Home network / Desktop / HTPC setup with Hyper V

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Gozer

184 posts

Master Geek

#157564 4-Dec-2014 21:49

Okay so I'm a bit torn with the best compromise to get the most out of the hardware i have. I cant justify spending any more money on upgrades at the moment, so i have to make this work one way or another probably for 6-12 months.

The hardware:
-PC = I5 3570K, 128g SSD, 16 gig RAM, DVB-S card, Blu-Ray drive
-Laptop = Core 2 duo, 64gb SSD, 4gig RAM
-TV = Samsung "Smart" Tv

Functions I want:

Win 8 OS -
AutoCAD
Creative Cloud

? OS - (happy for this to be on any OS just want the good performance and mostly easy of use)
HTPC stuff with DVB-S recording, various playback, probably using media portal

I'm currently shuffling machines between locations in the house doing different duty in different places wasting time.
I really want to get away from using CAD and Creative cloud on my laptop as its just a bit sluggish.
I would rather keep the HTPC stuff and productivity stuff on separate OS' so I can wipe them out independently (i probably reformat most of my windows installs every 2-3 months)

So my current thinking is I could site the PC behind the TV install Windows 8.1 pro and install HTPC stuff on that then using client hyper V i could have another instance of 8.1 home or pro in a VM with the productivity software and remote desktop from the laptop to PC.
I'm hoping this will give me better performance than the laptop but obviously not as good as if it was the only thing on the PC

I do need to be able to use the productivity software without impacting DVB-S play and record.

I had previously thought about using Hyper V server and running both as VMs but this way i would need another computer to feed the TV screen i believe, or use one of the smart TV apps like plex but i haven't had many good experiences with this especially when i want to play Blu-rays.

Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions please.

shermanp

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1189015 4-Dec-2014 22:38

I've been playing with client Hyper-V the past few days. It has been an interesting experience.

First, compared to vmware, the networking options are definitely not as flexible, especially if you want seamless NAT capabilities. In fact, I am *cough cough* using the vmware network adapters with my hyper-v setup.

Otherwise, I do like having Hyper-V having the capabilities of starting and stopping the VM's on system start and shutdown.

Using RemoteApps is awsome, however this is not available with windows 8.1 pro hosts, so you will have to use full remote desktop to access your programs in the VM. (I am a student, so I am using Server 2012 in my VM)

The guest OS is not noticeably slower than my host OS, so speed shouldn't be an issue. I have used AutoCAD over a WAN link before using remote desktop, so that is definitely usable on a LAN.

If you go down the Hyper-V route, be aware that this does NOT play nice with any other virtualisation software. vmware simply refuses to run, and other software has no hardware acceleration.

Just a few random thoughts on the matter. I don't see why your proposal wouldn't work.

davidcole

6029 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1189020 4-Dec-2014 22:44

I'm not you can virtualise a DVB s card, unless you have a usb one. And hyper v doesn't allow even that.

I've virtualised a recording server, but the tuner was a network based HDHomeRun (dvbt)

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shermanp

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1189079 5-Dec-2014 07:13

davidcole: I'm not you can virtualise a DVB s card, unless you have a usb one. And hyper v doesn't allow even that.

I've virtualised a recording server, but the tuner was a network based HDHomeRun (dvbt)

The way I read it, the 'HTPC' would be the host, and the 'Productivity' Machine would be virtualised.

But yeah, without Intel VT-d, you aren't going to get anywhere with a tuner card. (can client hyper-v even use VT-d?)

Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1189154 5-Dec-2014 09:32

Wouldn't it be better to dual boot?

Gozer

184 posts

Master Geek

#1189166 5-Dec-2014 09:52

Yabanize: Wouldn't it be better to dual boot?

Both need to be available at the same time.

Gozer

184 posts

Master Geek

#1189172 5-Dec-2014 10:03

shermanp:
davidcole: I'm not you can virtualise a DVB s card, unless you have a usb one. And hyper v doesn't allow even that.

I've virtualised a recording server, but the tuner was a network based HDHomeRun (dvbt)

The way I read it, the 'HTPC' would be the host, and the 'Productivity' Machine would be virtualised.

But yeah, without Intel VT-d, you aren't going to get anywhere with a tuner card. (can client hyper-v even use VT-d?)

Hyper v requires VT-d

toyonut

1508 posts

Uber Geek

#1189200 5-Dec-2014 11:00

Just do Windows 8.1 as the host on the desktop with the recording software, media stuff etc. You can then enable hyper-V and install a second copy of Windows on the VM, maybe 8.1 again or 7 or something. Give it 8+gb of RAM and access to 2-3 cores. Put the vhd on a second drive as you won't really have space on a 128GB SSD. Install your CAD etc on that.
When you need to work with CAD, simply RDP to your virtual desktop. If you have 8.1 all round, you can even enable the hyper-V console on the laptop, connect the console to the desktop and then you can fire up and shut down the VM without touching the desktop. It should be fast enough even over wireless.

