Network in a Box

MAC Addresses for Hyper-V

Configure the settings for virtual MAC addresses in the virtual network adapter settings, which are accessible through the virtual server properties. For an optimal configuration, you might want to configure settings for Live Migrations . Additionally, these settings play a role in NLB clusters. You can either assign Static MAC addresses to virtual servers or use Dynamic allocation. The range of MAC addresses allocated to the virtual servers is shown below the virtual switch properties in the MAC Address Range field.

MAC address settings are important for cluster operations. When virtual servers move between cluster nodes, the MAC addresses change on reboot, since each Hyper-V host uses its own pool of dynamic MAC addresses.

VLANs Separate Networks

Thanks to virtual LANs, you can create multiple logical networks with different subnets using a single physical infrastructure. The advantage of this configuration is the ability to separate server groups or the network into various work areas. In addition to VXLANs, of course, you can still use traditional VLANs in Windows Server 2016.

In the network adapter settings on the Hyper-V host, define the VLAN ID with which the card will communicate on the network. After that, you can also define the VLAN ID in Hyper-V Manager. Windows Server 2016 handles this process much like Windows Server 2012 R2. After the Hyper-V host is configured, you can connect the virtual servers to VLANs. After connecting a virtual switch to a VLAN, all virtual servers can immediately connect to a particular VLAN. To connect a VLAN, you need to set the Enable virtual LAN identification for the management operating system option on the virtual switch. After you have specified the ID, traffic will flow from this link via the configured ID.

Internal networks in Hyper-V also support VLANs. The servers cannot communicate with VMs on the Hyper-V host or the cluster, but with other computers on the network. In the virtual server settings, you can specify the VLAN IDs for individual servers through the properties of the virtual network adapters. If you want virtual servers to communicate with multiple VLANs, add multiple virtual NICs on the servers, which are then associated with a specific VLAN.

With Linux Integration Services 3.5, you can use VLANs for virtual Linux servers. The settings are identical to the options for virtual Windows servers. The connection is not at the operating system level, but at hypervisor level, on the virtual machine. Network card teams also support connections to VLANs. Microsoft recommends configuring VLAN connectivity via the virtual switch – and not for the virtual NIC team. Incorrect configurations entail a risk of data collisions.

Hyper-V Containers with Windows Server 2016 TP4

The Hyper-V containers introduced in TP4 of Windows Server 2016 extend the capabilities of Windows Server containers and are also connected to the network via virtual switches. Hyper-V and Windows Server containers are supported in parallel in the final version of Windows Server 2016. Both types of container will be provided in cooperation with Docker and can be managed using the Docker client, as well as with standard tools like PowerShell in Windows Server 2016. The advantage of Hyper-V containers is more efficient isolation, as well as optimizations of the environment for Hyper-V. Hyper-V containers are always isolated from other containers and the host. Windows Server containers share parts of the operating system with the host, so there is a risk that a container could have an effect on the entire host and other containers. With Hyper-V containers, this problem is not possible, because the operating system is isolated and virtualized. This virtualization allows containers to operate with applications running in "lower trust" environments.