Overview of Virtualization -:
· Virtualization is a technology that allows the creation of virtual versions of computing resources, such as operating systems, servers, storage, and networks, on a single physical hardware system.
· It enables the abstraction of physical hardware resources into multiple virtual environments, each running independently and isolated from the others.
· Virtualization refers to creating virtual versions of computing resources like servers, storage, networks and operating systems.
· It allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical machine. The software that creates and manages VMs is called a hypervisor.
Types of Virtualization -:
1. Server Virtualization:
· Creates multiple virtual servers on a single physical server, allowing efficient utilization of hardware resources.
· Virtualizes physical servers into multiple isolated virtual server instances.-
2. Desktop Virtualization:
· Enables remote access to virtual desktops hosted on centralized servers, providing a consistent user experience across devices
· A hosted virtual desktop is delivered to end users over the network.-
3. Application Virtualization:
v Encapsulates applications and their dependencies, allowing them to run on different computing environments without conflicts.
v Allows apps to run in isolated environments independent of underlying OS.-
4. Network Virtualization:
v Creates a virtual network with configurable network topologies over a physical network.-
v Decouples the physical network infrastructure from the logical network architecture, enabling flexibility and scalability.
5. Storage Virtualization:
v Consolidates multiple storage devices into a single logical storage pool, simplifying management and improving utilization.
v Combines physical storage from multiple devices into a single virtual storage pool.
Benefits of Virtualization:
1. Improved Resource Utilization: Allows better utilization of physical hardware resources by running multiple virtual environments on a single system.
2. Cost Savings: Reduces hardware costs by consolidating workloads onto fewer physical servers, lowering energy consumption and maintenance costs.
3. Increased Flexibility and Scalability: Enables rapid provisioning and scaling of virtual resources based on changing demands.
4. Enhanced Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: Facilitates easier backup, migration, and recovery of virtual environments.
5. Improved Security and Isolation: Virtual environments are isolated from each other, reducing the risk of security breaches and conflicts.
6. Simplified Management: Centralized management and automation of virtual resources across multiple physical systems.
v Increased hardware utilization and efficiency
v Cost savings from reduced hardware and energy use
v Agile provisioning of resources
v Scalability to accommodate surges in usage
v Improved availability and disaster recovery
v Isolation and security between virtual environments
Hypervisors:
· A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor (VMM), is a software layer that enables virtualization by creating and managing virtual environments.
· There are two main types of hypervisors
1. Type 1 (Bare-metal) Hypervisors: Run directly on the physical hardware, providing a more efficient and secure virtualization environment.
Examples: VMware ESXi , Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Hypervisor.
2. Type 2 (Hosted) Hypervisors: Run on top of a host operating system, providing virtualization capabilities alongside other applications. Examples: VMware Workstation, Oracle Virtual Box , Parallels Desktop.
· Hypervisors play a crucial role in virtualization by abstracting the physical hardware resources and creating isolated virtual environments, enabling efficient resource utilization, flexibility, and enhanced security.