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| Virtualization (computing) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Virtualization (computing) |
| Developer | Various vendors and research institutions |
| Released | 1960s–present |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Linux (kernel), macOS, FreeBSD |
| License | Proprietary and open source |
Virtualization (computing) is a technology that creates simulated or emulated computing environments on physical hardware, enabling multiple logical instances to run concurrently on a single physical platform. It underpins modern Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform offerings, and is fundamental to enterprise infrastructures such as VMware ESXi, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Oracle Corporation's server products. Virtualization intersects with research and standards organizations including Intel Corporation, Advanced Micro Devices, IEEE, and Linux Foundation to deliver capabilities used in scenarios from High-Performance Computing clusters to desktop consolidation.
Virtualization abstracts hardware resources so software perceives dedicated resources while sharing physical components like CPUs from Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices, storage arrays from Dell Technologies and NetApp, and networking from Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks. Hypervisors such as VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and Xen mediate access between guest instances and host resources, enabling deployment models used by IBM, Oracle Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform. Virtualization enables compatibility layers for software vendors like Microsoft Corporation and Oracle Corporation and supports container ecosystems led by Docker, Inc. and Kubernetes orchestrated by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.
Early research at institutions such as IBM and Stanford University produced seminal virtualization concepts that influenced products like VM/370 and techniques adopted by UNIX vendors. Development in the 1970s and 1980s by IBM and later commercial initiatives by VMware, Inc. in the late 1990s transformed server provisioning. Academic contributors from MIT and Carnegie Mellon University and standards work at IEEE and IETF informed architectures later adopted by companies including Microsoft Corporation, Red Hat, and Citrix Systems. Advancements in processor features from Intel Corporation's VT-x and Advanced Micro Devices's AMD-V accelerated virtualization performance and enabled adoption by cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
Hardware virtualization distinguishes between full virtualization, paravirtualization, and hardware-assisted virtualization implemented by vendors like VMware ESXi, Xen (hypervisor), and KVM. Operating-system-level virtualization produces containers exemplified by Docker, Inc. and orchestrated by Kubernetes, supported by distributions from Red Hat and Canonical. Storage virtualization appears in solutions from NetApp and EMC Corporation (now part of Dell Technologies), while network virtualization is realized via software-defined networking projects such as OpenFlow and platforms from Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks. Desktop virtualization products from Citrix Systems and Microsoft Corporation enable remote work models used by enterprises like General Electric and Goldman Sachs.
A virtualization stack typically includes a hypervisor layer—type 1 hypervisors like VMware ESXi and Xen (hypervisor) run on bare metal, while type 2 hypervisors like VMware Workstation and Oracle VM VirtualBox run atop host systems such as Microsoft Windows and Linux (kernel). CPU virtualization features from Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices interact with memory management units and I/O virtualization standards from PCI-SIG such as SR-IOV. Management components include control planes used by Red Hat and VMware, Inc. and orchestration frameworks like OpenStack and Kubernetes promoted by the OpenStack Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.
Virtualization fuels cloud computing services offered by Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform and supports enterprise consolidation at firms like IBM and Dell Technologies. It enables development workflows at companies such as GitHub and Atlassian, disaster recovery solutions used by Bank of America and Wells Fargo, and research computing at institutions including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and CERN. Virtual desktop infrastructures from Citrix Systems and VMware, Inc. support remote workforces at corporations like Accenture and Deloitte, while telco virtualization efforts such as NFV have been promoted by organizations like ETSI and adopted by carriers including AT&T and Verizon Communications.
Performance depends on hardware acceleration from Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices and on tuning from vendors like VMware, Inc. and Red Hat. Overheads can affect latency-sensitive workloads in fields populated by organizations such as NVIDIA and research labs at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Security concerns drive features like secure boot from Microsoft Corporation and hardware roots of trust from Trusted Computing Group and Intel Corporation; mitigations for side-channel attacks informed by researchers at University of Cambridge and companies like Google LLC shape best practices. Compliance and governance in regulated sectors involve standards bodies including NIST and ISO.
Administrators use platforms such as VMware vSphere and Microsoft System Center alongside open source stacks like OpenStack and tooling from Red Hat and Canonical (company). Container runtimes from Docker, Inc. and orchestration via Kubernetes integrate with CI/CD systems from Jenkins and GitLab and observability suites from Prometheus and Grafana. Backup and replication solutions are provided by vendors including Veeam and Commvault, while configuration management is achieved with tools like Ansible (software), Puppet (software), and Chef (software). Large-scale deployments often combine offerings from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and on-premises systems from Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Category:Computing