Microsoft Machine Virtualization Roadmap Chat Transcript
Please note: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity
Chat Topic: Machine Virtualization
Date: Friday, August 26, 2005
Introduction
Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Welcome to today’s chat with Bob Muglia, senior vice president for the Windows Server division of Microsoft, and Mike Neil, product unit manager for Windows Virtualization. The chat topic for today is Microsoft’s current and future machine virtualization plans, including Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 as well as Microsoft’s plans for Windows Virtualization in the Longhorn Server wave. Chat guests should type their questions, select the “Ask the Experts” check box, and click “Send.” Those posts will go into a private queue, from which our experts will draft answers and repost questions in the upper window with their answers.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Hi. I'm Bob Muglia; I run the Windows Server division at Microsoft.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Hi, I'm Mike Neil, the Product Unit Manager for Virtualization. I'm jumping over to some of the questions in the queue...
Start of Chat
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What is the place for incorporating VS tech into Vista / Longhorn server?
A: We're not exactly incorporating VS tech into Windows. Instead, we're building a new set of virtualization services, including a hypervisor that will be a feature of Windows. Our plan to ship this as a part of the Longhorn wave - it will ship after Longhorn Server. The server implementation will come first as there are additional things which need to be done on the client.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When is Virtual Server 2005 R2 scheduled for preview, testing, or release?
A: You can find information on Virtual Server R2 beta at the following location: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/evaluation/sp1beta.mspx. The beta will say SP1, but we recently announced a name change to R2 which will not appear in the product until GA later this year.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you comment on the sales of Virtual Server thus far? And what about standard/enterprise split?
A: We don't comment on sales figures of products. You can see customer case studies on MS.com. We have 5,200 companies participating in the beta program of Virtual Server SP1.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you tell us what Microsoft's Plans are to support Hardware assisted virtualization... and when. AKA Intels' VT or AMDs Pacifica?
A: We demoed VT support as part of VS last week at Intel Developer Forum (IDF). VT and Pacifica support is planned for the next release of VS (beta in H106 and RTM in H206). The Windows Hypervisor for LHS will also use VT and Pacifica -Mike
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you elaborate on "Technical Difficulties"
A: Yes, we did not plan for this many people, so we only allocated a certain amount of resources. It's great to see so much interest in Microsoft's virtualization strategy.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is there a planned release date for preview, testing, or release for Virtual Server 2005 R2?
A: As you probably know the Virtual Server 2005 R2 program was recently renamed from Virtual Server 2005 SP1. If you are a member of Beta place for Microsoft products you can join the VS2005 beta program and start testing immediately.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When can we hope/expect to see 64-bit guest support - this is a big missing piece right now.
A: VS R2 has 64-bit hosts support and we plan to have 64-bit (and 32-bit) guest support with the Windows Hypervisor release in the Longhorn Server wave.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: I noticed that VMWare is supporting VPC images in their new product. Any comments?
A: We're glad to see VMware support VHD format. We have created a royalty free license that documents this format and can provide vmware and xensource with the rights they need to use this. VHD is important for customers because it will enable a standardized format for offline patching - something we are definitely working on.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Are there plans to improve clustering support in Virtual Server?
A: Yes! At Intel IDF two days ago we announced that we will provide support for Virtual Server Host Clustering with the release of Virtual Server R2. This will allows you to cluster Virtual Server leveraging Microsoft Cluster Services built-in to Windows Server 2003, EE and DTC Editions.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: does the current SP1 beta provide the hypervisor?
A: Windows hypervisor is available in the Longhorn Server wave. LH Server is scheduled for 2007.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are there plans to move into the ESX marketplace?
A: The Virtual Server 2005 product has some features that compete with ESX however we are aware that ESX does things that Virtual Server 2005 does not today. We will continue to make each of our products more competitive and expect to be able to compete very effectively when we add virtualization to Windows.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you ell us more about the recent decision for Windows VS 2005 R2 and why not a SP1?
A: We've added some significant capabilities to the product such as host - to - host clustering as well as guest - to - guest across hosts. Additionally, with x64 host support, and performance increases, this is a pretty substantial release for Virtual Server. We will continue to add capabilities such as support for IVT and Pacifica in a future release.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: And how about snapshotting VMs? We'd love to switch to a Warm Backup schedule using this functionality.
A: We are looking at VSS integration for backup in the next release (2006) of VS which would use snapshots.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What plans are there to support virtualization across server farms? Are there plans to support monitored process distribution and failover?
A: This is a huge area of focus for use. We have a team of people working on improvements to management for VS. Clustered failover support will be a feature of VS 2005 R2 shipping in Q4 of this year. From a management perspective, one of our clear focuses is on virtualized session placement and migration.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Currently in the Virtual Server and Virtual PC hardware like video cards is being emulated, are we going to see "virtualized" hardware? Example: if the host has a Geforce FX 5500, does the guest will have it too, instead of the default emulated one?
A: In VS/VPC we present an S3 Trio video card into the guest. We do so to provide backwards compatibility with legacy OSes. Furthermore, it allows you to move a vm from any computer to any computer such as to one without a Geforce FX 5500... :)
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: It would be really accurate that you release a Longhorn Server version that only has enabled the virtualization role, any plans for that?
A: Absolutely. We're planning to build virtualization capability and a next-generation hypervisor into Windows in the Longhorn wave. This will ship after Longhorn server.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can you elaborate on your success on Dual core support and testing with MVS?
