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Hypervisors are an important part of virtualization technologies, allowing multiple operating systems to run on the same hardware. With the increasing demand for virtualization technologies, many different products are now considered to be hypervisors. This article looks at the different products that are considered to be hypervisors and their uses.
What Is a Hypervisor?
A hypervisor is a virtualization layer that allows multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on the same physical hardware. It creates a virtual environment in which multiple isolated operating systems can be run in their own virtual machine. The hypervisor isolates the virtual machines from each other, ensuring that the operating systems do not interfere with one another. This makes virtualization technologies incredibly efficient, as they allow for multiple operating systems to run on the same hardware independently.
Different Types of Hypervisors
There are two main types of hypervisors: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 hypervisors are also known as bare metal or native hypervisors. These hypervisors directly control the underlying hardware and do not require another operating system, allowing them to be more efficient in their use of resources. Examples of type 1 hypervisors include VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and XenServer.
Type 2 hypervisors, sometimes referred to as hosted hypervisors, are built on top of an existing operating system. This type of hypervisor relies on the existing operating system for hardware support and therefore is less efficient in resource usage compared to type 1 hypervisors. Examples of type 2 hypervisors include VMware Workstation, Oracle VirtualBox, and Microsoft Virtual PC.
Common Hypervisors
The most commonly used hypervisors are VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware Workstation, and Oracle VirtualBox. VMware ESXi is a type 1 hypervisor, and is the most popular type 1 hypervisor due to its compatibility with a wide range of operating systems, its scalability, and its robust security. Microsoft Hyper-V is another popular type 1 hypervisor, with many features and flexible licensing options.
VMware Workstation and Oracle VirtualBox are both type 2 hypervisors which can be used for testing and development purposes on a single machine. VMware Workstation is a more powerful and feature-rich hypervisor when compared to Oracle VirtualBox, but both offer a similar set of features.
Conclusion
Hypervisors are an important part of virtualization, allowing multiple operating systems to run on the same physical hardware. There are two main types of hypervisors, type 1 and type 2, and the most commonly used hypervisors are VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware Workstation, and Oracle VirtualBox. Each of these hypervisors offer different features and capabilities, so it is important to choose the right one for your needs.