This topic has not yet been rated - Rate this topic

Hyper-V virtualization requirements for SharePoint 2013

SharePoint 2013

SharePoint 2010

Published: July 16, 2012

Summary: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V technology has specific processor requirements and is only supported by specific versions of Microsoft Windows Server products.

Applies to: SharePoint Foundation 2013 | SharePoint Server 2013

This article provides hardware and software requirements for hardware-based virtualization. Ensure that your plans for a SharePoint 2013 environment comply with supported products. Although Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V technology is the focal point of this article, the basic hardware requirements for hardware-based virtualization also apply to third-party virtualization technologies that Microsoft certifies. For more information, see Plan for on-premises or hosted virtualization in SharePoint 2013.

Hardware

The requirements for hardware-based virtualization are as follows:

Hardware-assisted virtualization, which is available in processors that include a virtualization option—specifically processors with Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) or AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) technology. Although today's processors support hardware-assisted virtualization this is not always the case for older chipsets. Your hardware manufacturer can provide this information.
Hardware-enforced Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is available and enabled.

Software

One of the following Microsoft products is required for Hyper-V:

Windows Server 2008 (all editions of Windows Server 2008, except for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems, Windows Web Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 Foundation)
Hyper-V Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2 (all editions of Windows Server 2008 R2, except for Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems, Windows Web Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation)
Hyper-V Server R2

We recommend Windows Server 2008 R2 for virtualization servers because of the many improvements that Hyper-V introduces, such as:

Live migration to move a running virtual machine from one cluster node to another
Significant gains in performance and scalability
Enhanced processor support
Enhanced virtual machine storage
Enhanced networking support

For more information, see What's New in Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2.

Note:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 is supported for SharePoint 2013 but we recommend that you read Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 before you install this service pack.