A: Yes, it works just fine. Keep in mind that VPC/VS will take advantage of one core on a dual core processor as the VM are uniprocessor today. We will provide SMP guests in Windows virtualization.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When can we hope/expect to see 64-bit guest support - this is a big missing piece right now?
A: As you know we do have 64-ibt host support with Virtual Server 2005 R2. Because of the complexity of adding 64-bit guest support we have decided to add that when we release virtualization for Windows in the Longhorn wave of Windows products. Doing this allows us to use our resources most effectively.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are there any plans for an ESX-type offering?
A: Not exactly. ESX is a monolithic virtualization solution. The future of virtualization is in thin hypervisors with a virtualization stack built into the OS. That is what we're doing.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will Virtual Server R2 require the purchase of a new license if users aren't on an SA plan that provides the upgrade free of charge?
A: Yes, Virtual Server R2 will be available for upgrade to customers with current Software Assurance agreements at the time of GA of R2. This was a decision we really had a tough time with, but based on the feature set, including clustering (Host to Host, Guest to Guest), performance increases, x64 host support, the release naming guidelines dictate that this should be another release and not just an SP which is a rollup of bug fixes.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can we vote for Hypervisor support? If so, I vote Pacifica! It looks much more robust than VT...
A: We're supporting both Intel VT and AMD Pacifica. Each CPU-assisted virtualization has unique capabilities, and we're working with Intel and AMD to optimize Windows virtualization.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Well, then the big question to the mods is "what's the future of VS 2005?"
A: Virtual Server 2005 R2 will RTM in Q4 of this year. We announced at IDF this week that we would be doing a next version of VS in 2006 (beta H1, RTM H2) that will support VT/Pacifica as well as other features. We are also making sure that customers who invest in VS today have a smooth migration path to the Windows Hypervisor in the LHS wave as well as providing LHS support for VS.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there be improved support for clustering in the next versions of VS?
A: YES! VS 2005 R2 shipping in Q4 of this year will support host clustering.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: So can you give us an update on the major features?
A: I presume you are asking about features for Windows Virtualization. If so then a partial list of features would include the following:
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: any plans of adding support for 64 guest OS
A: x64 in the guest is something that we are looking at supporting with the Windows hypervisor, shipping in the Longhorn Server wave of products
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can we expect a big change regarding the UI in the R2 version of vs2k5, or will this remain as in the sp1 beta?
A: The UI will not change significantly with the exception of some branding changes.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Why virtualization as opposed to hardware solutions like Blade servers?
A: They're actually pretty complimentary. Blades are a great form factor for datacenters with lots of computers. Virtualization can provide increased utilization for any computer, including a blade.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there be an addition/fix so that Vista testers can run Vista Server VS2K5 without the current massive performance hit?
A: Yes. There are numerous additions that we will be releasing for Virtual Server 2005 and Virtual PC to allow them to run well with Windows Vista.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What are your plans to improve performance over Virtual PC - 2004 even with the extensions is so slow when any form of network drive access is used. IF there are no plans to improve in the short term - we will have to consider competing products.
.A: We have plans for an update to VPC around Windows Vista that will provide improved performance as well as 64-bit host support. Look for more details on this towards the end of the year.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I am aware that traditional EOL dates apply for also the corresponding virtual environments. But with virtualization there is another EOL sort of, that is in the sense that the environment is no longer provided moving forward. Yes?
A: Because Virtual Server is a Windows Server application it has an EOL date just like SQL, Exchange, etc. Virtual Server's is here: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=2961
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Why virtualization as opposed to hardware solutions like Blade servers?
A: Lower cost, greater efficiency/flexibility. At IDF this week, a Lenovo rep gave a great example for software virtualization, and the scenario was around help desk support. It costs $180 to solve that problem desk side. A software virtualization solution is much easier to deploy/manage in this instance.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you elaborate on Windows Hypervisor?
A: We disclosed some details on the Hv at WinHEC. Here is the link: http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/f/98f3fe47-dfc3-4e74-92a3-088782200fe7/TWAR05013_WinHEC05.ppt Feel free to ask specific questions.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: I see a number of issues with application ISV not doing certification or support of their application on top of virtualization platforms. This is hindering our attempts to move to VMs. How do you plan to address this industry issue?
A: This is something that we are working with partners on. Especially in the Longhorn Server wave when we ship the Windows hypervisor, ISVs will need to consider how this will affect their support, licensing, testing, and development. To set the example, Microsoft requires all server applications to run on Virtual Server as a part of the Common Engineering Criteria for Windows Server System products.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Just logged into Betaplace and don't have the option for Virtual Server 2005, how do we obtain it?
A: I'm not sure whether you mean virtual machines across hosts or clustering hosts? The answer is yes to both in VS R2.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are we going to see any integration with xen?
A: Because of the Open Source nature of Xen is it very unlikely that we would be doing anything here.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Just logged into Betaplace and don't have the option for Virtual Server 2005, how do we obtain it?
A:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/evaluation/sp1beta.mspx
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: If the virtual server r2 beta is coming out, are we the sp1 beta testers going to grandfather into the program or do I need to re-nominate
A: You're golden. Thanks for participating in the beta.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: How do you position VS against XenSource?
A: Both Xen and our future Windows virtualization support build virtualization capabilities into the OS. That is both the past (think mainframe) and future of virtualization. Xen of course, focuses on Linux support. We focus on Windows. Both virtualization systems will support heterogeneous platforms. Obviously, we'll do a better job with Windows and xen will put more focus on Linux.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can you tell us about the competitive threat from XenSource and what our current response is?
