Virtualization

Virtualization is the creation of a software-based (or virtual) representation of something such as an operating system, a server, a storage device or network resources. The primary goal of virtualization is to centralize administrative tasks while improving scalability and overall hardware-resource utilization. It is the single most effective way to reduce IT expenses while boosting efficiency and agility for all sizes of businesses.

Common Types of Virtualization

Network Virtualization is a method of combining the available resources in a network by splitting up the available bandwidth into channels independent from that others.
Storage Virtualization is the pooling of physical storage from multiple network storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device.
Server Virtualization is the masking of server resources to increase resource sharing and utilization and maintain the capacity to expand later.
Application Virtualization allows applications to run in environments that do not suit the native application.

Benefits of Virtualization

Reduce capital and operating costs
Virtualize a physical box to a virtual environment
Minimize or eliminate downtime
Increase IT productivity, efficiency, agility and responsiveness
Provision applications and resources faster
Enable business continuity and disaster recovery
Simplify data-centre management
Build a true software-defined data centre
Increase system resources on the fly
Allows the build and creation of servers and workstations in a more efficient manner

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A virtual computer system is known as a “virtual machine” (VM): a tightly isolated software container with an operating system and application inside. Each self-contained VM is completely independent. Putting multiple VMs on a single computer enables several operating systems and applications to run on just one physical server, or “host”.

A thin layer of software called a hyper-v decouples the virtual machines from the host and dynamically allocates computing resources to each virtual machine as needed.

Key Properties of Virtual Machines

Partitioning

Run multiple operating systems on one physical machine
Divide system resources between virtual machines

Isolation

Provide fault and security isolation at the hardware level
Preserve performance with advanced resource controls

Encapsulation

Save the entire state of a virtual machine to files
Move and copy virtual machines as easily as moving and copying files

Hardware Independence

Provision or migrate any virtual machine to any physical server