Virtualization is the process of converting a physical environment (e.g., computer hardware) into a virtual environment through software. This enables more efficient use and management of resources by creating a virtual environment for a computer’s operating system, applications, or data. Virtualization allows a physical environment to be divided into multiple virtual environments, each of which can operate independently.
Basic Principles of Virtualization
Hypervisor (VMM – Virtual Machine Monitor): This software layer, which forms the foundation of virtualization, enables the creation and management of virtual machines on physical hardware. The hypervisor ensures fair sharing and isolation of resources between virtual machines.
Virtual Machines (VMs): These are the virtual environments created as a result of the virtualization process. Each virtual machine acts as an independent computer with an operating system and applications installed. It is possible to run different operating systems and applications on the same physical hardware.
Types of Hypervisors: Virtualization hypervisors are generally divided into two types: Type 1 (bare-metal) and Type 2 (hosted). Type 1 hypervisors run directly on physical hardware and manage virtual machines. Type 2 hypervisors run on a host operating system and house virtual machines within this host OS.
Benefits of Virtualization
- Resource Efficiency: It allows more efficient use of physical hardware, enabling multiple operating systems and applications to run on the same hardware.
- Isolation: Since virtual machines are isolated from each other, problems in one do not affect others.
- Backup and Recovery: Virtual machines can easily have snapshots taken and backed up, reducing data loss and speeding up recovery times.
- Elasticity and Scalability: Virtual machines can be dynamically created and removed, allowing resources to scale flexibly according to need.
Virtualization is considered one of the cornerstones of modern information technologies and is widely used in many areas such as cloud computing, data center management, and software development.