Virtual Machines and Virtualization: A Beginner's Guide
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Published: 2023-09-12 06:55:41

Have you ever wanted to run multiple operating systems on the same computer? Or maybe you've wanted to test out a new operating system without having to worry about damaging your existing installation. If so, then you've probably heard of virtualization

Let's dive more into the world of virtualization and virtual machines.

### Virtual Machine and Virtualization

A Virtual Machine(VM) is a computing resource that uses software instead of a physical computer to run programs and deploy apps. Now, here is the cool part. This virtual machine runs on real computers. Using a virtual machine you can run multiple operating systems on one computer at the same time. So you could have Windows and Linux chilling on the same system without bothering each other. It's like having separate rooms for different people, under the same roof.

So now the term which you hear a lot with VM is Virtualization? That's where things get crazier. So virtualization is like creating a make-believe world inside the real world.

Virtualization is based on virtual machines (VMs). Imagine them as separate, self-contained computers that function inside a real computer. Similar to a typical physical machine, each VM has its own operating system, applications, and resources. You may maximize resource usage and improve efficiency by running many VMs on a single physical computer. Virtualization can have different forms:

- Hardware-level virtualization

- Operating system-level virtualization

- Application virtualization


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3nallpke8tsa60pal08n.jpg)

The capacity of virtualization to save costs, increase server utilization, and offer more agility and scalability has made it a cornerstone in business systems for several decades.

IT teams can manage, test, and deploy applications faster and more effectively thanks to virtualization.
We have two main types of virtualization technologies:

- **Full Virtualization:** This technology is all about emulating the whole shebang of a hardware system. It creates a pretend version of everything, from the CPU (the brain of the computer) to the memory and other hardware parts. The cool thing is that the guest operating system (the one running inside the virtual machine) doesn't need any changes. It can just do its thing on the virtual hardware like it's running on a real computer. Some popular examples of full virtualization solutions are VMware Workstation and Oracle VM VirtualBox.

- **Paravirtualization:** Now, this technology takes a slightly different approach. It provides a special software interface that is similar to the actual hardware, but not the same. It's like giving the guest operating system a secret code language to communicate with the virtualization software. But here's the catch: the guest operating system needs to be modified to understand and speak this special code language. It's like giving the operating system a cool upgrade. The great thing about paravirtualization is that it often offers better performance compared to full virtualization. An example of a paravirtualization solution is the Xen hypervisor

Here we come with one more term - "Hypervisor". Now what is this suddenly?

### Hypervisor

The hypervisor is a software layer that creates and manages VMs. It acts as the middleman between the physical hardware and the virtual machines, allowing them to share the resources of the host machine while keeping them isolated from each other.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3u93xien2q04t6xn3ju1.jpg)


We have two types of Hypervisors:

**Type 1** also known as bare-metal hypervisors, are installed directly on the physical hardware. They provide a layer of abstraction between the hardware and the VMs. Examples of Type 1 hypervisors include VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Citrix XenServer. These hypervisors are typically used in enterprise environments and data centers where performance and reliability are important.

**Type 2** hypervisors run as software on top of an existing operating system. They are commonly used by individuals and small businesses for testing, development, and running multiple operating systems on a personal computer. Popular Type 2 hypervisors include VMware Workstation, Oracle VirtualBox, and Microsoft Virtual PC.

Now that you know the VMs, virtual machine's and hypervisors. Let's deep dive into the benefits of the virtual machine:

- Isolation: Each machine operates independently, ensuring that they are isolated from one another and the host system. This helps to keep things secure and prevent conflicts between different applications

- Efficient Resource Utilization: By running multiple VMs on a single physical machine, you can make the most out of your hardware resources, reducing the cost and energy consumption.

- Simplified management: With virtualization, you can manage multiple VMs, making it easier to configure, monitor and maintain your infrastructure

- Scalability: With VMs, it is easier to scale your computing resources as per your requirements.

Now you know VMs, virtualization and Hypervisor. In conclusion, virtualization is a powerful technology that can offer many benefits to businesses of all sizes. If you are looking for a way to improve the efficiency, flexibility, and security of your IT infrastructure, virtualization is a great option.

I hope you learned something new today!!