"Types of Hardware Virtualization Techniques and its Advantages" is a contributed article from Nordisk systems.

To put in simple terms, Virtualization is a structure that segregates a computer resource into manifold execution environments and is it often trusted to craft a virtual version of a resource or a device. It also permits to run multiple operating systems on the same system by providing virtualized hardware to the guest operating system. It has become a part of the engineering era as something or the other is improvised and virtualized every passing day. Right from the act of splitting networks, storage devices, physical servers, applications, hard drives and much more to arrive at better environments for trouble-free implementation and enhanced user experience, virtualization has evolved as the need of the hour. This is the right time to learn about the various types of virtualization techniques adopted by leading virtualization companies like Citrix, VMware, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and few other dominant players.

Types of hardware virtualization techniques and its advantages: Virtualization techniques are used to generate numerous isolated partitions on a single physical server and these techniques vary in the Virtualization solutions methods and the level of abstraction while offering similar traits and traveling towards the same goal. The most popular virtualization techniques are:

1.      Full Virtualization: This technique fully virtualizes the main physical server to support applications and software to operate in a much similar way on virtualized divisions. This creates an environment as if it is working on a unique server. Full virtualization technique enables the administrators to run unchanged and entirely virtualized operating system.

Advantages:

• Full virtualization technique grants the potential to combine existing systems on to the newer ones with increased efficiency and a well-organized hardware.
• This amazing methodology contributes effectively to trim down the operating costs engaged in repairing and enhancing older systems.
• The less competent systems can be power-packed with this technique, while reducing the physical space and augmenting the overall performance of the company.
  

2.      Virtual machines: Virtual machines are popularly known as VMs, imitate certain factual or illusory hardware requiring the valid resources from the host, which is nothing but the actual machine operating the VMs. A virtual machines monitor (VMM) is used in certain cases where the CPU directives need extra privileges and may not be employed in user space.     

Advantages:

• This methodology benefits numerous system emulators who use it for running a random guest operating system without altering the guest OS.
• VMMs are used to examine the performed code and facilitate its secure running. For such varied benefits it is widely used by Microsoft Virtual Server, QEMU, Parallels, VirtualBox and many other VMware products.
  

3.      Para-Virtualization: This methodology clearly runs modified versions of operating systems. Only the software and programs are carried out in a precise manner to work for their exclusive websites without executing any kind of hardware simulation. Using this technique, the guest is very well aware of its environment as the para-virtualized OS is altered to be alert about its virtualization.

Advantages:

• It enhances the performance notably by decreasing the number of VMM calls and prevents the needless use of privileged instructions.
• It allows running many operating systems on a single server.
• This method is considered as the most advantageous one as it augments the performance per server without the operating cost of a host operating system.

4.      Operating System level Virtualization: Operating system level virtualization is specially intended to grant the necessary security and separation to run manifold applications and replicas of the same operating system on the same server.  Isolating, segregating and providing a safe environment enables the easy running and sharing of machines of numerous applications operating on a single server. This technique is used by Linux-VServer, FreeBSD Jails, OpenVZ, Solaris Zones and Virtuozzo.

Advantages:

• When compared with all the above mentioned techniques, OS level virtualization is considered to give the best performance and measurability.
• This technique is easy to control and comparatively uncomplicated to manage as everything can be administered from the host system.
  

Virtualization has become a widespread concept in the today's world of information technology. Decisive and influential designers can do all the wonders required for optimizing the performance of virtualized systems while steadily focusing on your business needs. 

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Author the Author:

Nordisk systems specialized in Tivoli storage manager<provides solutions that authorizes and authenticates user access to Web applications. Data center virtualization solutions allows our clients to achieve many benefits of a virtual environment.