INTRODUCTION

In computing, virtualization is the creation of a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, such as a hardware platform, operating system, storage device, or network resources. Virtualization is software technology which uses a physical resource such as a server and divides it up into virtual resources called virtual machines (VM's). Virtualization allows users to consolidate physical resources, simplify deployment and administration, and reduce power and cooling requirements. While virtualization technology is most popular in the server world, virtualization technology is also being used in data storage such as Storage Area Networks, and inside of operating systems such as Windows Server. The usual goal of virtualization is to centralize administrative tasks while improving scalability and overall hardware-resource utilization. With virtualization, several operating systems (OSs) can be run in parallel on a single CPU. This parallelism tends to reduce overhead costs and differs from multitasking, which involves running several programs on the same OS.

Definitions: Virtualization A layer mapping its visible interface and resources onto the interface and resources of the underlying layer or system on which it is implemented Purposes Abstraction to simplify the use of the underlying resource (e.g., by removing details of the resources structure) Replication to create multiple instances of the resource (e.g., to simplify management or allocation) Isolation to separate the uses which clients make of the underlying resources (e.g., to improve security) Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) A virtualization system that partitions a single physical machine into multiple virtual machines. Terminology Host the machine and/or software on which the VMM is implemented Guest the OS which executes under the control of the VMM.

TYPES OF VIRTUALIZATION
I.

Hardware:Hardware virtualization or platform virtualization refers to the creation of a virtual machine that acts like a real computer with an operating system. Software executed on these virtual machines is separated from the underlying hardware resources. For example, a computer that is running Microsoft Windows may host a virtual machine that looks like a computer with Ubuntu Linux operating system; Ubuntu-based software can be run on the virtual machine.[1][2] In hardware virtualization, the host machine is the actual machine on which the virtualization takes place, and the guest machine is the virtual machine. The words host and guest are used to distinguish the software that runs on the actual machine from the software that runs on the virtual machine. The software or firmware that creates a virtual machine on the host hardware is called a hypervisor or Virtual Machine Monitor. Different types of hardware virtualization include: 1. Full virtualization: Almost complete simulation of the actual hardware to allow software, which typically consists of a guest operating system, to run unmodified 2. Partial virtualization: Some but not all of the target environment is simulated. Some guest programs, therefore, may need modifications to run in this virtual environment. 3. Paravirtualization: A hardware environment is not simulated; however, the guest programs are executed in their own isolated domains, as if they are running on a separate system. Guest programs need to be specifically modified to run in this environment. Hardware-assisted virtualization is a way of improving the efficiency of hardware virtualization. It involves employing specially-designed CPUs and hardware components that help improve the performance of a guest environment. Hardware virtualization is not the same as hardware emulation: in hardware emulation, a piece of hardware imitates another, while in hardware virtualization, a hypervisor (a piece of software) imitates a particular piece of computer hardware or the whole computer altogether. Furthermore, a hypervisor is not the same as an emulator; both are computer programs that imitate hardware, but their domain of use in language differs.

II.

Desktop:Desktop virtualization is the concept of separating the logical desktop from the physical machine. One form of desktop virtualization, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), can be thought as a more advanced form of hardware virtualization: Instead of directly interacting with a host computer via a keyboard, mouse and monitor connected to it, the user interacts with the host computer over a network connection (such as a LAN, Wireless LAN or even the Internet) using another desktop computer or a mobile device. In addition, the host computer in this scenario becomes a server computer capable of hosting multiple virtual machines at the same time for multiple users.[3] As organizations continue to virtualize and converge their data center environment, client architectures also continue to evolve in order to take advantage of the predictability, continuity, and quality of service delivered by their Converged Infrastructure. For example, companies like HP and IBM provide a hybrid VDI model with a range of virtualization software and delivery models to improve upon the limitations of distributed client computing.[4] Selected client environments move workloads from PCs and other devices to data center servers, creating wellmanaged virtual clients, with applications and client operating environments hosted on servers and storage in the data center. For users, this means they can access their desktop from any location, without being tied to a single client device. Since the resources are centralized, users moving between work locations can still access the same client environment with their applications and data.[5] For IT administrators, this means a more centralized, efficient client environment that is easier to maintain and able to more quickly respond to the changing needs of the user and business.[6] [7] Another form, session virtualization, allows multiple users to connect and log into a shared but powerful computer over the network and use it simultaneously. Each is given a desktop and a personal folder in which they store their files.[3]. With Multiseat configuration, session virtualization can be accomplished using a single PC with multiple monitors keyboards and mice connected. Using Desktop Virtualization allows your company to stay more flexible in an ever changing market. Having Virtual Desktops allows for development to be implemented quicker and more expertly. Proper testing can also be done without the need to disturb the end user. Moving your desktop environment to the cloud also allows for less single points of failure if you allow a third party to control your security and infrastructure. [8]

