Virtual Machines

What are Virtual Machines?

The virtualization or emulation of a computer system.

An efficient, isolated duplicate of a real computer machine.
YouTube video from Dave’s Garage about Virtualization and VM’s.

About Virtual Machines (VM’s):

A Virtual Machine (VM) is a software-based simulation of a physical computer. It runs in an isolated environment on a host system, allowing multiple VMs to operate simultaneously on a same physical host, each running its own operating system (OS) and applications as if they were on separate physical machines.

There are two main types of virtualization:

  1. Full Virtualization: This type uses hypervisor software to emulate the underlying hardware. This allows the VM to run an OS that may be different from the host’s OS. The hypervisor sits between the hardware and the operating system, and allocates resources to the virtual machines.
  2. Paravirtualization: In this type, the VM is aware of the hypervisor and can interact with it directly. This can offer better performance, but the guest OS needs to be modified specifically for this environment.

Virtual Machines have various uses such as testing and development, running legacy applications, and consolidating server workloads.

To provide a brief overview:

  • Virtualization: It’s the process of creating a virtual environment on a physical machine to run software, which could be an OS, applications, or both.
  • Isolation: VMs operate in a manner that ensures their activities are separated from the host system and other VMs, providing a secure and individualized environment.
  • Efficiency: By using VMs, one can maximize the utilization of the physical host machine, allowing multiple tasks or processes to run simultaneously without interference.

Benefits of using Virtual Machines include improved resource utilization, easier backups, increased security, and flexibility to run multiple OSs on a single physical system.

A Linux Tux 3D Enhanced Penguin Character on a Transparent Backtround
Tux the Penguin is the official brand character of the Linux kernel.

Popular VM Software:

Along with links and a brief description of each.

These are just some of the top VM software available in the market. Each of them has its strengths, catering to various user needs ranging from personal use to enterprise-level solutions.