Hey Again, It seems like next year will keep me busy with visualization projects based on Hyper-V :) Many promising features are coming up with the next Windows Server version and I’m already excited !
Just take a look at tables below for a comparison between 2008 R2 and 2012 RC Hyper-V:
Processor and Memory Support
| Processor/Memory Feature | Windows Server 2008 R2 | Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Logical processors on hardware | 64 | 320 |
| Physical memory | 1 TB | 4 TB |
| Virtual processors per host | 512 | 2,048 |
| Virtual processors per virtual machine | 4 | 64 |
| Memory per virtual machine | 64 GB | 1 TB |
| Active virtual machines | 384 | 1,024 |
| Maximum Cluster Nodes | 16 | 64 |
| Maximum Cluster Virtual machines | 1,000 | 4,000 |
Network
| Network Feature | Windows Server 2008 R2 | Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate |
|---|---|---|
| NIC Teaming | Yes, through partners | Yes, Windows NIC teaming in box |
| VLAN Tagging | Yes | Yes |
| MAC Spoofing Protection | Yes, with R2 SP1 | Yes |
| ARP Spoofing Protection | Yes, with R2 SP1 | Yes |
| SR-IOV Networking | No | Yes |
| Network QoS | No | Yes |
| Network Metering | No | Yes |
| Network Monitor Modes | No | Yes |
| Ipsec Task Offload | No | Yes |
| VM Trunk Mode | No | Yes |
Storage
| Storage Feature | Windows Server 2008 R2 | Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Live storage migration | No, quick storage migration through System Center Virtual Machine Manager | Yes, with no limits (as many as the hardware will allow) |
| Virtual machines on file storage | No | Yes, Server Message Block 3.0 (SMB3) |
| Guest Fibre Channel | No | Yes |
| Virtual disk format | VHD up to 2 TB | VHD up to 2 TB VHDX up to 64 TB |
| Virtual machine guest clustering | Yes, through iSCSI | Yes, through iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) |
| Native 4 KB disk support | No | Yes |
| Live virtual hard disk merge | No, offline | Yes |
| Live new parent | No | Yes |
| Secure offloaded data transfer | No | Yes |
Manageability
| Manageability Feature | Windows Server 2008 R2 | Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Hyper-V PowerShell | No | Yes |
| Network PowerShell | No | Yes |
| Storage PowerShell | No | Yes |
| REST APIs | No | Yes |
| SCONFIG | Yes | Yes |
| Enable/Disable shell | No, server core at operating system setup | Yes |
| VMConnect support for RemoteFX | No | Yes |
Additional links for your reading:
Competitive Advantages of Windows Server 2012 RC Hyper-V