VMware Technology FAQs
What is
Virtualization?
Virtualization is a proven software technology that is rapidly
transforming the IT landscape and fundamentally changing the way
that people compute.
Today's powerful x86 computer hardware was originally designed
to run only a single operating system and a single application, but
virtualization breaks that bond, making it possible to run multiple
operating systems and multiple applications on the same
computer at the same time, increasing the utilization and
flexibility of hardware.
Virtualization is a technology that can benefit anyone who uses
a computer, from IT professionals and Mac enthusiasts to
commercial businesses and government organizations. Join the
millions of people around the world who use virtualization to save
time, money and energy while achieving more with the computer
hardware they already own.
How Does Virtualization Work?
In essence, virtualization lets you transform hardware into
software. Use software such as VMware ESX Server to transform or
"virtualize" the hardware resources of an x86-based
computer-including the CPU, RAM, hard disk and network
controller-to create a fully functional virtual
machine that can run its own operating system and applications just
like a "real" computer.
Multiple virtual machines share hardware resources without
interfering with each other so that you can safely run several
operating systems and applications at the same time on a
single computer.
The VMware Approach to Virtualization
The VMware approach to virtualization inserts a thin layer of
software directly on the computer hardware or on a host operating
system. This software layer creates virtual machines and contains a
virtual machine monitor or "hypervisor" that allocates hardware
resources dynamically and transparently so that multiple operating
systems can run concurrently on a single physical computer without
even knowing it.
However, virtualizing a single physical computer is just the
beginning. VMware offers a robust virtualization platform that can
scale across hundreds of interconnected physical computers and
storage devices to form an entire virtual infrastructure.