III.

Software:

Operating system-level virtualization, hosting of multiple virtualized environments within a single OS instance Application virtualization and workspace virtualization, the hosting of individual applications in an environment separated from the underlying OS. Application virtualization is closely associated with the concept of portable applications. Service virtualization, emulating the behavior of dependent (e.g, third-party, evolving, or not implemented) system components that are needed to exercise an application under test (AUT) for development or testing purposes. Rather than virtualizing entire components, it virtualizes only specific slices of dependent behavior critical to the execution of development and testing tasks.

IV.

Memory:

Memory virtualization, aggregating RAM resources from networked systems into a single memory pool Virtual memory, giving an application program the impression that it has contiguous working memory, isolating it from the underlying physical memory implementation

V.

Storage:

Storage virtualization, the process of completely abstracting logical storage from physical storage Distributed file system Storage hypervisor

VI.

Data:

Data virtualization, the presentation of data as an abstract layer, independent of underlying database systems, structures and storage Database virtualization, the decoupling of the database layer, which lies between the storage and application layers within the application stack

VII.

Network:

Network virtualization, creation of a virtualized network addressing space within or across network subnets

HARDWARE VIRTUALIZATION (in detail)

Computer hardware virtualization (or hardware virtualisation) is the virtualization of computers or operating systems. It hides the physical characteristics of a computing platform from users, instead showing another abstract computing platform.[1][2] At its origins, the software that controlled virtualization was called a "control program", but nowadays the terms "hypervisor" or "virtual machine monitor" are preferred.[citation needed]

Concept:The term "virtualization" was coined in the 1960s to refer to a virtual machine (sometimes called "pseudo machine"), a term which itself dates from the experimental IBM M44/44X system.[citation needed] The creation and management of virtual machines has been called "platform virtualization", or "server virtualization", more recently. Platform virtualization is performed on a given hardware platform by host software (a control program), which creates a simulated computer environment, a virtual machine (VM), for its guest software. The guest software is not limited to user applications; many hosts allow the execution of complete operating systems. The guest software executes as if it were running directly on the physical hardware, with several notable caveats. Access to physical system resources (such as the network access, display, keyboard, and disk storage) is generally managed at a more restrictive level than the host processor and system-memory. Guests are often restricted from accessing specific peripheral devices, or may be limited to a subset of the device's native capabilities, depending on the hardware access policy implemented by the virtualization host. Virtualization often exacts performance penalties, both in resources required to run the hypervisor, and as well as in reduced performance on the virtual machine compared to running native on the physical machine.

Reasons for virtualization:

In the case of server consolidation, many small physical servers are replaced by one larger physical server to increase the utilization of costly hardware resources such as CPU. Although hardware is consolidated, typically OSs are not. Instead, each OS running on a physical server becomes converted to a distinct OS running inside a virtual machine. The large server can "host" many such "guest" virtual machines. This is known as Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) transformation.

