Log in to virtual machines?

[leco]

The trouble with being on holiday is that I have brain space to think! So been thinking about my planned move to virtual servers - those of you who already have such devices how do you log in to them? What's the best practice on this sort of thing?

[powdarrmonkey]

Most management suites give you a graphical console to the VM, you just can't walk up to the actual box and log into it.

[glennda]

either through the console (the software) or remote desktop. but from stuff like active directory just use the Adminpak on the local machine aswell as for exchange

 

toby

[leco]

So if I have a box that's running 3 servers on Hyper-V I log in to/at the physical machine, run Hyper-V then log in to a v-machine? Can I log in to more than one machine at a time?

[Theblacksheep]

vsphere client.

 

but i pop in VNC for emergency.

[sted]

So if I have a box that's running 3 servers on Hyper-V I log in to/at the physical machine, run Hyper-V then log in to a v-machine? Can I log in to more than one machine at a time?

 

you probably cant log into any vm on the physical box if its like virtual server 2008 box is a core based os and theres sod all you can do its all mmc/similar and rdp from a n other pc

[leco]

Best that I stop thinking about it then - until I get the book which will I hope reveal all. Thanks folks.

[glennda]

for example i have used ESXI, all you can do at the machine pretty much is change the name of the host and also its ip address (you can do more but not what you want) you then walk away go sit at your computer put in the ip address you gave the node in a browser - download the client software then login and you configure it from there and view the screen. Have you ever used Vmware workstation or sun virtual box? if you imagine using that but the vm's themselves are running on the server box rather then locally and you are just given the screen etc like you would with them

 

Toby

[leco]

for example i have used ESXI, all you can do at the machine pretty much is change the name of the host and also its ip address (you can do more but not what you want) you then walk away go sit at your computer put in the ip address you gave the node in a browser - download the client software then login and you configure it from there and view the screen. Have you ever used Vmware workstation or sun virtual box? if you imagine using that but the vm's themselves are running on the server box rather then locally and you are just given the screen etc like you would with them

Toby

Thanks yes I have used VMWare server and workstation, just not sure how Hyper-V works.

[RabbieBurns]

We're a HyperV environment, but not core, all our HyperV manager boxes run datacenter 2008 R2, and then the virtual machines on that. so I coul physiclaly log into the hyperv manager box, and open up a console window and log into any or all of the virtual machines. But I just enable RDP on all the virtual servers and remote desktop into them.

[glennda]

I think Hyper- v uses a MMC type snap in for remote management. This is a quote from there website which mentions the remote management

Hyper-V supports remote management and also provides a Hyper-V MMC only installation option for a separate management node

I did have a play with it but that was while it was still in beta testing so can't quite remember!

 

Toby

[leco]

We're a HyperV environment, but not core, all our HyperV manager boxes run datacenter 2008 R2, and then the virtual machines on that. so I coul physiclaly log into the hyperv manager box, and open up a console window and log into any or all of the virtual machines. But I just enable RDP on all the virtual servers and remote desktop into them.

 

Yes that makes sense, thanks. Is it possible to install the remote management console on another workstation perhaps?

[RabbieBurns]

http://i43.tinypic.com/sw7asi.png

[RabbieBurns]

Yes that makes sense, thanks. Is it possible to install the remote management console on another workstation perhaps?

 

AFAIK yes you can installl the HyperV Manager elsewhere

[leco]

Don't know about your display, but the uploaded image spills out into the border space.Very strange experience especially with two scroll bars

[glennda]

Yes that makes sense, thanks. Is it possible to install the remote management console on another workstation perhaps?

 

you can't use a windows xp machine with the hyper v management console (well you couldn't when i looked) but yes you can install the software on any vista/win 7 machine

 

Toby

[john]

I know you are Hyper-V, but on Citrixs we use Citrix XenCentre where you can console or Remote Desktop within the XenCentre or you can use the traditional Remote Desktop to the server which you can do from any machine but you need to have the XenCenter installed on your PC to use the XenCentre way.

[leco]

you can't use a windows xp machine with the hyper v management console (well you couldn't when i looked) but yes you can install the software on any vista/win 7 machine

 

Toby

 

That's all good then as my new workstation (which should be ready for after the hols) will be Win 7:)

[sted]

to manage a hyperv core server you need to make changes to the firewall on teh box itself via a command prompt. After that and ip addresses etc are assigned to it you manage it using rsat on a vista / win7 / server 08/08r2 pc using the hyperv mmc console then once you have the os installed its just easier to rdp in

[leco]

I'm sure that'll all make perfect sense once I start doing it, thanks.

[RabbieBurns]

Don't know about your display, but the uploaded image spills out into the border space.Very strange experience especially with two scroll bars

 

That was a remote desktop of a remote desktop on a 11" laptop screen. So nothing much was going to fit

[rh91uk]

I know you are Hyper-V, but on Citrixs we use Citrix XenCentre where you can console or Remote Desktop within the XenCentre or you can use the traditional Remote Desktop to the server which you can do from any machine but you need to have the XenCenter installed on your PC to use the XenCentre way.

 

Here's a screenshot...

 

 

And that's not all of our servers booted

Edited April 7, 2010 by rh91uk

[leco]

Was that just to see how big an image you could have in a post? It's twice the width of this box

[rh91uk]

Well, it was because I thought you would want to see it! I have attatched it to it instead!

[leco]

Ah that's better - having read some of the other threads I now realise that uploading images was an issue. Thanks, I don't/won't have that many servers but it looks nice and easy. Does the tree list work in the same way as a filer tree, as in drill down through the shares, or enables a log in to the selected server?