Virtualization: Hyper-V & VMware
Understand hosts, guests, virtual networks, disks, and recovery boundaries.
GUIDE3 published lessons · Updated 2026-09-14
Before you begin
Start with Linux and Windows inventory. Use a spare lab host with hardware virtualization enabled and a supported hypervisor. Hyper-V examples require its PowerShell module; VMware examples require PowerCLI and an authorized lab endpoint. They are separate command environments.
Working toward: Build, document, back up, and recover a small virtual service without mistaking checkpoints for backups.
Read each explanation, work through the example, and attempt the exercise before opening its answer. Published lessons are ready to study; unfinished roadmap topics remain planned.
Validation: Based on upstream documentation. Platform-specific labs require the learner’s matching environment and are not execution-tested here.
1. Map the layers
A hypervisor shares physical resources among virtual machines. A guest sees virtual hardware; the host owns the underlying resources. A VM can be running while its application is unavailable. Document host → VM → guest OS → service.
# Hyper-V PowerShell, on your lab host:
Get-VM | Select-Object Name, State, CPUUsage, MemoryAssignedWhat to expect
One row per visible VM. MemoryAssigned is bytes; CPUUsage is a current observation, not a capacity guarantee.
Your turn
Two VMs each have four virtual CPUs on a four-core host. Does each own four physical cores?
Show answer and reasoning
No. Virtual CPUs are scheduled onto shared execution resources. Oversubscription and workload timing affect performance.Watch for: Adding vCPUs blindly can worsen scheduling or hide storage and memory bottlenecks.
Link to this lesson2. Keep tools and endpoints explicit
Hyper-V and VMware both expose Get-VM through different modules. Always identify the module and management endpoint so a familiar command does not run against the wrong system.
Get-Command Get-VM -All | Select-Object Name, Source
# In a separate VMware PowerCLI session, connected to your lab:
VMware.VimAutomation.Core\Get-VM | Select-Object Name, PowerState, NumCpu, MemoryGBWhat to expect
The first query identifies installed commands. The VMware query requires a prior authenticated Connect-VIServer session to the intended lab.
Your turn
Why can identical Get-VM text behave differently on two computers?
Show answer and reasoning
PowerShell command resolution depends on loaded modules and names. The vendors return different object types and properties. Qualify the module and verify the endpoint.Watch for: Never embed a password in a shared script or use a production endpoint for a lab.
Link to this lesson3. A checkpoint is not a recovery plan
A checkpoint or snapshot commonly relies on the original disks and host storage. It is useful for a short controlled rollback but cannot protect against losing the storage it depends on. A backup must be recoverable independently.
What to expect
A written recovery map naming the host, guest disks, application data, credentials, backup location and restore target.
Your turn
The only VM snapshot sits on a disk that fails. What recovery evidence is missing?
Show answer and reasoning
An independent backup copy and a demonstrated restore. Test restoration to a separate target, boot the guest, and verify the application and data.Watch for: Long-lived snapshots consume storage and can affect performance. Use the hypervisor’s supported lifecycle and cleanup procedures.
Link to this lessonPath to advanced
In-progress stages identify the lessons already published. All other listed topics remain planned. Each addition needs teaching, a reproducible lab, failure cases, and a checkpoint before the capstone.
Build guests
Choose CPU/RAM/storage budgets, install guests, use guest tools and document virtual switches.
PLANNEDOperate hosts
Resource contention, storage latency, capacity, host patching and migration prerequisites.
PLANNEDRecover independently
Application-aware backups, off-host copies and full restores onto a separate target.
PLANNED
References
Original AUWEN lessons, with upstream documentation for further study and version checks.
All learning paths and update notes →