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Activating Windows machines using Hyper-V on an OVHcloud licensed Windows Server

Stephanie R.
Updated

Learn about creating virtual machines within Hyper-V on a Windows Server licensed with OVHcloud.

NOTE: OVHcloud provides services for which you are responsible for their configuration and management. You are therefore responsible for their proper functioning.

This tutorial is designed to help you as much as possible with common tasks. If you are having difficulty performing these actions, please contact a specialized service provider. OVHcloud can't provide you with technical support in this regard.

 

Requirements

  • A dedicated server with Windows Server installed
  • The Hyper-V role installed
  • A Windows License provided by OVHcloud

 

Instructions

This tutorial assumes that you have already installed the Hyper-V role and have access to the Hyper-V Manager. If you have not done this, you can refer to Microsoft's guide to installing the Hyper-V role here.

The steps below are for standard activation only. If you have a Windows Datacenter license, we recommend proceeding with Automatic Virtual Machine Activation (AVMA).

 

Creating a NAT Network

First of all, Windows Server will request the activation of the guest OS through NAT (unless you had a SPLA license to be attached with a specific KMS). Open up a PowerShell session as an administrator. We will create it with the following command:

PS C:\Windows\system32> New-VMSwitch -SwitchName "NAT" -SwitchType Internal
Name SwitchType NetAdapterInterfaceDescription
---- ---------- ------------------------------
NAT Internal

After that, confirm the adaptor has been successfully created with:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Get-VMSwitch

Name SwitchType NetAdapterInterfaceDescription
---- ---------- ------------------------------
Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550 - Virtual Switch External Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550
Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550 #2 - Virtual Switch External Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550 #2
NAT Internal

We see that the "NAT" Virtual Switch has been created successfully. Once it's been created, we will need to confirm the InterfaceIndex or "interface ID" for the following step like this:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Get-NetAdapter
Name                     InterfaceDescription                  ifIndex Status
MacAddress             LinkSpeed
----                     --------------------                  ------- ------
----------             ---------
vEthernet(Intel(R) Et... Hyper-V Virtual Ethernet Adapter #2       9      Up 
D0-50-99-D7-2C-89      10 Gbps
Ethernet                 Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550         7      Up 
D0-50-99-D7-2C-8A      10 Gbps
Ethernet 2               Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X550 #2      5      Up 
D0-50-99-D7-2C-89      10 Gbps
vEthernet (NAT)          Hyper-V Virtual Ethernet Adapter #3      24      Up 
00-15-5D-17-DD-04      10 Gbps
vEthernet(Intel(R) Et... Hyper-V Virtual Ethernet Adapter         12      Up 
D0-50-99-D7-2C-8A      10 Gbps

In our case, we see our "NAT" adapter ID is 24.

Next, Let's create a NAT network that will allow our VM to connect to the internet; we will be able to see the information of it once it's been executed:

PS C:\Windows\system32> New-NetIPAddress -IPAddress 192.168.0.1 -PrefixLength 24 -InterfaceIndex 24
IPAddress : 192.168.0.1
InterfaceIndex : 24
InterfaceAlias : vEthernet (NAT)
AddressFamily : IPv4
Type : Unicast
PrefixLength : 24
PrefixOrigin : Manual
SuffixOrigin : Manual
AddressState : Tentative
ValidLifetime : Infinite ([TimeSpan]::MaxValue)
PreferredLifetime : Infinite ([TimeSpan]::MaxValue)
SkipAsSource : False
PolicyStore : ActiveStore

IPAddress : 192.168.0.1
InterfaceIndex : 24
InterfaceAlias : vEthernet (NAT)
AddressFamily : IPv4
Type : Unicast
PrefixLength : 24
PrefixOrigin : Manual
SuffixOrigin : Manual
AddressState : Invalid
ValidLifetime : Infinite ([TimeSpan]::MaxValue)
PreferredLifetime : Infinite ([TimeSpan]::MaxValue)
SkipAsSource : False
PolicyStore : PersistentStore

The IPAddress value will be the internal gateway IP for our VM to be configured; it will connect the WinNAT service inside the host to reach internet. The PrefixLength will be the netmask prefix of the IP given before, and lastly the InterfaceIndex will be the ID of the virtual switch created on the step before (in our case, its ID is 24).

Lastly, let's create the network that will be used by our WinNAT service to reach the internet with the following command:

PS C:\Windows\system32> New-NetNat -Name MyNATnetwork -InternalIPInterfaceAddressPrefix 192.168.0.0/24
Name : MyNATnetwork
ExternalIPInterfaceAddressPrefix :
InternalIPInterfaceAddressPrefix : 192.168.0.0/24
IcmpQueryTimeout : 30
TcpEstablishedConnectionTimeout : 1800
TcpTransientConnectionTimeout : 120
TcpFilteringBehavior : AddressDependentFiltering
UdpFilteringBehavior : AddressDependentFiltering
UdpIdleSessionTimeout : 120
UdpInboundRefresh : False
Store : Local
Active : True

The Name parameter will define the name of this network, as well as the InternalIPInterfaceAddressPrefix parameter will connect to the network desired; in our case, the network is the one created before:

  • 192.168.0.0 is the network IP
  • 192.168.0.1 is the gateway for your virtual machines
  • 192.168.0.2 - 192.168.0.254 will be used as IPs for your virtual machines

 

Activating the VM

At this point, the network will be correctly set for this validation. Create a new Windows Server 2019 Standard VM (we have used the evaluation ISO downloadable from the official Microsoft website). Once installed, configure your virtual machine with an IP of the range configured on the virtual switch (for example: 192.168.0.2/24):

windowsHyperV_exampleCommandPrompt.png

Since the .ISO used has enabled the "Evaluation mode", we need to transfer this guest OS to the Standard version. Launch the following command on your CMD:

C:\Users\Administrator> DISM.exe /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:N69G4-B89J2-4G8F4-WWYCCJ464C /AcceptEula

This license belongs to our current KMS validation license repository for Windows Server 2019 Standard. You can find the product keys for supported versions of Windows Server in the table available on the official Microsoft web page.

Reboot your VM, then do the following to set the KMS server and activate Windows.

Setting the KMS server

cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -skms kms.ovh.us

Activating Windows

cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato

Your VM should now be activated.

 

Go further

For more information and tutorials, please see our other Dedicated Servers support guides or explore the guides for other OVHcloud products and services.

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