Consolidating servers can also have the added benefit of reducing energy consumption. A typical server runs at 425W[3] and VMware estimates an average server consolidation ratio of 10:1.[4] A virtual machine can be more easily controlled and inspected from outside than a physical one, and its configuration is more flexible. This is very useful in kernel development and for teaching operating system courses.[5] A new virtual machine can be provisioned as needed without the need for an up-front hardware purchase. A virtual machine can easily be relocated from one physical machine to another as needed. For example, a salesperson going to a customer can copy a virtual machine with the demonstration software to his laptop, without the need to transport the physical computer. Likewise, an error inside a virtual machine does not harm the host system, so there is no risk of breaking down the OS on the laptop. Because of the easy relocation, virtual machines can be used in disaster recovery scenarios.

However, when multiple VMs are concurrently running on the same physical host, each VM may exhibit a varying and unstable performance, which highly depends on the workload imposed on the system by other VMs, unless proper techniques are used for temporal isolation among virtual machines. There are several approaches to platform virtualization. Examples of virtualization scenarios:

Running one or more applications that are not supported by the host OS: A virtual machine running the required guest OS could allow the desired applications to be run, without altering the host OS. Evaluating an alternate operating system: The new OS could be run within a VM, without altering the host OS. Server virtualization: Multiple virtual servers could be run on a single physical server, in order to more fully utilize the hardware resources of the physical server. Duplicating specific environments: A virtual machine could, depending on the virtualization software used, be duplicated and installed on multiple hosts, or restored to a previously backed-up system state. Creating a protected environment: if a guest OS running on a VM becomes damaged in a way that is difficult to repair, such as may occur when studying malware or installing

badly-behaved software, the VM may simply be discarded without harm to the host system, and a clean copy used next time.

1) Full virtualization:In full virtualization, the virtual machine simulates enough hardware to allow an unmodified "guest" OS (one designed for the same instruction set) to be run in isolation. This approach was pioneered in 1966 with the IBM CP-40 and CP-67, predecessors of the VM family. Examples outside the mainframe field include Parallels Workstation, Parallels Desktop for Mac, VirtualBox, Virtual Iron, Oracle VM, Virtual PC, Virtual Server, Hyper-V, VMware Workstation, VMware Server (formerly GSX Server), KVM, QEMU, Adeos, Mac-on-Linux, Win4BSD, Win4Lin Pro, and Egenera vBlade technology. The hyperwiser interact directly with the physical servers cpu and the disk space. The hypervisor keeps each virtual server completely independent and unaware of the other virtual servers running on the physical machine.each application runs on its own OS you can even have one guest running on linux and one on windows.

2) Para virtualization:In paravirtualization, the virtual machine does not necessarily simulate hardware, but instead (or in addition) offers a special API that can only be used by modifying[clarification needed] the "guest" OS. This system call to the hypervisor is called a "hypercall" in TRANGO and Xen; it is implemented via a DIAG ("diagnose") hardware instruction in IBM's CMS under VM[clarification needed] (which was the origin of the term hypervisor). Examples include IBM's LPARs,[8] Win4Lin 9x, Sun's Logical Domains, z/VM,[citation needed] and TRANGO.

3) Hardware-assisted virtualization:In hardware-assisted virtualization, the hardware provides architectural support that facilitates building a virtual machine monitor and allows guest OSes to be run in isolation.[6] Hardwareassisted virtualization was first introduced on the IBM System/370 in 1972, for use with VM/370, the first virtual machine operating system. In 2005 and 2006, Intel and AMD provided additional hardware to support virtualization. Sun Microsystems (now Oracle Corporation) added similar features in their UltraSPARC T-Series processors in 2005. Examples of virtualization platforms adapted to such hardware include Linux KVM, VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, Microsoft Hyper-V, Microsoft Virtual PC, Xen, Parallels Desktop for Mac, Oracle VM Server for SPARC, VirtualBox and Parallels Workstation.

In 2006 first-generation 32- and 64-bit x86 hardware support was found rarely to offer performance advantages over software virtualization[7].

