Hyper-V – Create Linux Virtual Machine in Windows 8

How to Create a Linux Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 8​

   Information

Although best when running Windows guests, Windows 8 built-in Microsoft Hyper-V can also be used to run Linux guests. Officially Hyper-V only supports SUSE and Red Hat enterprise server distributions but with a few simple tricks any Linux distro can be installed.

In this tutorial we will install both OpenSUSE 12.1 and Ubuntu 11.10 distros. Please notice that I have still not found how to get sound working on Hyper-V Linux guests. Also changing the resolution seems to be extremely tricky, following this tutorial you can set OpenSUSE display resolution freely during the installation procedure but it cannot be changed later on. For Ubuntu I have only managed 800 * 600 resolution.

Forgetting the missing sound and restricted resolution, Hyper-V Linux guests are fully functional operating systems, ideal for getting to know and practise Linux and virtualization.

Tips from other users regarding sound and resolution issues welcome!

For this tutorial you need:

• OpenSUSE install media (software.opensuse.org: Download openSUSE 12.1)
• Ubuntu install media (Download | Ubuntu)
• Hyper-V enabled (see Hyper-V - How to Use in Windows 8 on how to enable Hyper-V, create external network switch and install Windows guests)

1) Install OpenSUSE 12.1 guest on Hyper-V

1.1. Create a virtual private network switch

For a Linux guest to work on Hyper-V it needs to use so called Legacy Network Adapter, a private one while installing and an internal or external one when running. Before installing OpenSUSE we need to create a private network switch using Legacy Network Adapter.

1. Open Hyper-V Virtual Switch Manager
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2. Click New virtual network switch
3. Select Private
4. Click Create Virtual Switch
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5. Give your Virtual Switch a name, select Private Network, click OK to apply and save settings
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1.2. Create a virtual machine

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2. Click New on Actions pane on Hyper-V Manager, select Virtual Machine
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3. New Virtual Machine Wizard opens. Click Next
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4. Specify the name of the virtual machine and where it should be saved. Click Next
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5. Assign RAM. Notice that the RAM assigned to a virtual machine is taken from the total of RAM on your host PC; to run virtual machine well you need to balance between the RAM of your host and virtual machine. For OpenSUSE I recommend using 1 GB (1024 MB); if less you can have issues with GUI, more does not add speed or benefit in other way. OpenSUSE runs well with 1 GB. Click Next
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6. In Network Configuration at this point select Connection: Not Connected. We will add virtual switch later
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7. Specify name, location and size of the virtual hard disk. For OpenSUSE 8 GB is enough to install and run, here I added some more for storage space. Click Next
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8. Specify the location of install media, an ISO file or CD/DVD. Click Next
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9. Click Finish
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1.3. Add Private Legacy Network Switch

2. Open your vm settings
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3. Remove Network Adapter. This needs to be done for Legacy Network Adapter to work
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4. Click Add Hardware, select Legacy Network Adapter, click Add
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5. Set Legacy Network Adapter to use the Private switch you created earlier
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6. Click Apply, click OK

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1.4. Install OpenSUSE

2. Select your OpenSUSE vm on Virtual Machines list, click Connect
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3. Click Start to start vm
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4. Press F3 to select resolution. Notice that as I mentioned earlier I have still not found how to change resolution later so this selection now determines what resolution your OpenSUSE vm is going to use
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5. Select Installation and press Enter
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6. Select your preferred language and keyboard layout. OpenSUSE will be installed on the language you select here, using selected keyboard layout. Click Next
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7. 6. Click Next
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8. Select your Time Zone, click Next
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9. Select KDE desktop, click Next. In my tests the Gnome desktop has refused to work
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10. Click Next
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11. Enter your user credentials, click Next
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12. Click Install, confirm by clicking Install again
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13. After Installation is done OpenSUSE reboots by itself. Select Boot from Hard Disk after reboot
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14. Select Desktop – - OpenSUSE
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15. OpenSUSE makes last configurations and boots to KDE desktop. Shut down vm as soon as you enter the desktop
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16. Open OpenSUSE settings, set Legacy Network Adapter to use an external switch. See Hyper-V - How to Use in Windows 8 to see how to create an external switch
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17. Start OpenSUSE vm, log in and you are ready to go
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2. Install Ubuntu 11.10 guest on Hyper-V

For how to create a private virtual switch, create Ubuntu virtual machine and add Private Legacy Network Adapter and making Ubuntu installation to use it, follow the steps 1.1., 1.2. and 1.3. as described above (Install OpenSUSE on Hyper-V).

