Will Windows 8 see Hyper-V Virtualization for the first time?

The new Microsoft operating system Windows 8 may include Hyper-V virtualization software.

Early traits of the Hyper V v3.0 were found in a leaked, early version of Windows 8 as per Robert McLaws, a blogger at WindowsNow.com.

McLaws also claimed that he spotted several new modifications in the Hypervisor 3.0, which includes compatibility with processors that have four cores, a fresh .VHDX virtual hard drive format called NUMA, router guard, CHCP (combined heat, cooling, and power production) and hardware acceleration.

“This is a huge step forward for Windows 8. I believe it will have a huge impact on a wide array of usage scenarios, the least of which is the potential for self-contained App-V / Windows XP Mode support. Not to mention better Windows Phone 7/7.5/8 Emulator support,” wrote McLaws.

Previously, Hyper V has only been used as a server-end virtualization utility, which is compatible with Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003 (both 2003 R2 and 2008 R2). It also has the capability to run quite a few versions of the Linux OS as guests, the WindowsNow blog reported.