Supported Oracle Linux virtual machines on Hyper-V

Applies to: Azure Stack HCI, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Hyper-V Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Hyper-V Server 2012 R2, Windows 10, Windows 8.1

The following feature distribution map indicates the features that are present in each version. The known issues and workarounds for each distribution are listed after the table.

In this section:

Table legend

  • Built in - LIS are included as part of this Linux distribution. The kernel module version numbers for the built in LIS (as shown by lsmod, for example) are different from the version number on the Microsoft-provided LIS download package. A mismatch doesn't indicate that the built in LIS is out of date.

  • ✔ - Feature available

  • (blank) - Feature not available

  • RHCK - Red Hat Compatible Kernel

  • UEK - Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK)

    • UEK4 - built on upstream Linux Kernel release 4.1.12
    • UEK5 - built on upstream Linux Kernel release 4.14
    • UEK6 - built on upstream Linux Kernel release 5.4

Oracle Linux 9.x Series

Feature Windows Server version 9.0 (RHCK)
Availability
Core 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Windows Server 2016 Accurate Time 2019, 2016
Networking
Jumbo frames 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
VLAN tagging and trunking 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Live Migration 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Static IP Injection 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 2
vRSS 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
TCP Segmentation and Checksum Offloads 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
SR-IOV 2019, 2016
Storage
VHDX resize 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Virtual Fibre Channel 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 3
Live virtual machine backup 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 5
TRIM support 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
SCSI WWN 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Memory
PAE Kernel Support 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 N/A
Configuration of MMIO gap 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Dynamic Memory - Hot-Add 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 7, 8, 9
Dynamic Memory - Ballooning 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 7, 8, 9
Runtime Memory Resize 2019, 2016
Video
Hyper-V-specific video device 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Miscellaneous
Key-Value Pair 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Non-Maskable Interrupt 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
File copy from host to guest 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
lsvmbus command 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Hyper-V Sockets 2019, 2016
PCI Passthrough/DDA 2019, 2016
Generation 2 virtual machines
Boot using UEFI 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 12
Secure boot 2019, 2016

Oracle Linux 8.x Series

Feature Windows Server version 8.0-8.5 (RHCK)
Availability
Core 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Windows Server 2016 Accurate Time 2019, 2016
Networking
Jumbo frames 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
VLAN tagging and trunking 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Live Migration 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Static IP Injection 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 2
vRSS 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
TCP Segmentation and Checksum Offloads 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
SR-IOV 2019, 2016
Storage
VHDX resize 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Virtual Fibre Channel 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 3
Live virtual machine backup 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 5
TRIM support 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
SCSI WWN 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Memory
PAE Kernel Support 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 N/A
Configuration of MMIO gap 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Dynamic Memory - Hot-Add 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 7, 8, 9
Dynamic Memory - Ballooning 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 7, 8, 9
Runtime Memory Resize 2019, 2016
Video
Hyper-V-specific video device 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Miscellaneous
Key-Value Pair 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Non-Maskable Interrupt 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
File copy from host to guest 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
lsvmbus command 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Hyper-V Sockets 2019, 2016
PCI Passthrough/DDA 2019, 2016
Generation 2 virtual machines
Boot using UEFI 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 12
Secure boot 2019, 2016

Oracle Linux 7.x Series

This series only has 64-bit kernels.

Feature

Windows Server Version

7.5-7.8

7.3-7.4

RHCK

UEK5

RHCK

UEK4

Availability

LIS 4.3

Built in

Built in

LIS 4.3

Built in

Built in

Core

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Windows Server 2016 Accurate Time

2019, 2016

Networking

Jumbo frames

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

VLAN tagging and trunking 2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Live Migration

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Static IP injection

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

✔ Note 2

✔ Note 2

✔ Note 2

✔ Note 2

✔ Note 2

✔ Note 2

vRSS

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

TCP Segmentation and Checksum Offloads

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

SR-IOV

2019, 2016

Storage

VHDX resize

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Virtual Fibre Channel

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

✔ Note 3

✔ Note 3

✔ Note 3

✔ Note 3

✔ Note 3

✔ Note 3

Live virtual machine backup

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

✔ Note 5

✔ Note 4,5

✔ Note 5

✔ Note 5

✔ Note 4,5

✔ Note 5

TRIM support

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

SCSI WWN

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Memory

PAE Kernel Support

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Configuration of MMIO gap

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Dynamic Memory Hot-Add

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

✔ Note 7,8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

Dynamic Memory Ballooning

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

✔ Note 7,8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

✔ Note 8,9

Runtime Memory Resize

2019, 2016

Video

Hyper-V specific video

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Miscellaneous

Key-value pair

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Non-Maskable Interrupt

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

File copy from host to guest

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

lsvmbus command

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Hyper-V Sockets

2019, 2016

PCI Passthrough/DDA

2019, 2016

Generation 2 virtual machines

Boot using UEFI

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

✔ Note 12

✔ Note 12

✔ Note 12

✔ Note 12

✔ Note 12

✔ Note 12

Secure boot

2019, 2016, 2012 R2

Oracle Linux 6.x Series

This series only has 64-bit kernels.

