Hyper-V cannot import the appliance OVA; build a generation 1 virtual machine around the converted disk CID222 supplies, then reach the dashboard.

Hyper-V cannot import an OVA. Ask your CID222 contact for a converted disk before the deployment date, then build a virtual machine around it. The appliance image is BIOS-based, so it needs a generation 1 virtual machine.

Warning

This procedure is written from Microsoft's documentation and from what the appliance image requires. It has not been reproduced in our lab. The disk conversion and the CID222 side of the requirements are verified; the Hyper-V step detail is not.

What do I need?

Licence: Any
Role: admin_user

Prerequisites

You have told your CID222 contact that the target is Hyper-V, and received a converted appliance disk. The .ova cannot be used.
You are a member of the Hyper-V Administrators group on the target host.
The host has at least 32 GB of RAM, 8 logical processors and 100 GB free for the virtual machine.
The virtual switch you will attach the appliance to serves DHCP.
You have read Requirements and sizing and Network prerequisites.

The branches this build takes

Situation	What changes
You were sent an `.ova`	It cannot be used. Hyper-V imports no OVA and there is no conversion procedure for you to run. Ask for a converted disk
Your standard build is generation 2	Make this machine generation 1. The appliance image is BIOS-based and a generation 2 machine does not boot it
Dynamic memory is on by default in your templates	Clear it. Ballooning a host already sized for the stack's working set produces container evictions that read as product faults
The virtual switch is internal or private	The appliance gets no DHCP and no route off the host. Attach it to an external switch on a segment that serves DHCP
There is no DHCP anywhere you can attach it	Install from the ISO instead, on this same host — its manual-network boot entry sets a static address
You rely on checkpoints for rollback	Take one when the appliance first reaches the setup wizard. The wizard runs once, so that checkpoint is the only way back to an unconfigured appliance
The host is a cluster node	Nothing changes in the build, but confirm the storage the disk lands on has the full disk figure free rather than a thin one

Build the virtual machine

Verify the disk you were sent

Check the disk against the .sha256 file supplied with it.

Get-FileHash .\cid222-appliance-<version>.vhdx -Algorithm SHA256

The hash matches the value in the sidecar file. A mismatch means a corrupted transfer — fetch it again rather than building around it.

Create a generation 1 virtual machine

In Hyper-V Manager, select Action → New → Virtual Machine, and on Specify Generation choose Generation 1.

The wizard continues without offering Secure Boot, which is a generation 2 feature. Generation 1 is required: the appliance image is built and verified for BIOS firmware and does not boot under the UEFI firmware a generation 2 machine provides.

Assign memory without dynamic allocation

Set Startup memory to your package's recommended size and clear Use Dynamic Memory for this virtual machine.

The wizard records a fixed assignment. Ballooning a host that is already sized for the stack's working set produces container evictions that look like product faults.

Screenshot pendingThe Hyper-V New Virtual Machine wizard with startup memory set and Dynamic Memory cleared/assets/screenshots/hyperv-assign-memory@0.4.png

Attach the network

On Configure Networking, select a virtual switch that reaches a network with DHCP.

The wizard shows the switch name. The appliance guest carries the Hyper-V network driver in its kernel, so the default network adapter works — a legacy network adapter is not needed.

Attach the supplied disk

On Connect Virtual Hard Disk, select Use an existing virtual hard disk and browse to the disk you were sent.

The wizard attaches it to the machine's IDE controller, which is what a generation 1 machine boots from.

Set the processor count

Finish the wizard, then open the machine's settings and set Processor → Number of virtual processors to your package's recommended count.

The settings dialog shows the new value. The minimum is 8.

Start the appliance

Start the virtual machine and open its console.

The guest boots to a login prompt. First boot takes a few minutes while the services and the database initialise.

Find the appliance's address

Read the IPv4 address from the machine's Networking tab in Hyper-V Manager, or log in at the console and run ip a.

An IPv4 address appears on the switch you selected. No address means the switch reached no DHCP server.

Open the dashboard

Browse to http://<appliance-ip>/.

The appliance redirects to the first-boot setup wizard, because it has no administrator yet.

Verify

The machine's settings show Generation 1, a fixed memory assignment, and the processor count you set.
http://<appliance-ip>/ loads and lands on the setup wizard rather than a login form.
From a machine on the same network, curl -sS -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}\n' http://<appliance-ip>/ returns 200.

If it fails

The wizard will not accept the .ova → Hyper-V does not import OVA files, and there is no conversion procedure for you to run. Request a converted disk.
The machine starts and immediately shows a boot failure → it is a generation 2 machine. Delete it and create a generation 1 machine around the same disk.
The console shows a login prompt but ip a reports no IPv4 address → the virtual switch reached no DHCP server. Attach it to a switch that does, or install from the ISO using its manual-network boot entry — see Install from the ISO.
Services start and are then killed → the machine has dynamic memory enabled, or less memory than the package requires. See Requirements and sizing.

Next steps

First boot and the setup wizard — create the administrator and choose the deployment mode.
Licensing and activation — swap the built-in trial for your package.
Naming, DNS and TLS — give the appliance names and a trusted certificate before you connect clients.

Install on Hyper-V