A: Everything should be here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/evaluation/sp1beta.mspx
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are there virtualization/hypervisor plans for the Vista client product or it's 'R2'
A: We will be adding virtualization to Windows Client however no product vehicle has been determined.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: what are the future plans with Virtual Server?
A: Virtual Server R2 will be RTMing by EOY. It is currently in Beta and has x64, clustering support, and performance gains. We just announced that we are working with both Intel and AMD to release a follow up to Virtual Server R2 that supports IVT and Pacifica. This will be releasing to Beta in 1H, CY 2006.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: SoftRicity mentions they have a joint project with Microsoft regarding the virtualization and remote delivery of .NET applications. Could you elaborate on that?
A: no one in the room is familiar with joint project with SoftRicity, but that doesn't mean it's not happening.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are there any plans or future possibilities of being able to patch the guest Windows OS' using the management console or console OS?
A: We are looking at technology to provide better patch management of VHD images in future versions of our System Center products.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Just logged into Betaplace and don't have the option for Virtual Server 2005, how do we obtain it?
A: Everything should be here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/evaluation/sp1beta.mspx
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will be the stuff available for after-XP professional versions?
A: restate the question. We don't understand your question.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are there any plans for a management tool (other than the existing web tool) that will allow for a more automated deployment across multiple hosts? (ie. Titan)
A: Yes. We are building management tools to allow the placement of VM's and migration. We're also enhancing SMS and MOM to treat VM's as a core part of Windows.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How about cross host clustering?
A: I'm not sure whether you mean clustering vms or clustering vs hosts, but we will provide both options with VS R2.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Sorry I didn't see this asked; will a new version of Virtual Server or VPC support USB?
A: We are looking at this feature request. Can you send me a private message with details of what types of devices you want supported?
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will MS System Center provide specific VS2K5 management/monitoring functions?
A: Yes, see my previous answer. Our initial focus will be on Windows, but we're looking at heterogeneous management support for the future.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: According to http://support.microsoft.com/?id=897614 Exchange Server 2003 will be supported running on Virtual Server. Will all Exchange configurations including a mailbox back-end server be supported or only certain functions like a front-end server?
A: Exchange will be supporting Virtual Server in the near future...
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will Microsoft support more of there applications on this release of VS?
A: Yes. We keep growing our list of supported apps. All MS server products will support VS.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you tell us what platforms will be supported in the Hypervisor release (Linux, Novell, Tiger OS x86?)
A: We will publish the interfaces for our Hypervisor and that will allow foreign operating systems to incorporate support for our hypervisor into their offerings. So while we at Microsoft won't be directly supporting these OS's any x86 or x64 based OS could add support.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will clustering of the virtual server service mean zero downtime migrations like we get from vmotion?
A: Does Virtual Server Host Clustering offer “live migration” like VMotion or is there downtime? No, Virtual Server Host Clustering does not perform a live migration, but downtime can be extremely minimal. The amount of downtime depends on two factors:1.The speed of storage2.The amount of memory assigned to a vm. As a reference: We used a relatively slow shared storage device (a single disk iSCSI configured without RAID) over 1 GB Ethernet and it took us less than 10 seconds to move a 128 MB vm from one node to another node. On a faster shared storage device such as a shared storage device using RAID and a faster controller such as FC SAN or an ultra-SCSI DAS, the results will be even faster……
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you speak to plans for centrally managing Virtual Hosts and Guests?
A: Yes. See my previous answers...
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you ell us more about the recent decision for Windows VS 2005 R2 and why not a SP1
A: There are a significant number of new features that are added to the product including clustering support, x64 which caused us to reconsider our decision in calling it an SP release. SPs should just be bug rollups.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will VS 2005 R2 still support Windows XP for non-production environments?
A: Yes.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: May I expect an integration to the "Vista" Beta test program so that I can test with R2???
A: The integration would be at the Betaplace level.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will Microsoft support more of there applications on this release of VS?
A: Yes. If you're not familiar with the Common Engineering Criteria, see here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/cer/allcriteria.mspx#ECAA. Virtual Server is on the CEC, meaning Windows Server System apps must run on top of VS when the apps RTM. There are minor exceptions when it doesn't make sense.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I hear iSCSI is now supported by VS SP1. Is that correct? Will customers be able to use any iSCSI HBA that is Windows Logoed via the iSCSI Logo program?
A: Yes, by installing the MS 2.0 client in a vm.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What about virtual SMP in post Virtual Server R2 versions?
A: We will be supporting SMP in the guests in the Windows hypervisor which will be available as part of the operating system in the Longhorn Server wave of products.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: any plans to create a product similar to VMWare Ace? Or possibly an ESX type of software that runs virtual machines on hardware without the presence of a full OS.
A: The Windows Hypervisor will be a very thin layer of software running under all OSes. Here is a link to the details: http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/f/98f3fe47-dfc3-4e74-92a3-088782200fe7/TWAR05013_WinHEC05.ppt Many of the scenarios that ACE targets can also be accomplished with VPC today. Send me a private message if there is an ACE usage scenario you think we need to cover.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: It would be really accurate that you release a Longhorn Server version that only has enabled the virtualization role, any plans for that?
