--- title: "Connect to Hyper-V Host from Workgroup Computer" description: "Learn how to connect to a domain-joined Hyper-V host from a workgroup computer with this step-by-step walkthrough." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/hyper-v-host/" --- # Connect to Hyper-V Host from Workgroup Computer > Learn how to connect to a domain-joined Hyper-V host from a workgroup computer with this step-by-step walkthrough. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/hyper-v-host/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![Connect to Hyper-V Host from Workgroup Computer](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/How-To-Manage-Hyper-V-Host-Server-2019-From-A-Non-Domain-Windows-Client.png) # Connect to Hyper-V Host from Workgroup Computer [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/99e90b07e3592c07611180aab9394a6120d139bda6738a1ffd2fd531605bacf3?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Parveen Singh](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/parveen/)2 September 20207 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[hyper-v](/tag/hyper-v/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#h-prerequisites) * [The Typical Connection Error You’ll Face](#h-the-typical-connection-error-you-ll-face) * [Adding the Hyper-V Host to the Hosts File](#h-adding-the-hyper-v-host-to-the-hosts-file) * [Setting the Windows Network Profile](#h-setting-the-windows-network-profile) * [Enabling PowerShell Remoting](#h-enabling-powershell-remoting) * [Enabling CredSSP](#h-enabling-credssp) * [Adding the Hyper-V Host to Trusted Hosts](#h-adding-the-hyper-v-host-to-trusted-hosts) * [Adding the Hyper-V Connection Credentials to Credential Manager](#h-adding-the-hyper-v-connection-credentials-to-credential-manager) * [Validating the Connections](#h-validating-the-connections) * [Validating Hyper-V Manager Connection](#h-validating-hyper-v-manager-connection) * [Validating PowerShell Command Execution](#h-validating-powershell-command-execution) * [Further Reading](#h-further-reading) Whether you are an IT professional, or a technology enthusiast, you might need a place to run or test different configurations on various operating systems. One way to build an environment where you can run multiple operating systems easily is on a single host with Microsoft’s Hyper-V service. However, when you want to connect to a Hyper-V host is in an Active Directory (AD) domain and your client computer is in a workgroup, it’s not quite simple to get this setup working. Not a reader? Watch this related video tutorial! **_Not seeing the video? Make sure your ad blocker is disabled._** Unfortunately, you’ll typically encounter various security-related and authentication issues when trying to reach a domain computer from an outside domain or via a workgroup computer. But, you can still get things working with a handful of PowerShell commands to configure the client machine to communicate to Hyper-V Host joined to a domain on the same network. In this article, you’re going to learn how to configure a workgroup Windows 10 client to communicate with a domain-joined Hyper-V host. _If you’re more of a visual learner, please watch this article’s companion video below:_ ## Prerequisites This article follows a how-to approach. If you choose to follow along some requirements must be in place. * A Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise 1903/1909 client not joined to a domain but on the same network as the Hyper-V host. * Hyper-V Manager – Be sure to install Hyper-V Manager on Windows Client using [this link](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/quick-start/enable-hyper-v) if you don’t already have this installed. Whenver you install Hyper-V on Windows 10, you’ll get the Hyper-V [manager GUI application and the PowerShell](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-scheduled-task/) module, which you’ll need. * An Active Directory environment with the Windows Server host as a member. ## The Typical Connection Error You’ll Face You might be reading this article right now because you already attempted to connect a non-domain joined client to a domain-joined Hyper-V host. If so, you’ve probably run into the error below when attempting to connect to the host with Hyper-V Manager. ![Connection to Hyper-V Host from Client VM](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Untitled-2020-08-28T163123.895.png) Connection to Hyper-V Host from Client VM ![Hyper-V Connection Error](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Untitled-2020-08-28T163246.240.png) Hyper-V Connection Error If you have encountered the error above, you’re in luck. Let’s fix that! ## Adding the Hyper-V Host to the Hosts File To get started, the first step is ensuring your Windows 10 client can resolve the name of the Hyper-V host over the network. To help with hostname resolution, [Windows](https://adamtheautomator.com/tag/windows-10/) has a file called _C:\\Windows\\System32\\hosts_. This hosts file is a plain-text file that defines hostnames and the IP addresses those hostnames should resolve to. When DNS resolution is not available, Windows will revert back to the hosts file. Since your Windows 10 client is not in a domain, chances are, it’s probably not pointing to the same DNS server that contains the [DNS record](https://adamtheautomator.com/powershell-dns/ "DNS record") to resolve the Hyper-V host’s name. You can see what the default hosts file looks like in the following code snippet. ```powershell WIN10PS> Get-Content -Path "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" # Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp. # # This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows. # # This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each # entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should # be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name. # The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one # space. # # Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual # lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol. # # For example: # # 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server # 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host # localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself. # 127.0.0.1 localhost # ::1 localhost ``` To ensure Windows 10 can resolve the name of the Hyper-V host, create a new line in the hosts file with the IP address of the Hyper-V host and the hostname. You could use a text editor to edit this file but this article is all about PowerShell so let’s automate this process. If you don’t see the host IP already, use the `Add-Content` cmdlet to create a new line. The `Add-Content` cmdlet appends a row to the hosts file. To do so, run `Add-Content` specifying the path of the hosts file and the line you’d like to add as shown below. > _The example below assumes the Hyper-V host’s hostname is [hypervhost.example.com](http://hypervhost.example.com) and it’s IP address is 10.10.10.10._ ```powershell WIN10PS> Add-Content -Path "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" -Value "10.10.10.10 hypervhost.example.com" ``` Once you’ve added the line, you can then validate the hosts file using `Get-Content`. ```powershell WIN10PS> Get-Content -Path "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" # Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp. # # This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows. # # This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each # entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should # be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name. # The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one # space. # # Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual # lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol. # # For example: # # 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server # 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host # localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself. # 127.0.0.1 localhost # ::1 localhost 10.10.10.10 hypervhost.example.com ``` ## Setting the Windows Network Profile Another major cause of no-communication could be an incorrect connection profile defined on the Hyper-V hosts’s Windows firewall. To ensure the Hyper-V host’s Windows firewall will allow a connection from your Windows 10 client, you must make sure the network profile is set to **Private**. To do that, run **`Get-NetConnectionProfile`** to check your network type of the client. Below you’ll see that this Hyper-V host’s network connection profile is set to **Private** as indicated by the **NetworkCategory** property. ```powershell HYPERVPS> Get-NetConnectionProfile Name : Network InterfaceAlias : Ethernet InterfaceIndex : 6 NetworkCategory : Private IPv4Connectivity : Internet IPv6Connectivity : NoTraffic ``` If you see **Public** associated with **NetworkCategory,** that’s likely one of the reasons for blocked communication. If you see the **NetworkCategory** is not set to **Private**, go ahead and set it to **Private** using the **`Set-NetConnectionProfile`** cmdlet and validate the profile category again using `Get-NetConnectionProfile` command. ```powershell HYPERVPS> Set-NetConnection -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -NetworkCategory Private HYPERVPS> Get-NetConnectionProfile Name : Network InterfaceAlias : Ethernet InterfaceIndex : 6 NetworkCategory : Private IPv4Connectivity : Internet IPv6Connectivity : NoTraffic ``` ## Enabling PowerShell Remoting Hyper-V uses [PowerShell Remoting](https://adamtheautomator.com/psremoting/ "PowerShell Remoting") for lots of communication. You should have this enabled by default but if not, you can always run the `Enable-PSRemoting` cmdlet to ensure it’s enabled and all of the appropriate Windows firewall rules are added. ```powershell HYPERVPS> Enable-PSRemoting ``` ## Enabling CredSSP Next, let’s enable [CredSSP](https://codingbee.net/powershell/powershell-use-credssp-to-run-commands-remotely-with-fewer-issues). CredSSP is an authentication method that allows you to delegate permission to other computers. In this step, first ensure your client computer can delegate credentials for the Hyper-V host. To do that, run `Get-WsManCredSSP`. ```powershell WIN10PS> Get-WSManCredSSP ``` If you receive an error saying “_The machine is not configured to allow delegating fresh credentials._“, follow along in the next step to whitelist the domain for delegation. To enable CredSSP on your client computer and to delegate domain credentials, use the `Enable-WSManCredSSP` cmdlet. Below you can see how you can specify the `Client` as the role (since you’re on the client computer) and a wildcard to designate all computers in the _[example.com](http://example.com)_ domain. ```powershell WIN10PS> PS C:\Users\singh> Enable-WSManCredSSP -Role Client -DelegateComputer "*.example.com" cfg : http://schemas.microsoft.com/wbem/wsman/1/config/client/auth lang : en-US Basic : true Digest : true Kerberos : true Negotiate : true Certificate : true CredSSP : true ``` Once you’ve run `Enable-WsManCredSSP`, be sure to run `Get-WSManCredSSP` again to confirm you’ve properly added the delegation. ```powershell WIN10PS> Get-WSManCredSSP The machine is configured to allow delegating fresh credentials to the following target(s): wsman/*.example.com ``` ### Adding the Hyper-V Host to