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VIRTUAL MACHINES
A virtual machine is a computer file, usually known as an image that acts like a real computer.
This means that a computer is created inside a computer. It works in a window, like any
program, providing the end-user with the same virtual system experience on the host operating
system. From the rest of the system, it is sandboxed, so the program can not escape from or
tamper with the device itself within the virtual machine. This creates the ideal environment to
test operating systems other than access virus-infected data, beta releases, or run operating
systems software or create operating system backups, apps for which they have not been
originally designed. Many virtual machines can run on the same physical computer
simultaneously. For servers, several operating systems run side-by-side with the software known
to be managed as a hypervisor, whereas desktop computers normally run other operating systems
in their program windows by using one operating system.
Each virtual machine has its own virtually exclusive hardware including hard drives, CPUs,
network interfaces memory, and other hardware. The virtual hardware is then mapped to the
actual hardware on the physical computer, which decreases cost and the related maintenance
costs by reducing the need for physical hardware systems as well as power and replacing
demand.

HOW DOES VIRTUAL MACHINE WORK?

Virtualization technology can share a network with a large number of virtual environments. The
hypervisor controls and removes the hardware from the virtual environment. Assets are
segregated from the physical surroundings to the virtual machine as appropriate. If a VM is
running, the hypervisor programmed the resource request for the physical system so that the
operating system and applications of the virtual environment can have access to the combined
pool of physical resources, which requires additional resources from the physical environment.
There are types of hypervisors.
TYPE 1
A hypervisor type 1 is built on bare metal. VM resources are directed by the hypervisor to the
hardware. KVM is a hypervisor type 1 example. KVM has been merged into Linux ® in 2007, so
you already have access to KVM if you are using a modern Linux version.
TYPE 2
Hosted is type 2 of the hypervisor. VM resources are programmed against a host operating
system and run against the hardware. Examples of Type 2 hypervisors include VMware
Workstation and Oracle Virtual Box. Once we know this, when opening a virtual machine, such
as Virtual Box, we have an environment in which we can configure and resource each physical
component that is emulated by it.
 Space we want our hard drive to assign.
 RAM memory we want the virtual machine to allocate.
 The network settings we want.
We have created a virtual machine for installing a working system after configuring the
parameters. This means we only have to open and install it, which has just been created as if it
was a normal computer.
WHY SHOULD WE USE VIRTUAL MACHINES?
The consolidation of servers is a major reason for using VMs. Many operating systems and
device implementations use a small number of the available physical resources to bare metal.
You can place many virtual servers on each physical server by virtualizing your servers to
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improve hardware usage. You don’t need to buy additional physical resources and minimize the
need for power, space, and cooling in the data center. VMs allow failover and redundancy which
can only be done previously by additional hardware. A VM offers an environment isolated from
the rest of a device and so anything running on the host hardware will not interfere. Since VMs
are isolated, they are a good way to test or build a development environment for new
applications. Even, to support a specific process, you can run a single VM.
ADVANTAGES
 Provides solutions for disaster recovery and implementation.
 Digital computers are managed, maintained, and accessible in general.
 A single physical computer can run multiple operating system environments.
VIRTUAL MACHINE VS. CONTAINER
Virtual machines may seem similar to containers at first glance. A close examination of both
reveals there are notable differences between them. Keep in mind that:
A VM runs on a hypervisor and has a separate image of its operating system (OS).
It has its own OS kernel and lets you run multiple applications at the same time or legacy
applications that require an older OS.
Containers are standardized units of software that consist of code and all its dependencies.
They are lightweight and portable, which makes them ideal for web applications and
microservices.
VMs and containers both isolate applications, ensuring they can run on any platform. They differ
in that a virtual machine virtualizes hardware to run multiple operating systems on a single
machine, while a container includes applications that can run on any OS.
TYPES OF VIRTUAL MACHINES AND HOW THEY WORK
There are two categories of VMs: process and system machines. The way they work varies based
on the type of machine and the needs of the user. Here’s a breakdown of the two:
PROCESS VM
A process virtual machine enables a user to run a single process or application on a host OS. This
type executes the process or app in the same way it would run on a physical computer. Process
VMs are commonly used to provide a platform-independent programming environment. Those
who want to run Windows apps on Linux, as an example, can do so with these machines.