A: Absolutely. We're planning to build virtualization capability and a next-generation hypervisor into Windows in the Longhorn wave. This will ship after Longhorn server. Additionally, with Longhorn's capability to define roles, you will be able to create an image that only contains the server foundation capability + virtualization support.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: when can we expect an updated Beta download on the BetaPlace website?
A: there's no planned update to Virtual Server SP1 beta. The product will RTM in Q4.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there be a MOM featurepack/upgrade/release to support the VS R2 features?
A: We are working with the MOM team to determine that. We hope to have an answer shortly.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: How is the IO support changing? Can we start to see some improvements in IO performance with R2? If so, by what factor?
A: IO performance is an important feature of our Windows Virtualization integration. The changes to IO perf would come with that release.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: We're clustering today using vbs to start/stop vm's on failover. What is the clustering support providing that we can't do today using generic resources?
A: Since I don't know what you've developed and I can't say... :) But, our host clustering script has been tested by the VM team and the clustering team and will be PSS supported...
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will you provide a tool to migrate vmware VM's to a VS host?
A: We support this today with the VSMT - Virtual Server Migration Toolkit.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Does VS support hot backups of the VMs?
A: We are looking at VSS backup integration and snapshots for the next release of VS (beta H106: RTM H206)
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can we get Virtual Server Betas for our Users Groups?
A: Yes, we would love to get more beta testers!! http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtualserver/evaluation/sp1beta.mspx will take you to betaplace where you will find the beta bits.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have a problem with VMSp1, when I insert a boot CD (I’m talking about any OS) it works only for the first time, every other time the boot CD doesn’t work.
A: That is a weird problem that I've never heard of. You should post to the betaplace newsgroup so our support folks there can drill into the problem with you.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What are the plans to improve the guest performance with VS 2005 R2? The currently available performance is not “optimal” and comparable to products like VMware GSX.
A: Virtual Server 2005 R2, to RTM in Q4, offers improved performance of guest process switching and memory intensive application. For example, we've seen 67% increase in internal TPC-C in memory tests, and 107% increase on Exchange, +25% on AD.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Regarding only supporting a trio video card - this is pretty suboptimal for Vista... can you improve support going forward?
A: Our support for video will be significantly enhanced when we release Windows virtualization for client
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: USB support?
A: We are looking at this feature request. Can you send me a private message with details of what types of devices you want supported?
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Microsoft is not currently planning to build a hypervisor or virtualization subsystem for Itanium. Most Itanium OEM's - including HP - already have virtualization capability on Itanium. We will support the Itanium version of Windows Server within OEM virtualization systems.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there be USB device support in R2?
A: It is not planned for R2, but we are looking at this feature request for future versions. Can you send me a private message with details of what types of devices you want supported?
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When will VS add support for non-windows Guest OSes like Linux, or other x68-capable OS?
A: In VS 2005 R2 which ships in Q4.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Why did MS decide to charge for SP1 when MS is discontinuing VS 2005 for Visor?
A: We are continuing to add significant value to Virtual Server and are confident that customers will be able to leverage these capabilities to help them control costs and consolidate servers. We announced this week that we will be creating a follow up release in H1 2006 which will support Intel VT and Pacifica - AMD. Furthermore, customers using Virtual Server and the .VHD file formats will have an easy transition when we deliver the Windows hypervisor.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Have you made significant improvements to the UI in R2 or are you planning to in future versions? If so, what are those improvements?
A: No, R2 has only one minor UI change in the creation of VMs. Windows virtualization will have a completely revamped UI.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Do you see VS/Longhorn hypervisor playing a role in Data Center Server consolidation?
A: Server consolidation is one of the primary scenarios we see with customers using Virtual Server today, and it will continue with Windows hypervisor.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Any plans for tape device support from within the guest?
A: Under consideration for Windows virtualization...
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: you mentioned "Guest to Guest" enhancements in R2 ... does that mean that a Guest OS would "fail over" from one host to another ... for redundancy?
A: YES
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What is the roadmap for using Itanium2 as the host machine?
A: Microsoft is not currently planning to build a hypervisor or virtualization subsystem for Itanium. Most Itanium OEM's - including HP - already have virtualization capability on Itanium. We will support the Itanium version of Windows Server within OEM virtualization systems.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is the team going to release a stable solid P2V product for Hypervisor or VS 2005? The current one is extremely complex and has too many dependency (no wizards as well)?
A: P2V is an important capability for customers looking to virtualize their environments. As part of Steve Ballmer's Microsoft Management Summit keynote, Steve mentioned that we are revving our management products to add greater support for virtualized environments as well. We don't have any significant announcements to P2V, but stay tuned...
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can you physically divide an 8-way server with 8GB ram and 8 IO channels into two 4-way servers each with 4 dedicated GB of memory and IO channels?
A: If the server supports hardware partitioning. You can't do what you're asking with any virtualization product. Yet...
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is VS2005 slower than VMWare?
A: In many cases we are as fast as or faster than VMWare GSX. Because VMWare uses a proprietary driver scheme for ESX and those drivers reside in their hypervisor they can achieve some performance that we cannot with Virtual Server. With Windows virtualization coming in the Longhorn Server Wave we will close that performance gap.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there be tools for easily migrating a physical server to a virtual server?
A: Get Virtual Server Migration toolkit from this site: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555306
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: how about a browse button in the R2 product, will we be able to browse for VHD and VMC files?
