Review Prerequisites for Installing Hyper-V Server 2008 R2
Applies To: Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2
Hyper-V virtualization technology requires specific hardware. You can identify systems that support x64-based architecture and Hyper-V by searching the Windows Server catalog for Hyper-V as an additional qualification (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111228).
Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 has hardware requirements that are similar to the Hyper-V role in Windows Server 2008 R2.
Processor
Minimum: An x64-based processor with hardware-assisted virtualization. This is available in processors that include a virtualization option—specifically, processors with Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) or AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) technology.
Hardware-enforced Data Execution Prevention (DEP) must be available and enabled. Specifically, you must enable the Intel XD (“execute disable”) bit or the AMD NX (“no execute”) bit.
Memory
Minimum: 1 GB RAM; recommended: 2+ GB RAM
Maximum: 1 TB
Network adapters
Minimum: 1
Recommended: 2 or more
Additional considerations
The settings for hardware-assisted virtualization and hardware-enforced DEP are available in the BIOS. However, the names of the settings may differ from the names identified previously.
For more information about whether a specific processor model supports Hyper-V, check with the manufacturer of the computer.
If you modify the settings for hardware-assisted virtualization or hardware-enforced DEP, you may need to turn off the power to the computer and then turn it back on. Restarting the computer may not apply the changes to the settings.