SYSTEM VM
A system virtual machine virtualizes an OS, to the point where it can provide a full substitute for
a physical machine. It shares physical resources with a host machine but has its own OS. System
VMs can use a virtualization process that runs on a piece of management software called a
hypervisor. They may also leverage a virtualization process that requires a virtual machine
monitor running on bare hardware or one that operates on top of an OS.
Process and system virtual machines both consist of computer files known as images. VM
images run in windows, much like programs run on the screen of a physical computer, and give
end users the same experience they would have on a host operating system. All VM images are
separated from the rest of the system. This ensures all software inside VMs cannot be removed
or manipulated.
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HOW VIRTUAL MACHINES BENEFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Organizations with distributed workforces are increasingly looking to virtual machines to solve
challenges presented by remote operations. VMs provide end-users with access to the same
applications, user interface, and settings as if they were using a physical computer, which is a
great tool for a remote workforce. They offer several other benefits as well, including:
1. CUSTOMIZATION
Each department in your organization can set up and configure its virtual machine however it
chooses. Virtual desktops can be customized with just the apps and computing power that a
particular worker needs.
2. COST SAVINGS
VMs replace traditional hardware with virtual environments, infrastructure, and storage, so they
eliminate the upfront costs of expensive hardware.
3. TIME SAVINGS
You can hire a service provider to administer and manage your virtual machines. When it comes
time to update your operating systems and apps, your service provider takes care of everything at
once. The result: your VMs are always kept up to date.
4. WORKPLACE MOBILITY
VMs let you set up virtual environments that enable employees to access their customized virtual
desktop and apps from any location, at any time. The rise of the remote workforce makes this a
powerful tool that enables workers to stay productive no matter where they are.
5. FAILOVER AND RECOVERY
A virtual machine backup consists of an entire machine — not just individual files. This means
you can seamlessly fail over to a VM without losing anything. You can also quickly and
efficiently restore a VM, reducing downtime due to a natural disaster, cyberattack, or any other
incident that causes an outage.
6. FLEXIBILITY
Multiple operating systems can be run simultaneously on a virtual machine. This gives you the
flexibility to do things like run Microsoft Office on a Mac.
7. KEEP THAT LEGACY SOFTWARE RUNNING
Organizations often rely on legacy software that would be painful and costly to replace. A VM
can emulate the environment needed to keep that software running for a variety of users working
on different hardware.

8. APPLICATION AND WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

You can use VMs to test the performance of apps and websites across multiple platforms.
Effective implementation and management of a virtual machine are key. If you plan to go from a
desktop computer to a virtual machine, you can use a permanent file erasure device to remove
unnecessary files safely and easily before you complete your transition. Once your VM is in
place, you can assess its performance and adjust as needed. This allows you to consistently keep
it running at peak levels.
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4 WAYS TO OPTIMIZE THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR VIRTUAL MACHINE

The top virtualization software for setting up virtual machines includes VirtualBox, Parallels
Desktop, and VMware Fusion. Free and paid software is available, and each has its pros and
cons. A VM can sometimes be slow, for example, regardless of which virtualization software
you use. Yet there are many things you can do to optimize your machine’s performance, such as:
1. SELECT FIXED-SIZE DISKS
A fixed-sized disk gives you a set amount of storage space to work with, while a dynamically
allocated option grows as you add more files to your virtual disk. Virtual machines with fixed-
size disks tend to run faster than the alternative. But these disks also require you to manage your
storage space carefully.
2. ALLOCATE SUFFICIENT MEMORY TO YOUR VIRTUAL MACHINE
Memory-hungry apps can hamper your VM’s performance. You can allocate additional RAM to
your machine — for basic VMs, 8GB should be sufficient.
3. BOOST YOUR VM’S CPU
The more CPU that’s available to your virtual machine, the better it will run. Assign two or more
cores to increase your machine’s responsiveness.
4. KEEP YOUR VIRTUALIZATION SOFTWARE UP TO DATE
Regularly update your virtual machine’s virtualization software, so you can avoid any bugs that
otherwise hamper your machine’s performance.
These are just a few of the ways to maximize your machine’s performance. If you need extra
help with getting your virtual machine running to its full potential, you should consult with an
expert.

