Server Virtualization Validation Program

The Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP) is open to any vendor which delivers a machine virtualization solution that hosts Windows Server 2008, Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 and subsequent service packs. The virtualization solution can either be hypervisor-based or a hosted solution. The program enables vendors to validate various configurations so that customers of Windows Server can receive technical support in virtualized environments. Customers with validated solutions running on server hardware Certified for Windows Server 2008, with the same validated processor architecture, will benefit from the support provided by Microsoft as part of the regular Windows Server technical support framework.

The Server Virtualization Validation Program is not a logo program, rather a reference that companies and customers will be able to use in conjunction with their validated solutions.

Validated Configurations

The list of validated configurations (Products) will enable customers to identify what configurations have been tested and validated to work with Windows Server, similar to a support matrix for hardware devices. A validated configuration consists of Vendor, Product Name, Product Version, OS Architecture (32-bit, x64, ia64), Processor Architecture [Opteron©, Xeon©, Itanium©] and the Max Supported Processors and Memory that a virtual machine will support. The SVVP only supports virtualization products on servers that are Windows Server 2008 Logo-qualified.

In order to ensure that the configuration is supportable by Microsoft Support organizations, Microsoft requires Windows Server 2008 Logo-qualified systems be used by the vendor for SVVP testing. Additionally, by requiring customers use Logo-qualified systems for running the validated virtualization product, customers can be assured that a virtualization product tested on any system supporting the specific Processor the customer's systems include, will run correctly on their Logo-qualified systems, regardless of bus, interface, chipset, firmware, BIOS or other differences between the systems used for testing, and the systems the customer has. As well, testing on Logo-qualified hardware prevents hardware incompatibilities from causing issues the virtualization product cannot abstract. Finally, one of the possible problem isolation steps a Microsoft Support Engineer may need to do is to determine if the problem also exists when the Windows Server operating system is executing directly on the hardware platform, which requires Logo-qualified systems.

Participating Vendors

The following companies who supply server virtualization software to the marketplace have formally committed to participate in the Server Virtualization Validation Program. Microsoft is working with them to validate their solutions as platforms for Windows Server 2008. Please contact them directly for any additional information.

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Citrix Systems, Inc.

Novell, Inc.

Oracle, USA Inc.

Sun Microsystems

Unisys Corp.

Virtual Iron Software

VMware, Inc.

As more vendors sign up for the SVVP their names (and any validated solutions) will be added to this site.