This video will look at Enhanced Session Mode in Hyper-V. This is a new feature of Hyper-V which allows local resources on the administrator’s computer to be accessed by the virtual machine.
Requirements
02:18 Host and Client need to be Server 2012 R2 or Windows 8.1. Enabled by default in Windows 8.1 and disabled by default in Windows Server 2012 R2
Demonstration
3:28 Right click the Start Menu and select Search.
3:34 Enter ‘Hyper’ and select Hyper-V Manager from the list.
3:44 Right click Hyper-V Manager and select Connect to Server.
3:52 Enter in the host you want to connect to, in this case, the Server 2012 R2 host running Hyper-V.
4:07 Select the option Hyper-V Settings on the right hand side.
4:14 Select Enhanced Session Mode Policy from the list on the left.
4:19 Put a check in the box for Allow Enhanced Session Mode.
4:33 Click on Enhanced Session Mode under the User section on the left.
4:35 Make sure the checkbox to allow Enhanced Session mode is checked so that it will be enabled when connecting to a virtual machine.
5:00 Right click on the virtual machine and click Settings.
5:06 Select Integration Services from the left hand column.
5:11 Check the box for Guest Services. If Guest Services is not checked, Enhanced Session mode will not work regardless of the other settings.
5:24 In some cases, a virtual machine restart is needed for Guest Services to work.
5:33 Right click the virtual machine and select Connect.
5:44 You should now see a box for selecting the display resolution that previously didn’t appear.
6:10 Click on Show Options to see any additional available options and to allow you to save your settings for the future.
6:28 Select the Local Resources tab.
6:34 Click on Settings under Audio Settings to configure audio options for the session.
6:58 The bottom section allows you to use local printers and clipboard if the boxes are checked.
7:21 Click the More button to allow access to local hard drives, plug and play devices, etc.
7:49 Selecting ‘Drives that I plug in later’ will allow for access to USB flash drives that are connected after your session begins.
8:22 Press Connect to connect to the virtual machine and login.
8:34 Open Windows Explorer and confirm that the A, C, and D drive from the local machine are available.
9:02 Right click on the Start Menu and click Search. Type in ‘printers’ and select the Devices and Printers app.
9:18 You should see some printers with “Redirected 1” for printers that are connected via Enhanced Session mode and are printers from the local computer.
9:48 Uses the same technology as Remote Desktop, but without requiring a network connection
9:58 Click on the icon for Basic Session, the window will change to a standard console session and the drives and printers will no longer be available.
10:18 Click on Hyper-V Settings in Hyper-V Manager.
10:22 Select Enhanced Session Mode, uncheck the box to disable enhanced session mode and click on OK.
10:38 Right click on the virtual machine and click on Connect and the Enhanced session mode dialog box will not appear and you will be entered into a basic session.
10:50 Click on the Enhanced Session icon to switch to an enhanced session, therefore, the administrator can determine whether they want the default session to be enhanced or basic.
References
“Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 Exam Ref 70-410” pg 148-149
“Hyper-V Architecture” http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768520(v=bts.10).aspx
“Virtual Machine Connection – Enhanced Session Mode Overview” http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/library/dn282274.aspx
Credits
Voice Talent: HP Lewis http://hplewis.com
Companion Document: Phil Townsend http://philtownsend.net
Video Production: Kevin Luttman http://www.KevinLuttman.com
Quality Assurance: Edward M http://digitalmaru.com/
Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
