Hyper-V quick start for creating a BI test environment

 

Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010

Important

This article is part of the Configuring a BI infrastructure: Hands-on labs series. This is the first article in the series that describes how to set up a baseline test environment for the labs. The articles in this series should be read sequentially, starting with this article, as the procedures in each build on those in the last.

Hyper-V is the Microsoft virtualization solution. It is built into most versions of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It offers an ideal platform to deploy a full-scale Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 test environment for business intelligence without the need to purchase multiple servers.

This article describes the steps that you must follow to enable Hyper-V and create virtual machines. If you are already familiar with Hyper-V, you can move on the next article, Set up a domain controller for a BI test environment.

Enable Hyper-V

The first step is to enable Hyper-V. Hyper-V is a server role on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. To enable it, log on to the computer as an administrator and perform the following procedure.

To enable Hyper-V

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.

  2. In the left pane, click Roles.

  3. In the right pane, click Add Roles.

  4. If the Before You Begin page is displayed, click Next.

  5. On the Select Server Roles page, select the Hyper-V check box, and then click Next.

  6. On the Hyper-V page, click Next.

  7. On the Create Virtual Networks page, leave the network adapter check boxes cleared, and then click Next.

  8. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.

  9. On the Installation Results page, click Close.

  10. Restart the server.

Configure a virtual network

Once Hyper-V is enabled, you must create a virtual network within Hyper-V so that the virtual machines can communicate with one another. Two virtual networks are required:

  • An internal virtual network that allows the virtual machines to communicate with one another

  • An external virtual network that allows the virtual machines to communicate with your corporate network and the Internet (This is required specifically during installation of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to download the prerequisites.)

To configure an internal network, perform the following procedure.

To configure an internal virtual network

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  2. In the left pane, click the node of the local computer.

  3. In the right pane, click Virtual Network Manager.

  4. Click Internal, and then click Add.

  5. In the Name text box, type Internal Network.

  6. Ensure that the Internal only option is selected, and then click OK.

Once the internal network is created, create an external network by using the following procedure.

To configure an external virtual network

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  2. In the left pane, click the node of the local computer.

  3. In the right pane, click Virtual Network Manager.

  4. Click External, and then click Add.

  5. In the Name text box, type External Network.

  6. Select the External option, and select a network adapter from the drop-down list.

  7. Select the Allow management operating system to share this network adapter check box.

  8. Click OK.

  9. On the Apply Network Changes dialog box, click Yes.

Create virtual machines

When you have completed network configuration, you can start adding virtual machines to Hyper-V. To complete all the steps in this series of articles, you need the following virtual machines:

Virtual machine Operating System Description RAM

Contoso-DC

Windows Server 2008 R2

Domain controller

512 MB

Contoso-SQL

Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

2048 MB

Contoso-AppSrv

Windows Server 2008 R2

SharePoint Server 2010

2048 MB

Contoso-Client

Windows 7

Windows 7

1536 MB

Note

To perform the steps in the Excel Services labs, you must install Microsoft Excel 2010 on the Contoso-Client virtual machine. To perform the steps in the Visio Services labs, you must install Microsoft Visio Professional 2010 or Microsoft Visio Premium 2010 on the Contoso-Client virtual machine.

Perform the following procedure for each virtual machine that you want to create.

To create a virtual machine

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  2. In the left pane, click the node of the local computer.

  3. In the right pane, click New, and then click Virtual Machine.

  4. On the Before You Begin page, click Next.

  5. In the Name text box, type the name for the virtual machine from the previous table, and then click Next.

    Important

    The Name text box specifies a name for the virtual machine in Hyper-V. This does not configure the computer name for the virtual machine itself. After you install the operating system on the virtual machine, you must configure the computer name to match the name in the previous table.

  6. On the Assign Memory page, type the appropriate memory value from the table above.

    Note

    The memory table assumes that you are using a host computer with 8 GB RAM. If you have additional RAM available, we recommend that you increase the RAM allocated to your virtual machines, particularly to the Contoso-AppSrv and Contoso-SQL virtual machines.

  7. On the Configure Networking page, select External Network from the drop-down list, and then click Next.

  8. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, leave the default values, and then click Next.

  9. On the Installation Options page, leave the Install an operating system later option selected and then click Next.

  10. Click Finish.

Load an operating system

Once a virtual machine is created that has an empty hard disk, the next step is to install an operating system. SharePoint Server 2010 requires Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. We recommend that you use Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 for each server virtual machine that you create. Perform the following procedure to install an operating system on a virtual machine.

To load an operating system on a virtual machine

  1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine on which you want to load an operating system, and then click Settings.

  2. In the left pane, click DVD Drive.

  3. In the right pane, select the Image file option.

  4. Click Browse, and locate the ISO file that contains the operating system.

  5. Click OK.

  6. In Hyper-V Manager, double-click the virtual machine on which you want to load the operating system.

  7. In the Virtual Machine Connection window, click the Start icon on the toolbar.

  8. Install the operating system.

When you have created all of the virtual machines that you need and installed operating systems on each, the next step is to set up a domain controller. See the next article, Set up a domain controller for a BI test environment.