What is virtualization?

Virtualization is the creation of a virtual -- rather than actual -- version of something,

such as an operating system (OS), a server, a storage device or network resources.

Virtual: not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so.

Virtualization uses software that simulates/act out hardware functionality to create a

virtual system. This practice allows IT organizations to operate multiple operating
systems, more than one virtual system and various applications on a single server. The
benefits of virtualization include greater efficiencies and economies of scale.

OS virtualization is the use of software to allow a piece of hardware to run multiple

operating system images at the same time. The technology got its start on mainframes
decades ago, allowing administrators to avoid wasting expensive processing power.

How virtualization works

Virtualization describes a technology in which an application, guest OS or data storage

is abstracted away from the true underlying hardware or software.

Guest operating system is the operating system installed on either a virtual

machine (VM) or partitioned disk. It is usually different from the host operating system.
Simply put, a host OS runs on hardware, while a guest OS runs on a VM.

Methods of Visualization:

Hypervisor:

A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor or VMM, is software that creates
and runs virtual machines (VMs). A hypervisor allows one host computer to support
multiple guest VMs by virtually sharing its resources, such as memory and processing.
A key use of virtualization technology is server virtualization, which uses a software
layer -- called a hypervisor -- to emulate the underlying hardware. This often includes
the CPU's memory, input/output (I/O) and network traffic.

Hypervisors take the physical resources and separate them so they can be utilized by
the virtual environment. They can sit on top of an OS or they can be directly installed
onto the hardware. The latter is how most enterprises virtualize their systems.

The Xen hypervisor is an open source software program that is responsible for
managing the low-level interactions that occur between virtual machines (VMs) and the
physical hardware. In other words, the Xen hypervisor enables the simultaneous
creation, execution and management of various virtual machines in one physical
environment.

With the help of the hypervisor, the guest OS, normally interacting with true hardware, is
now doing so with a software emulation of that hardware; often, the guest OS has no
idea it's on virtualized hardware.

While the performance of this virtual system is not equal to the performance of the
operating system running on true hardware, the concept of virtualization works because
most guest operating systems and applications don't need the full use of the underlying
hardware.

This allows for greater flexibility, control and isolation by removing the dependency on a
given hardware platform. While initially meant for server virtualization, the concept of
virtualization has spread to applications, networks, data and desktops.

The virtualization process follows the steps listed below:

1. Hypervisors detach the physical resources from their physical environments.

2. Resources are taken and divided, as needed, from the physical environment to the
various virtual environments.
3. System users work with and perform computations within the virtual environment.

4. 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. This
process will happen at an almost native speed.

The virtual environment is often referred to as a guest machine or virtual machine. 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.

Types of virtualization

You probably know a little about virtualization if you have ever divided your hard drive
into different partitions. A partition is the logical division of a hard disk drive to create, in
effect, two separate hard drives.

There are six areas of IT where virtualization is making headway:

1. Network virtualization is a method of combining the available resources in a

network by splitting up the available bandwidth into channels, each of which is
independent from the others and can be assigned -- or reassigned -- to a particular
server or device in real time. The idea is that virtualization disguises the true
complexity of the network by separating it into manageable parts, much like your
partitioned hard drive makes it easier to manage your files.

2. Storage virtualization is the pooling of physical storage from multiple network

storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device that is managed
from a central console. Storage virtualization is commonly used in storage area
networks.

3. Server virtualization is the masking of server resources -- including the number

and identity of individual physical servers, processors and operating systems -- from
server users. The intention is to spare the user from having to understand and
 manage complicated details of server resources while increasing resource sharing
and utilization and maintaining the capacity to expand later.

The layer of software that enables this abstraction is often referred to as the
hypervisor. The most common hypervisor –

Type 1 -- is designed to sit directly on bare metal and provide the ability to virtualize
the hardware platform for use by the virtual machines. KVM virtualization(Kernel-
based Virtual Machine)) is a Linux kernel-based virtualization hypervisor that provides
Type 1 virtualization benefits like other hypervisors. KVM is licensed under open
source.

A Type 2 hypervisor requires a host operating system and is more often used for
testing and labs.

4. Data virtualization is abstracting the traditional technical details of data and data
management, such as location, performance or format, in favor of broader access
and more resiliency tied to business needs.

5. Desktop virtualization is virtualizing a workstation load rather than a server. This

allows the user to access the desktop remotely, typically using a thin client at the
desk. Since the workstation is essentially running in a data center server, access to
it can be both more secure and portable. The operating system license does still
need to be accounted for as well as the infrastructure.

