Hyper-V is a Microsoft hypervisor that enables native virtualization on x86-64 systems. It allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical server, in isolation from one another, by creating virtual machines (VMs). Hyper-V provides a virtualized set of hardware to the guest operating system, which can run its own operating system. Hyper-V can be used to create and manage virtual machines and their resources, including storage, networking, and memory. It also includes a variety of management and monitoring tools for administrators to use.

For those who may not be familiar with the distinction between type 1 and type 2 hypervisors, here’s a brief explanation:

Type 1 hypervisors, such as VMware ESXi, Citrix XenServer, and Microsoft Hyper-V, function like a low-footprint operating system and run directly on the host computer’s hardware. They are often referred to as “bare metal” or “native” hypervisors, and are typically used for production-ready virtualization in data centers.

Type 2 hypervisors, like VMware Player, Oracle VirtualBox, and Parallels Desktop, run as a software layer on an operating system, similar to other computer programs. They are also known as “hosted” hypervisors and allow end users to run virtual machines on personal computers, making them ideal for training, development, and research purposes.

Many administrators are unsure if Hyper-V is a type 1 or type 2 hypervisor due to its appearance of running on top of the operating system. However, this is not the case. Hyper-V is actually a type 1 or “bare metal” hypervisor. This is because when the Hyper-V role or feature is installed or enabled on a system, the original operating system is converted into a virtual machine and a layer of Hyper-V hypervisor is added underneath it. This is the reason why the system restarts when the Hyper-V role or feature is installed. After restart, the original Windows operating system operates as a virtual machine on top of the Hyper-V hypervisor. In short, Hyper-V functions as a type 1 hypervisor under the hood.

Hyper-V is often mistaken as a type 2 hypervisor due to its appearance of running on top of the operating system. However, when the Hyper-V role or feature is installed or enabled on a system, the original operating system is transformed into a virtual machine and a layer of Hyper-V hypervisor is installed beneath it. This is why the system needs to be restarted during the installation process. Once restarted, the original operating system functions as a virtual machine on top of the Hyper-V hypervisor, making it a type 1 or bare metal hypervisor.

Up to Version 2019 yes it’s free. You can download an ISO file from Microsoft, boot with it on your physical server and then setup Hyper-V as usual.

As of Jan/2023 there is no free 2022 version.
However you can download a windows 2022 evaluation ISO, install on a physical server the Core edition and add the Hyper-V as a feature using the following powershell command:

Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools -Restart

Check this really interesting article:

How to Install Hyper-V on Windows Server Core

Yes we have tried the application with Server 2022 Datacenter version on AWS using the metal instance. Check our videos for examples.

Yes

After a backup is finished it can upload a copy to your AWS bucket.

It’s a full working version that allows you to backup just one instance of an application.

Updating is also disabled.

You can use the following commands from within Powershell:

Download demo:

Invoke-WebRequest -uri synergy-usa-llc.com/various/SynergyHyperVBackup.zip -outfile SynergyHyperVBackup.zip

How to unzip downloaded file

Expand-Archive .\SynergyHyperVBackup.zip

After downloading and expanding the archive, change to SynergyHyperVBackup folder and run the Setup.exe.

Microsoft’s .Net Library Long Term Support Ver 6 will be installed for you automatically.

We suggest to change setup location to c:\SynergyHyperVBackup , it will be  easier this way for you to run the application.

This is how you can setup the email settings on each profile:

Yes, this is the company we use for our own servers and highly recommend:

Smarthost/SMTP

Yes, end of October 2021 there a was a worldwide supply chain attack to  multiple maritime companies via Danaos Management Consultants.

The company kept a reverse SSH tunnel from clients to their office for providing remote support and updates.

The hackers breached their main server and were able to access clients’ servers via the SSH. They were able to encrypt data, which in this incident were emails. They even stopped and encrypted the main Oracle database too. 

The client’s server was a Linux VM running on a Hyper-V Server. The encryption started around Saturday midnight.

Our client’s latest backup was completed early Saturday morning.

We were informed Sunday morning and were able to bring everything back online by the same Sunday evening.

Due to the Hyper-V isolation (as designed in advance) no backups were harmed. 

Monday morning was business as usual for the client and no one even knew what had happened during the weekend.

After the incident we added more backups jobs and especially an Offline one with retention enabled.

https://www.itgovernance.eu/blog/en/cyber-attacks-and-data-breaches-in-review-november-2021

Email credentials are saved as encrypted in the configuration file.

Task schedule credentials are not saved in the configuration file.

Synergy Hyper-V backup can run on a Windows Server Core/Hypervisor (Strongly Suggested):

Or it can run on a Windows Server with Hyper-V as a feature:

We upload/check all of our files with VirusTotal:

SynergyHyperVBackup.zip:

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/63602dc930fe3370ed0c1a7d24bb261db7156d43a720a2a2878e41e6f3b4258a

SynergyHyperVBackup.exe:

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/e0500eb6f10bbba9d846e1b37ba3d90db41a0f4ba6d94484035d88414f7d0811

SynergyHyperVBackup.dll:

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/3ef5f4e9d43e525405b95ca8e73f65c74e2c2583a4e6e32549e4910dba2054d3