If you want to great a professor in school or similar with "how are you?", it is not going to work in Russian. You will have to say "hello". Otherwise "how are you" in Russian is an intrinsically informal question.

Как у Вас дела?(formal) = How are affairs/business/things you have? - that is a literal translation. But in English we translate it as "How are you?" Вас = Genitive case of Вы. Как у тебя дела? (Как дела =short version) =How are you? (informal) we use "у" because it is part of construction "I have..." in Russian it is "У меня (есть)..." Как у Вас дела? дела is the subject here, that's why "дела" is in Nominative case. When you are asking about health, you can use this construction: Как Вы? (Formal) Как ты? (informal) Also you can use these phrases: Как у Вас дела? = Как Ваши дела? = Как Вы поживаете? (How is your life?/what's going on in your life?) (formal) Как у тебя дела? = Как твои дела? = Как (ты) поживаешь? (informal) Also you can use informal phrase: Как жизнь? = How is life? Hope it helps. :) Yevgeniy, italki Russian tutor

"How are you?" может значить (согласно разным словарям) Как дела? Как твои дела? Как у вас дела? Как ваши дела? Как идут дела? Как поживаешь? Как поживаете? Друзьям знакомым: Как дела? Официально: Как ваши дела? / Как у вас дела?

Here's a nice lesson. How to say "How are you?" In Russian correctly https://goo.gl/umVKqZ. The lesson is with a good Russian pronunciation. Try to listen to and learn. A teacher explains there what it means. Hope it helps!

Yes, they both mean the same. When you use Как у вас дела? it means you ask someone older or strange person or you ask about few people. For example you Skype your relative and you ask Как у вас дела? and it means you ask about other relatives as well. Or you met your teacher from childhood, and she is older than you and you need to ask Как у Вас дела? because you keep formal relationship. Does it make sense?