To improve customers' support experiences when running Windows Server on virtualization
technologies other than Hyper-V™ and Virtual Server, Microsoft has launched
the Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP).
Information on Microsoft's support policy for Hyper-V and Azure can be found at:
SVVP is open to any vendor that delivers a machine virtualization solution that
runs currently supported versions of Windows Server. The program enables vendors
to validate various machine virtualization products so that Microsoft customers
running copies of Windows Server they have acquired and licensed from Microsoft
directly can receive technical support for Windows Server in virtualized environments.
SVVP does not apply to vendors that are hosting Windows Server or other Microsoft
products through the Microsoft Service Provider License Agreement Program (SPLA).
Support for SPLA customers is provided under the SPLA agreement by the SPLA hoster.
Customers can benefit from the support provided by Microsoft as part of the regular
Windows Server technical support
framework when running currently supported versions of Windows
Server on validated machine virtualization solutions running on server hardware
Certified for Windows Server , with the same validated processor architecture and
not exceeding the maximum virtual memory or processors validated. Note that the
version of Windows Server that was tested for validation and is listed for the virtualization
product is supported, and that all the previous versions of Windows Server are supported
as well. Microsoft Life Cycle Support policy still applies for support and end of
support for specific versions of an operating system and Service Packs.
SVVP is not a logo program, rather a reference that companies and customers will
be able to use in conjunction with their validated solutions. All testing for this
program is done by the virtualization product vendors, with the results of that
testing submitted to Microsoft for review and approval.
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 Name
- Product Name
- Product Version
- Operating System Architecture [32-bit, x64, ia64]
- Processor Architecture [Opteron©, Xeon©, Itanium©]
- The Maximum Supported Processors and Memory validated for a virtual machine to qualify
for support
SVVP only validates machine virtualization solutions and currently supported versions
of Windows Server on server hardware Certified for Windows Server 2008 R2 or later
operating system versions. Contact your virtualization vendor for detailed information
on what physical systems, adapters, storage external to the system such as SAN and NAS products,
and networking devices such as switches and routers, are supported by the machine
virtualization vendor. The virtualization vendor may validate configurations that use para-virtualization drivers,
i.e. drivers that run within the Windows VM and present an interface that is similar to, but not necessarily identical to,
the actual physical hardware of the system.
Note: all drivers must be tested by the virtualization vendor using the appropriate version of the Microsoft-provided hardware test kit,
submitted to Microsoft for review, and signed by Microsoft. Microsoft does not support Windows Server operating in a virtual machine environment with unsigned drivers.
Please note that the vendor's machine virtualization solution
may support larger virtualization, additional Operating System architectures and
Processor architectures than they have submitted for validation. Those possible
additional configurations will not be eligible for support until the vendor performs
additional tests and validations.
In order to ensure that the configuration is supportable by Microsoft Support organizations,
Microsoft requires the machine virtualization solution to be tested on server hardware
that is Certified for Windows Server. Additionally, by requiring that customers
use servers Certified for Windows Server for running the validated machine virtualization
solution using the same processor architecture that was validated, customers can
be assured that their system will run correctly, regardless of bus, interface, chipset,
firmware, BIOS or other differences between the systems used for testing and the
systems the customer has. Using server hardware Certified for Windows Server avoids
potential hardware incompatibilities which may cause issues the machine virtualization
solution 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 running on Hyper-V or executing directly
on the hardware platform, which requires certified systems.
Issues related to software-based functionality that are not standard in server hardware,
such as memory over-commitment and migrating running virtual machines, are not supported
by Microsoft under SVVP.
Receiving Support
Customers can initiate support with the machine virtualization solution provider
or Microsoft through existing support
channels for issues related to Windows Server running on
a validated machine virtualization solution. Microsoft only supports Microsoft's
products and will not be able to provide support for other companies' solutions.
Microsoft and the machine virtualization solution provider will collaborate through
TSANet if the root cause is believed
to be from the other party's software and assistance is needed to resolve the issue.
Participating Vendors
See this
link
for the companies which supply machine virtualization solutions to the marketplace
that participate in the Server Virtualization Validation Program. Please contact
them directly for any additional information.