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.

• Hardware-enforced Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is available and enabled.

You can use one of the following tools to determine if the processor on an existing server supports Hyper-V:

• AMD Hyper-V Compatibility Check Utility (.zip file) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=150561)

• Intel Processor Identification Utility (Windows Version) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=150562)

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)

• Microsoft 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 introduced for Hyper-V, 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 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=155234).