PE 2900 & Windows 2012 Hyper-V Error

Mike,

Windows 2012 Hyper V isn't supported on the 2950 's or any other 9th generation Dell server. Due to its age it is only compatible on the 11gen and 12gen servers.

Where is this written?  

These pages states that 2900's work with Windows 2012:

en.community.dell.com/.../windows-server-2012-release-candidate-inbox-driver-support-for-dell-servers-update-06-07-2012.aspx

en.community.dell.com/.../download.aspx

The OS might be supported on 9G systems, but only partially.  Take the 8G systems for example ... Server 2008 and 2008 R2 are supported on a 2800/2850, but because the 8G processors don't support VT, Hyper-V cannot be used.

That said, I would be interested to see exactly what it is about the 9G systems that would prevent Hyper-V from working properly, hence not being supported by Dell, since it appears otherwise to meet all (both) the requirements:

technet.microsoft.com/.../hh831531.aspx

Here is a list from Microsoft of Dell's supported and certified equipment  for Server 2012:

http://bit.ly/QKcauP

Regards,

Agreed.  I have a link stating Windows Server 2012 should work, and Hyper-V is a feature of this OS.  I suppose instead of arguing this point, I'd like to find out what's actually wrong and how I might fix it.

Geoff ... the 2850 is not listed on the 2008 R2 list either, yet it is supported by Dell ... so that still leaves us wondering how complete/reliable that list is and what it is about the 2950 hardware that will not run Hyper-V in 2012.

I think we're on the same page.  I'm trying to understand the nature of the problem.  I assume its software related, as this worked in the earlier OS.  This is why I posted the question on the MS forums (linked above).  I just opened a thread here as well to gain additional visibility and expertise.  Thanks.

"I have a link stating Windows Server 2012 should work"

Which is why I brought up the 2850 ... the OS may be supported by the Dell on a given machine, but some features may not be, and I believe it is up to the user to determine if the system will support the planned needs of the upgrade.  The only other option is to not support 2008 or 2008 R2 on a 2850, which would be an extreme position to take, leaving many people with decent hardware out in the dark to muddle through with an ancient OS, given the fact that the hardware will otherwise run the OS wonderfully.  Likewise, Dell supports 2008 (non-R2) on a 2650 too, but since the 2650 is 32-bit only, other limitations are in effect as well.

So, while I don't think that blanket statements/requests should be made - that it is all or nothing - I do believe adequate documentation on the limitations should be made available.  A "supported features" document would be great.

However, there is still little to explain why Hyper-V 2012 will not work on a 2950.  The only published requirements for it are:

1) VT (all 2900 processors support VT-x, not all support VT-d, which should not be a deal-breaker), and

2) XD must be available/enabled (all 2900 processors support this but should be enabled in the BIOS, which from my understanding, without this setting in place, the OS will not even install).