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Written By Daniel Burns
Written by Daniel Burns
Written by Daniel Burns
Written by Daniel Burns
Written by Daniel Burns
Written by Daniel Burns
Written By Daniel Burns
Written By Daniel Burns  Virtualization has been around since the 1960s as a method of logically dividing system resources provided by the mainframe computers between different applications (Virtualization - Wiki). Today we use it to run applications, operating systems, and even virtual hardware within another system. Hyper-V is virtualization software developed by Microsoft to run on Windows and Windows Server platforms. It can not only virtualize operating systems but also entire hardware components, such as hard drives and network switches. Unlike Fusion and VirtualBox, Hyper-V is not limited to the user’s device. You can use it for server virtualization, too. (Iva 2018). Hyper-V is a Windows Server add on that allows you to run multiple virtual servers on one dedicated server. It is also available for Windows 10 as a way to run almost any operating system on top of Windows as well. To enable Hyper-V on your Windows device, you’ll need to be running a 64-bit version of your operating system with a minimum of 4GB of ram (Iva 2018). Although Microsoft recommends a minimum of 4GB of ram, it is better to have 8GB or more because it's exactly that, a minimum. Any virtual environment will need resources such as CPU cores, ram, and storage space. The the more you can throw at it without hindering your base operating system, the better your virtual environment will run. So why might you use a virtual machine? Well you might have an application that simply can’t run on your current operating system because it is either too old or incompatible. Instead of partitioning your drive to install a second operating system and boot into it, Virtualization allows you to run that second OS inside of a window on your current OS. Pretty neat huh? For example, I have an older version of a CAD program that no longer exists but it can only run on Windows XP. I have specific files for that program that need manipulating or converting but I can’t run it on my Windows 10 computer. So using Hyper-V or any other program like VMware Fusion or Oracle’s VirtualBox, I can load up Windows XP and get my work done. All without leaving my desktop and messing with its boot configuration. You can run any operating system from Windows, Linux, and even macOS on a PC with some custom boot loader configurations.  Hyper-V comes preinstalled with Windows 10 so you don’t have to pay for or download anything extra. To use it you’ll have to go to Control Panel, click on “uninstall a program,” then select “turn Windows features on or off” on the left side. Next scroll down to Hyper-V and check the box to enable it and select OK. You can also enable Hyper-V from Command Line using this command: “DISM /Online /Enable Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V.” After its turned on you can now run it from search and setup your virtual environment in accordance to your needs. Number of CPU cores, ram allotment, storage size and where it's stored, and so much more advanced settings to configure such as sound, networking and specific use cases etc. Not only can you use it for running older software, you can do so many task specific things to fit your needs with virtualization and Hyper-V. Whether you experiment with other operating systems and or unreleased work in progress programs. Hyper-V makes it very easy to create and remove different operating systems to your hearts content (Microsoft). Test software on multiple operating systems using multiple virtual machines. With Hyper-V, you can run them all on a single desktop or laptop computer. These virtual machines can be exported and then imported into any other Hyper-V system, including Azure (Microsoft).
