Hyper-V, like other virtualization software, permits users to run multiple server operating systems as guests on a single piece of hardware running Windows Server. Speed and familiarity will be two of Hyper-V's main selling points in the increasingly competitive server virtualization market. On speed, Microsoft storage partner QLogic reported that results of their testing showed that Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V provided 90 percent of the throughput of a dedicated physical machine, while other virtualization products could only hit 50 percent. As for familiarity, "If you know Windows, you know how to install and run Hyper-V," according to Bill Laing, VP of Microsoft's Windows Server and solutions division.

Microsoft will make an updated version of its System Center Virtual Machine Manager with support for Hyper-V management some time in the fourth quarter.

Download: Update for Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition (KB950050) (30.5 MB)