App Layering

MS Hyper-V

This section describes considerations and requirements when creating layers or publishing images in Hyper-V.

Platform layer

Configure the Hyper-V settings on the platform layer so that your other layered applications run seamlessly in Hyper-V.

You need a platform layer if the OS image used to create your OS layer originated in a different hypervisor. If the OS image originated in Hyper-V, you do not need a platform layer. The Hyper-V settings are already configured on your OS layer.

You also need a platform layer if you start using Generation 2 machines, as explained in the following section.

Generation 2 machines

To start using Generation 2 machines in Hyper-V when your existing machines are Generation 1:

  • Create a Hyper-V connector configuration with the Offload compositing feature enabled and Generation 2 selected.
  • Create a Generation 2 platform layer.
  • Publish Generation 2 images using this platform layer and your existing Generation 1 app layers.

If you are starting with a fresh deployment in Hyper-V, you can create a Generation 2 OS layer using either of the following approaches:

  • Create the OS layer from a Generation 1 OS image. Then:
    • Create a Hyper-V connector configuration with the Offload compositing feature enabled and Generation 2 selected.
    • Add a Generation 2 version to the OS layer.
    • Create Generation 2 app layers.
    • Create an image template with the new connector selected, and publish the images.
  • Create the OS layer from a Generation 2 OS image, by bypassing the management console and using the OS import script:
    • Locate the ImportOSLayer.ps1 script included in the OS Machine Tools download.
    • Import the OS using the script. The script supports the import of UEFI machines and completes the import faster than the management console.
MS Hyper-V