The introduction of Microsoft® Hyper-V® Server 2008 has changed the way
a virtual machine (VM) interacts with the host operating system and network
resources. Unlike other Microsoft virtualization software like Virtual Server
and Virtual PC, the virtualization technology of Hyper-V is integrated into the
Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 x64 operating system. This facilitates
better performance and increases integration of the virtualization layer
(hypervisor) with other Microsoft Windows® components.

This document details the four available networking configurations for running Hyper-V on Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each networking configuration with an emphasis on typical Dell system configurations.