4) Partial virtualization:In partial virtualization, including address space virtualization, the virtual machine simulates multiple instances of much of an underlying hardware environment, particularly address spaces.[clarification needed] Usually, this means that entire operating systems cannot run in the virtual machine which would be the sign of full virtualization but that many applications can run. A key form of partial virtualization is address space virtualization, in which each virtual machine consists of an independent address space. This capability requires address relocation hardware.

VIRTUALIZATION WITH VMware

Transform your Business with Virtualization:Improve the efficiency and availability of IT resources and applications through virtualization. Start by eliminating the old one server, one application model and run multiple virtual machines on each physical machine. Free your IT admins from spending so much time managing servers rather than innovating. About 70% of a typical IT budget in a non-virtualized datacenter goes towards just maintaining the existing infrastructure, with little left for innovation. An automated datacenter built on the production-proven VMware virtualization platform lets you respond to market dynamics faster and more efficiently than ever before. VMware vSphere delivers resources, applicationseven serverswhen and where theyre needed. VMware customers typically save 50-70% on overall IT costs by consolidating their resource pools and delivering highly available machines with VMware vSphere.

Run multiple operating systems on a single computer including Windows, Linux and more. Let your Mac run Windows creating a virtual PC environment for all your Windows applications. Reduce capital costs by increasing energy efficiency and requiring less hardware while increasing your server to admin ratio Ensure your enterprise applications perform with the highest availability and performance Build up business continuity through improved disaster recovery solutions and deliver high availability throughout the datacenter Improve enterprise desktop management & control with faster deployment of desktops and fewer support calls due to application conflicts

What is Virtualization?
Todays x86 computer hardware was designed to run a single operating system and a single application, leaving most machines vastly underutilized. Virtualization lets you run multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine, with each virtual machine sharing the resources of that one physical computer across multiple environments. Different virtual machines can run different operating systems and multiple applications on the same physical computer. While others are leaping aboard the virtualization bandwagon now, VMware is the market leader in virtualization. Our technology is production-proven, used by more than 170,000 customers, including 100% of the Fortune 100.

How Does Virtualization Work?

The VMware virtualization platform is built on a business-ready architecture. Use software such as VMware vSphere to transform or virtualize the hardware resources of an x86-based computerincluding the CPU, RAM, hard disk and network controllerto create a fully functional virtual machine that can run its own operating system and applications just like a real computer. Each virtual machine contains a complete system, eliminating potential conflicts. VMware virtualization works by inserting a thin layer of software directly on the computer hardware or on a host operating system. This contains a virtual machine monitor or hypervisor that allocates hardware resources dynamically and transparently. Multiple operating systems run concurrently on a single physical computer and share hardware resources with each other. By encapsulating an entire machine, including CPU, memory, operating system, and network devices, a virtual machine is completely compatible with all standard x86 operating systems, applications, and device drivers. You can safely run several operating systems and applications at the same time on a single computer, with each having access to the resources it needs when it needs them.

Build your Datacenter on a Flexible Architecture:Virtualizing a single physical computer is just the beginning. You can build an entire virtual infrastructure, scaling across hundreds of interconnected physical computers and storage devices with VMware vSphere, a proven virtualization platform used as the foundation for building private and public clouds. You dont need to assign servers, storage, or network bandwidth permanently to each application. Instead, your hardware resources are dynamically allocated when and where theyre needed within your private cloud. Your highest priority applications always have the necessary resources without wasting money on excess hardware only used at peak times. Connect this private cloud to a public cloud to create a hybrid cloud, giving your business the flexibility, availability and scalability it needs to thrive.

