How do I enable virtualization on Windows Server 2008 RC0?

A. An early build of Windows Server Virtualization—the hypervisor-based implementation (meaning the virtual instances communicate in a more direct fashion with the hardware, giving better performance)—is included with RC0; however, it's not installed by default. Actually, it's available only on installations that meet the requirements for Windows Server Virtualization.

On those servers that do support Windows Server Virtualization, two updates in the %windir%wsv folder must be executed to enable the Windows Server Virtualization role in Server Manager. Windows6.0-KB939853-x64.msu should be executed first, followed by Windows6.0-KB939854-x64.msu. Notice that these are Windows Update files that you can inject into a WIM file to make them available as part of an image deployment. Both updates require you to confirm installation, and a license agreement must be accepted for the first update.

After the updates are applied, you'll see a Windows Server Virtualization role available in the Add Roles wizard. Click Next on the Introduction to WSV dialog box. The only configuration item is to select the network cards that are to be used by the virtual machines (VMs). Ideally, one network adapter shouldn't be selected for use for remote administration. Once installation is complete, you must reboot the server.