What is virtualization?

To properly understand Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), you first need to

understand some basic concepts in virtualization. Virtualization is a process
that allows a computer to share its hardware resources with multiple digitally
separated environments. Each virtualized environment runs within its
allocated resources, such as memory, processing power, and storage. With
virtualization, organizations can switch between different operating systems
on the same server without rebooting.

Virtual machines and hypervisors are two important concepts in

virtualization.

Virtual machine

A virtual machine is a software-defined computer that runs on a physical

computer with a separate operating system and computing resources. The
physical computer is called the host machine and virtual machines
are guest machines. Multiple virtual machines can run on a single physical
machine. Virtual machines are abstracted from the computer hardware by a
hypervisor.

Hypervisor

The hypervisor is a software component that manages multiple virtual

machines in a computer. It ensures that each virtual machine gets the
allocated resources and does not interfere with the operation of other virtual
machines. There are two types of hypervisors.

Type 1 hypervisor

A type 1 hypervisor, or bare-metal hypervisor, is a hypervisor program

installed directly on the computer’s hardware instead of the operating
system. Therefore, type 1 hypervisors have better performance and are
commonly used by enterprise applications. KVM uses the type 1 hypervisor to
host multiple virtual machines on the Linux operating system.

Type 2 hypervisor

Also known as a hosted hypervisor, the type 2 hypervisor is installed on an

operating system. Type 2 hypervisors are suitable for end-user computing.

What are the benefits of virtualization?

Virtualization provides several benefits to any organization:

Efficient resource use

Virtualization improves hardware resources used in your data center. For
example, instead of running one server on one computer system, you can
create a virtual server pool on the same computer system by using and
returning servers to the pool as required. Having fewer underlying physical
servers frees up space in your data center and saves money on electricity,
generators, and cooling appliances.

Automated IT management

Now that physical computers are virtual, you can manage them by using
software tools. Administrators create deployment and configuration programs
to define virtual machine templates. You can duplicate your infrastructure
repeatedly and consistently and avoid error-prone manual configurations.

Faster disaster recovery

When events such as natural disasters or cyberattacks negatively affect

business operations, regaining access to IT infrastructure and replacing or
fixing a physical server can take hours or even days. By contrast, the process
takes minutes with virtualized environments. This prompt response
significantly improves resiliency and facilitates business continuity so that
operations can continue as scheduled.

How does virtualization work?

Virtualization uses specialized software, called a hypervisor, to create several
cloud instances or virtual machines on one physical computer.

Cloud instances or virtual machines

After you install virtualization software on your computer, you can create one
or more virtual machines. You can access the virtual machines in the same
way that you access other applications on your computer. Your computer is
called the host, and the virtual machine is called the guest. Several guests
can run on the host. Each guest has its own operating system, which can be
the same or different from the host operating system.

From the user’s perspective, the virtual machine operates like a typical
server. It has settings, configurations, and installed applications. Computing
resources, such as central processing units (CPUs), Random Access Memory
(RAM), and storage appear the same as on a physical server. You can also
configure and update the guest operating systems and their applications as
necessary without affecting the host operating system.

Hypervisors

The hypervisor is the virtualization software that you install on your physical
machine. It is a software layer that acts as an intermediary between the
virtual machines and the underlying hardware or host operating system. The
hypervisor coordinates access to the physical environment so that several
virtual machines have access to their own share of physical resources.

For example, if the virtual machine requires computing resources, such as

computer processing power, the request first goes to the hypervisor. The
hypervisor then passes the request to the underlying hardware, which
performs the task.

The following are the two main types of hypervisors.

Type 1 hypervisors

A type 1 hypervisor—also called a bare-metal hypervisor—runs directly on the

computer hardware. It has some operating system capabilities and is highly
efficient because it interacts directly with the physical resources.

Type 2 hypervisors

A type 2 hypervisor runs as an application on computer hardware with an

existing operating system. Use this type of hypervisor when running multiple
operating systems on a single machine.

