Hyper-V Setup (Windows)
Note
The Hyper-V backend is a capability-table-driven stub this
milestone — every lifecycle command currently responds
UnderDevelopment. This page describes the target setup and current
gaps so Windows users know what to expect; see the
capability matrix for the full picture.
Enable Hyper-V (once the backend lands)
Hyper-V requires Windows 11/10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (not Home) with virtualization enabled in firmware:
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
Reboot when prompted.
PowerShell execution policy
agentctl's Hyper-V backend will drive Hyper-V's own PowerShell cmdlets
(New-VM, Start-VM, Add-VMNetworkAdapterExtendedAcl, ...). Ensure your
execution policy allows running the scripts agentctl invokes; consult your
organization's PowerShell policy before changing this on a managed machine.
Known gap versus Incus/Lima
| Gap | Detail |
|---|---|
| No port-publish primitive | Hyper-V has no built-in "publish a port" concept. agentctl will report ManualWorkaround for --port and print a concrete NAT-switch + netsh interface portproxy procedure until this is automated. |
Everything else — lifecycle, network ACLs (Extended Port ACLs), snapshots
(Standard/Production checkpoints), and console (VMConnect/Enhanced Session
Mode) — has a strong, mature native primitive; the current UnderDevelopment
status on those reflects agentctl's own wiring being incomplete, not a
platform limitation.
What agentctl will assume exists (once implemented)
- Hyper-V enabled and a default virtual switch (or a NAT switch, for port publishing) configured.
- PowerShell reachable non-interactively for the commands agentctl issues.