Hyper-V is a role in several Microsoft Windows Server products that provides the tools and services to create virtualized servers. A virtual machine that has been created using the Hyper-V role can serve as the platform for running the SWG appliance software.
NOTE: You must leave the Hyper-V feature Dynamic Memory disabled in the virtual appliance settings when you configure SWG on a Hyper-V virtual platform. This is because this feature isn't supported.
Requirements for setting up SWG on Hyper-V:
Make sure that the following requirements are met before you set up SWG on Hyper-V.
| Use |
Memory (RAM in GB) |
Hard disk space (in GB) |
CPU cores |
| Functional testing (one user) or Central Management console (no traffic) |
4 |
80 |
2 |
| Production (minimum) |
16 |
200 |
4 |
| Production (recommended) |
32 |
500 |
At least 4 |
Steps for setting up SWG on Hyper-V:
NOTE: The instructions in this article are for Windows Server 2012 R2; the steps might vary slightly if you're using a different version.
- Install Hyper-V:
- Install Windows Server 2012 R2 on the computer.
- Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
- In the Roles Summary area of the Server Manager main window, click Add Roles.
- On the Select Server Roles page, click Hyper-V.
- On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.
- Click Close to finish the wizard, and then click Yes to restart the computer and complete the installation.
- After you restart the computer, log on with the same account you used to install the Hyper-V role. After the Resume Configuration wizard completes the installation, click Close to finish the wizard.
- Create and set up a virtual machine:
- Open Hyper-V Manager. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.
- From the Actions pane, click New, and then click Virtual Machine.
- From the New Virtual Machine wizard, click Next.
- On the Specify Name and Location page, specify a name for the virtual machine and where you want to store it. Then, click Next.
- On the Specify Generation page, specify the generation of the virtual machine, and then click Next.
- On the Assign Memory page, specify enough memory to run the guest operating system that you want to use on the virtual machine. Then, click Next.
- On the Configure Networking page, connect the network adapter to an existing virtual network if you want to establish network connectivity at this point. Then, click Next.
- On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, specify a name, location, and size to create a virtual hard disk. You can then install an operating system on it. Then, click Next.
- On the Installation Options page, choose the method you want to use to install the operating system.
- Click Finish.
- To install SWG on Hyper-V, choose the SWG ISO file and start the system.
- Create a virtual network:
- Open Hyper-V Manager.
- From the Actions menu, click Virtual Switch Manager.
- Click New virtual network switch and select the type of network you want to create.
- Click Create Virtual Switch. The New Virtual Network page appears.
- Type a name for the new network. Review the other properties and modify them if needed.
- To create the virtual network and close Virtual Network Manager, click OK. Or, click Apply to create the virtual network and continue using Virtual Network Manager.
Steps to configure a static MAC address for the SWG virtual appliance:
A virtual machine on a Hyper-V server platform is by default configured to use dynamic MAC addresses. When SWG runs as a virtual appliance on this platform, using dynamic MAC addresses results in losing IP address information after a reboot. For this reason, you must change the default settings to let the virtual appliance use a static MAC address.
- Open Hyper-V Manager.
- Right-click the SWG virtual machine, click Settings, and then under Network Adapter, click Advanced Features.
- Select Static and then specify a MAC address.
- Click OK.