DIGITAL FILE SHREDDING: ONE STEP TO PREPARE YOU FOR A VIRTUAL MACHINE
Knowing about the benefits of virtual machines is a great start if you’re considering using them
in your organization. You can get started by determining which files to remove from your
desktop computer before transitioning to a VM.
The Shred Cube helps you securely remove excess data from a computer, helping you delete
unwanted or sensitive files from your machine so they cannot be recovered. Contact Shred Cube
today to learn more about our industry-leading USB digital file shredding solution.
VIRTUALIZATION – Virtualization is the process where information that is found on physical
hardware (or the physical hardware itself) is transferred into a virtual environment.
HYPERVISOR – The process that takes hardware resources and combines them in a way where
they can be delivered into a virtual environment.
P2V – Short for “physical-to-virtual”, which is the act of migrating resources from a physical
server to a virtual one.
SNAPSHOT – An image of the state of a virtual machine at any specific point. In a snapshot you
can see all of the data, configurations, and programs that are open at the time, in effect saving all
the work that has been done on that system.
CLONE – An exact copy of a virtual machine that can be transferred to another VM.
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HOST AND GUEST

When committing to using virtualized resources, you need to understand that your VM is the
guest of a host machine. The host machine is typically a high-powered server that you would
have normally used to host your computing resources, while each virtual machine, whether it is a
virtualized server or a virtualized desktop (or something else), are guests on the hosted machine.
By being able to fit several guest machines on one host machine, you can save a substantial
amount of money.

USES OF VIRTUAL MACHINES

The virtual machine is often used for non-essential purposes, but it can be rolled out to cover
about any computing process a business may need. VMs are predominantly utilized in resource
testing, running outdated operating systems required by legacy systems, software design and
testing, or consolidating servers within a business. Some more popular uses cases virtual
machines in business include:
 Trying out a new operating system (OS) – Running a new OS on a virtual machine can
provide technicians and administrators with the perspective needed to determine if the
new OS is right for their business.
 Use Desktop as thin client – the virtual desktop turns even a PC with fewer resources into
a productivity machine.
 Testing software – One of the most prevalent uses is to test new software before
installing it on a larger computing infrastructure.
 Consolidation – Virtual machines are being used more than ever. Today, virtual server
technology can allow organizations to roll out one server and use it to host several. This
presents the opportunity for major cost savings.
BUSINESS BENEFITS OF VIRTUALIZATION
Virtualization, the implementation of virtual machines within an organization, is not a new trend.
Thankfully many small and medium businesses are realizing the many benefits to virtualization
can offer, especially when coupled with a hosted cloud service provider (shameless plug – we’re
a Certified Microsoft Cloud Service Provider). Check out how desktop and server virtualization
can help your growing business gain a competitive advantage:
 Reduced Hardware Costs – In our experience most small business servers are only
utilizing 40-60% of their hardware resources so instead of buying another server, your
business can spin up a virtual server.
 Faster Desktop and Server Provisioning and Deployment – Spend more time on driving
your business forward instead of in your business. Deploying a new server takes several
time-consuming steps – server installation, dependency resolution, securing and resource
optimization, as well as, installing the actual software and services needed. With
virtualized systems you’re able to deploy a new virtual server in minutes using secure
pre-configured server templates.
 Small Footprint and Energy Saving – Kilowatts (KWs) add up, virtualization reduces the
office space needed to maintain and expand your IT capabilities while freeing up desk
space for your growing business to support more employees.
 Improved Data Security and Disaster Recovery – According to a University of Texas
study, 94% of companies suffering from a catastrophic data loss do not survive – 43%
never reopen and 51% close within two years. Virtualization streamlines the disaster
recovery process by replicating your servers off-site in the cloud. Since VMs are
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independent of the underlying hardware, you don’t need the same physical servers offsite
to facilitate a secondary recovery site. In the event of a disaster, your team can be back
online in a few minutes with an easy and cost-effective backup and disaster recovery
solution.
 Portability and Migration – One of the major physical server vs virtual server differences
lies in portability. You can easily move VMs across the virtual environments and even
from one physical server to another, with minimal input on your part. Since VMs are
isolated from one another and have their own virtual hardware, this makes a VM
hardware-independent. Moving your physical server environment to another location is a
more resource-intensive task. You would need to copy all data stored on the server to a
removable media, transport the media as well as all hardware resources that you have to a
new location, and then re-install all of the system components on a new server.
