What is Virtualization?
Virtualization is the process of creating a virtual version of something, such as an operating system, a server, a storage device or other network resources.
Virtualization describes a technology in which an application, guest operating system or data storage is eliminated from the true underlying hardware or software. A key use of virtualization technology is server virtualization, which uses a software layer called a Hypervisor to act as the underlying hardware. This often includes the CPU's memory, input/output, and network traffic. Hypervisors take the physical resources and separate them so they can be utilized by the virtual environment. They are able to sit on top of an OS or they can be directly installed onto the hardware. The latter is how most enterprises virtualize their systems.
Below are the basic steps of virtualization:
- Hypervisors detach the physical resources from their physical environments.
- Resources are taken and divided, as needed, from the physical environment to the various virtual environments.
- System users work with and perform computations within the virtual environment.
- Once the virtual environment is running, a user or program can send an instruction that requires extra resources form the physical environment. In response, the hypervisor relays the message to the physical system and stores the changes.
The virtual environment is often referred to as a guest machine or virtual machine (VM). The VM acts like a single data file that can be transferred from one computer to another and opened in both; it is expected to perform the same way on every computer.
Reference: https://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/definition/virtualization
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