Admin Tips
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  - Server Virtualization
    - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Tips
      - Performance and Scalability
        Use ISO images instead of physical CDs when installing virtual machines

Section(s): General, Performance and Scalability, General, Performance and Scalability, General, General
Published on Mar 19, 2009.
Last Modified on Nov 30, 2008.
Last Modified by Robert Larson.
Rating: Not Rated

Instead of using physical media to install virtual machines, using ISO images will increase performance and decrease installation time.

Installing virtual machines from CD/DVD media is a slow process and requires you to be physcially at the Hyper-V host. A better approach is to use ISO images of the physcial CD/DVDs to install the virtual machine. Here are five good reasons:

1) Hard drives are usually much better performing that a CDROM drive.

2) Less to carry around.

3) Easier to refresh.

4) You can install multiple virtual machines at once.

5) You do not have to be at the physical machine to insert/change the media.

About Robert Larson

Robert Larson is the co-author of the Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Resource Kit, and the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Resource kit, both published by Microsoft Press. Robert has over 20 years experience in the engineering and IT field. Currently an architect with Microsoft Consulting Services, Robert focuses on helping customers design and deploy optimized data center and server infrastructures using physical and virtual approaches. Robert has been working with various virtualization technologies for over 4 years and is a regular speaker at Microsoft TechEd conferences in the US and Europe on the Microsoft virtualization stack. Robert has also written whitepapers and delivered webcasts on virtualization technologies. You can visit Robert's blog