Essentially, you will have to rebuild a server from scratch.
 Increasing IT Operational Efficiency – In a recent survey of more than 300 senior
business and IT managers for SMBs, VMware found 73% reported significant
improvement on time spent managing routine admin tasks. Why? Simple – nine out of 10
IT departments spend at least half of their time managing routine administrative tasks.
When you partition one physical server into several virtual machines, you can deploy,
operate, and manage multiple operating systems at once from a single physical server.
VIRTUALIZATION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What’s the best time for a small business to take advantage of virtualization?
If you’re investigating upgrading your servers, including software or hardware, and when adding
additional servers are the most obvious times you will want to investigate whether virtualization
is right for your business (hint: you’re probably ready). Frankly, we recommend organizations
with only one or two servers to look at virtualization since administrative tasks like upgrades,
patching, and migrations are a breeze across servers built with Xen, HyperV or VMware.
What are the capabilities of a virtual machine?
VMs extend the capabilities of your existing infrastructure, whether hosted on a workstation or
physical server, because they allow you to run multiple operating systems at the same time, test
new software, create backup images of your existing system to gain faster recovery in the event
of a disaster, develop new applications and even deliberately execute malware or test suspicious
files.
All of this can be done in a completely siloed sandbox environment. End users have the same
experience as they would on an identical physical machine.
How many virtual machines can run on a single server?
The number of virtual machines you can run is largely dependent on the performance resources
like your CPU, amount of RAM (Random Access Member), and storage capacity of your
computer or server.
Licensing limitations exist but this is rarely a constraint for small business. For example, with
Hyper-V on Windows Server 2016, you could have as many as 1024 VMs but the more relevant
question is – do you have the performance resources (CPU, RAM and SSD storage) to do so?
With today’s technologies, small businesses need to identify how many virtual machines they
need to support, and the hardware resources required to do so.
How secure are virtual machines?
Virtual machines are an isolated environment from the physical operating system, so you can run
potentially dangerous stuff, such as malware, without fear of compromising your main OS. So
naturally they are more secure than physical computers networked together.
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To secure your VMs, keep the guest operating systems patched and protect your environment the
same way you would protect your physical machine – by utilizing anti-virus and following
security best practices. Not sure where to start? Check out our article on implementing security
best practices.
How do we get started with virtualization?
This is an important question; we’ve dedicated a section below for this. In short, you’ll want to
complete a solid analysis of your server requirements, applications, and software.
Migration planning is key to a successful implementation, when done properly, typically a small
business may see server-dependent systems down for minutes, if at all during the transition.
GETTING STARTED WITH BUSINESS VIRTUALIZATION
 Companies considering virtualization should consider the following four steps to get
started:
 Speak with one of our certified virtualization architects, as your trusted IT advisor we’ll
walk you through the benefits of virtualizing your business and share implementation
best practices.
 Evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of virtualization with the help of an experienced
business technology partner, like IT Support Guys.
 Use free tools to get started, such as VMware vSphere Hypervisor or Oracle VirtualBox
VMware Converter and VMware Go.
 When just starting out, start slowly by virtualizing smaller non-business critical
applications or systems to get comfortable. Most, if not all, of your server-based
application workloads will be good candidates to run from virtual machines.
THE PROS AND CONS OF USING A VIRTUALIZED MACHINE
THE PROS OF VIRTUAL MACHINES
 Less physical hardware. In a typical distributed control system (DCS), you might have
two Tag/OS servers, two batch servers, a historian or two, and an engineering station or
two. Easily, you’re looking at six servers that will need to be physically maintained.
You’ll find a time and overall cost savings on the replacement of hardware and
maintenance.
 Central location to manage all assets. All of your virtual machines can be managed from
one location.
 More eco-friendly. If you look at your current configuration, most of your machines are
idling along. But, with them virtualized and running on a cluster, you maximize your
machines’ potential while saving money on energy costs.
 Disaster recovery is quick. Re-deploy virtual machines on your system (once you get the
host machine back online) and you can have your system back up and running in no time.