A: There are a couple of reasons. First, there’s no way within HTML to “browse” for files on a remote file server. The only “browse”-like functionality provided within a web browser is the ability to select a local file for upload. Second, there’s a good possibility that you, as a user, don’t have privileges to browse to the directory on the VS host that contains the drive image (because VS runs with different file system privileges than you may possess.) For these reasons, VS allows you to specify the directories where you commonly put your drive images. It then enumerates all of the drive images within these directories and allows you to select from among them. Same goes for ISO CD images and floppy images.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will 2005 offer the ability to select processors on multi-processor systems? How about dual core systems (essentially the same thing but slightly different)?
A: We don't have the notion of processor affinity today. Virtual Server presents a virtual Proc to the guests. There are no plans for this capability in Virtual Server.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What support for Guest OSes will there be such as Linux and/or Apple?
A: We will support heterogeneous OS's starting in the R2 release later this fall. Linux support will come first.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When & how can we get involved with the next release of VS IE post R2 & before LH hypervisor?
A: sign up for the current beta and you'll be notified of the next one. You can do this at beta place.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will 2005 offer the ability to select processors on multi-processor systems? How about dual core systems (essentially the same thing but slightly different)?
A: All of the processor scheduling algorithms are done within Virtual Server and are not exposed to the end user.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Why do you not disclose sales figures? Surely this would work your advantage?
A: we have over 5000 customers that have downloaded the Virtual Server R2 Beta. Furthermore, we have some great wins at Jack In the Box, Exelon, Allstate, etc.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will the 2005 R2 be upgradeable from the SP1 Beta? We need the hyper threading support now :)
A: They're one in the same; we just changed the name to Virtual Server 2005 R2. This name will be reflected at the time of RTM.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Does VS have any plans of using paravirtualization to enhance performance?
A: Our "paravirtualization" enhancements are part of the effort to build virtualization into Windows. That support will be available in the Longhorn Server wave of Windows.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will VPC (or some form of it) be part of the Vista product line?
A: We are building virtualization support into Windows...
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: What do you mean the VM is uniproccessor? Suppose you want to host on a 4-way dual-core platform. Will VS not take advantage of this?
A: Virtual Server will scale across a multi-processor server and take advantage of SMP all the way up to a 32 processor server. However, each virtual machine is a uni-processor vm. Think of it this way, VS running on multi-proc servers allows you to run more virtual machines, not larger ones. We'll have SMP vms in Windows virtualization.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there be a move to allow Microsoft VM’s to be controlled Via Virtual Centre and likewise VM’s via Virtual Machine Management.( Leostream does offer this capability I believe)
A: As part of Steve Ballmer's announcement at Microsoft Management Summit this year, he announced stepped up investments in managing Virtualized environments. We are focusing on VM placement and migration as capabilities in our System Center suite of products in the future.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Could you please address the IO questions?
A: Can you clarify what IO questions please?
Roberto_MS (Expert):
Q: How may I apply to the Vista beta test program?
A: The question is off topic for this chat, but let me try to answer anyway: Windows Vista is currently available to MSDN subscribers (http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/). If you are working directly with a Microsoft account manager, you can also ask them if there's any other program that you can apply for. Hope this helps
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Could we have a link that powers on the virtual machine *and* brings up the console?
A: If you click on the thumbnail and the VM is off it will turn it on.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Given that virtualization is fast becoming a standard way of implementing Windows Server, will Microsoft extend full support of their OS running in VMs from other vendors such as VMware, Xen, etc as well as VS?
A: We have no plans for "full support". There is no way for us to provide the level of testing we'd need to do in order to do this, nor do we have the expertise or access to these products. Our policies do enable customers with a premier agreement to get help from our support people and have a relationship with VMWare that allows our support groups to work together.
Roberto_MS (Expert):
Q: Where should I go or what should I do to apply to the Vista Test??
A: The question is off topic for this chat, but let me try to answer anyway: Windows Vista is currently available to MSDN subscribers (http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/)
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there still be a release of VS2005 SP1 to address any of the bugs that still exist with VS2005, or is that platform effectively EOL now without going to R2?
A: The SP1 beta addresses many of the known bugs within VS2005. You're correct that the upgrade path is to Virtual Server 2005 R2.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Where can I find out more about HyperVision, about ActiveX COM/DCOM model in VS?
A: Virtual Server COM is completely documented and included in the product since day one. Go to the start menu and look for Virtual Server Programmer's Guide in the Virtual Server Program Group. It's also fully documented online at MSDN...
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Any plans for IA64 support?
A: There are no plans for porting Virtual Server 2005 to IA64 at this time.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Any planned management deployment tools?
A: Yes. We're working on tools to enable VM placement and migration.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: I Use the "Remote Desktops" UI, to access all of my VS servers. If I could make a suggestion, I would say incorporating this UI into the VS UI
A: We are planning Remote Desktop/RDP UI integration for the Windows Hypervisor.
Roberto_MS (Expert):
Q: Would include the following: WHAT?
A: In case this refers to a partial answer, can you please repost the question, so that we can address it? If already answered, please ignore this comment
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: why has it taken so long to upgrade virtual pc 2004 - if we have to wait another 9 months - it seems better to use the competition rather than loose developer productivity... It seems a patch to improve the performance nearer the competition is overdue.
A: Send me a private with where you are seeing perf issues. We are planning an upgrade for next year that will have perf improvements.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Any chance to create virtual machine as virtual desktop and switch between in future (with alt+tab, buttons)?
A: You can actually do this today by running Virtual PC in full screen mode or with Virtual Server, use the VMRC client (not the web page) and run that in full screen mode.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is MS planning to rewrite VSMT tools to be wizard based without PXE requirements?