6. Application virtualization is abstracting the application layer away from the

operating system. This way, the application can run in an encapsulated form without
being depended upon on by the operating system underneath. This can allow a
Windows application to run on Linux and vice versa, in addition to adding a level of
isolation.

Virtualization can be viewed as part of an overall trend in enterprise IT that

includes autonomic computing, a scenario in which the IT environment will be able to
manage itself based on perceived activity, and utility computing, in which computer
processing power is seen as a utility that clients can pay for only as needed. The usual
goal of virtualization is to centralize administrative tasks while improving scalability and
workloads.

Advantages of virtualization

The advantages of utilizing a virtualized environment include the following:

 Lower costs. Virtualization reduces the amount of hardware servers necessary

within a company and data center. This lowers the overall cost of buying and
maintaining large amounts of hardware.

 Easier disaster recovery. Disaster recovery is very simple in a virtualized

environment. Regular snapshots provide up-to-date data, allowing virtual machines
to be feasibly backed up and recovered. Even in an emergency, a virtual machine
can be migrated to a new location within minutes.

 Easier testing. Testing is less complicated in a virtual environment. Even if a large

mistake is made, the test does not need to stop and go back to the beginning. It can
simply return to the previous snapshot and proceed with the test.

 Quicker backups. Backups can be taken of both the virtual server and the virtual
machine. Automatic snapshots are taken throughout the day to guarantee that all
data is up-to-date. Furthermore, the virtual machines can be easily migrated
between each other and efficiently redeployed.

 Improved productivity. Fewer physical resources result in less time spent

managing and maintaining the servers. Tasks that can take days or weeks in a
physical environment can be done in minutes. This allows staff members to spend
the majority of their time on more productive tasks, such as raising revenue and
fostering business initiatives.

Benefits of virtualization
Virtualization provides companies with the benefit of maximizing their output. Additional
benefit for both businesses and data centers include the following:

 Single-minded servers. Virtualization provides a cost-effective way to separate

email, database and web servers, creating a more comprehensive and dependable
system.

 Expedited deployment and redeployment. When a physical server crashes, the

backup server may not always be ready or up to date. There also may not be an
image or clone of the server available. If this is the case, then the redeployment
process can be time-consuming and tedious. However, if the data center is
virtualized, then the process is quick and fairly simple. Virtual backup tools can
expedite the process to minutes.

 Reduced heat and improved energy savings. Companies that use a lot of
hardware servers risk overheating their physical resources. The best way to prevent
this from happening is to decrease the number of servers used for data
management, and the best way to do this is through virtualization.

 Better for the environment. Companies and data centers that utilize copious
amounts of hardware leave a large carbon footprint; they must take responsibility for
the pollution they are generating. Virtualization can help reduce these effects by
significantly decreasing the necessary amounts of cooling and power, thus helping
clean the air and the atmosphere. As a result, companies and data centers that
virtualize will improve their reputation while also enhancing the quality of their
relationship with customers and the planet.

 Easier migration to the cloud. Virtualization brings companies closer to

experiencing a completely cloud-based environment. Virtual machines may even be
deployed from the data center in order to build a cloud-based infrastructure. The
ability to embrace a cloud-based mindset with virtualization makes migrating to the
cloud even easier.
 Lack of vendor dependency. Virtual machines are agnostic in hardware
configuration. As a result, virtualizing hardware and software means that a company
does not need to depend on a vendor for these physical resources.

Limitations of virtualization

Before converting to a virtualized environment, it is important to consider the various

upfront costs. The necessary investment in virtualization software, as well as hardware
that might be required to make the virtualization possible, can be costly. If the existing
infrastructure is more than five years old, an initial renewal budget will have to be
considered.

Fortunately, many businesses have the capacity to accommodate virtualization without

spending large amounts of cash. Furthermore, the costs can be offset by collaborating
with a managed service provider that provides monthly leasing or purchase options.

There are also software licensing considerations that must be considered when creating
a virtualized environment. Companies must ensure that they have a clear understanding
of how their vendors view software use within a virtualized environment. This is
becoming less of a limitation as more software providers adapt to the increased use of
virtualization.

Converting to virtualization takes time and may come with a learning curve.
Implementing and controlling a virtualized environment demands each IT staff member
to be trained and possess expertise in virtualization. Furthermore, some applications do
not adapt well when brought into a virtual environment. The IT staff will need to be
prepared to face these challenges and should address them prior to converting.

There are also security risks involved with virtualization. Data is crucial to the success of
a business and, therefore, is a common target for attacks. The chances of experiencing
a data breach significantly increase while using virtualization.
Finally, in a virtual environment, users lose control of what they can do because there
are several links that must collaborate to perform the same task. If any part is not
working, then the entire operation will fail.