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Is this a single server or a cluster? If it's a single server you may just as well use the local disks rather than having a separate server for storage.
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Is this a single server or a cluster? If it's a single server you may just as well use the local disks rather than having a separate server for storage.

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Don't think StarWind cluster is free in which case it's not really any better than local disks.
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Don't think StarWind cluster is free in which case it's not really any better than local disks.

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So VSS can backup a dynamic disk? <br />
<br />
Yes, i can use iSCSI and test things.
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So VSS can backup a dynamic disk?

Yes, i can use iSCSI and test things.

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Hi, i need some advice on storage for using with Hyper-V. SAN is the best solution, but since i dont need SAN and the price is high i was wondering if 2012 R2 Storage Server would be an good alternative? <br />
<br />
Hyper-V server with VMs and VMs OS ( VHD files ), 10GBase network card(s)<br />
<br />
Storage Server with VMs datadisks ( VHD files ), 10GBase network card(s)<br />
<br />
<br />
If using 2012 R2 storage server for Hyper-V VMs datadisks, is it possible to run backup from the 2012 R2 storage server OS to backup/restore VHDX files on that server? Does the VHD(X) files need to be fixed size when backups not running from the VMs?
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Hi, i need some advice on storage for using with Hyper-V. SAN is the best solution, but since i dont need SAN and the price is high i was wondering if 2012 R2 Storage Server would be an good alternative? 

Hyper-V server with VMs and VMs OS ( VHD files ), 10GBase network card(s)

Storage Server with VMs datadisks ( VHD files ), 10GBase network card(s)


If using 2012 R2 storage server for Hyper-V VMs datadisks, is it possible to run backup from the 2012 R2 storage server OS to backup/restore VHDX files on that server? Does the VHD(X) files need to be fixed size when backups not running from the VMs?

Hyper-V and storage

Virtualization is the act of creating a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, including (but not limited to) a virtual computer hardware platform, operating system (OS), storage device, or computer network resources. Virtualization is usually the creation of a system that executes separate from the underlying hardware resources, or the creation of an entire desktop for systems located elsewhere, similar to thin clients.

Virtualization

Windows Server 2012 is the server version of Windows 8 and the successor to Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows Server 2012 is the first version of Windows Server to have no support for Itanium-based computers since Windows NT 4.0. Windows Server 2012, now in its second release (Windows Server 2012 Release 2) includes Foundation, Essentials, Standard and Datacenter, and does not support IA-32 or IA-64 processors.

Windows Server 2012

Servers are computing devices that are similar to desktop computers in that they have the same basic components, but are significantly different in size, configuration and purpose. Servers are usually accessed over a network, and many run unattended, without a computer monitor, input device, audio hardware or USB interfaces. Many servers do not have a graphical user interface (GUI), and are configured and managed remotely. Servers typically include hardware redundancy such as dual power supplies, RAID disk systems, and ECC memory, along with extensive pre-boot memory testing and verification. Critical components might be hot swappable, and to guard against overheating, servers might have more powerful fans or use water cooling.

Server Hardware

Hyper-V is a native hypervisor; it can create virtual machines on x86-64 systems and supersedes Windows Virtual PC as the hardware virtualization component of the client editions of Windows NT. A server computer running Hyper-V can be configured to expose individual virtual machines to one or more networks. Hyper-V Server supports remote access via Remote Desktop Connection. Administration and configuration of the host OS and the guest virtual machines is generally done over the network.