What is Virtualization?

Virtualization can be defined as a process that enables the creation of a virtual version of a
desktop, operating system, network resources, or server. Virtualization plays a key and
dominant role in cloud computing.
This ensures that the physical delivery of the resource or an application is separated from the
actual resource itself. It helps reduce the space or cost involved with the resource. This
technique enables the end-user to run multiple desktop operating systems and applications
simultaneously on the same hardware and software.
The process also ensures virtual emulation of products or services in the same machine, and it
does not slow down or impact the system’s efficiency.
The invention of Virtualization was initiated during the era of mainframe usage, and as time
evolved with progression in new-age technologies, Virtualization was achieved with the mean
of specialized software.
Virtualization as a Concept of Cloud Computing
In cloud computing, Virtualization facilitates the creation of virtual machines and ensures the
smooth functioning of multiple operating systems. It also helps create a virtual ecosystem for
server operating systems and multiple storage devices, and it runs multiple operating systems.
Cloud Computing is identified as an application or service that involves a virtual ecosystem.
Such an ecosystem could be of public or private nature. With Virtualization, the need to have
a physical infrastructure is reduced. The terms Cloud Computing and Virtualization are now
being used interchangeably, and they are being unified quickly.
Virtualization and Cloud Computing work hand in hand to ensure that you will get advanced
and sophisticated levels of computing. It ensures that applications can be shared across
multiple network threads of different enterprise and active users.
Cloud Computing delivers scalability, efficiency, and economic value. It offers streamlined
workload management systems.
In simpler words, Cloud Computing in collaboration with Virtualization ensures that the
modern-day enterprise gets a more cost-efficient way to run multiple operating systems using
one dedicated resource.
Characteristics of Virtualization
Virtualization offers several features or characteristics as listed below: –
• Distribution of resources: Virtualization and Cloud Computing technology ensure
end-users develop a unique computing environment. It is achieved through the
creation of one host machine. Through this host machine, the end-user can restrict the
number of active users. By doing so, it facilitates easy of control. They can also be
used to bring down power consumption.
• Accessibility of server resources: Virtualization delivers several unique features that
ensure no need for physical servers. Such features ensure a boost to uptime, and there
is less fault tolerance and availability of resources.
• Resource Isolation: Virtualization provides isolated virtual machines. Each virtual
machine can have many guest users, and guest users could be either operating
systems, devices, or applications.
The virtual machine provides such guest users with an isolated virtual environment.
This ensures that the sensitive information remains protected, and, at the same time,
guest users remain inter-connected with one another.
• Security and authenticity: The virtualization systems ensure continuous uptime of
systems, and it does automatic load balancing and ensures there is less disruption of
services.
• Aggregation: Aggregation in Virtualization is achieved through cluster management
software. This software ensures that the homogenous sets of computers or networks
are connected and act as one unified resource.

• Types of Virtualizations
• There are many variants or types available under virtualization technology as listed
below:

• Application Virtualization
• This can be defined as the type of Virtualization that enables the end-user of an
application to have remote access.
• This is achieved through a server. This server has all personal information and other
applicable characteristics required to use the application.
• The server is accessible through the internet, and it runs on a local workstation. With
Application virtualization, an end-user can run two different versions of the same
software or the same application.
• Application virtualization is offered through packaged software or a hosted
application.
• Network Virtualization
• This kind of virtualization can execute many virtual networks, and each has a separate
control and data plan. It co-occurs on the top of a physical network, and it can be run
by parties who are not aware of one another.
• Network virtualization creates virtual networks, and it also maintains a provision of
virtual networks.
• Through network virtualization, logical switches, firewalls, routers, load balancers,
and workload security management systems can be created.
• Desktop Virtualization
• This can be defined as the type of Virtualization that enables the operating system of
end-users to be remotely stored on a server or data center. It enables the users to
access their desktops remotely and do so by sitting in any geographical location. They
can also use different machines to virtually access their desktops.
• With desktop virtualization, an end-user can work on more than one operating
systems basis the business need of that individual.
• If the individual wants to work on an operating system other than the Window
Operating System, he can use desktop virtualization. This provides the individual an
opportunity to work on two different operating systems.
• Therefore, desktop virtualization delivers a host of benefits. It delivers portability,
user mobility, easy software management with patches and updates.
• Storage Virtualization
• This type of Virtualization provides virtual storage systems that facilitate storage
management.
• It facilitates the management of storage effectively and through multiple sources
accessed from a single repository. Storage virtualizations ensure consistent
performance and smooth performance.
• It also offers continuous updates and patches on advanced functions. It also helps
cope with the changes that come up in the underlying storage equipment.
• Server Virtualization
• This kind of Virtualization ensures masking of servers. The main or the intended
server is divided into many virtual servers. Such servers keep changing their identity
numbers and processors to facilitate the masking process. This ensures that each
server can run its own operating systems in complete isolation.
• Data Virtualization
• This can be defined as the type of Virtualization wherein data are sourced and
collected from several sources and managed from a single location. There is no
technical knowledge from where such data is sourced and collected, stored, or
formatted for such data.
• The data is arranged logically, and the interested parties and stakeholders then access
the virtual view of such data. These are reports are also accessed by end-users on a
remote basis.
• The application of data virtualization ranges from data integration to business
integration. They are also used for service-oriented architecture data services, and
they help find organizational data.
Hypervisors, their use, and Importance
• Cloud Hypervisor
• a hypervisor is specialized firmware or software, or both, installed on a single hardware
that will allow you to host multiple virtual machines. This allows physical hardware to
be shared across multiple virtual machines. The computer on which the hypervisor runs
one or more virtual machines is called the host machine.
• Virtual machines are called guest machines. The hypervisor allows the physical host
machine to run various guest machines. It helps to get maximum benefit from
computing resources such as memory, network bandwidth and CPU cycles.
•
• A hypervisor is a key element in virtualization, which has helped organizations achieve
higher cost savings, improve their provisioning and deployment speeds, and ensure
higher resilience with reduced downtimes.
• The Evolution of Hypervisors
• The use of hypervisors dates back to the 1960s, when IBM deployed them on time-
sharing systems and took advantage of them to test new operating systems and
hardware. During the 1960s, virtualization techniques were used extensively by
developers wishing to test their programs without affecting the main production system.
• The mid-2000s saw another significant leap forward as Unix, Linux and others
experimented with virtualization. With advances in processing power, companies built
powerful machines capable of handling multiple workloads. In 2005, CPU vendors
began offering hardware virtualization for their x86-based products, making
hypervisors mainstream.
• Why use a hypervisor?
• Hypervisors simplify server management because VMs are independent of the host
environment. In other words, the operation of one VM does not affect other VMs or the
underlying hardware.
• Therefore, even when one VM crashes, others can continue to work without affecting
performance. This allows administrators to move VMs between servers, which is a
useful capability for workload balancing. Teams seamlessly migrate VMs from one
machine to another, and they can use this feature for fail-overs. In addition, a hypervisor
is useful for running and testing programs in different operating systems.
• However, the most important use of hypervisors is consolidating servers on the cloud,
and data centers require server consolidation to reduce server sprawl. Virtualization
practices and hypervisors have become popular because they are highly effective in
solving the problem of underutilized servers.
• Virtualization enables administrators to easily take advantage of untapped hardware
capacity to run multiple workloads at once, rather than running separate workloads on
separate physical servers. They can match their workload with appropriate material
resources, meeting their time, cost and service level requirements.
• TYPE-1 Hypervisor:
The hypervisor runs directly on the underlying host system. It is also known as a
“Native Hypervisor” or “Bare metal hypervisor”. It does not require any base server
operating system. It has direct access to hardware resources. Examples of Type 1
hypervisors include VMware ESXi, Citrix XenServer, and Microsoft Hyper-V
hypervisor.