Feature Windows Server version 6.8-6.10 (RHCK) 6.8-6.10 (UEK4)
Availability LIS 4.3 Built in
Core 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Windows Server 2016 Accurate Time 2019, 2016
Networking
Jumbo frames 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
VLAN tagging and trunking 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 1 ✔ Note 1
Live Migration 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Static IP Injection 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 2
vRSS 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
TCP Segmentation and Checksum Offloads 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
SR-IOV 2019, 2016
Storage
VHDX resize 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Virtual Fibre Channel 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 3 ✔ Note 3
Live virtual machine backup 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 5 ✔ Note 5
TRIM support 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
SCSI WWN 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Memory
PAE Kernel Support 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 N/A N/A
Configuration of MMIO gap 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Dynamic Memory - Hot-Add 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 6, 8, 9 ✔ Note 6, 8, 9
Dynamic Memory - Ballooning 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 6, 8, 9 ✔ Note 6, 8, 9
Runtime Memory Resize 2019, 2016
Video
Hyper-V-specific video device 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Miscellaneous
Key-Value Pair 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 10,11 ✔ Note 10,11
Non-Maskable Interrupt 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
File copy from host to guest 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
lsvmbus command 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Hyper-V Sockets 2019, 2016
PCI Passthrough/DDA 2019, 2016
Generation 2 virtual machines
Boot using UEFI 2019, 2016, 2012 R2 ✔ Note 12 ✔ Note 12
Secure boot 2019, 2016

Notes

  1. For this Oracle Linux release, VLAN tagging works but VLAN trunking does not.

  2. Static IP injection may not work if Network Manager has been configured for a given synthetic network adapter on the virtual machine. For smooth functioning of static IP injection please make sure that either Network Manager is either turned off completely or has been turned off for a specific network adapter through its ifcfg-ethX file.

  3. On Windows Server 2012 R2 while using virtual fibre channel devices, make sure that logical unit number 0 (LUN 0) has been populated. If LUN 0 has not been populated, a Linux virtual machine might not be able to mount fibre channel devices natively.

  4. For built-in LIS, the "hyperv-daemons" package must be installed for this functionality.

  5. If there are open file handles during a live virtual machine backup operation, then in some corner cases, the backed-up VHDs might have to undergo a file system consistency check (fsck) on restore. Live backup operations can fail silently if the virtual machine has an attached iSCSI device or direct-attached storage (also known as a pass-through disk).

  6. Dynamic memory support is only available on 64-bit virtual machines.

  7. Hot-Add support is not enabled by default in this distribution. To enable Hot-Add support you need to add a udev rule under /etc/udev/rules.d/ as follows:

    1. Create a file /etc/udev/rules.d/100-balloon.rules. You may use any other desired name for the file.

    2. Add the following content to the file: SUBSYSTEM=="memory", ACTION=="add", ATTR{state}="online"

    3. Reboot the system to enable Hot-Add support.

    While the Linux Integration Services download creates this rule on installation, the rule is also removed when LIS is uninstalled, so the rule must be recreated if dynamic memory is needed after uninstallation.

  8. Dynamic memory operations can fail if the guest operating system is running too low on memory. The following are some best practices:

    • Startup memory and minimal memory should be equal to or greater than the amount of memory that the distribution vendor recommends.

    • Applications that tend to consume the entire available memory on a system are limited to consuming up to 80 percent of available RAM.

  9. If you are using Dynamic Memory on a Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system, specify Startup memory, Minimum memory, and Maximum memory parameters in multiples of 128 megabytes (MB). Failure to do so can lead to hot-add failures, and you may not see any memory increase in a guest operating system.

  10. To enable key/value pair (KVP) infrastructure, install the hypervkvpd or hyperv-daemons rpm package from your Oracle Linux ISO. Alternatively the package can be installed directly from Oracle Linux Yum repositories.

  11. The key/value pair (KVP) infrastructure might not function correctly without a Linux software update. Contact your distribution vendor to obtain the software update in case you see problems with this feature.

  12. On Windows Server 2012 R2 Generation 2 virtual machines have secure boot enabled by default and some Linux virtual machines will not boot unless the secure boot option is disabled. You can disable secure boot in the Firmware section of the settings for the virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager or you can disable it using PowerShell:

    Set-VMFirmware -VMName "VMname" -EnableSecureBoot Off
    

    The Linux Integration Services download can be applied to existing Generation 2 VMs but does not impart Generation 2 capability.

See Also