You can go one further and wish for the ability to assign all hardware resources to a specific client.

This would be in accordance with the concept that the parent partition is really just another client running under the hypervisor.

You could install Hyper-V Core and have a Vista or Windows 7 virtual machine have control of the graphics subsystem, since you don't really need it in Core.

29 ratings, 22 validations, and still no comment from Microsoft? If someone at Microsoft ever sees this comment, please take it to your manager, and ask why your team is failing to engage with customers through your Connect site.

Seen a LOT of users with various reasons why MS should add USB support. I want to add one more. While you could say that USB licensing dongles and are rare in servers (I don't agree, but you could say that) there is more hardware using USB nowadays. One imprtant example the definitely belongs in a server is equipment control. Some types of equipment come with a USB interface. Server controlling this equipment will in many cases be ideal candidates for virtualization since they are in many cases not seriously stressed. But now you can't do this unless you run the controller program on the host.

I 'd like to add support to thise wanting USB support for drives as well. Backing up to some USB disk (you could even automate this) would be ideal in many cases. I'd rather ask e secretary in some branch office to plug in a USB drive in the server than to swap a tape.

The justification for this is really simple.
Some storage interfaces are USB. By not supporting USB, Hyper-V is unable to support applications that have data on the USB storage interface.
Some authentication devices are USB. By not supporting USB, Hyper-V is unable to support applications that require authentication through those USB devices.
A good use for Hyper-V is to replace a requirement for 2 seperate physical desktops with a requirement for 2 logical VMs on a single physical desktop; (with the power to run the two VMs.) The lack of support for USB often gets in the way of that scenario.

I'm moving an SBS 2003 to Hyper-V using P2V. The conversion was done without "TOO MUCH" trouble and my SBS is now virtualized.
BUT an important fearture is missing the FAX. Because my modem is USB i cannot connect.
The workaround using RDP cannot be seriously used. The USB support is not only require but critical.

You can "pass-through" the external USB drive to a virtual machine by setting it to Offline in disk management on the host. After you've done that, you can set it as a local HDD in the virtual machine settings. I've never done a restore with Acronis, but I've done it many times using ShadowProtect.

I'll just add that I adamantly agree that USB support should be included in Hyper-V and I am FLOORED to find it isn't. The most viable workaround seems to be "Use VMware". Microsoft, is this be your final answer?!?

I also ran across this issue trying to restore an Acronis image to a Hyper-V VM. My test environment runs VMware and this procedure works like a dream! It's impossible with Hyper-V.

really suprise that Hyper-V without USB. THat's really hopeless and useless. I really fell Hyper-V is just a toy.WTH? No usb supoort. I never heard any VM are without USB support. Without USB, Hyper-V is God-damn useless.

Adding USB support can't be that difficult. Windows 7 XP mode (a virtual machine) has USB support! I need USB support for a VoIP PBX which uses a dongle for its license.

Remember when Microsoft was arrogant and released vista without listening to customer feedback!
Seems like the Vista team is now working on Hyper-v!
If you really want to compete with VMware pay attention to what is supported, clearly they felt there WAS a need for USB support. GOYA and get to work on USB support MS!

Guys, It's a pitty that you're too busy spilling your guts an don't have time to read the posts of others;

Hyper-V dos support USB in various ways, just a matter of using the right settings...
brian_e2c & vroxx allready explained it for you; Tried it and worked fine !

Thanks brian_e2c & vroxx !!!

I have a half-dozen customers with servers that beg for Hyper-V, but they all need USB support to maintain their fax services using a USB modem. Please, I'm going to have to switch to ESXi soon to keep them happy.

RaymondvS - Maybe you should read more of the comments -- a real need for USB support is for hardware locks/dongles that provide licensing for server systems. Many times these are legacy systems that need to stay around but can't be supported on their current hardware. A server running a hardlock license key can't have a cannot maintain a constant connection using RDP. It just isn't feasible or reasonable to ask for someone to use such a ridiculous solution.
Same goes for Fax Servers (Thanks Joe Johnson for pointing out another perfectly good, no RDP-workaround-available option) You simply can't keep purchasing new servers for such simple needs.

This is why virtualization is so useful. It just isn't cost effective to buy a new machine and keep maintenance services available when the machine is so light on resource requirements.

VM systems are supposed to save money and resources, not waste our time trying to figure out how to work around Microsoft-imposed limitations!!!! Workarounds are hacks with a pleasant name!

I agree it need USB support and while you are at it add Physical Com port Mapping in there as well.

Use VMWare ;-)

I don't have Hyper-V but I have Virtual Server 2007 and Virtual PC.
I would think that they would work about the same as Hyper-V.
I have a USB Drive and I have access to it through the Virtual machines.
I share the sub-directories that I want and add them as a Mapped network drive (ie map= \\192.168.0.100\shares).
I tried it using a computer name reference but found that tedious.

I would like to see USB support also for PDAs' etc.

The devices that I really want access to don't work outside of XP. My IP Phone and usb-vga adpter for my second monitor.

The fax question listed on this page can probably be gotten around by using the share printers and faxes.

Unfortunately, you need server 2008 64 bit to try Hyper-V. A point that Microsoft failed to be up front about. It seems that you have to hit a wall before you find out that you got the wrong software.

And when you try to go back to your previous operating system. It won't let you activate it claiming that you had exceeded the number of installs.

This happened when I went from XP to Vista, again from Vista to Vista Business, and I am sure it will happen again now.

My main complaint would be the activation crap. They mess with their paying customers while trying to deter their non-paying customers. They should let you keep a wallet, passport, something so that if you can answer a few questions then they know that it is you and allow you to change which motherboard, etc easily. Like Netflix player. It follows you around from machine to machine but (delayed) expires on previous machines when you start a new one.

Could you imagine buying an album that wouldn't play music anymore after the 3rd playing?

Or use USB over network / ethernet, is working great for me.

I too have experiment with SBS 2008 in Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 but canned the project because of 'backups'. I can create a pass-through disk to the host and back up to that but you can't rotate a USB drive offsite. As soon as you take the disk offline in SBS to swap it out, SBS will not recognize a new (prepared) disk if you bring it online. If you plug the old USB drive back in and try to bring it online, it fails in SBS. I have tried the procedure with both pass-through disks and virtual hard disks and they both fail in SBS.

If you plug in your USB device, then take it offline on the Host OS (Server Manager -> Disk Managment), then in your Hyper-V settings for your virtual machine mount to the physical hard disk that is your USB device your Hyper-V instance will see your USB drive, and everything on it.

USB over Ethernet is not a valid workaround unless you have valid drivers on the USB host for the device you want to proxy via the network. This means keeping an old 32-bit box running if the vendor (in my case DLink) refuses to provide 64-bit drivers for his CURRENT PRODUCT.

If Hyper-V provided USB pass-through, we could run a 32-bit VM to access the bloody hardware without having to introduce an oddball box among the blades.