In the past we've talked about using virtualization solutions to run legacy apps on individual systems and to simplify migration to the Vista OS.

Now let's turn our attention to the server side, where virtualization can consolidate workloads onto a smaller number of machines.

This is easier than you might think thanks to Hyper-V, which is rolled into Windows Server 2008. Microsoft's Rob Waggoner shows you how to set up virtual machines with Hyper-V using his Dell Precision 490 as his test system.

If you've been using VMWare to run virtual machines, you may be surprised at how much easier the process goes with Hyper-V. Note that Waggoner's 10-minute video (which is viewable at the above link) requires Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in.

What do you think? Have you used Hyper-V to help with app compatibility, Vista migration, server consolidation, or the like? If so, leave us a comment telling us how it went.