 Expansion potentials. With the infrastructure in place, it’s simply a matter of deploying a
new machine and configuring. No need to go buy new servers (assuming you didn’t
cheap out and buy bottom-of-the-line servers).
 System upgrades. The time and heartache of making system images before applying a
patch and having a system restore fail are all realities. With the virtual environment, if
something goes wrong while applying a patch or update, you can simply roll back the
virtual machine back where it was before you applied the patch using a snapshot.
 Software licensing. Many software packages (such as Rockwell products) tie a license
key to a hard drive ID. In a virtual environment, the hard drive ID stays the same no
matter which piece of hardware it is running on.
 Supports legacy operating systems. As hardware evolves and operating systems become
obsolete, it’s harder to find hardware and software that are compatible. Virtualizing these
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machines eliminates the operating system compatibility problems. This doesn’t fix the
problem of obsolete operating systems that are no longer supported-which is a security
risk.
 Forward compatibility. As new hardware becomes available, your virtual machines can
still run on this new hardware (as long as it is supported by the virtual host software).
 Use of thin clients. Using a thin client manager, replacement of a bad terminal is as easy
as a few clicks and powering on the new unit. Conversely, with a physical machine
you’re stuck with re-imaging or building a replacement from scratch.
Many of the pros are related to the VMware ESXi/Sphere platform. The company has done a
great job of packing high-availability features into its product:
 Monitors if a virtual machine has stopped running and restarts automatically (App High
Availability).
 Can move a virtual machine running on one server to another without shutting down the
guest virtual machine (VMotion).
 Can move a virtual machine running on one SAN to another without shutting down the
guest machine (Storage VMotion).
 Automatically powers on a guest machine on boot of the server.
THE CONS OF VIRTUAL MACHINES
 Cost. The upfront cost can be much higher and, depending on how high of an availability
you want, you’ll need to be willing to design the system for your needs now and in the
future.
 Complexity. If you’re not familiar with the hardware and network aspects of the whole
setup, it can be daunting to figure out. Routing rules and virtual local area networks
(VLAN) continue to add complexity, especially if security is a concern.
 Often the hardware is bundled together in one location, making a single disaster more
likely to cause significant downtime. However, there are ways around this.
 Hardware keys. Yes, you can use hardware keys. You can bind a USB port to a specific
virtual machine. However, you are not able to move the virtual machine without
physically moving the key as well.
 Add-on hardware. In the past, you weren’t able to add on older PCI hardware and share it
with the virtual machine. This has changed, but it doesn’t work 100% of the time. I’d
recommend testing it thoroughly before deploying. Of course, this also limits which
machine a virtual machine can run on because it will need to be bound to that piece of
hardware.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
 Server, switch, and SAN power. You’re going to want to have servers with dual power
supplies. Each of these power supplies will need a separate circuit to run on. We typically
separate them to a UPS circuit and a regular line circuit each powered from different
panels.
 Security. Usually, on a control system we recommend having a closed system (not
connected to the corporate IT or Internet in the plant). I’ve not covered security in this
article, as that is another topic entirely.
 Virtualization options. There are other platforms than VMWare to virtualize with;
Microsoft has its own system, which is powerful, along with many other virtual hosting
options. I’ve not evaluated how other systems compare against VMware, so we’ll leave
that as a topic for another day.
 Connections to virtual machines.Connections to virtual machines can be established
through remote desktop connections. Many thin clients have the ability to connect
directly to a virtual machine that is running; this provides the look and feel of having a
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physical machine. Thin clients work much like a KVM routing the keyboard, mouse,
video, and audio from the user to the virtual machine.
 Virtual machine maintenance. Some maintenance can be performed on a virtual machine.
My Colleague Chris Hardy has written a blog on maintenance that focuses on VMWare’s
workstation version, but the concepts still apply for maintenance.
