VMware is a virtualization software provider, so what is virtualization?
Virtualization
Virtualization software creates an abstraction layer over computer hardware that allows the hardware elements of a single computer— processors, memory, storage, and more— to be divided into multiple virtual computers, commonly called virtual machines (VMs). Each virtual machine runs its own operating system (OS) and behaves like an independent computer, even though it is running on a portion of the actual underlying computer hardware.
It enables more efficient utilization of computer hardware and enables a greater return on an organization’s hardware investment. It also enables cloud providers— public or private— to serve more users with their existing physical computer hardware.
There are various components of VMware virtualization like hypervisor, ESXi.
1. VMware hypervisor
A hypervisor is a thin layer of software that interacts with the underlying resources of a physical computer (called the host) and allocates those resources to other operating systems (known as guests). The guest OS requests resources from the hypervisor.
The hypervisor separates each guest OS so each can run without interference from the others. Should one guest OS suffer an application crash, become unstable, or become infected with malware, it won’t affect the performance or operation of other operating systems running on the host.
Every hypervisor consists of two types:
- Type 1 hypervisors are HyperKit for MacOS, Hyper-V for Windows, and KVM for Linux
- Type 2 hypervisors are VirtualBox and VMWare
Benefits of Hypervisor
Some of the most common benefits of the hypervisor are:
- Cost-efficiency
- Flexibility
- Portability
- Easy setup and maintenance
- Better resource allocation
2. VMware ESXi
It enables you to:
- Consolidate hardware for higher capacity utilization
- Increase performance for a competitive edge
- Streamline IT administration through centralized management
- Reduce CapEx and OpEx
- Minimize hardware resources needed to run the hypervisor, meaning greater efficiency
Virtual machines (VMs)
A virtual machine (VM) is the base unit of VMware virtualization. A VM is a software-based representation of a physical computer. An operating system (OS) running in a VM is called a guest OS.
Each VM includes a configuration file that stores the VM’s settings, a virtual disk file that is a software version of a hard drive, and a log file that keeps track of the VM’s activities, including system failures, hardware changes, migrations of virtual machines from one host to another, and the VM’s status.
VMware offers various tools for managing these files. You can configure virtual machine settings using the vSphere Client, which is a command-line interface for VM management. You can also use the vSphere Web Services software development kit to configure VMs via other programs. For example, you could enable your software development environment to create a virtual machine that it could use to test a software program.
Alternative virtual machines
In the data center, other hypervisors to VMware vSphere include:
- Microsoft Hyper-V
- Citrix XenServer
- Linux KVM
- Oracle VM Server
- Virtuozzo
- Proxmox VE
- Red Hat Virtualization
For personal desktop usage, alternatives to VMware Workstation include:
- VirtualBox
- Parallels
- QEMU
- bhyve
This article has been a simple guide to virtualization concept, virtualizatio’s components, Virtual machines (VMs), Alternative virtual machines.
You can get more information by following the VMware series on our website.
Don’t hesitate to use the comment section below to say what you thought about that series!
References:
- VMware – link: https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/vmware#toc-virtualiza-qOyUyhUX
- VMware Workstation: Everything You Need to Know – link: https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/cloud-computing-tutorial/vmware-workstation
- VMware ESXi – link: https://www.vmware.com/products/esxi-and-esx.html