All about Hypervisor and its types

In this article we will learn about very important topic Hypervisors. This article explains its types(Type-1 and Type 2) as well as its advantages and disadvantages.

In virtualization Technology, hardware resources can be made while reducing cost. This technology is the resultant of a Hypervisor, which is the software layer alloying multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine hypervisor is a game changer in many organizations helping them utilize their IT infrastructure to consolidate computing resources, simplify Administration and reduce power usage in this article we will explore the world of hypervisors by examination their types this article also includes pros and cons of using hypervisors.

Table of contents

• What are Hypervisors?
• Why Use a Hypervisor?
• Types of Hypervisors
• Type 1 hypervisor
• Type 2 hypervisor
• Advantages of Hypervisor
• Disadvantages of Hypervisors

What are Hypervisors?

Hypervisor is a type of software that allows multiple operating systems to run on the same physical server. It is an intermediary between hardware and virtual machines, allowing them to share resources such as memory, storage and networking. Hypervisors can be used for various purposes, including testing new applications or software patches in isolated environments, running multiple applications simultaneously on different platforms without purchasing additional hardware or licenses, and providing high-availability services by mirroring production workloads across several servers. 

Why Use a Hypervisor?

1. Resource sharing- They enable organizations with limited budgets or space constraints to maximize their investments in computing infrastructure by utilizing fewer physical servers than would otherwise be required for each application instance. Multiple virtual machines are installed on a single physical server.
2. Resource allocation and management- Resources like memory CPU are administrators and ensure the surgery resources without affecting the performance of other virtual machines
3. Isolation- All virtual machines run in isolation from each other, providing a high degree of security and reliability, so any failure in one virtual machine will not affect other washing machines running on the same physical server.
4. Testing and development- Used for testing and developing software applications, the developers create multiple virtual machines with different configurations to test their applications on various hardware and operating systems without needing multiple physical machines. 
5. Scalability- Scalability means allowing organizations to scale up resources when needed quickly) 
6. Cost-effectiveness- It enables users to pay only for what they need.  

By leveraging these capabilities with other technologies like containers, it’s possible to build robust distributed architectures capable of meeting even the most demanding requirements while keeping operational costs low. In short, hypervisor technology has become an essential part of any successful IT strategy today — making it an invaluable tool for helping businesses stay competitive in the marketplace.

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Types of Hypervisors

Type 1 hypervisor

Type 1 hypervisors are sometimes called native hypervisors or bare metal hypervisors. Its pseudonym (or nickname) comes from how it was installed. A bare-metal hypervisor installs and runs directly on the physical hardware of your computer. A type 1 hypervisor can replace the host operating system.

Hypervisors are virtualization software that allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical server. Examples of type 1 hypervisors include VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, KVM and Oracle VM Server. 

1. VMware ESXi is a proprietary hypervisor developed by VMware designed to run multiple VMs on one physical server. It provides features such as high availability and scalability with minimal downtime for maintenance tasks. 
2. Microsoft Hyper-V-It is built into Windows Server and allows users to create virtual machines (VMs) like they would using traditional hardware servers. 
3. Citrix XenServer- It is an open-source solution based on the Xen Project which enables users to manage their VMs without having any additional hardware or software requirements beyond what’s already provided by their Linux distribution of choice – making it ideal for small businesses who don’t need enterprise level solutions like those offered by other vendors such as VMware or Microsoft Hyper-V.
4. KVM (Kernel Virtual Machine)- It runs within Linux distributions allowing users full control over how many resources each VM can access at any given time – making it highly customizable but still easy enough for novice administrators due to its integration with existing toolsets found in most popular distributions today.
5. Oracle VM Server- It offers similar features as those previously mentioned but adds support for additional technologies, including storage replication capabilities across different sites providing increased redundancy options when deploying mission-critical applications requiring maximum uptime guarantees from your underlying infrastructure layer below them all together, forming part of the foundation upon which modern cloud computing architectures have been built upon over recent years becoming increasingly more popular amongst both large enterprises & smaller organizations alike looking towards achieving greater levels efficiency & cost savings through consolidation efforts combined with improved automation capabilities enabling faster deployment times than ever before seen before now possible thanks to these powerful yet simple pieces technologies available us today!

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Type 2 hypervisor

Type 2 hypervisors, or hosted hypervisors, are software layers that run on top of an existing operating system (OS) on a physical machine. This allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on the same host and provides an abstraction layer between the physical hardware and guest OSs running in VMs. Type 2 hypervisors are easy to install like any other application since they can be installed onto standard desktop or laptop computers. 

Type 2 hypervisors have many advantages over Type 1 bare-metal hypervisors. They are commonly used for desktop virtualization, testing and development, legacy applications and more due to their ease of use installation process. However, there are some limitations to using this type of Hypervisor, such as being dependent upon the underlying Operating System, which could cause performance issues if it needs to be updated regularly or has security vulnerabilities. Additionally, they may not offer advanced features such as live migration and high availability compared to Type 1 Hypervisor solutions.  

Key Highlights

• Type 2 hypervisors run on top of an existing operating system on a physical machine.
• They provide an abstraction layer between the physical hardware and guest OSs running in VMs.
• They are easy to install like any other application and can be installed onto standard desktop or laptop computers.
• They are commonly used for desktop virtualization, testing and development, and running legacy applications.
• They depend on the underlying operating System, which can cause performance issues if it’s not updated regularly or has security vulnerabilities.
• They may not offer advanced features such as live migration and high availability compared to Type 1 hypervisor solutions.

Advantages of Hypervisor

• Cost savings by running multiple virtual machines on one physical machine
• Reduced energy costs and maintenance fees
• Increased security through isolated environments
• Easy management of applications and data

Disadvantages of Hypervisors

• Scalability limitations due to resource constraints
• Potential for complete system failure if the Hypervisor layer is compromised
• Compatibility issues between different versions/editions
• Careful planning and disaster recovery plans are required.

Conclusion

The use of virtual machines on host machines has become increasingly popular in recent years. This is because it allows for multiple operating systems and applications to be run on a single physical hardware, eliminating the need for additional hardware resources. The hypervisor software provides a layer of abstraction, making managing these virtual machines much easier and more efficient than ever. 

One major benefit of virtual machine technology is its ability to provide an isolated environment with dedicated resources for each user or application running within it. This means that users can have their own dedicated space without impacting other users or applications running simultaneously within the same System, ensuring optimal performance at all times regardless of how many different programs are being used simultaneously. This also helps maximize security as each user will have their secure environment separate from others’ data and information stored elsewhere in the System.