What is a Virtual Machine ?
A virtual machine uses computer software and hardware to emulate additional computers on a physical device. Learn more about what a virtual machine is and what it can do in a VM environment.
What is a Virtual Machine?
Virtual machines emulate a separate operating system (the guest) and a computer from your existing operating system (the host), for example, to run Unbuntu Linux on Windows 10. The virtual machine environment appears in a separate window, and therefore it is usually isolated as a separate environment. Still, interactivity between the guest and the host is often allowed for tasks like file transfers.
Everyday Reasons to Use a Virtual Machine
Developers use virtual machine software to build and test software on different platforms without using a second device. You can use a VM environment to access applications that are part of a different operating system than the one installed on your computer. For example, virtual machines allow you to play game exclusive to Windows on a Mac.
Additionally, virtual machines provide a level of flexibility for experimentation that is not always possible on your host operating system. Most VM software programs allow you to create snapshots of the guest OS to fall back to if something goes wrong, such as B. a malware infection.
Why Companies Might Use Virtual Machines
Many organizations deploy and manage multiple virtual machines. Instead of running multiple computers all the time, businesses use virtual machines hosted on a smaller subset of powerful servers, saving money on physical space, power, and maintenance.
These virtual machines can be controlled from a single management interface and made accessible to employees from their remote workstations, often spread across multiple geographic locations. Due to the isolated nature of VM instances, companies can allow users to access their corporate networks by using this technology on their computers for greater flexibility and cost savings.
Virtual machines give administrators full control along with real-time monitoring capabilities and advanced security monitoring. Each virtual machine can be controlled, started and stopped instantly with a mouse click or command line input.
General Limitations of Virtual Machines
While virtual machines are useful, there are notable limitations that must be understood so that your performance expectations are realistic. Even if the device that hosts the virtual machine contains powerful hardware, the virtual instance might run slower than its standalone machine. Advances in hardware support within virtual machines have come a long way in recent years. However, this restriction will never be fully lifted.
Another limitation is cost. Aside from the fees associated with some virtual machine software, installing and running an operating system may require a license or other method of authentication. For example, running a guest instance of Windows 10 requires a valid license key, just like installing the operating system on a real PC. While a virtual solution is typically cheaper than buying additional physical machines in most cases, when you need a large-scale deployment, costs increase.
Other potential limitations to consider are lack of support for certain hardware components and potential network limitations. As long as you do your research and have realistic expectations, implementing virtual machines in your home or business environment could be beneficial.
Hypervisors and Other Virtual Machine Software
Application-based VM software, commonly known as hypervisors, come in all shapes and sizes tailored for personal and business use. Hypervisors allow multiple virtual machines running different operating systems to share the same hardware resources. System administrators can use hypervisors to simultaneously monitor and manage multiple virtual machines on a network.
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