Now Microsoft’s Hyper-V isn’t the only virtual machine software on the market today. They have major competition from VMware’s paid software, VMware Fusion and vSphere and some from Oracle’s free program, VirtualBox. Let's focus directly on VMware as they compete directly to each other. Virtualization remains one of the hottest trends in business IT (Collins 2019). VMware offers a few more advantages over Hyper-V other than its major disadvantage of being a paid program. VMware has been in the server virtualization market for far longer than Microsoft. The company has been in business since 1998 and shipped its first product (VMware® Workstation) the following year. VMware released its first true server product (ESX® Server) in 2002 (Posey 2017). Hyper-V was only made available in 2008 when Microsoft announced it alongside Windows Server 2008 and it only made its was to the consumer in 2012 with the release of Windows 8. So VMware has more maturity and experience when it comes to background. Both offer almost identical feature sets and their own learning curves so its up to you or your company to decide what is best suited for your needs (Posey 2017). VMware is a bit more consumer friendly with its user interface and some novice users may find it easier to work. Both should be around for a long time and support shouldn't be considered a top issue to contend to when considering one over the other. VMware’s core hypervisor is less expensive than Microsoft’s. However, Microsoft’s management server cost less than VMware's (Posey 2017). So when everything is considered for your own needs, it really comes down to what is best suited for you. As a consumer, you can’t go wrong with Hyper-V being included with Windows and readily available. Virtualization software has come a long way and the dream of having one physical computer run multiple under one roof is becoming easier, faster, and cheaper to do. Next up, cloud virtual computing on every connected device!… someday. Follow Daniel Burns on Twitter, @DBurnsOfficial References: Docter, Q. (2018). CompTIA Security+: study guide. Hoboken, NJ: Sybex. Hyper-V. (2020, February 28). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper-V Scooley. (n.d.). Introduction to Hyper-V on Windows 10. Retrieved from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/about/ Scooley. (n.d.). Enable Hyper-V on Windows 10. Retrieved from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/quick-start/enable-hyper-v Iva, Steve, Z. I. T. (2018, October 10). What Is Hyper-V & How Do You Use It? A Beginner's Guide. Retrieved from https://www.cloudwards.net/hyper-v/ Shinder, D. (2017, June 23). 10 things you should know about Hyper-V. Retrieved from https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-things-you-should-know-about-hyper-v/ Collins, Tom. Hyper-V vs. VMware: Which Is Best? (2019, December 19). Retrieved from https://www.atlantech.net/blog/hyper-v-vs.-vmware-which-is-best Posey, B. (2019, October 7). Virtual Infrastructures: Hyper-V vs VMware. Retrieved from https://www.solarwindsmsp.com/blog/virtual-infrastructures-hyper-v-vs-vmware  “Watch Out Android Wear!”
One Week with the Apple Watch. After having the Apple Watch for over a week now I have found it to be a very enjoyable experience. From being in the classroom, glancing at notifications, to being in PE or out for a run, logging my activity. Its actually been a very useful tool. This new product comes from the post Steve Jobs era with new CEO, Tim Cook at the helm, heading in the right direction for Apple’s future. The interface is of something new to iOS users. It could be a slight learning curve, at first, but to navigate the new interface Apple has made it easier by making things fluid and familiar to its bigger brother operation system, iOS. It just takes getting used to and after less than a day having it, I got the hang of it. The heart rate tracking is quite fun actually. Its pretty cool to see your heart rate thought the week and with Apple’s new HealthKit, communication with your doctor is easier than ever. The new ability to submit and or show your weekly and daily blood pressure and heart rate to your doctor is amazing. No more high blood pressure spikes at the doctors office. Now you have a more accurate outlook on your health. Sleep tracking is kinda neat too. Its interesting to see your lowest heart rate while sleeping and an accurate time of your sleep. The battery is as expected for a first generation device. It just depends on what you do with it in that day. If you do a lot including workouts, notifications, and checking time, you get the expected 18+ hours of use. I’ve got it to last about 2 days which is great compared to the 18 hours as told by Apple. Charging the watch is very cool. You just set it on its small puck sized charger and it wirelessly, inductively charges. It takes only 2 hours to get a full charge with the 5W adapter that comes with it and only 1 hour with Apple’s 12W adapter (sold separately). The Watch case and materials itself a surprisingly very durable. It still feels like something Apple didn't make and thats not a bad thing. It feels very premium on the wrist which nails the whole point Jonny Ive made when designing this watch. I have the Apple Watch Sport, 42 mm space gray which has the aluminum body and iON-X glass. For example, in wood shop at school, I hit the center of the screen on a metal machine by accident and it didn't even scratch it. I was astonished at its durability. The higher end model;s have the Sapphire Crystal screen which is expected to be even better. So no worries here. Already there are tons of apps for the watch in the app store. Surpassing Android Wear in just one day of available apps. So no problems finding any app. Android needs to step up its game if they want to compete. All in all this is a great new product that has the potential to live on. The Apple Watch is a game changer to the industry that will set new standards for other companies to follow. Whether you get the current Apple Watch, which is till on backorder after 4 million+ orders, or wait for the second generation. I assure you that you won’t be sorry with your purchase. I highly recommend the Apple Watch. Follow Daniel Burns on Twitter, @DBurnsOfficial |
Meet the WriterDaniel Burns is the owner of Adium Tech and has been in the IT buisness since 2014. He occasionally shares his rant on technology and strives to help make use of tech easier for the everyday user. You can follow him on Twitter for his latest opinions. Past Posts
March 2020
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