Module 5

Hypervisor

A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor or VMM. The hypervisor is a piece of software
that allows us to build and run virtual machines which are abbreviated as VMs.

A hypervisor allows a single host computer to support multiple virtual machines (VMs) by sharing
resources including memory and processing.

Uses of a hypervisor

Hypervisors allow the use of more of a system's available resources and provide greater IT versatility
because the guest VMs are independent of the host hardware which is one of the major benefits of the
Hypervisor. They can be quickly switched between servers. Since a hypervisor with the help of its special
feature, it allows several virtual machines to operate on a single physical server. So, it helps us to
reduce:

 The Space efficiency

Hypervisor to host several virtual machines has many advantages:

 Speed: The hypervisors allow virtual machines to be built instantly unlike bare-metal servers.
This makes provisioning resources for complex workloads much simpler.
 Efficiency: Hypervisors that run multiple virtual machines on the resources of a single physical
machine often allow for more effective use of a single physical server.
 Flexibility: Since the hypervisor distinguishes the OS from the underlying hardware, the program
no longer relies on particular hardware devices or drivers, bare-metal hypervisors enable
operating systems and their related applications to operate on a variety of hardware types.
 Portability: Multiple operating systems can run on the same physical server thanks to
hypervisors (host machine). The hypervisor's virtual machines are portable because they are
separate from the physical computer.

Kinds of hypervisors
 There are two types of hypervisors: "Type 1" (also known as "bare metal") and "Type 2" (also
known as "hosted"). A type 1 hypervisor functions as a light operating system that operates
directly on the host's hardware, while a type 2 hypervisor functions as a software layer on top of
an operating system, similar to other computer programs.
 Since they are isolated from the attack-prone operating system, bare-metal hypervisors are
extremely stable.
 Furthermore, they are usually faster and more powerful than hosted hypervisors. For these
purposes, the majority of enterprise businesses opt for bare-metal hypervisors for their data
center computing requirements.
  While hosted hypervisors run inside the OS, they can be topped with additional (and different)
operating systems.
 The hosted hypervisors have longer latency than bare-metal hypervisors which is a very major
disadvantage of the it. This is due to the fact that contact between the hardware and the
hypervisor must go through the OS's extra layer.
The Type 1 hypervisor
 The native or bare metal hypervisor, the Type 1 hypervisor is known by both names.
 It replaces the host operating system, and the hypervisor schedules VM services directly to the
hardware.
 The type 1 hypervisor is very much commonly used in the enterprise data center or other
server-based environments.
 It includes KVM, Microsoft Hyper-V, and VMware vSphere. If we are running the updated
version of the hypervisor then we must have already got the KVM integrated into the Linux
kernel in 2007.
The Type 2 hypervisor
 It is also known as a hosted hypervisor, The type 2 hypervisor is a software layer or framework
that runs on a traditional operating system.
 It operates by separating the guest and host operating systems. The host operating system
schedules VM services, which are then executed on the hardware.
 Individual users who wish to operate multiple operating systems on a personal computer should
use a form 2 hypervisor.
 This type of hypervisor also includes the virtual machines with it.
 Hardware acceleration technology improves the processing speed of both bare-metal and
hosted hypervisors, allowing them to build and handle virtual resources more quickly.
 On a single physical computer, all types of hypervisors will operate multiple virtual servers for
multiple tenants. Different businesses rent data space on various virtual servers from public
cloud service providers. One server can host multiple virtual servers, each of which is running
different workloads for different businesses.

Virtualization

Virtualization is the process of running a virtual instance of a computer system in a layer abstracted
from the actual hardware. Most commonly, it refers to running multiple operating systems on a
computer system simultaneously.

Example : To desktop users, the most common use is to be able to run applications meant for a different
operating system without having to switch computers or reboot into a different system. For
administrators of servers, virtualization also offers the ability to run different operating systems.

Types of virtualization

There are two types of Virtualization in OS:

1. Windows Operating System Virtualization – In this virtualization, you have to install VMware
Workstation Software in the first place. Then you can install Windows Software virtually.
 2. Linux Operating System Virtualization – You have to install VMware software in the first place
for installing any software. OS Virtualization requires installing VMware software in the first
place to virtualize the Linux Operating System as well.

Para virtualization

Paravirtualization is a type of virtualization where software instructions from the guest operating system
running inside a virtual machine can use “hypercalls” that communicate directly with the hypervisor.
This provides an interface very similar to software running natively on the host hardware.

The main benefits of paravirtualization are where instructions are not compatible with full virtualization
or where more immediate access to underlying hardware is required for performance reasons. For
timing-critical functions, paravirtualization can provide the speed of native code alongside some of the
benefits of virtualization, such as sharing hardware between multiple operating systems.