2.1. Install Ubuntu

1. Connect and start vm as described above (Install OpenSUSE) on 1.4.1 and 1.4.2
2. For Ubuntu (and all Debian family distros) to work on Hyper-V we need to disable Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). When ACPI is enabled, Ubuntu does not support Legacy Network Driver needed to install and run it on Hyper-V. Press F6 to select installation options, select acpi=off, press Spacebar to select it, press ESC to exit Options menu
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3. Select Install Ubuntu, press Enter
4. Select the installation language
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5. Select Install this third party software to add MPEG support, click Continue
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6. Select Erase and Install, click Continue
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7. Click Install Now
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8. Select your Time Zone, click Continue
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9. 8. Select your preferred keyboard layout, click Continue
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10. Set your user credentials
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11. Let Ubuntu install
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12. When installation is completed click Restart Now
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13. When Ubuntu reboots and stops telling Please remove installation media, click Stop to stop and close vm. This ejects the installation media
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14. Restart vm, log in
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15. Click an empty spot on desktop, press CTRL+ALT+t to open Terminal (about the same as Command Prompt in Windows). To move to Root (about the same as in Windows an elevated Command Prompt), type sudo –i and press Enter. Enter your password to confirm, press Enter again
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16. Now we need to edit Initramfs to add modules which offer support for Hyper-V integration components. We need to manually add modules for bus (= traffic between host and guest), storage and network. To do this, open Initramfs using your preferred editor. I use Nano in this example:
17. Type nano /etc/initramfs-tools/modules and hit Enter to open Initramfs in Nano editor
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18. Add these four lines at the end of the file
    hv_vmbus
    hv_storvsc
    hv_blkvsc
    hv_netvsc
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19. Press CTRL+X to end editing, press Y to save changes. Press Enter to finally accept old Initramfs to be overwritten
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20. Update Initramfs: type update-initramfs –u, press Enter
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21. Type exit and press Enter to exit root (admin mode), type exit and press Enter to close Terminal
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22. Shut down vm
23. See step 1.4.15. (Install OpenSUSE) above to switch Legacy Network Adapter to External Switch
24. Start vm, login and you are ready to go
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Please feel free to comment and suggest changes!

Kari

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Create a Virtual Machine with Windows 8 Hyper-V
• How to Create a Hyper-V "Remote File Browser" Shortcut in Windows 8
• How to Create a Hyper-V Manager Shortcut in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Add or Remove "Hyper-V Manager" to Control Panel in Windows 8
• How to Change Default Virtual Hard Disk Location in Hyper-V
• How to Convert Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk to VHD or VHDX
• How to Enable and Disable Hyper-V in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Turn On or Off Hyper-V Enhanced Session Mode in Windows 8.1
• How to Export and Import a Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 8 and 8.1

 

[area 66]

...... Please notice that I have still not found how to get sound working on Hyper-V Linux guests. Also changing the resolution seems to be extremely tricky, following this tutorial you can set OpenSUSE display resolution freely during the installation procedure but it cannot be changed later on. For Ubuntu I have only managed 800 * 600 resolution.

Kari

Hyper-V don't support sound in any client OS, it's also limited in resolution, if you want to have sound , you have to use Remote Desktop , same with the Resolution, Keep in mind that Hyper-V is design to run Servers OS on a Server Host, and we usally use remote application to manage the servers as they are usally not connected to input device or monitors

 

[IownAmoneyPit]

Excellent tutorial Kari :thumb:, I am currently running Kubuntu 11.10 in Hyper V and hope microsoft adds more integration features like Virtual PC. I am going to try same guest in VMware next.

