CentOS now have official support as guest VM in Hyper-V

May 18, 2011 2 Comments

Effective immediately, Microsoft will support Windows Server2008 R2 Hyper-V to run CentOS.

CentOS is a popular Linux distribution for Hosters, and this was the number one requirement for interoperability that we heard from that community.

This development will enable MS Hosting partners to consolidate their mixed Windows + Linux infrastructure on Windows Server Hyper-V; reducing cost and complexity, while betting on an enterprise class virtualization platform. .

How will support work?
Call Microsoft CSS. Support will cover installation issues as well as configuration issues.

What version of the Linux Integration Services support CentOS?

The existing Hyper-V Linux Integration Services for Linux Version 2.1 support CentOS. The following features are included in the Hyper-V Linux Integration Services 2.1 release:

· Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP) Support: Supported Linux distributions can use up to 4 virtual processors (VP) per virtual machine.

· Driver support for synthetic devices: Linux Integration Services supports the synthetic network controller and the synthetic storage controller that were developed specifically for Hyper-V.

· Fastpath Boot Support for Hyper-V: Boot devices take advantage of the block Virtualization Service Client (VSC) to provide enhanced performance.

· Timesync: The clock inside the virtual machine will remain synchronized with the clock on the host.

· Integrated Shutdown: Virtual machines running Linux can be gracefully shut down from either Hyper-V Manager or System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

· Heartbeat: Allows the host to detect whether the guest is running and responsive.

· Pluggable Time Source: A pluggable clock source module is included to provide a more accurate time source to the guest.

The Linux Integration Services are available via the Microsoft Download Center here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=eee39325-898b-4522-9b4c-f4b5b9b64551

From Wikipedia:

CentOS is a community-supported, mainly free software operating system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It exists to provide a free enterprise class computing platform and strives to maintain 100% binary compatibility with its upstream distribution. CentOS stands for Community ENTerprise Operating System.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is available only through a paid subscription service that provides access to software updates and varying levels of technical support. The product is largely composed of software packages distributed under either an open source or a free software license and the source code for these packages is made public by Red Hat.

CentOS developers use Red Hat’s source code to create a final product very similar to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Red Hat’s branding and logos are changed because Red Hat does not allow them to be redistributed.

CentOS is available free of charge. Technical support is primarily provided by the community via official mailing lists, web forums, and chat rooms. The project is not affiliated with Red Hat and thus receives no financial or logistical support from the company; instead, the CentOS Project relies on donations from users and organizational sponsors.

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Filed under Microsoft, Virtualization Tagged with CentOS, Clould, Desktop Virtualisation, Hyper-V, Links to Virtualisation, Linux, Management, Private Cloud, Virtualisation, Windows 2008R2 SP1, Windows Server® 2008 R2

About Alessandro Cardoso
Virtualization and Management passionate. I have over 20 years IT industry experience in roles that span from application developer through Network Manager, Network Security, System Engineer and Technical Consultant. I have expertise in a variety of Microsoft Technologies, VMware and Linux Infrastructure technologies and a historic of successful managed large scenarios in IT, Health and Government industries. Microsoft System Engineer since 2003, in 2007 I was selected as Microsoft Technet Brasil IT Hero. In 2008 I awarded the Microsoft IT Heroes Happen in Los Angeles, USA and my history is on the Heroes Happen Here Book. Further, my virtualization project for a Governmental Institution in Brazil was selected as Bussiness Case by Microsoft. I am also a recognized speaker in IT events (e.g. Microsoft TechEd 2007 and 2008), in 2009 I awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional in Virtual Machine, due to expertise in Virtualization and work with communities groups, renewing in 2010. Certifications : Australian Computer Society Certified Professional, MCT, MCSE:Security, MCSA, MCITP, MCTS:SQL, MCTS:SharePoint, Linux and Modulo Security Certifications.