AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure Exam

Create and Assign GPU Partition Profiles

GPU partitioning lets administrators carve out discrete GPU resources for virtual machines running on Hyper-V hosts or Azure Stack HCI clusters. This process uses partition modes and profile settings to control how graphics resources are shared. To configure partitions, you can use PowerShell cmdlets or the Windows Admin Center interface. Understanding these tools is essential for aligning GPU capacity with workload demands.

Before creating partitions, you must verify hardware compatibility. Run commands like Get-VMHostGpuPartitionableDevice to check if your GPU supports partitioning. It is critical to avoid hardware conflicts by ensuring your GPU firmware and drivers also meet Microsoft’s requirements. This step prevents performance issues and installation errors down the line.

Once compatibility is confirmed, you define partition sizes using PowerShell. Key cmdlets include:

• Set-VMGpuPartitionAdapter -VMName <VM_Name> -PartitionSizeMB <Size>
• Get-VMGpuPartitionAdapter
  These commands let you allocate GPU memory and compute resources precisely. By specifying the partition size in megabytes, you ensure each virtual machine gets the right amount of GPU power for its graphics tasks.

After assigning partitions, continuous monitoring is vital to maintain optimal performance. Use Windows Admin Center or Performance Monitor counters (e.g., GPU-Engine and GPU-Memory) to track:

• GPU utilization
• Memory consumption
• Health status
  Regular checks help you spot underutilization or overutilization and adjust partitions before they impact workloads.

Administrators can also create custom profiles to match different workload intensities. For example:

• Light graphics tasks (e.g., office applications)
• Medium rendering tasks (e.g., video playback)
• Heavy workloads (e.g., 3D modeling)
  Profiles streamline the assignment process by bundling partition sizes and settings. Applying these profiles ensures each VM always has the right GPU resources for its workload.

Conclusion

Configuring GPU partitioning in Hyper-V and Azure Stack HCI involves four key steps: verifying hardware compatibility, defining and assigning partitions with PowerShell, monitoring health and utilization, and implementing workload-based profiles. By using tools like Windows Admin Center and PowerShell cmdlets, administrators can ensure that each virtual machine receives the appropriate GPU resources. Regular monitoring and profile management help maintain optimal performance and avoid resource bottlenecks. Overall, these practices enable efficient and reliable delivery of graphics-intensive workloads in virtualized environments.