A: We are working on building virtualization management tools into our System Center suite of products. This is an important capability that we would like to enable for our customers looking to virtualize their environments.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: But what about getting longhorn server can I test that now and if so where?
A: Windows Server Longhorn beta 1 is a private beta, really just for OEM, IHV and ISV partners. Beta 2 will be public, and is scheduled to be available by end of 2005.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: speaking about OS architecture, Windows Hypervisor is a windows service, a kernel driver or both?
A: The Windows Hypervisor is code that sits at the lowest level of the host operating system and abstracts and controls access to the hardware for multiple guest operating systems. Those guest operating systems don't have a hypervisor as part of their instantiation.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: what are the plans for licensing R2 to existing vs2k5 users? Will it be part of SA like windows server 2k3 R2?
A: Active Software Assurance customers will have the ability to upgrade to Virtual Server R2, similar to Windows Server 2K3 R2.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: from a developer perspective, R2 and upcoming versions will feature managed APIS compatible with the .net framework 2.0 for management, extension development, etc?
A: Virtual Server includes a fully documented COM API in the form of the VS Programmer's Guide. It's also available online through MSDN.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Do you know how can I get into beta testing Longhorn and Longhorn Server?
A: Windows Vista (client) beta is open to the public and not a focus of this chat. Windows Server "Longhorn" beta 2 will be public, and is scheduled to be out by end of year.
Roberto_MS (Expert):
Q: You already did answer the IO questions. Sorry.
A: Is this a virtualization related question? If not, this chat is focused only on virtualization, please refer to the support section of the Microsoft website. If it's a virtualization question, can you please clarify it?
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will it be possible to run in future versions of VPC/VS Windows Vista with hardware accelerated DWM?
A: We are working with the graphics system vendors to add virtualization support so that we can take advantage of hardware accelerations from multiple virtual machines.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Sun's approach with Solaris 10 and its "Containers" feature is very interesting for us as costs are essentially predicated on operating system instances. Are there any MS plans in this area?
A: We're definitely looking at this. Containers are quite different from virtualization because they don't require an entire OS to be virtualized. Thus the usage scenarios are pretty different. Containers can't help with compatibility issues from older DOS’s but they can very effective in providing a separate environment that allows multiple apps to run within an OS without interfering with each other. This is not a feature of Longhorn but we're considering it for the future.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: are there any client side implications of virtualization?
A: Sorry, but I don't really understand the question. Could you elaborate? Thanks!
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When will VS add support for non-windows Guest OSes like Linux, or other x68-capable OS?
A: We are working on providing support for some Linux distro's with a beta program that should enter beta at the end of this year.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are there any new or planned changes with physical to virtual migration or vice versa?
A: We are working on improving our management tools for virtualization and improving P2V migration is high on the list.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Is there planned integration with the "manage your server" interface like most new features with Windows 2003 R2?
A: With Windows virtualization you can expect something like this...
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will future releases support dynamically moving VMs between hosts similar to VMWare's VMotion?
A: Live migration capabilities are being considered for the windows hypervisor in the Longhorn Server wave. We've also done some great things with Host to host and guest to guest across hosts which will provide significantly better high availability. For example, customers can use this clustering / failover to support patching and hardware maintenance activities while still providing high availability for the app.
Roberto_MS (Expert):
Q: How can we Beta test Other Products...Like Vista etc?? Or may be the new upcoming ones?
A: The question is off topic for this chat, but let me try to answer anyway: Windows Vista is currently available to MSDN subscribers (http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/). Usually MSDN is a good way to get betas and timely information on new products
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will the Hypervisor be a thin hardware abstraction layer, a bit like a multi-threading/multi-processor HAL?
A: Hypervisor is a very thin layer of software, much smaller Trusted Computing Base (TCB). There’s no built-in driver model, as it leverages the large base of Windows drivers. Hypervisor will have a well-defined, published interface so others can create support for their OS’s as guests. The hardware virtualization assists (Intel VT and AMD Pacifica) are required.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you add any info to the talk of a “Minimal OS" that will be used in future VM versions using the Hardware/CPU Support?
A: Sure. Longhorn has a "server foundation" that has a minimal footprint and allows a set of roles - like AD, file, DHCP, and DNS to run on it. When virtualization is built into Windows (shortly after Longhorn server ships), the virtualization stack that manages virtualization sessions will run on the server foundation.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will the Hypervisor be a thin hardware abstraction layer, a bit like a multi-threading/multi-processor HAL?
A: The Hypervisor will be a very thin layer of software that will be responsible for abstracting the hardware, creating partitions, enforcing memory access rules, enforcing CPU usage policies, and enforcing device access rules.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: is VS R2 going to support Windows Vista Image files?
A: We won’t directly use WIM as a read/write format as there are performance issues with this (it was designed as an image archive format, not a runtime format). VHD will be our primary format with tools to convert.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you explain or point to a link that explains how driver support works inside the hypervisor? I see on the slides it says that drivers run in a partition?
A: Hypervisor is a very thin layer of software. There’s no built-in driver model, as it leverages the large base of Windows drivers. Hypervisor will have a well-defined, published interface so others can create support for their OS’s as guests. The hardware virtualization assists (Intel VT and AMD Pacifica) are required.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will VS support boot from SAN? e.g., can it boot remotely from a network disk over iSCSI/FC?
