Introduction

When talking about server virtualization, it is important to note the difference between a virtualization host and a virtual machine. The host server is the big dog, the (usually) physical platform that provides all of the resources to the smaller virtual machines. There are two major players in the virtualization host category. A company called VMware is popular in both personal and enterprise deployments, and of course Microsoft's own Hyper-V. Since I live in the Microsoft world, and this is a Microsoft-centric book, we are going to be focused on the virtualization capabilities provided by Microsoft Hyper-V inside the new Windows Server 2016 operating system. The best part about Hyper-V is that it is available to anyone who is running the Windows Server operating system, so even if you aren't using virtualization technology in your business today, with just a few mouse clicks you probably could be. Furthermore, if you have a VMware shop today, make sure to check...