- The abstraction of computer resources
- A technique for running multiple "virtual computers" on a single physical host computer system
- Made up of CPU, memory, storage, NIC but no hard drive
- "The creation of a virtual-rather than actual-version of something, such as an operating system, a server, a storage device or network resources" (searchservervirtualization.com)
- "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," says searchservervirtualization.com.
Together, these explanations create a clearer picture for me to visualize this process.
Main benefits of virtualization include:
- Shared resources
- Ability to run independently of other machines, so if one crashes it doesn't affect the other
- Generic devices mean easy migration and repaid deployment
- Multiple machines in 1 box mean power and space savings
- Ability to run multiple operating systems, for example, Mac OSX and Windows Vista on the same machine.
- Increased technical support
- Machine portability
- Security and ability to restore prior settings with patching and backups
- Consolidation of machines, utilizing maximum efficiency
- Reduced hardware, server room, energy and power costs
- Faster turnaround and fewer errors
- Testing capabilities
- Redundancy
- Disaster recover with "the cloud" data is easily duplicated to a remote site
- Scaling and speed
So what does it mean to have virtualization technology? This article details its applications further and what the concept means for smaller businesses in particular.
Below is a diagram of the different forms of virtualization management
(netforce.ie)
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