How to Install Windows Server 2016 and Hyper-V on the Vault

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Overview

Windows Server 2016 is a server operating system developed concurrently with Windows 10. Hyper-V Server 2016 is a native hypervisor that can create virtual machines. It is included with Windows Server and some Windows client operating systems. Supported guest operating systems of Hyper-V can be found at this link. Hardware requirements for Hyper-V on Windows Server 2016 can be found at this link.  Our test installation used 8 GB of RAM and 128G of mSATA storage on an FW6A model of the Vault. There is a scaled down version of Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2016 without a Graphical User Interface (GUI). That has not been successfully installed on the Vault apparently due to lack of support for the Ethernet drivers.

To install a fresh instance of Windows Server 2016 and Hyper-V onto the Vault, there is a relatively straight forward process that is very similar to installing any operating system onto any computer.

  1. Obtain the installation image
  2. Download software to transfer the installation image to a USB drive
  3. Install the new image

Obtain the Installation Image

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2016 can be downloaded from the Microsoft Evaluation Center at this link.  Scroll down and select Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2016.

vault windows server

Download Windows Server 2016

Fill out the forms and follow the prompts to download the installation image.

Verify the download begins and when it is completed you should have an ISO file. An example file used for this test installation is:

14393.0.161119-1705.RS1_REFRESH_SERVER_EVAL_X64FRE_EN-US.ISO

that is ~6GB in size.

Download software to transfer the installation image to a USB drive

There are multiple applications to transfer the installation image to a USB drive. Protectli recommends “Rufus” for Windows and “balenaEtcher” for the Mac. See this link for  detailed instructions on how to create a bootable USB drive using Rufus or balenaEtcher.

Install the new image

Once the installation image is properly copied to the USB drive, it is ready to be installed on the Vault.

  • Verify that the Vault is powered down.
  • Verify that the VGA monitor or serial console is connected.
  • Verify that an ethernet cable is plugged into the “WAN” port and is connected to a DHCP enabled switch.
  • Verify that the USB keyboard is plugged in.
  • Insert the USB install drive into the another USB port on the Vault.
  • While powering up the Vault, press “F11” key and hold it down until it boots to the BIOS and you see the boot options screen.
  • Select the USB drive to boot from.
  • If prompted, hit any key to boot from the USB.
  • Verify that the installation begins.
  • Follow the prompts to do the installation.
  • When prompted for the Operating System, select “Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience)”
  • Verify the installation completes, the system reboots and a prompt appears to change the user password.
  • Type in a new password for the Administrator (use TAB to select “Reenter Password”)
  • Verify the login screen appears
  • Login with the new password for the Administrator
  • Verify the Server Manager Dashboard is displayed

vault windows server manager dashboard

Server Manager Dashboard

Server 2016 software has been successfully installed, but it may require device drivers to be installed. See this link to determine if device drivers are needed and how to install them.

Enable Hyper-V

Hyper-V is included in the Server 2016 distribution but it is not enabled by default. To enable Hyper-V:

  • Select the Windows icon in the lower left corner and type “Turn Windows features on or off”
  • Select the entry
  • Verify the “Add Roles and Features” Wizard window is displayed

vault windows setup wizard

Wizard

  • Follow the prompts and accept the defaults
  • When prompted for “Server Roles”, select “Hyper-V”
  • Verify Hyper-V Tools window is displayed

vault hyper-v

Hyper-V Add Window

  • Select “Add Features”
  • Continue the installation wizard and accept the defaults
  • At the Virtual Switch page, select an Ethernet port for the Hyper-V virtual switch. Note only active ports will be displayed in this window.

vault hyper-v virtual switches

Hyper-V Virtual Switch 

  • Continue with the install wizard and confirm the installation selections

Hyper-V Virtual Switch 

Confirm Installation Selections

  • Verify the Installation begins

Hyper-V installation

Hyper-V Installation

  • Verify the installation is complete when the “restart pending” message is displayed

vault Hyper-V Installation

Restart Pending

  • Restart the system
  • Verify the system reboots and login

Launch and Configure Hyper-V

  • Verify the Server Manager Dashboard is displayed
  • Select Tools in the upper right hand corner of the Dashboard
  • Select Hyper-V from the drop down menu
  • Verify the Hyper-V Manager window is displayed

vault hyper-v manager

Hyper-V Manager

  • Select the local machine (WIN-XXX)
  • Verify this VM is displayed

hyper-v manager

Local VM

Add another Virtual Machine (VM)

  • Select “New” in the top right corner of the Hyper-V manager and select “Virtual Machine” from the drop down list
  • Verify the VM Wizard window is displayed

vault hyper-v add virtual machine

VM Wizard

  • Select “Finish” in this example to accept the default configuration and let wizard create a new VM
  • Verify a New VM is created

vault hyper-v vm wizard

New Virtual Machine

At this point Windows Server 2016 and Hyper-V have been installed and initially configured.

If you have any question, feel free to reach out to us at support@protectli.com, or find more information in our Knowledge Base.

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