VPS on Hyper-V: pros and cons

Learning more about Hyper-V

Hyper-V virtualization technology is used to provide multiple operating systems running in parallel on a single dedicated server or computer. The platform is developed by Microsoft, and it's included in the standard toolset of various versions of Windows Server from 2008 as well as enterprise versions of Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Hyper-V hardware virtualization platform is widely used by hosting providers around the world, as it allows them to organize reliable and fault-tolerant virtual servers for various purposes. The most common three scenarios of using the technology:

1. Organizing multiple VPSs or VPSs based on a single physical server.
2. Virtualization of remote desktops.
3. Testing new software in a "sandbox" environment.

It is worth emphasizing that virtualized systems have significant limitations in terms of access to hardware - in particular, they cannot control CPU interruptions. Signals from software or hardware are controlled by the hypervisor itself, and it redirects them to the appropriate sections with the help of an artificial interrupt controller - SynIC. At the same time, unlike the server hypervisor, Hyper-V provides client systems access to sleep and hibernation modes.

An important advantage of virtualization with the Hyper-V hypervisor is that the platforms created will not affect each other. Each client has full control over the software environment, can change the operating system settings and even the kernel configuration as they see fit.

Running Hyper-V on a VPS

VPS based on Hyper-V is no different from a regular dedicated server from a user's point of view. You can install any convenient control panel and operating system in the same way. Including various Linux distributions, Ubuntu, Debian, FreeBSD, CentOS etc.

Virtual server rental options should be considered when there is not enough budget for a dedicated server, but it is necessary to provide the most stable and fault-tolerant environment for the hosting of sites or corporate infrastructure. VPS based on Hyper-V platform shows a serious advantage over conventional VPS, as it allows all systems to work independently from each other - in other words, you get exactly as many resources as you initially chose at the stage of concluding a contract with a hosting provider.



Advantages of Hyper-V on VPS

Let's summarize the main advantages of using this platform for server virtualization:

1. Simple, user-friendly, and informative interface with a lot of functions and features.
2. There is the support of virtual machine encryption - due to this, the data on virtual disks becomes more secure. Even a Hyper-V host administrator cannot access it. A great feature for virtual machines hosted in a private or public IaaS cloud.
3. You can connect remotely using the console.
4. Freedom of choice of the operating system - suitable for both Windows and Linux.
5. Extensive hardware compatibility - also suitable for the latest hardware.
6. Can shrink disks on the fly.
7. Let you set up a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). With remote desktops, it's easy to let many employees work on a single project.
8. Stable and fault-tolerant servers on this hypervisor.
9. Ease of server migration with Live Migration.

Disadvantages of Hyper-V on VPS

The disadvantages are not as numerous as the advantages, but for some people, the disadvantages can be significant:

1. Lack of support for alternative third-party software.
2. Inferior in functionality to KVM and VMware.
3. Requires a Windows Server operating system license.

We hope that our material will help you decide whether to use virtual servers on a platform Hyper-V, or it is better to choose other software solutions, such as VMware, KVM or OpenVZ. That's the end of our article, have a nice day!