7 PRACTICAL REASONS TO START USING A VIRTUAL MACHINE
1. Try New Operating Systems
 Let's say you've been a Windows user all your life, but you're feeling adventurous and
want to get a taste of Linux. You have several options for trying Linux, including a dual-
boot setup, but virtualization is a great way to try it out with little risk. On your Windows
system, you just need to install VirtualBox (or another hypervisor) and create a new
virtual machine. Then take any Linux installation ISO (like Ubuntu or Linux Mint) and
install it as a virtual machine. Now you can run Linux (the guest OS) in a window within
your Windows system (the host OS) like any other program. Even if you're new to this,
you can rest assured because the virtual machine acts as a sandbox. If something goes
wrong in the guest OS, such as a malware infection or corrupted setting, it won't affect
the host OS. If the VM won't boot for some reason, you can simply recreate the virtual
machine and reinstall the OS. There's no worry of crashing your computer just because
you tried an unfamiliar OS.
2. Run Old or Incompatible Software
 Virtual machines provide a great environment for running software that's not compatible
with your current machine. As long as you have access to the installer, you should have
no trouble installing it on a virtual OS. Plus, running outdated software in this way is
much safer because it's sandboxed inside the virtual machine. Hopefully you don't have
to run Windows XP-only software these days, but the option is there in case. If you use
VirtualBox for this purpose, make sure you install the Guest Additions. Doing so allows
you to run apps in seamless mode, which puts them side-by-side with apps from your
host OS.
3. Develop Software for Other Platforms
 Another important use for virtual machines is simplifying the workflow for testing apps
and websites across multiple platforms. For example, say you're developing a game that
works on both desktop and mobile platforms. You can use emulation to test the various
versions right on your computer. Instead of moving installer files back and forth to your
phone and other test computers, you can just emulate them. Virtualization also lets you
compile to other executable types. Even if you use a cross-platform framework, you may
only be able to compile APP files on Mac and EXE files on Windows. Instead of dual-
booting for every build, virtualization simplifies the process. Sometimes there's no
substitute for running apps on real hardware, as emulation isn't perfect. But for many
uses, emulation is a convenient way to access other OSes without much hassle.
4. Handle Potential Malware Safely
 As we've seen, one of the major benefits of a virtual machine is its isolation from your
main system. This means you can take security risks that you would normally avoid. For
instance, say you want to download a program but are not sure if the site it came from is
legitimate. Or maybe you want to put your antivirus to the test without risking an
infection getting through. Less practically, maybe you're bored and want to see what a
virus does to an operating system. You could even test theories that will break your
computer, like what happens if you delete System32 in Windows. Of course, there's
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always a small chance that a piece of malware can detect that it's running in a virtual
environment and try to break out. While the risk is low, you shouldn't be reckless.
5. Tear Apart Your System
 If you're particularly tech-savvy, virtual machines allow you to explore and experiment
with an operating system without fear of the consequences. This can be an interesting
way to learn more about an OS. For example, you can virtualize a copy of Windows 10
within Windows 10 and use the guest version to tinker with the Registry. Maybe you
want to learn some Linux commands without fear of accidentally screwing something up.
6. Take Advantage of VM Snapshots
 Another excellent feature of virtual machines is the ability to create system-level
snapshots that you can instantly restore whenever you need. Say you want to install a new
app that's untested and possibly unstable. Or maybe you want to uninstall a bunch of
software you've accumulated over the past few months. Another time, you might want to
tweak some system configurations. But in all cases, you're hesitant due to uncertainty
about fixing anything that goes wrong. Virtual machine monitors allow you to take a
snapshot, which is a complete copy of the VM at any point in time. If something does go
wrong, you can restore the snapshot and move on like nothing happened. These backups
are thus like a more comprehensive System Restore. Best of all, they're saved as single
files that you can move and store elsewhere on your host machine. With snapshots as a
backup, you can try risky procedures in a VM first so you're prepared to make changes on
your main system. And you can copy them to use down the road, too.
7. Clone a System to Another Machine
 Since the entire contents of a virtual machine are stored in a few files, you can easily
transfer them to another computer and load the VM up without any issues (as long as you
use the same hypervisor, of course). For example, VirtualBox stores VM settings in a tiny
VBOX file. The other main component is a VDI file, which acts as a virtual storage disk.
Regardless of which host OS you originally used, you can copy those files and load them
into VirtualBox on another computer. This effectively recreates a copy of your guest
system that you can use anywhere. VMware Workstation Player has a related function
called vCenter Converter. This lets you take a current non-virtual OS installation and turn
it into a virtual image, which you can then load in VMware Workstation Player on
another computer.