FAQ

Q: can I hydrate this lab on Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012?

A: nope, You need to use Win 10 or Windows Server 2016 as script uses new technologies such as PowerShell Direct (PS remoting into VM from Host)

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Q: It takes too long to hydrate parent images. Can I speed it?

A: Yep, disable defender. Windows 10 introduces new security measures, but it also affect those scripts.

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Q: Is there any special HW Requirement?

A: No, but SSD is strongly recommended. Depending on the size of the lab, you need memory. Nano server after boot consumes ~250MB Memory, DC ~2G. If Nano Server hosts S2D storage, it grows to ~700-800MB. If you want Nested Virtualization, each VM then needs at least 4GB Memory.

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Q: Can I use this to deploy production workloads?

A: No, the purpose of this solution is to run labs on your laptop or some server. It's definitely not for any production workloads. Just for tests and simulations.

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Q: Can I hydrate Windows Server 2012r2?

A: Sure! Use Convert-WindowsImage tool to create GPT VHD, add it to parentdisks folder and use the name in configuration. See examples here