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Hyper-V Linux Support

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We’re pleased to announce the release of the Linux Integration Services (LIS) 3.4 release for Hyper-V. As you can imagine with our focus on the release of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, the LIS 3.4 release mirrors that focus. Specifically, the Linux Integration Services 3.4 Release for Hyper-V adds support for the following hosts:

  • Windows
    8 Hyper-V
  • Windows
    Server 2012 Hyper-V
  • Microsoft
    Hyper-V Server 2012

In addition, the Linux Integration Services 3.4 Release for Hyper-V adds support for the
following guest operating systems:

  • RHEL
    5.7 (x86 and x64)
  • RHEL
    5.8 (x86 and x64)
  • RHEL
    6.3 (x86 and x64)
  • CentOS
    5.7 (x86 and x64)
  • CentOS
    5.8 (x86 and x64)
  • CentOS
    6.3 (x86 and x64)

 

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Linux Integration Services

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When installed in a supported Linux virtual machine running on Hyper-V, the Linux Integration
Components provide:

  1. Driver support: Linux Integration Services supports the network controller and the IDE and SCSI storage controllers that were developed specifically for Hyper-V.
  2. Fastpath Boot Support for Hyper-V: Boot devices now take advantage of the block Virtualization Service Client (VSC) to provide enhanced performance.
  3. Timesync: The clock inside the virtual machine will remain accurate by synchronizing to the clock on the virtualization server via Timesync service, and with the help of the pluggable time source device.
  4. Integrated Shutdown: Virtual machines running Linux can be shut down from either Hyper-V Manager or System Center Virtual Machine Manager by using the “Shut down” command.
  5. Heartbeat: This feature allows the Hyper-V to detect whether the virtual machine is running and responsive.
  6. Key Value Pair (KVP) Exchange: Information about the running Linux virtual machine can be obtained by using the Key Value Pair exchange functionality on the Hyper-V host.
  7. Integrated Mouse Support: Linux Integration Services provides full mouse support for Linux guest virtual machines.

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FAQ

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Q: Do Linux Integration Service 3.4 Release support Red Hat 5 or CentOS 5?

A: Customers needing drivers for Red Hat or CentOS version 5.6 and earlier should continue to use the Linux Integration Services 2.1 here.

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Q: Are the Linux Integration Services supported by Microsoft?

A: Yes, the LIS drivers are fully supported by Microsoft.                                                                                                         

Q: My customer wants to know what kind of investments Microsoft has made to running Linux well within a Hyper-V VM. Has Microsoft exited the staging tree of the kernel? How does Microsoft compare to VMware?

A: Microsoft has made significant investments in interoperability to ensure that Linux runs well within a Hyper-V VM. The Linux Integration Services exited the staging tree with the Linux Integration Services 3.3 release on February 13th 2012. It should also be noted that from February 2011-2012, Microsoft submitted over 600 patches to the Linux kernel and was one of the top 20 contributors (#7 for the Linux 3.0 kernel and #19 for the Linux 3.2 kernel). To contrast this with VMware, they are not even on the list. For more information, see the attachment produced by the Linux Foundation themselves, who are the core developers and maintainers of the Linux kernel (Linus’ team).

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Q: Do the Linux Integration Services function on Windows Azure?

A: Yes. If you create a VM on Windows Azure using any of Linux distributions offered such as:

  • SUSE
    Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP2
  • OpenSUSE
    12.01
  • CentOS
    6.2
  • Canonical
    Ubuntu 12.04

…these VMs uses the Linux Integration Services for improved performance and integration. For more on the launch of Linux on Windows Azure see this article on Network World.

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Q: Where is the official list of supported guest operating systems for Hyper-V?

A: It is here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794868(v=WS.10).aspx

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Q: A new Linux distribution version <insert distribution and version here> was released 10 minutes ago and I don’t see it on the list of the supported guest operating systems for Hyper-V. What’s going on?

A: Microsoft tests and validates a huge matrix consisting of hosts and guest operating systems. Please be patient.

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Q: Does Ubuntu work with Hyper-V?

A: Ubuntu 12.04 and later include the Linux Integration Services for Hyper-V in the distribution. Users can simply install Ubuntu 12.04 and it just works.

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Windows Server 2012: The Definitive Cloud OS

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