So sadly this year I couldn’t attend MS Ignite, but next year I will be there. However, with my increased focus on Hyper-V and Azure Local/Hyper Converged (Thank you Broadcom) these updates are very exciting.
Let’s get into it!
✅ 1. Windows Admin Center Virtualization Mode (vMode) – Public Preview
What it is: A new fabric‑centric management experience in Windows Admin Center for large Hyper‑V environments.
Key features:
– Centralized dashboard for hosts, clusters, storage, and networking.
– Parallel operations across multiple hosts.
– Role‑based access and Arc integration for hybrid visibility.
Scale guidance: Preview docs indicate support for ~1,000 hosts and ~25,000 VMs per instance.
Why it matters: Simplifies management for large Hyper‑V environments and reduces reliance on multiple tools. This will give your support teams the needed tools to manage these environments. We will be looking into this very soon on this blog.
✅ 2. Hyper‑V Replica Integration in vMode
Replica workflows (enable, replicate, failover) now surfaced in vMode.
Supports Kerberos (HTTP) or certificate‑based (HTTPS) authentication.
Enables air‑gapped DR when paired with Azure Local disconnected operations.
Why it matters: As requirements for disconnected and air gapped operations are needed, this builds upon having one pane of glass for management.
✅ 3. VMware → Hyper‑V Migration via WAC VM Conversion (Preview)
Agentless, CBT‑based migration from VMware vCenter/ESXi to Hyper‑V.
Batch up to 10 VMs, cluster‑aware, preserves static IPs, supports Secure Boot/UEFI.
Designed to reduce downtime and simplify VMware exit strategies.
Why it matters: SCVMM is expensive, even though I recommend scvmm for it’s management and migration capabilities, this extension does the job properly.
✅ 4. Windows Server 2025 Hyper‑V Enhancements
GPU Partitioning (GPU‑P): Share a physical GPU across multiple VMs with live migration and high availability—ideal for AI/VDI workloads.
Workgroup Clusters: Failover clustering without Active Directory, using certificate‑based authentication (PKU2U)—perfect for edge/disconnected sites.
✅ 5. Operational & Security Improvements
Hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 (Arc‑connected): Apply security updates without reboot, reducing downtime.
Sysmon integration natively in Windows Server 2025 for enhanced observability.
✅ 6. Positioning
Hyper‑V remains core to Windows Server and Azure hybrid strategy.
Combined with Azure Local disconnected operations, Hyper‑V enables air‑gapped DR, edge compute, and AI‑ready virtualization.
References for more details:
Windows Admin Center vMode announcement
https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/configure-replication-single-host
https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-server/manage/windows-admin-center/use/migrate-vmware-to-hyper-v