A: VS does today. Place your vhds on SAN/iSCSI/NAS/DAS/Firewire/USB drives. As long as the host OS can see a filesystem, VS can use it.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
We are working on licensing of servers in virtual machines. Stay tuned...
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: When will we see Itanium support to compete against RISC environments like LPAR's/micropartitions?
A: There are currently no plans to provide Windows virtualization for Itanium. This would require a complete rewrite of the product.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Jeff - Followup Question to "Guest 2 Guest" for redundancy - how will the VHD's get from one host to the other?
A: Clustering requires shared storage in the form of SAN, iSCSI or direct attached storage.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When can we get copy and paste from the remote client?
A: You can copy and paste with RDP today. We do plan to support this in the Windows Hypervisor UI.
Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Sorry, I got here late. I see mention of slide deck. Is it posted somewhere?
A: Slide deck is at http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/f/98f3fe47-dfc3-4e74-92a3-088782200fe7/TWAR05013_WinHEC05.ppt
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will there be a full (not just beta) SP1 strictly for bug fixes for Virtual Server 2005 at some point?
A: There is no critical security or bug fixes that are have been identified as needing to be fixed. If one is found, we will release those changes as a bug fix.
Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: is this chat under NDA???
A: Not at all. It would have been password protected if it were.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Follow-up question for Bob on support - Could the other virtualization companies certify much like a hardware manufacturer does in the HCL...call it the "CL". I don't see a difference between you including a self-certified HW server and a 3rd Party VM.
A: Not in any reasonable way. We put 10's of thousands of person hours into testing our systems on both Intel and AMD hardware. It isn't reasonable to do this sort of effort on multiple virtualization systems.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Cut and paste, drag and drop. When please?
A: You can copy and paste with RDP today. We do plan cut and paste support this in the Windows Hypervisor UI.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will Longhorn Server include VS function or will VS always be extra cost?
A: We plan to ship the Windows hypervisor as part of the Windows Server "Longhorn" platform, either in an OS release or as an OS service pack or update. Just like with mainframe world, we believe virtualization is a function of the platform.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What does the Secure Startup feature have to do with Virtualization?
A: Secure startup can be used to ensure that whatever loads first, in the case of virtualization the hypervisor, is what you expect and is trusted by you.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can we run VS over a network NAS?
A: Yes, but your perf may not be great depending on network traffic... If you do this, try to create a switched network independent of people browsing the web... Use Gb as well.
Bob Muglia_MSFT (Expert):
Thanks for all the great questions! Gotta run...
Roberto_MS (Expert):
Q: how do I get programs that are in the task manager to not start up when I start windows? There are about 30 - 40 programs running and I know that that is not right. What can I do please help.
A: This doesn't seem to be a virtualization question. If it's a generic question, it's off topic, and I suggest looking in the support section of the Microsoft website. If it's a virtualization question, can you please clarify it?
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Jeff Woolsey - you said that "However, each virtual machine is a uni-processor vm" ... but that changes in R2, right?
A: No, in Windows virtualization.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: jamesni - you did not really answer the question = why not just give VS away to Server customers NOW??
A: Software Assurance is the mechanism for getting upgrades to Microsoft products.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: The hypervisor ppt says that usb devices will be capable of being assigned to a partition. Is this going to be implemented in vs 2005 r2 or the 2006 release as well?
A: Not currently planned for VS, but we are always listening for feature requests.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Jeff, and ccNUMA support too eh? Not just SMP?
A: I'm not sure if you're talking about NUMA host support or guest so I'll answer both...
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: The hypervisor ppt says that usb devices will be capable of being assigned to a partition. is this going to be implemented in vs 2005 r2 or the 2006 release as well?
A: No, this will be a feature of Windows virtualization.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you explain or point to a link that explains how driver support works inside the hypervisor? I see on the slides it says that drivers run in a partition?
A: Hypervisor is a very thin layer of software. There’s no built-in driver model, as it leverages the large base of Windows drivers. Hypervisor will have a well-defined, published interface so others can create support for their OS’s as guests. The hardware virtualization assists (Intel VT and AMD Pacifica) are required.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Sorry but I am going to ask again: What about copy and paste? We need it…
A: You can copy and paste with RDP today. We do plan cut and paste support this in the Windows Hypervisor UI.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What does the R2 decision mean to Virtual Server 2005 (RTM) customers? Will they not receive -any- updates?
A: Customers on Software Assurance will receive an upgrade to Virtual Server R2. We will also release any critical bugs or security fixes, but at this point none have been found.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Jeff, and ccNUMA support too eh? Not just SMP?
A: On the host, Virtual Server does things to ensure NUMA locality to provide good perf. On the guest, we don't anything for NUMA today, but we will in the future when we support large multi proc guests.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When will VS support audio for XP or Vista?
A: We don't plan audio support for VS, but we do have it in VPC (our client product). Can you send me a private with a server usage that requires audio?
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Support for boot from SAN?
A: VS can do this today. Place a vhd on a storage that can be accessed by the host SAN/iSCSI/Direct Attached Storage/Firewire disk/USB, etc. It just works.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Jut for clarification, will SP1 (called SP1 or otherwise) be free for those who have Virtual Server, or will we have to pay for the bugfixes and improvements?
A: This release (R2) will be available for free upgrade to customers under Software Assurance. We’ve added some significant features to this release such as clustering, x64. Any critical bugs or security issues will be addressed and available for free, but at this time we have not identified any.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you provide a list of the changes planned for this version of VS?
