improve and optimize Hyper-V VM Performance

I will recommend you How to improve and optimize the performance of Hyper-V virtual machines

If your organization uses Hyper-V virtual machines, you will want to optimize them as much as possible. Optimizing virtual machines can not only improve their performance but also prevent many errors. In this post, we will look at some tips and tricks to improve and optimize the performance of Hyper-V virtual machines.

How to improve and optimize the performance of Hyper-V virtual machines

Improving and Optimizing Hyper-V Virtual Machine Performance

If you are looking for methods and settings that will improve and optimize the performance of Hyper-V virtual machines on your Windows computer, consider the following tips and tweaks.

Using Dynamic Memory
Limiting to Fixed Virtual Hard Disks
Using Synthetic Network Adapters and Enabling VLAN Tagging
Removing Redundant Applications and Disabling Unnecessary Services
Enabling Hyper-V Integration Services
Using Hyper-V on Windows Server Core
Using Multipath I/O

Let's talk about them in detail.

1] Using Dynamic Memory

Dynamic memory allows you to add more memory to a virtual machine (VM) while it is running if the guest operating system needs more RAM. If the guest OS is offline and doesn’t need much memory, Hyper-V can reclaim the extra memory and give it to other active virtual machines. This not only keeps the guest machine’s performance in check but also prevents the host machine from getting overloaded due to lack of resources. You can enable it during virtual machine creation, but if you haven’t, follow the steps mentioned below to enable dynamic memory for your virtual machine.

In Hyper-V Manager, right-click on your machine and select Settings.
Now, go to the Memory tab.
Check the Enable Dynamic Memory checkbox under the Dynamic Memory section and then set minimum and maximum RAM limits.
Once done, click Apply > OK.

Hopefully, this works for you.

2] Use Fixed Virtual Hard Disks

Fixed-size disks generally work better than their dynamic counterparts, especially since they don’t have to keep checking for resources and increasing them when needed. However, dynamically expanding disks optimize physical storage and are suitable for less resource-intensive applications. If you know what kind of application you are going to work on and how much storage is required, we recommend you to choose a fixed-size disk for better and optimized performance.

3] Use synthetic network adapters and enable VLAN tagging

If you want the best network performance, it is always recommended to use a synthetic network adapter instead of its legacy counterpart as it also supports Hyper-V Integration Service or Linux Integration Service. VMBus enables network connectivity and facilitates communication between different participants, it also supports VLAN tagging which is something you must use. To configure a synthetic network adapter and enable VLAN tagging, follow the steps mentioned below.

Initial Hyper-V Manager.
Right-click on the virtual machine you want to configure and select Settings.
Now, go to the Hardware tab, select Network Adapter (by default, we use Synthetic Network Adapter and the legacy one works only with first generation virtual machines) and click Add.
In the Network Adapter section, select the virtual switch of your choice and then check Enable Virtual LAN Identification.

Click Apply > OK.

Once done, you will be able to experience much better network performance.

4] Remove redundant applications and disable unnecessary services

One of the easiest ways to improve the performance of your virtual machine is to remove all the applications that are not in use. By doing so, your computer will be able to allocate more resources to your virtual machine, which will improve its performance. To check the applications that are consuming your resources, open Task Manager and then check the Processes tab. Then, right-click on the resource-consuming application and select End Task.

You can also boot your computer in the clean boot state and disable all the processes except those related to Hyper-V. Then, start the Hyper-V virtual machine and then see the difference in performance.

5] Enable Hyper-V Integration Services

Hyper-V Integration Services are a set of drivers and tools that improve the performance of guest operating systems (OS) in a Hyper-V virtual machine (VM). For best performance, enable Hyper-V Integration Services on both the Hyper-V host and all guest operating systems. Newer versions of the Windows operating system include additional drivers.

6] Install Multipath I/O

Multipath I/O (MPIO) provides multiple data paths between storage devices and servers, thereby increasing load balancing and high availability for Hyper-V environments. It is recommended to turn on MPIO, especially for big data loads. In case of one connection failure, MPIO will make use of another route so that the continuation of data transfer is assured. This is a feature in Windows Server, and in order to install it, the steps are given below.

Open Server Manager and go to Add Roles and Features.
Keep clicking Next until you reach the Features tab.
Check Multipath I/O and then click Next; install this feature.

You can then configure it according to your organization's requirements and you will notice an increase in performance.

Hopefully, implementing these changes will result in a significant increase in the performance of your virtual machine.

How to improve and optimize Hyper-V VM Performance