Before you configure backups, review your Microsoft Hyper-V environment and make a few key decisions about where components run and how data is accessed. In most cases, you can start with default settings and adjust only if your environment requires it.
Understand your environment
Your Hyper-V deployment type affects component placement and backup operations:
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Standalone Hyper-V servers: Register each server individually as a hypervisor. Access nodes can be deployed on the Hyper-V host or on a separate Windows machine with network access to the host.
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Hyper-V failover clusters: Register the cluster (not individual nodes) as the hypervisor. Protection continues during cluster failover without reconfiguration. Access nodes can be deployed on cluster nodes or on separate machines with network access to all nodes.
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Azure Local: Hyper-V environments on Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) follow the same patterns as failover clusters.
Where to place access nodes
Access nodes manage backup and restore operations. They can be deployed:
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On Hyper-V hosts directly (minimizes network traffic for backups)
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On separate Windows machines close to Hyper-V infrastructure (isolates backup workload from production hosts)
For multi-site deployments, deploy access nodes at each site to minimize data transfer across networks.
Decide how to use access nodes
Default approach: Automatic selection
When you configure backups for Microsoft Hyper-V VMs, start with Automatic access node selection. Commvault chooses an available access node based on your configuration.
When to select a specific access node
Select or deploy a specific access node when:
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Your environment has segmented or restricted networks
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You need to control where backup or restore operations run
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You need additional capacity for concurrent operations
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File restore operations require a specific access node
Restricted or offline environments
In restricted or offline environments (for example, air-gapped networks), standard access node deployment workflows aren't available. Instead, manually install the Virtual Server package on Windows machines that have access to the Hyper-V infrastructure.