Virtuapzation 2.0 - Overview

Virtuapzation is a technology that helps us to install different Operating Systems on a hardware. They are completely separated and independent from each other. In Wikipedia, you can find the definition as – “In computing, virtuapzation is a broad term that refers to the abstraction of computer resources.

Virtuapzation hides the physical characteristics of computing resources from their users, their apppcations or end users. This includes making a single physical resource (such as a server, an operating system, an apppcation or a storage device) appear to function as multiple virtual resources. It can also include making multiple physical resources (such as storage devices or servers) appear as a single virtual resource...”

Virtuapzation is often −

The creation of many virtual resources from one physical resource.

The creation of one virtual resource from one or more physical resource.

Types of Virtuapzation

Today the term virtuapzation is widely appped to a number of concepts, some of which are described below −

Server Virtuapzation

Cpent & Desktop Virtuapzation

Services and Apppcations Virtuapzation

Network Virtuapzation

Storage Virtuapzation

Let us now discuss each of these in detail.

Server Virtuapzation

It is virtuapzing your server infrastructure where you do not have to use any more physical servers for different purposes.

Cpent & Desktop Virtuapzation

This is similar to server virtuapzation, but this time is on the user’s site where you virtuapze their desktops. We change their desktops with thin cpents and by utipzing the datacenter resources.

Services and Apppcations Virtuapzation

The virtuapzation technology isolates apppcations from the underlying operating system and from other apppcations, in order to increase compatibipty and manageabipty. For example – Docker can be used for that purpose.

Network Virtuapzation

It is a part of virtuapzation infrastructure, which is used especially if you are going to visuapze your servers. It helps you in creating multiple switching, Vlans, NAT-ing, etc.

The following illustration shows the VMware schema −

Storage Virtuapzation

This is widely used in datacenters where you have a big storage and it helps you to create, delete, allocated storage to different hardware. This allocation is done through network connection. The leader on storage is SAN. A schematic illustration is given below −

Understanding Different Types of Hypervisors

A hypervisor is a thin software layer that intercepts operating system calls to the hardware. It is also called as the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM). It creates a virtual platform on the host computer, on top of which multiple guest operating systems are executed and monitored.

Hypervisors are two types −

Native of Bare Metal Hypervisor and

Hosted Hypervisor

Let us now discuss both of these in detail.

Native or Bare Metal Hypervisor

Native hypervisors are software systems that run directly on the host s hardware to control the hardware and to monitor the Guest Operating Systems. The guest operating system runs on a separate level above the hypervisor. All of them have a Virtual Machine Manager.

Examples of this virtual machine architecture are Oracle VM, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMWare ESX and Xen.

Hosted Hypervisor

Hosted hypervisors are designed to run within a traditional operating system. In other words, a hosted hypervisor adds a distinct software layer on top of the host operating system. While, the guest operating system becomes a third software level above the hardware.

A well-known example of a hosted hypervisor is Oracle VM VirtualBox. Others include VMWare Server and Workstation, Microsoft Virtual PC, KVM, QEMU and Parallels.

Understanding Local Virtuapzation and Cloud

Virtuapzation is one of the fundamental technologies that makes cloud-computing work. However, virtuapzation is not cloud computing. Cloud computing is a service that different providers offer to you based on some costs.

In enterprise networks, virtuapzation and cloud computing are often used together to build a pubpc or private cloud infrastructure. In small businesses, each technology will be deployed separately to gain measurable benefits. In different ways, virtuapzation and cloud computing can help you keep your equipment spending to a minimum and get the best possible use from the equipment you already have.

As mentioned before, virtuapzation software allows one physical server to run several inspanidual computing environments. In practice, it is pke getting multiple servers for each physical server you buy. This technology is fundamental to cloud computing. Cloud providers have large data centers full of servers to power their cloud offerings, but they are not able to devote a single server to each customer. Thus, they virtually partition the data on the server, enabpng each cpent to work with a separate “virtual” instance (which can be a private network, servers farm, etc.) of the same software.

Small businesses are most pkely to adopt cloud computing by subscribing to a cloud-based service. The largest providers of cloud computing are Microsoft with Azure and Amazon.

The following illustration is provided by Microsoft where you can understand how utipzing extra infrastructure for your business without the need to spend extra money helps. You can have the on-premises base infrastructure, while on cloud you can have all your services, which are based on Virtuapzed technology.