 

[jimbo45]

Thanks for the great tutorial
Can't get Sound however on W7 - X64 or Suse 12.2 (64 bit) Guests even using RDP. I've checked all the settings - running HOST W8 CP x-64

I'll try RDP'ing from another Machine on a different LAN to see if there's any joy there either.

Thanks again


cheers
jimbo

 

[Kari]

Thanks Jimbo.

Same here, sound OK on Windows guests over RDP, no sound on Linux guests. Still searching.

Kari

 

[Christaffer]

This is great, thank you.
I'm having a problem installing Ubuntu once I've turned off ACPI however, once this is done the Ubuntu installer sees the hard drive (VHD) as being too small. I set the virtual machine up to have a 10GB VHD so it expands dynamically right? If ACPI is left on, the installer works fine and detects the VHD as being 10GB. However if I turn off ACPI as instructed, once I get to the "Preparing to install Ubuntu" (Section 2.2.5 above) it has a cross for the HDD space and won't let me proceed with the installation. What is a solution to this? If I were to "force install" Ubuntu would the VHD automatically increase in size with ACPI turned off? If so, how does one "force install"? Or is there a better way to keep the VHD size once ACPI is turned off?
Thanks in advance

 

[Kari]

Hi Christaffer, welcome to the Eight Forums.

As this tutorial was written almost year and a half ago, over half a year before Windows 8 was published, and as both the Hyper-V and Ubuntu have evolved since that, I must tell you I am not sure if the installation still requires ACPI being turned off. I use only SUSE distribution for my Linux needs and have not installed or used Ubuntu in Hyper-V since publishing this tutorial.

I will do a test Ubuntu installation as soon as I have time for it to make necessary updates to this tutorial, please check back in a few days.

In the mean time, let's make sure you have understood the concept of a dynamically expanding VHD correctly: the amount of storage space specified for a dynamically expanding VHD is the maximum file size allowed for it. For instance, if you specify the VHD to be 10 GB as you told, it means that if your Ubuntu installation needs let's say 6 GB you only have 4 GB left for your installed software and personal files, the vhd being unable to expand (grow) beyond the 10 GB limit you specified.

In other words, the amount of storage space given to a dynamically expanding VHD is the maximun size it can expand to, not the "starting" size. In your case as you described it, your VHD could never grow to be bigger than 10 GB.

Kari

 

[op00iuy]

@Kari
Why do we have to use a network switch ? Cant we just install from an iso image or a dvd. Why is the network switch required ? In software's like VirtualBox we can just install from an image, is the Virtual network switch required for the installation the guest OS or do you just do it we can get Internet access from within the guest OS ?

 

[AndrewD]

What do I need to do to get this to work under 8.1 ?

I used this thread to install a SUSE (12.1) VM on Windows 8.0. Worked like a dream (after a bit of futzing around with network config). But I then "upgraded" to Windows 8.1 and my VM ceased to work. reinstalling gives the same problem. It installs OK but when it starts it falls over at...



Pressing Y just produces this...


Any ideas ?

The UBUNTU install (with 12.04.3) works ok. But it looks a lot more cumbersome than SUSE and I can't get networking going so I'd really like to get back to SUSE.

BTW 8.1 also screwed up my Hamachi/Logmein setup and pissed on my Cygwin. Not impressed.

 

[AndrewD]

Still no luck with 8.1. So I ditched Hyper-V in favour of VMwarePlayer. Simpler and much more intuitive. I got a networked SUSE box up and running without any need consult diocumentation or go to Google for hints and gotchas. Mystery to me why anybody would use Hyper-V for this. Once again Microsoft shoots itself in the foot.

 

[MrShowdown]

Still no luck with 8.1. So I ditched Hyper-V in favour of VMwarePlayer. Simpler and much more intuitive. I got a networked SUSE box up and running without any need consult diocumentation or go to Google for hints and gotchas. Mystery to me why anybody would use Hyper-V for this. Once again Microsoft shoots itself in the foot.

