An umbrella term for enhancing a computer's ability to do work. Following are the ways virtualization is used.
Hardware Virtualization
Partitioning the computer's memory into separate and isolated "virtual machines" simulates multiple machines within one physical computer. It enables multiple copies of the same or different operating systems to run in the computer and also prevents applications from interfering with each other. See virtual machine and OS virtualization.
Network and Storage Virtualization
In a network, virtualization consolidates multiple devices into a logical view so they can be managed from a single console (see network virtualization). Virtualization also enables multiple storage devices to be accessed the same way no matter what their type or location (see storage virtualization).
Application Virtualization
Computer people love the word "virtualization," and vendors use the term for virtually anything. Numerous technologies fall under the umbrella of "application virtualization," some of which have been around for decades, while others are at the forefront. See application virtualization.
Hardware Virtualization
Partitioning the computer's memory into separate and isolated "virtual machines" simulates multiple machines within one physical computer. It enables multiple copies of the same or different operating systems to run in the computer and also prevents applications from interfering with each other. See virtual machine and OS virtualization.
Network and Storage Virtualization
In a network, virtualization consolidates multiple devices into a logical view so they can be managed from a single console (see network virtualization). Virtualization also enables multiple storage devices to be accessed the same way no matter what their type or location (see storage virtualization).
Application Virtualization
Computer people love the word "virtualization," and vendors use the term for virtually anything. Numerous technologies fall under the umbrella of "application virtualization," some of which have been around for decades, while others are at the forefront. See application virtualization.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Virtualization software market to top $10B by 2013
- The virtualization software market topped $2.2 billion in 2008 and is expected to grow to over $10.6 billion by the end of 2013. by Dan Kusnetzky
- Blog posts 2009-11-30
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- Discussion threads 2009-11-28
- Over the turkey virtualization discussions
- I don't know that much about it really, but...I describe as "more or less a game emulator, extended to a whole computer".I'm self-educated in computer in networking technology; my degree is in environmental science. So, what I know about IT/IS I've taught myself. Nonetheless, I often find myself...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-27
- Over the turkey virtualization discussions
- Describing virtualization technology to everyday folks is challenging. by Dan Kusnetzky
- Blog posts 2009-11-27
- Does virtualization equal cloud computing?
- I would say yesThere is no need to buy 'stand alone' servers any longer in functionality when you can put it in a Blade 'name your flavor' chassis.Virtualization with VMware/RHEL or some vendor is the best way to get it off bare-metal...Doing baremetal rebuilds is time consuming and it takes...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-25
- Does virtualization equal cloud computing?
- Discussion - does virtualization equal cloud computing? I think not. by Dan Kusnetzky
- Blog posts 2009-11-25
- The cloud computing battleground takes shape. Will it be winner-take-all?
- You can't be a good consultant if you can't even mention MSIf you really think MS is irrelevant in cloud computing then you have some serious bias issues to work out.The fact that throughout your entire blog you can't even get yourself to mention MS or Azure even once is...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-24
- Is it time to go quad-core?
- Quad core, Chris?You have told us over and over that all you need is Google. You don't need a real OS, real apps, or any processing power to speak of. All you need is a browser, preferably Chrome. Why on Earth would you need a quad core...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-23
- Is it time to go quad-core?
- I need a new laptop. My oldest son's laptop finally bit the dust, and he's pretty well attached to it, both for personal and school purposes. As a likely film major, my Mac would serve him well (at least through the first year of college, at which point he'll...
- Blog posts 2009-11-23
- FAA hit with network glitch; Flight plans go manual
- Another glitch with a linux network? Its hard to believe people still use it for anything critical like the FAA and flight tracking. Its a toy OS and should not be used when the lives of people are dependent upon it.Cisco supplies the network backboneIt will be interesting to see...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-19
- Delta Sonic Car Wash systems deploys Vyatta
- Delta Sonic Car Wash systems deploys Vyatta's network virtualization technology. by Dan Kusnetzky
- Blog posts 2009-11-19
- NComputing announces new Microsoft partnership
- interestingThis will be very interesting as we shall finally see what kind of license is required for running a virtualized desktop OS. Will it be TS CAL license, VECD license etcThis will set a precedence for the rest of the market as there ARE other virtualization solution similar to NComputing...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-19
- Reduce Cost and Improve Service Levels with Application Performance Monitoring Simplification
- Organizations are feeling the pressure of economic uncertainty. They strive to closely align IT infrastructure to the business and also face challenges to reduce costs. While virtually every IT organization has multiple management solutions in place, the unfortunate truth is that most companies are struggling to develop a product mix...
- Webcasts 2009-11-19
- NComputing announces new Microsoft partnership
- I've featured NComputing a few times in this blog, largely focusing on their solutions that turn a single workstation into as many as 10 workstations using thin client technologies. In particular, I wrote about NComputing's successful bid beating out Intel and OLPC to provide thin-client computers to as many...
- Blog posts 2009-11-18
- Disks: why size means performance
- OK, Smarty pants...How do I use only the outer-most sectors of my 500GB disk?Performance != reliabilitySeagate has progressively gotten worse with reliability - that's why they cut the 5-year warranty back down to 3 years. Western Digital has made great strides with reliability though. WD isn't focussing on...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-18
- Shopping at the second-hand server store
- Virtualization or not - you're still spending too much on hardware if you buy it new. Whether you need one server or a pallet load, it's all available at 15-20% of the original price, for equipment that is only 2 - 4 years old, made by your favorite manufacturers. by...
- Blog posts 2009-11-18
- Pressure tactics don't always work
- The key words are ..."don't always". Has always and still works for Microsoft.^o^How about an piece on DOA hard drivesIf you truly resist manufacturer pressure then I would love to see a truly objective piece on the quality and failure rates on SATA hard drives being marketed today. ...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-18
- Next year is THE year for cloud computing
- Here is what Indu Kodukula, CTO of SunGard Availability Services thinks how cloud computing is likely to transform the computing industry landscape in 2010. Commentary - Yogi Berra had it right - it?s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. It?s especially difficult...
- News items 2009-11-17
- Adopting Server Virtualization for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
- In today's competitive business environment, your IT infrastructure must accommodate rapidly changing business needs and unforeseen problems with minimal impact on day-to-day operations. But this level of flexibility, scalability, and high availability can be expensive and difficult to deploy and maintain, especially for small and midsize businesses. No matter what...
- White papers 2009-11-17
- VirtualBox 3.0.12 (Windows)
- VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software. Features: Modularity: VirtualBox has an extremely modular design with well-defined internal programming interfaces and a client/server design,Virtual machine descriptions in...
- Software downloads 2009-11-17
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