Failover clusters in Windows Server 2008 R2 provide several ways to move virtual machines from one cluster node to another. You can live migrate, quick migrate, or move a virtual machine to another node.

To live migrate, quick migrate, or move a virtual machine to another node

  1. In the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in, if the cluster that you want to configure is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Manager, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.

  2. If the console tree is collapsed, expand the tree under the cluster that you want to configure.

  3. Expand Services and Applications, and then click the clustered instance containing the virtual machine you want to migrate or move.

  4. Under Actions (on the right), click one of the following:

    • Live migrate virtual machine to another node

    • Quick migrate virtual machine(s) to another node

    • Move virtual machine(s) to another node

    For more information about these choices, see Understanding Hyper-V and Virtual Machines in the Context of a Cluster.

Additional considerations

  • To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Manager. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.

  • You cannot use live migration to move multiple virtual machines simultaneously. On a given server running Hyper-V, only one live migration (to or from the server) can be in progress at a given time.

  • If you decide to change the settings of a clustered virtual machine, be sure to see Modify the Virtual Machine Settings for a Clustered Virtual Machine.

  • For live migration and quick migration, we recommend that you make the hardware and system settings of the nodes as similar as possible to minimize potential problems.

  • For each clustered virtual machine, you can also specify the action that the cluster performs before taking the virtual machine offline. This setting does not affect live migration, quick migration, or unplanned failover. It affects only moving (or taking the resource offline through the action of Windows PowerShell or an application). To specify the setting, make sure that after selecting the clustered virtual machine in the console tree (on the left), you right-click the virtual machine resource displayed in the center pane (not on the left), and then click Properties. Click the Settings tab and select an option. The actions are described in Understanding Hyper-V and Virtual Machines in the Context of a Cluster in the section called "Live migration, quick migration, and moving of virtual machines," in the description for moving of virtual machines.

Additional references

  • Bring a Clustered Service or Application Online or Take It Offline
  • Refresh the Configuration of a Virtual Machine