Windows Server 2016 TP4 – Hyper-v Runtime Memory Resize
Anthony and I have been on the road lately delivering IT camps on Windows Server 2016. The conversations have been fantastic. We can really feel the enthusiasms of the attendees. As a matter of fact, my session today was standing room only.
Because of the interest that the CANITPRO audience has expressed for all things Windows Server 2016. We will be starting very shortly a video series focusing on it
For today let’s look at a new capability in Hyper-V that allows you to resize VM memory without shutting down the virtual machine. And no I’m not referring to dynamic memory. The question is really, why would anyone use memory resize instead of enabling dynamic memory. Dynamic memory already automatically manages the memory to meet only the virtual machine's needs. Hyper-V memory configurations are used in different scenarios.
You can also adjust the amount of memory assigned to a virtual machine while it's running, even if you haven’t enabled Dynamic Memory. This works for both generation 1 and generation 2 virtual machines.
Here are a few things to remember:
- Runtime memory resize is only supported for Windows 10 and Windows Server Technical Preview
- If more memory is added than is available on the system, Hyper-V will add as much memory as it can and display an error dialogue.
- I you try to assign le memory that the VM currently requires, Hyper-V will remove as much memory as it can and display an error dialogue. However, when you expand the error message, you will notice that it tells you that is was partially completed.
Virtual Machine Settings
To adjust the memory in a running VM (without dynamic memory enabled), first open virtual machine settings. Enter the desired amount of memory in the “Startup RAM” field.
That’s it! This covers Runtime Memory resize in Hyper-v on Windows Server 2016 TP4.
I hope this helps.
Cheers!
Pierre Roman
@pierreroman