• Pros & Cons of Type-1 Hypervisor:

• Pros: Such kinds of hypervisors are very efficient because they have direct access
to the physical hardware resources(like Cpu, Memory, Network, and Physical
storage). This causes the empowerment of the security because there is nothing any
kind of the third party resource so that attacker couldn’t compromise with anything.
• Cons: One problem with Type-1 hypervisors is that they usually need a dedicated
separate machine to perform their operation and to instruct different VMs and
control the host hardware resources.
•
• TYPE-2 Hypervisor:
A Host operating system runs on the underlying host system. It is also known as
‘Hosted Hypervisor”. Such kind of hypervisors doesn’t run directly over the
underlying hardware rather they run as an application in a Host system(physical
machine). Basically, the software is installed on an operating system. Hypervisor
asks the operating system to make hardware calls. An example of a Type 2
hypervisor includes VMware Player or Parallels Desktop. Hosted hypervisors are
often found on endpoints like PCs. The type-2 hypervisor is very useful for
engineers, and security analysts (for checking malware, or malicious source code
and newly developed applications).
• Pros & Cons of Type-2 Hypervisor:
• Pros: Such kind of hypervisors allows quick and easy access to a guest Operating
System alongside the host machine running. These hypervisors usually come with
additional useful features for guest machines. Such tools enhance the coordination
between the host machine and the guest machine.
• Cons: Here there is no direct access to the physical hardware resources so the
efficiency of these hypervisors lags in performance as compared to the type-1
hypervisors, and potential security risks are also there an attacker can compromise
the security weakness if there is access to the host operating system so he can also
access the guest operating system.
•
• Choosing the right hypervisor :
• Type 1 hypervisors offer much better performance than Type 2 ones because
there’s no middle layer, making them the logical choice for mission-critical
applications and workloads. But that’s not to say that hosted hypervisors don’t have
their place – they’re much simpler to set up, so they’re a good bet if, say, you need
to deploy a test environment quickly. One of the best ways to determine which
hypervisor meets your needs is to compare their performance metrics. These include
CPU overhead, the amount of maximum host and guest memory, and support for
virtual processors. The following factors should be examined before choosing a
suitable hypervisor:
• 1. Understand your needs: The company and its applications are the reason for the
data center (and your job). Besides your company’s needs, you (and your co-
workers in IT) also have your own needs. Needs for a virtualization hypervisor are:
• a. Flexibility
b. Scalability
c. Usability
d. Availability
e. Reliability
f. Efficiency
g. Reliable support
• 2. The cost of a hypervisor: For many buyers, the toughest part of choosing a
hypervisor is striking the right balance between cost and functionality. While a
number of entry-level solutions are free, or practically free, the prices at the
opposite end of the market can be staggering. Licensing frameworks also vary, so
it’s important to be aware of exactly what you’re getting for your money.
• 3. Virtual machine performance: Virtual systems should meet or exceed the
performance of their physical counterparts, at least in relation to the applications
within each server. Everything beyond meeting this benchmark is profit.
• 4. Ecosystem: It’s tempting to overlook the role of a hypervisor’s ecosystem – that
is, the availability of documentation, support, training, third-party developers and
consultancies, and so on – in determining whether or not a solution is cost-effective
in the long term.
• 5. Test for yourself: You can gain basic experience from your existing desktop or
laptop. You can run both VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V in either
VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion to create a nice virtual learning and testing
environment.