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I am using Windows 8.1 and have Server Manager installed. I've added one of our servers (Server 2012 Standard) to Server Manager, and it connects just fine (Manageability shows "Online" and I can see things in the Events list for the server. When I go to Hyper-V, then right click on the server and click "Hyper-V Manager", Hyper-V Manager shows up, then about 5 seconds later I get the follow error.

MMC has detected an error in a snap-in and will unload it

Once I click "OK" I get the next error:

Type 'Microsoft.Virtualization.Client.Common.VirtualizationException' in assembly 'Microsoft.Virtualization.Client.Common, Version=6.3.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35' is not marked as serializable.

Exception type:

System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationException

Exception stack trace:

at Microsoft.ManagementConsole.Internal.IMessageClient.ProcessNotification(Notification notification)
at Microsoft.ManagementConsole.Executive.SnapInNotificationOperation.ProcessNotification()
at Microsoft.ManagementConsole.Executive.Operation.OnThreadTransfer(SimpleOperationCallback callback)

EDIT: I can connect to another Hyper-V Server (Server 2012 Standard R2) using the Hyper-V manager just fine

Any thoughts on what could be causing this?

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The Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) have always been very sensitive to exact Windows versions. In other words, don't even try to manage a server that is running a different version of Windows than your client. And by different version, I mean

Windows 8.1 -> Server 2012 R2

Windows 8 -> Server 2012

Windows 7 -> 2008 R2

Windows Vista -> 2008

You are using a WIndows 8.1 client, which is why connections to a 2012 R2 server works fine, while a connection to 2012 Non-R2 does not.

If you read the fine print for the Windows 8.1 RSAT, you will see:

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8.1 includes support for remote management of computers that are running the Server Core installation option or the Minimal Server Graphical Interface configuration of Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2, and in limited cases, the Server Core installation options of Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008. However, Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8.1 cannot be installed on any releases or installation options of the Windows Server operating system.

So according to Microsoft, it's supposed to work, but in my experience, if you are not connecting to the exact same build number from client to server, it will always be buggy. These are just bugs that Microsoft has to fix, and if and when they fix it, you'll have to install the patch. You're not doing anything wrong... unless you tried to install multiple versions of RSAT (uninstall all older versions of RSAT first,) or you've not fully patched both client and server.

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  • +1 It depends on which tool you're talking about, but I've found Hyper-V Manager to be one of the most picky about OS versions.
    – Chris S
    Oct 9, 2014 at 14:59
  • Agreed... in one TechNet article about RSAT, it even goes so far as to say "certain tools may work" on other versions of the operating system, but it seems like building a comprehensive matrix of exactly which snap-ins and modules were guaranteed to work against exactly which versions of the OS was too Herculean of a task even for MS.
    – Ryan Ries
    Oct 9, 2014 at 15:57

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