TOP 10 VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

1. VMware Find a major data center anywhere in the world that doesn't use VMware, and then pat yourself on the back because you've found one of the few. VMware dominates the server virtualization market. Its domination doesn't stop with its commercial product, vSphere. VMware also dominates the desktop-level virtualization market and perhaps even the free server virtualization market with its VMware Server product. VMware remains in the dominant spot due to its innovations, strategic partnerships and rock-solid products. 2. Citrix Citrix was once the lone wolf of application virtualization, but now it also owns the world's most-used cloud vendor software: Xen (the basis for its commercial XenServer). Amazon uses Xen for its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) services. So do Rackspace, Carpathia, SoftLayer and 1and1 for their cloud offerings. On the corporate side, you're in good company with Bechtel, SAP and TESCO. 3. Oracle If Oracle's world domination of the enterprise database server market doesn't impress you, its acquisition of Sun Microsystems now makes it an impressive virtualization player. Additionally, Oracle owns an operating system (Sun Solaris), multiple virtualization software solutions (Solaris Zones, LDoms and xVM) and server hardware (SPARC). What happens when you pit an unstoppable force (Oracle) against an immovable object (the Data Center)? You get the Oraclecentered Data Center. 4. Microsoft Microsoft came up with the only non-Linux hypervisor, Hyper-V, to compete in a tight server virtualization market that VMware currently dominates. Not easily outdone in the data center space, Microsoft offers attractive licensing for its Hyper-V product and the operating systems that live on it. For all Microsoft shops, Hyper-V is a competitive solution. And, for those who have used Microsoft's Virtual PC product, virtual machines migrate to Hyper-V quite nicely. 5. Red Hat For the past 15 years, everyone has recognized Red Hat as an industry leader and open source champion. Hailed as the most successful open source company, Red Hat entered the world of virtualization in 2008 when it purchased Qumranet and with it, its own virtual solution: KVM and SPICE (Simple Protocol for Independent Computing Environment). Red Hat released the SPICE protocol as open source in December 2009. 6. Amazon

Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is the industry standard virtualization platform. Ubuntu's Cloud Server supports seamless integration with Amazon's EC2 services. EngineYard's Ruby application services leverage Amazon's cloud as well. 7. Google When you think of Google, virtualization might not make the top of the list of things that come to mind, but its Google Apps, AppEngine and extensive Business Services list demonstrates how it has embraced cloud-oriented services. 8. Virtual Bridges Virtual Bridges is the company that invented what's now known as virtual desktop infrastructure or VDI. Its VERDE product allows companies to deploy Windows and Linux Desktops from any 32-bit or 64-bit Linux server infrastructure running kernel 2.6 or above. To learn more about this Desktop-as-a-Managed Service, download the VERDE whitepaper. 9. Proxmox Proxmox is a free, open source server virtualization product with a unique twist: It provides two virtualization solutions. It provides a full virtualization solution with Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) and a container-based solution, OpenVZ. 10. Parallels Parallels uses its open source OpenVZ project, mentioned above, for its commercial hosting product for Linux virtual private servers. High density and low cost are the two keywords you'll hear when experiencing a Parallels-based hosting solution. These are the two main reasons why the world's largest hosting companies choose Parallels. But, the innovation doesn't stop at Linux containerized virtual hosting. Parallels has also developed a containerized Windows platform to maximize the number of Windows hosts for a given amount of hardware.

ADVANTAGES

Server consolidation Reduced power and cooling Green computing Ease of deployment and administration High availability and disaster recovery

LIMITATION
For servers dedicated to applications with high demands on processing power, virtualization isn't a good choice. It's also unwise to overload a server's CPU by creating too many virtual servers on one physical machine. The more virtual machines a physical server must support, the less processing power each server can receive. Another limitation is migration. Right now, it's only possible to migrate a virtual server from one physical machine to another if both physical machines use the same manufacturer's processor

SUMMARY
Virtualization offers major savings in data center operations. Virtualization makes possible significant reductions in the costs of managing data centers, with simplification of systems management tasks. Virtualization offers back-up and increased redundancy for delivery of high performance and high availability services. Virtualization is a step in the direction of cloud computing.

POPULAR VIRTUALIZATION PRODUCTS INCLUDE

VMware Microsoft Hyper-V Virtual Iron Xen