Well Hyper-V is specifically designed for corporate use, while VMWare Player is more of a personal use. No wonder it's not as intuitive and simple as VMP, because it was designed for different market.

 

[AndrewD]

Well Hyper-V is specifically designed for corporate use, while VMWare Player is more of a personal use. No wonder it's not as intuitive and simple as VMP, because it was designed for different market.

Yes Mr. Showdown. That's why my original preference was for Hyper-V. But as it can't survive an upgrade of the OS by a minor release I'll use the "personal" solution that does work. Anybodyactually got an answer as to why this thread's method for setting up a SUSE VM doesn't work for 8.1 ?

 

[MrShowdown]

Well Hyper-V is specifically designed for corporate use, while VMWare Player is more of a personal use. No wonder it's not as intuitive and simple as VMP, because it was designed for different market.

Yes Mr. Showdown. That's why my original preference was for Hyper-V. But as it can't survive an upgrade of the OS by a minor release I'll use the "personal" solution that does work. Anybodyactually got an answer as to why this thread's method for setting up a SUSE VM doesn't work for 8.1 ?

Oh so the VM no longer works after 8.1 upgrade?
Might be a bug/patch from the 8.1 itself.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

Tried again with HYPER-V and OPENSUSE 13.1 -- No joy - the Network fiddling around for me just wasn't worth the candle -- especially VMware works straight out of the box just fine and for a home user the VMware product is more than adequate - especially since I have the commercial VMware Workstation product (got from Work under a corporate License).

I now actually run the thing the other way around OPENSUSE 13.1 HOST with Windows machines as VM's - no probs whatsoever even on a laptop.

I think HYPER-V is a nice idea but IMO probably a bit over the top for Individual usage. Maybe there's advantages at a corporate level to using it - but for me the VM's I run all work just fine and I haven't had any specific hardware issues using VMWARE.

For people who DON'T have the luxury of having VMWARE Workstation available from their work and don't want to pay for it VMWARE PLAYER is FREE and works very well too both on Windows and Linux Hosts..

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Zargham110]

Thanks for the tutorial. I am stuck on Legacy Network adapter. In add hardware there is no option for Legacy Network adapter. My Suse VM is stuck on booting although Enable Secure Boot is disable. Please help me.

 

[Kari]

Thanks for the tutorial. I am stuck on Legacy Network adapter. In add hardware there is no option for Legacy Network adapter. My Suse VM is stuck on booting although Enable Secure Boot is disable. Please help me.

You cannot use legacy adapters (they are not available) on Generation 2 virtual machines. In any case SUSE and CentOS Linux distros are supported by Hyper-V and do not need legacy adapter.

If you cannot install SUSE on Generation 2 vm, delete the vm and recreate it selecting Generation 1.

 

[Zargham110]

Thanks for the tutorial. I am stuck on Legacy Network adapter. In add hardware there is no option for Legacy Network adapter. My Suse VM is stuck on booting although Enable Secure Boot is disable. Please help me.

You cannot use legacy adapters (they are not available) on Generation 2 virtual machines. In any case SUSE and CentOS Linux distros are supported by Hyper-V and do not need legacy adapter.

If you cannot install SUSE on Generation 2 vm, delete the vm and recreate it selecting Generation 1.

Thanks Kari, i sorted out the same issue yesterday and it was successful. Thanks for the reply

 

[Kari]

Good to know you got it resolved

 

[Ge Ba]

Also changing the resolution seems to be extremely tricky, following this tutorial you can set OpenSUSE display resolution freely during the installation procedure but it cannot be changed later on. For Ubuntu I have only managed 800 * 600 resolution.

Kari, the resolution problem is solved, at the least for Ubuntu. Took me a while to find how, but you can run it with up to 1920x1080 in Hyper-V.

Here's the how to :
Changing Ubuntu Screen Resolution in a Hyper-V VM | Ben Armstrong’s Virtualization Blog

I can live without Sound, but not without reasonable resolution of my vms..

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