What are the different types of virtualization?

You can use virtualization technology to get the functions of many different
types of physical infrastructure and all the benefits of a virtualized
environment. You can go beyond virtual machines to create a collection of
virtual resources in your virtual environment.

Server virtualization

Server virtualization is a process that partitions a physical server into

multiple virtual servers. It is an efficient and cost-effective way to use server
resources and deploy IT services in an organization. Without server
virtualization, physical servers use only a small amount of their processing
capacities, which leave devices idle.

Storage virtualization

Storage virtualization combines the functions of physical storage devices

such as network attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN). You
can pool the storage hardware in your data center, even if it is from different
vendors or of different types. Storage virtualization uses all your physical data
storage and creates a large unit of virtual storage that you can assign and
control by using management software. IT administrators can streamline
storage activities, such as archiving, backup, and recovery, because they can
combine multiple network storage devices virtually into a single storage
device.
 Network virtualization

Any computer network has hardware elements such as switches, routers,

and firewalls. An organization with offices in multiple geographic locations
can have several different network technologies working together to create
its enterprise network. Network virtualization is a process that combines all
of these network resources to centralize administrative tasks. Administrators
can adjust and control these elements virtually without touching the physical
components, which greatly simplifies network management.

The following are two approaches to network virtualization.

Software-defined networking

Software-defined networking (SDN) controls traffic routing by taking over

routing management from data routing in the physical environment. For
example, you can program your system to prioritize your video call traffic over
application traffic to ensure consistent call quality in all online meetings.

Network function virtualization

Network function virtualization technology combines the functions of network

appliances, such as firewalls, load balancers, and traffic analyzers that work
together, to improve network performance.

Data virtualization

Modern organizations collect data from several sources and store it in

different formats. They might also store data in different places, such as in a
cloud infrastructure and an on-premises data center. Data virtualization
creates a software layer between this data and the applications that need it.
Data virtualization tools process an application’s data request and return
results in a suitable format. Thus, organizations use data virtualization
solutions to increase flexibility for data integration and support cross-
functional data analysis.

Application virtualization

Application virtualization pulls out the functions of applications to run on

operating systems other than the operating systems for which they were
designed. For example, users can run a Microsoft Windows application on a
Linux machine without changing the machine configuration. To achieve
application virtualization, follow these practices:

 Application streaming – Users stream the application from a remote server,

so it runs only on the end user's device when needed.

 Server-based application virtualization – Users can access the remote

application from their browser or client interface without installing it.
 Local application virtualization – The application code is shipped with its
own environment to run on all operating systems without changes.

Desktop virtualization

Most organizations have nontechnical staff that use desktop operating

systems to run common business applications. For instance, you might have
the following staff:

 A customer service team that requires a desktop computer with Windows 10

and customer-relationship management software

 A marketing team that requires Windows Vista for sales applications

You can use desktop virtualization to run these different desktop operating
systems on virtual machines, which your teams can access remotely. This
type of virtualization makes desktop management efficient and secure, saving
money on desktop hardware. The following are types of desktop virtualization.

Virtual desktop infrastructure

Virtual desktop infrastructure runs virtual desktops on a remote server. Your

users can access them by using client devices.

Local desktop virtualization

In local desktop virtualization, you run the hypervisor on a local computer and
create a virtual computer with a different operating system. You can switch
between your local and virtual environment in the same way you can switch
between applications.

How is virtualization different from cloud

computing?
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing resources over the
internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. Instead of buying, owning, and
maintaining a physical data center, you can access technology services, such
as computing power, storage, and databases, as you need them from a cloud
provider.

Virtualization technology makes cloud computing possible. Cloud providers

set up and maintain their own data centers. They create different virtual
environments that use the underlying hardware resources. You can then
program your system to access these cloud resources by using APIs. Your
infrastructure needs can be met as a fully managed service.