Microsoft Virtual Server Interview Preparation Guide

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The benefits that are involved in virtual server host clustering are as follows:
• Server consolidation: allow virtual servers to consolidate multiple servers into one that will be easy to track and maintain virtual machines at one server together.
• Increased availability: virtual server host clustering increases the availability of consolidated server due to which if any failure occurs then another server can take up the job that is being served by the first server. The effect of failure is kept to minimum by providing risk management systems.

• Host clustering keeps the physical host as cluster node and if host stops performing then the processes can be given to another host to run, whereas guest clustering keeps the guest as cluster node and if guest stops working then it will fail all other guest that are connected with it.

• Host clustering protects from failure of the computer that is crashed, whereas guest clustering doesn't provide protection from failure.

• Host clustering protects system from failure due to the fact that guests are configured as clustered resource group and I consists of generic script resource, whereas standard clustering provide automatic checks to discover the cause of the failure and recover from it.

• Host clustering doesn't monitor the cluster services, whereas standard clustering monitors the failure.

To secure Microsoft the virtual server the steps that are required are as follows:
• The configuration file of virtual server services has to be secured
• Individual files that contains the configuration files and resources that are associated with the virtual server has to be secured
• IIS (Internet information services) has to be secured with the administration website to secure the virtual platform and the virtual machines.
• Virtual server is configured securely such as the security breaches are lower in number as it only allows those members that are directly associated with the local administrators. The permissions are given to those who are associated with it. Virtual network configuration file has to be secured to save the further transmission over the web and between different systems.

Microsoft Virtual server includes the following features:
• It includes the support for Linux guest operating system.
• It includes Virtual Disk pre-compactor tool that prepares the disk for compacting.
• It includes SMP (Symmetric multiprocessing) for the host operating system.
• It includes the mounting feature for virtual hard drives on host operating system that enables backups to be taken.
• It includes the tool to mount VHD images.

Microsoft virtual server provides virtualization platform that allows the creation of virtual machine using a windows operating system. It is developed by Connectix. This platform provides the provision to create and manage the virtual machines using IIS web based interface that keeps all the settings and configuration at one place. It also allows the management of network configuration for communicating with host operating system or other guest operating systems.

The limitations of Microsoft Virtual server includes:
• It doesn't support 64 bit processors and can't run 64 bit guests.
• It uses SMP but doesn't have virtualization in it.
• It has limitation for guest users to use not more than one CPU.
• It decreases the performance of the system as the instruction set also get virtualized which increases the overhead on the application.
• It has very limited interaction with the host hardware.

Hyper-V server is a hypervisor that doesn't require any other operating system to run on. It is a good platform for organizations that needs one consolidated single server. This is used where the infrastructure work load is not high. It provides host clustering to produce high availability for virtual machines. Hyper-V server provides added functionalities like managing, creating and distributing the virtual machines. It provides flexible and cost effective solutions for enterprise organizations.

Remote site virtualization provides server virtualization and need for remote management for the virtual machines. It is provided due to limited resources that might not exist. The main challenge is to apply the server consolidations. Each server is using dedicative service functions and small servers and not using multiple servers. If single server approach is being given then there will be less power requirements, space requirements and only one server to manage and backup that will make it prone to fail and reduce the efficiency.

To create a virtual network virtual machines are required that has to be configured for the accessing. Virtual network is supported by virtual server to connect many virtual machines that can be shared with many computers in the network. Virtual network require network adapter to be configured and installed to a physical computer, this way any computer can access the resources from any other computer. Virtual server uses DHCP server to dynamically assign the IP address to the computer systems so that they can connect with other systems. Virtual server in this case has virtual DHCP that allows system to be uniquely identified.
Multiple Virtual network can be configured on a single network adapter by creating and associating the virtual network with a network adapter. After the steps virtual machines can be added to the virtual network of host operating system.