run the following command:

Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -ComputerName <computer_name> -IncludeManagementTools -Restart

After The Hyper-V installation process is over, you will be given the option to restart the computer right away or do so later.

The advantage of installing Hyper-V in the command line is that you can install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019 Core and Windows Server 2019 with the graphical user interface (GUI) using this method. Read about the difference between Hyper-V Server Core and GUI installation.

Method 2. How to install Hyper-V with DISM

To install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019, you can also use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool. This command line tool is typically used for the configuration of Windows and Windows images, as well as enabling/disabling Windows Server features even while the OS is running.

To install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019 using DISM, you should open PowerShell or CMD in an elevated prompt and run this command:

DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V

Once the operation is complete, you will be asked to restart the computer to activate the changes.

Method 3. Installing Hyper-V by using Server Manager

Installing Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019 using Server Manager requires using the graphical user interface (GUI), unlike the other two. For this purpose, you need to launch Server Manager and make the necessary changes there.

1. Open Server Manager and click Add roles and features.

1. Read the Before You Begin page and click Next.

1. Choose which installation type is most suitable for you. Here, you can choose to install the role on a running physical server or a VM, or on an offline virtual hard disk using Remote Desktop Services. Select the first option if you need to run virtual machines.

1. Select a destination server. Server Manager presents you with two options: Select a server from the server pool or Select a virtual hard disk. Choose the first option.

1. After that, you can see the full list of roles and features which can be installed using Server Manager. Check the Hyper-V box here.

You can also add Hyper-V Management Tools, and this is the recommended option. Hyper-V Manager is the tool to manage Hyper-V in the GUI.

On the Features page, you can select specific Hyper-V Management Tools, which include Hyper-V GUI Management Tools and Hyper-V Module for Windows PowerShell.

1. After that, an introductory page to Hyper-V configuration will open. Here, you can read about the capabilities of Hyper-V functionality.

• In the Virtual Switches section, you can select the network adapter for providing VMs with network connectivity.
• In the Migration section, you can enable this server to send/receive live migrations of VMs, in addition to selecting the authentication protocol to be used for verifying live migrations: Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) or Kerberos.
• In the Default Stores section, you can select default locations for virtual hard disk files and VM configuration files.

1. This is the last screen of the Hyper-V installation process. Here, you can have a final look at all of the options you have selected so far. Additionally, you can check the box Restart the destination server automatically if required.

1. Click Install to confirm your selections.

Once the Hyper-V installation process is complete, you can start building your virtual environment. Now you can create a VM and install OS on Hyper-V after creation.

Read also other articles about how to install Microsoft Hyper-V in different cases.

After You Install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019

Once you have successfully installed Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019 using one of the above methods, you should go through the Hyper-V post-installation process. This entails configuring Hyper-V networking (create and configure a virtual switch, a Switch Embedded Team, a virtual network adapter, etc.), in addition to configuring your Hyper-V host (select a default VM configuration storage location; set up Live Migration process, etc.). Read one of our blog posts to learn how to go through the Hyper-V configuration process.

Once you have configured Windows Server 2019 and Hyper-V, you should think about Hyper-V backup and Windows Server backup.

Windows Server Backup with NAKIVO Backup & Replication

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is a comprehensive data protection solution that can protect physical, virtual, and cloud workloads from a single pane of glass. Its full-fledged functionality allows you to perform backup, replication, and recovery processes in a fast, effective, and reliable manner.

With Windows Server Backup from NAKIVO, you can easily back up your physical servers while ensuring the consistency of application and database data. The NAKIVO solution can protect Hyper-V virtual machines and includes many useful features. The most recent features are:

• File Share Backup. Back up files and directories shared on file servers and NAS devices as SMB and NFS shares.
• Backup to Wasabi with immutability support. You can store backups in the cloud storage that is protected against changing data by ransomware and other factors.
• Backup to Azure Blob Storage. This type of public cloud storage provided by Microsoft is reliable. Support for versioning and immutability protects your data well against accidental deletion and ransomware attacks.

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