A: With Virtual Server 2005 R2 customers will see improved performance, availability, and scalability in order to increase operational efficiency in server consolidation, application re-hosting, disaster recovery, and software test and development. Some of the new features include:•Performance improvements: Greater performance for virtual machines running memory intensive applications •Increased Scalability: 64-bit support (x64 only) allows more virtual machines per host, further increasing hardware utilization.•Higher Availability: Virtual machine clustering: Support for iSCSI allows clustering virtual machines across hosts•Manageability enhancements: PXE booting integrates virtual machines into deployment infrastructure•Expand support for 3rd party guest OSes to include Linux
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Did you provide a RTM date for R2?
A: We don't have firm release date at this time however we are targeting the middle of q4-05 for RTM.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Fiber Channel support?
A: No direct support for Fiber channel, but you can certainly place a vhd on a SAN attached via fiber and it just works...
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Can you hook WinDbg to a named pipe from a com port in a VPC?
A: Yes.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: I heard rumors of a VPC express. Any truth to this?
A: nothing to announce today. We're committed to further development of VPC.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Given that more and more organizations are running systems with VS, are there going to changes to licensing for server products to reflect this or do you consider running a VS the same as running it on a clean (non-VS) box?
A: We are evaluating the impacts to licensing which virtualized environments create. We hope to have news in the future.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Does the released bits for SP1 load over the beta or is it a reload of the system?
A: Simple upgrade.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Any plans to improve snapshot management in Virtual Server?
A: Yes in Windows virtualization.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: How about a project type in VS.Net C# for a VS application?
A: See the Virtual Server Programmer's Guide included with VS
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I have been transferring Xcell pie charts to my Word document. The file ended up being 80 MB because the charts were linked. When I copied as a picture, the quality was not very good. Is there any other way to have quality w/o being linked?
A: I'd check the Office site or call PSS.
Patrick_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Bobmu: given that you are giving VS away to SA cu's , will be giving it away with Longhorn - why not just give it away now? You'd eat VMware's lunch in the mid range, and prepare your client base for the next phase.
A: Bob had to leave at top of the hour, so I'll answer for him. We expanding distribution of VS to other channels to make sure every Windows Server customer can get VS. Stay tuned.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: I mean will WIM files be supported as an alternative to ISO images?
A: Can't say for sure.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you use VS to essentially Ghost a live NT4, W2k, etc OS? Is there any way to use VS to capture an OS that is already in use?
A: we have released a free tool called Virtual Server migration Toolkit (VSMT) which is available to all customers. This will help you convert your existing OSes running on a host into virtual machines. This tool relies on ADS and will convert NT, Win2K, Win2K3.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is it, or will it be, possible to create a headless secure partition using VS?
A: Because the COM port used for the headless operation would be virtualized and the physical device shared, it would be very difficult to implement this.
Jeff Woolsey [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Do you plan to provide cheap/limited/whatever else version of VS for the professional versions of Windows? That developers can test their applications without rebooting
A: Sorry, but I don't understand the question...
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Bob on Support - I disagree. The virtualization layer presented to the OS stays very much the same where as the hardware you test varies greatly. In the future, a virtualization layer whether MS or not will be common. Doesn't MS need to prepare for that?
A: There are many virtualizations solutions in the market today with many different versions (VMware Workstation, GSX, ESX, Xen, QEMU, etc...). With VT and Pacifica entering the market, there will be a proliferation of these solutions (variations of Xen, etc). All of these versions would need to be tested and qualified with Windows and Microsoft’s applications to be supported. This is one of the reasons MS is providing a Windows Hypervisor that is tested and supported.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Virtual Server 2005 Service pack 1 did improve performance and add the precompacting ability that service pack 1 for VPC did. Why are you charging for those improvements with VS when you didn't for VPC?
A: We also added x64, clustering, PXE boot capabilities. Much like Windows Server x64, when we have major revs, we name them major releases as opposes to SPs which really should be just a rollup of a lot of bug fixes.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Any plans to put any kind of DRM on virtual machines for the purposes of distributing demo / test environments and locking execution to specific machines / using certificates / etc?
A: Not currently planned, but something we are looking at.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Multiple desktop environments (including differing security marked desktops and desktops for customer and service provider) on the same physical hardware. What measures are being taken to ensure absolute separation of the virtual instances
?A: The answer depends on which product offering you are asking about. With Windows virtualization memory access rules are enforced by the hypervisor and since it owns the hardware it is very secure.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Q: JamesNi - As we have seen time and time again, first with XPSP2 then with 2003 SP1, every Windows version requires new Additions. So far, the 2003 SP1 additions are pretty well overdue
A: The additions need to be updated for each OS release because they are very OS dependant. VT/Pacifica will help with this in the future. We have WS2003 SP1 additions in the current VS 2005 SP1 beta.
JamesNi_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Why was Virtual Server removed from MSDN Universal downloads?
A: Rights to Virtual Server are currently not granted under the MSDN license. When we posted to Universal downloads, it was a one-time offer so that customers could leverage the capabilities in their test/dev environments.
MarkKie_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is there better future integration between VS and WRSM? I mean, for better server resources distribution...
A: Unfortunately I don't have insight into WRSM's plans.
Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Thank you for joining us today to chat with Bob Muglia and Mike Neil about Windows virtualization. Please join us on September 21 at 10a (PDT) for a chat about Terminal Services.
MikeNeil_MSFT (Expert):
Gotta run! Thanks for all the great questions!!!
