(14)What is virtualization? List down application areas of virtualisation and common types of virtualization
Answer:
- Virtualization allows users to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single machine.
- In other words virtualization refers to the creation of a virtual resource such as a server, desktop, operating system, file, storage or network.
- The main goal of virtualization is to manage workloads by transforming traditional computing to make it more scalable.
- It allows using a physical machine’s full capacity by distributing its capabilities among many users or environment.
Application Areas of Virtualization
(1)Server Consolidation:
- Virtual machines are used to consolidate many physical servers into fewer servers.
- Each physical server is reflected as a virtual machine “guest”. They reside on a virtual machine host system.
- This is also known as “Physical-to-Virtual” or ‘P2V’ transformation.
(2)Disaster Recovery:
- Virtual machines can be used as “hot standby” environments for physical production servers.
- Virtual storage can be replicated and transferred to another location.Virtualization is very useful in planning for disaster recovery.
(3)Testing and Training:
- Virtualization can give root access to a virtual machine.
- This can be very useful such as in kernel development and operating system courses.
(4)Portable Applications:
- Portable applications are needed when running an application from a removable drive, without installing it on the system’s main disk drive.
- Virtualization can be used to store temporary files, windows registry entries and other information in the application’s installation directory and not within the system’s permanent file system.
(5)Portable Workspaces:
- Recent technologies have used virtualization to create portable workspaces on devices like iPods and USB memory sticks.
Type of Virtualization
(1)Hardware Virtualization:
- Hardware virtualization involves partition of chunks of a machine to perform specific tasks.
- Hardware virtualization is made possible by a virtual machine manager (VM) called the “hypervisor”.
- The hypervisor enables users to run different operating systems on the same machine simultaneously.
- The operating system running on VM appears to have its own processer, memory and other components.
(2)Network Virtualization:
- Network Virtualization separates a network's key functions (like directory services, file sharing, and IP configuration), so that they can be distributed among different environments.
- Network virtualization combines all physical networking equipment into a single, software-based resource.
- Network virtualization reduces the number of physical network components like switches, routers, servers, cables, and hubs it’s particularly popular in the telecommunications industry.
(3)Storage Virtualization:
- Data available in different location can be consolidated into a single source with the help of storage virtualization.
- This type of virtualization is very easy and cost-effective to implement, as it involves compiling physical hard drives into a single cluster.
- Storage virtualization is very useful in planning for disaster recovery, as the data stored on virtual storage can be replicated and transferred to another location.
- By consolidating storage into a centralized system, company can eliminate the hassles and costs of managing multiple storage devices.