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Welcome to the Windows Server Virtualization Validation Program

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).
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.