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shermanp

355 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1189253 5-Dec-2014 12:02

Gozer:
shermanp:
davidcole: I'm not you can virtualise a DVB s card, unless you have a usb one. And hyper v doesn't allow even that.

I've virtualised a recording server, but the tuner was a network based HDHomeRun (dvbt)

The way I read it, the 'HTPC' would be the host, and the 'Productivity' Machine would be virtualised.

But yeah, without Intel VT-d, you aren't going to get anywhere with a tuner card. (can client hyper-v even use VT-d?)

Hyper v requires VT-d

I believe Hyper-V requires VT-x, which is the "standard" virtualization acceleration.

VT-d allows you to do fancy stuff like pass through actual hardware to the VM

Gozer

184 posts

Master Geek

#1189283 5-Dec-2014 12:40

shermanp:
Gozer:
shermanp:
davidcole: I'm not you can virtualise a DVB s card, unless you have a usb one. And hyper v doesn't allow even that.

I've virtualised a recording server, but the tuner was a network based HDHomeRun (dvbt)

The way I read it, the 'HTPC' would be the host, and the 'Productivity' Machine would be virtualised.

But yeah, without Intel VT-d, you aren't going to get anywhere with a tuner card. (can client hyper-v even use VT-d?)

Hyper v requires VT-d

I believe Hyper-V requires VT-x, which is the "standard" virtualization acceleration.

VT-d allows you to do fancy stuff like pass through actual hardware to the VM

Ahh yes apologies.

Gozer

184 posts

Master Geek

#1189284 5-Dec-2014 12:41

paulmilbank: Just do Windows 8.1 as the host on the desktop with the recording software, media stuff etc. You can then enable hyper-V and install a second copy of Windows on the VM, maybe 8.1 again or 7 or something. Give it 8+gb of RAM and access to 2-3 cores. Put the vhd on a second drive as you won't really have space on a 128GB SSD. Install your CAD etc on that.
When you need to work with CAD, simply RDP to your virtual desktop. If you have 8.1 all round, you can even enable the hyper-V console on the laptop, connect the console to the desktop and then you can fire up and shut down the VM without touching the desktop. It should be fast enough even over wireless.

Yep that was the plan, good that it sounds like it will work.

Regs

4066 posts

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Snowflake

#1189286 5-Dec-2014 12:43

paulmilbank: Just do Windows 8.1 as the host on the desktop with the recording software, media stuff etc. You can then enable hyper-V and install a second copy of Windows on the VM

pretty much what the OP was initially thinking, and I think it sounds reasonable. I agree that a second (or larger) ssd would make sense.

If you're thinking of wipe+reload of the host, then look into VHD boot - it makes it much easier to manage.

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Gozer

184 posts

Master Geek

#1189525 5-Dec-2014 17:31

Regs:
paulmilbank: Just do Windows 8.1 as the host on the desktop with the recording software, media stuff etc. You can then enable hyper-V and install a second copy of Windows on the VM

pretty much what the OP was initially thinking, and I think it sounds reasonable. I agree that a second (or larger) ssd would make sense.

If you're thinking of wipe+reload of the host, then look into VHD boot - it makes it much easier to manage.

Awesome Regs thats good to know, is there any downsides to using VHD booting?

JWR

821 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1189688 5-Dec-2014 23:21

Gozer:
Regs:
paulmilbank: Just do Windows 8.1 as the host on the desktop with the recording software, media stuff etc. You can then enable hyper-V and install a second copy of Windows on the VM

pretty much what the OP was initially thinking, and I think it sounds reasonable. I agree that a second (or larger) ssd would make sense.

If you're thinking of wipe+reload of the host, then look into VHD boot - it makes it much easier to manage.

Awesome Regs thats good to know, is there any downsides to using VHD booting?

A bit of a hit in performance. But, much less noticeable on a SSD.

mcraenz

1140 posts

Uber Geek

#1190549 8-Dec-2014 12:48

Personally I run VirtualBox on my win7 HTPC with a centos VM for domain controller and anything else linux I need to do.

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tchart

2379 posts

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#1190588 8-Dec-2014 13:37

paulmilbank: Put the vhd on a second drive

This +1

For work I always insist on having 2 drives (SSD or otherwise) for running VM's off the second drive. Don't rely on a external USB drive - I found out the hard way 5 minutes before a presentation when my external drive slipped off the podium and never recovered.

Anyway, current work "ultrabook" is an HP Folio 9470m. It was the only thing at the time that met my requirements of user accessible RAM/battery and has an additional drive bay (main drive is SSD). I usually run 1-2 vm's so 16GB RAM is a must and second drive reduces disk contention.