Trusted Hosts PowerShell Remoting has a security feature called TrustedHosts. This feature allows you to specify certain computers or groups of computers PowerShell Remoting will connect to under certain circumstances. Since the local client is not in a domain, you must add any host you’d like to connect to here so your client can “trust” the remote computer. First, check the TrustedHosts list using `Get-Item` as shown below. you can see in this example a value of `*`. This means that the client computer is trusting _all_ computers. This setting works but it’s a bit to permissive. ```powershell WIN10PS> Get-Item -Path WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts WSManConfig: Microsoft.WSMan.Management\WSMan::localhost\Client Type Name SourceOfValue Value ---- ---- ------------- ----- System.String TrustedHosts * ``` To ensure the local client trusts any computer you attempt to connect to in the remote domain, use the `Set-Item` cmdlet as below. If you check the TrustedHosts list again, you will see it’s been added. ```powershell #Add value to Trusted Host WIN10PS> Set-Item -Path WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "*.example.com" #Validate the change WIN10PS> Get-Item -Path WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts WSManConfig: Microsoft.WSMan.Management\WSMan::localhost\Client Type Name SourceOfValue Value ---- ---- ------------- ----- System.String TrustedHosts *.example.com ``` ### Adding the Hyper-V Connection Credentials to Credential Manager Typically, when you connect to a Hyper-V host with a client computer in the same domain, Kerberos does the authentication work for you. But if one of the machines is not in a domain, you must specify credentials manually by creating a cached credential. By creating a cached credential, the client can connect to the Hyper-V host using the connection manager. To add the cached credential, use the _cmdkey_ utility specifying the FQDN of the Hyper-V host along with the username and password of a local account on the host. ```powershell WIN10PS> cmdkey /add:hypervhost.example.com /user:Administrator /pass:P@ssw0rd ``` Finally, run _cmdkey_ again using the `list` parameter and you should see the cached credential has been created. ```powershell PS> cmdkey /list Currently stored credentials: Target: Domain:target=hypervhost.example.com Type: Domain Password User: administrator@example.com ``` ## Validating the Connections At this point, the hard work is done. Let’s see if you can connect with the Hyper-V Manager application and PowerShell. ### Validating Hyper-V Manager Connection Open up Hyper-V Manager on the client computer and click on **Connect To Server** providing the host name and press OK. If all is well, your Hyper-V host should show up as shown below. ![Hyper-V Manager Connection](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Untitled-2020-08-28T164118.947.png) Hyper-V Manager Connection ### Validating PowerShell Command Execution If you are seeing all the VM’s in Hyper-V Manager, you can likely connect to the host using PowerShell remote session as well. Let’s find out. To test the PowerShell remoting connection, run the [`Invoke-Command`](https://adamtheautomator.com/invoke-command/ "Invoke-Command") cmdlet. This cmdlet will quickly connect to the Hyper-V host and run a few simple commands. Below you can see an example of connecting to the _[hypervhost.example.com](http://hypervhost.example.com)_ host and running the _whoami_ and _hostname_ utilities on the remote host. ```powershell PS> Invoke-Command -ComputerName hypervhost.example.com -ScriptBlock {whoami; hostname} example\administrator hypervhost.example.com ``` > _Notice how you don’t have to use the `Credential` parameter. Since you created the cached credential earlier, the `Invoke-Command` command uses that to authenticate to the remote Hyper-V host._ ## Further Reading * [Enable-PSRemoting](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.core/enable-psremoting?view=powershell-7) * [Enable-WSManCredSSP](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.wsman.management/enable-wsmancredssp?view=powershell-7) Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fhyper-v-host%2F&text=Connect%20to%20Hyper-V%20Host%20from%20Workgroup%20Computer)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fhyper-v-host%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fhyper-v-host%2F) ## Related Posts ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Comparing-Giants-VMware-vs-Hyper-V-Virtualization-Platforms.jpg) ### [Comparing Giants: VMware vs Hyper-V Virtualization Platforms](/vmware-vs-hyper-v/) Learn how two giants of the virtualization world compare in this real-world use case based review by ATA Learning! ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The-Essential-Guide-to-Hyper-V-Windows-10-VMs.jpg) ### [The Essential Guide to Hyper-V Windows 10 VMs](/hyper-v-windows-10/) In this essential guide to Hyper-V Windows 10 virtual machines, learn how to create and manage these useful VMs! ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/How-to-Set-up-Hyper-V-Replication-Step-by-Step.jpg) ### [How to Set up Hyper-V Replication \[Step-by-Step\]](/hyper-v-replication/) Learn how to set yourself up for success and put a disaster recovery plan in place with Hyper-V replication in this tutorial! ## Categories * [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) * [Cloud](/category/cloud/) * [DevOps](/category/devops/) * [Home Ops](/category/home-ops/) * [Information Security](/category/infosec/) * [Software Development](/category/software-development/) ## Site * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Copyright 2026© ATA Learning | [Privacy Policy](/privacy/)