Virtual Ization

VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES 5-1
Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter you will be able to understand:
t INTRODUCTION
l Meaning and Level of Virtualization
t VIRTUALIZATION STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMS
l Hypervisor
l Type 1 Hypervisor
l Type 2 Hypervisor
t APPROACHES TO VIRTUALIZATION
t TYPES OF VIRTUALIZATION
l Server Virtualization
l Storage Virtualization
l Network Virtualization
l Operating System Virtualization
l Desktop (Client) Virtualization
l Application Server Virtualization
t VIRTUAL CLUSTERS AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
t VIRTUALIZATION FOR DATA-CENTER AUTOMATION
t CREATING A VIRTUAL MACHINE
l Installing VMware Workstation Player
l Creating a First VM
l Installing Windows on a Virtual Machine
t INSTALL LINUX- CentOS ON VMWARE PLAYER WORKSTATION
CLOUD COMPUTING   
5-2 VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES
5.1. INTRODUCTION
Virtualization is a technique which allows sharing a single physical instance of a resource or an application
among multiple customers and organizations. Virtualization is a computer architecture technology by
which multiple virtual machines (VMs) are multiplexed in the same hardware machine. The idea of VMs
can be dated back to the 1960s. The purpose of a VM is to enhance resource sharing by many users and
improve computer performance in terms of resource utilization and application flexibility. Hardware
resources such as CPU, Memory, I/O devices, etc. or software resources such as operating system and
software libraries can be virtualized in various functional layers. This virtualization technology has been
revitalized as the demand for distributed and cloud computing increased sharply in recent years. The idea
is to separate the hardware from the software to yield better system efficiency.
For example : Computer users gained access to much enlarged memory space when the concept of virtual
memory was introduced. Similarly, virtualization techniques can be applied to enhance the use of compute
engines, networks and storage. In this chapter we will discuss VMs and their applications for building
distributed systems. According to Gartner report virtualization, it was the top strategic technology poised
to change the computer industry. With sufficient storage any computer platform can be installed in another
host computer. Even if they use processors with different instruction sets and run with distinct operating
systems on the same hardware.
5.1.1. Meaning and Level of Virtualization

Virtualization is the creation of a virtual rather than actual “Virtualization is a technique which allows
version of something such as a server, a desktop, a storage sharing a single physical instance of a resource
device, an operating system or network resources. The or an application among multiple customers
machine on which the virtual machine is created is known and organizations. It does by assigning
a logical name to a physical storage and
as host machine and virtual machine. It is referred as a guest providing a pointer to that physical resource
machine. This virtual machine is managed by a software or when demanded.”
firmware which is known as hypervisor.
A traditional computer runs with a host operating system specially tailored for its hardware architecture
as shown in Fig. 5.1 (a). After virtualization different user applications managed by their own operating
systems (guest OS) can run on the same hardware, independent of the host OS. This is often done by
adding additional software called a virtualization layer as shown in Fig. 5.1 (b). This virtualization layer
is known as hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM). The VMs are shown in the upper boxes
where applications run with their own guest OS over the virtualized CPU, Memory and I/O resources.
(a) Traditional Computer (b) After Virtualization

Fig. 5.1. Before and after virtualization.
   CLOUD COMPUTING
The Fig. 5.1 (a, b) shows architecture of a computer system before and after virtualization where VMM
stands for Virtual Machine Monitor. The Fig 5.2 shows the different level of virtualization from hardware
to application in five level abstractions.
Fig. 5.2. Level of virtualization from hardware to applications.

1. Instruction Set Architecture Level (ISA). At the ISA level, virtualization is performed by imitating
or emulating a given ISA by the ISA of the host machine. For example : MIPS (Microprocessor without
Interlocked Pipeline Stages) binary code can run on an x86-based host machine with the help of ISA
emulation. With this approach it is possible to run a large amount of legacy binary code written for various
processors on any given new hardware host machine. Instruction set emulation leads to virtual ISAs created
on any hardware machine. The basic emulation method is through code interpretation. An interpreter
program interprets the source instructions to target instructions one by one. One source instruction may
require tens or hundreds of native target instructions to perform its function. Obviously, this process is
relatively slow. For better performance dynamic binary translation is desired. This approach translates
basic blocks of dynamic source instructions to target instructions.
2. Hardware Abstraction Level (HAL). This approach generates a virtual hardware environment for
a VM. On the other hand the process manages the underlying hardware through virtualization. The idea
is to virtualized a computer’s resources such as its processors, memory and I/O devices. The intention
is to upgrade the hardware utilization rate by multiple users concurrently. The idea was implemented in
the IBM VM/370 in the 1960s. Recently the Xen hypervisor has been applied to virtualized x86 based
machines to run Linux or other guest OS applications.
3. Operating System Level. This refers to an abstraction layer between traditional OS and user
applications. OS-level virtualization creates isolated containers on a single physical server and the OS
instances to utilize the hardware and software in data centers. The containers behave like real servers.
OS level virtualization is commonly used in creating virtual hosting environments to allocate hardware
resources among a large number of mutually distrusting users. It is also used, in consolidating server
hardware by moving services on separate hosts into containers or VMs on one server.
4. Library Support Level. Most applications use APIs exported by user level libraries rather than
using lengthy system calls by the OS. Since, most systems provide well documented APIs such an
interface becomes another candidate for virtualization. Virtualization with library interfaces is possible
by controlling the communication link between applications and the rest of a system through API hooks.
The software tool WINE has implemented this approach to support Windows applications on top of UNIX
hosts. Another example is the vCUDA which allows applications executing within VMs to leverage GPU
hardware acceleration.
An API is an interface or communication protocol between different parts of a computer
program intended to simplify the implementation and maintenance of software. An API may
be for a web-based system, operating system, database system, computer hardware or
software library.
API hooking is a technique by which we can instrument and modify the behavior and flow
of API calls. Hooking can be used to invoke calls in a Windows application or can be used to
capture some information related to the API calls.
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly
manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended
for output to a display device.
5. User Application Level. Virtualization at the application level virtualizes an application as a VM. On
a traditional OS an application often runs as a process. Therefore an application-level virtualization is
also known as process level virtualization. The most popular approach is to deploy high level language
(HLL) VMs. In this scenario the virtualization layer sits as an application program on top of the operating
system and the layer exports an abstraction of a VM that can run programs written and compiled to a
particular abstract machine definition. Any program written in the HLL and compiled for this VM will
be able to run on it. The Microsoft .NET CLR and Java Virtual Machine (JVM) are two good examples
of this class of VM. Other forms of application level virtualization are known as application isolation,
application sandboxing or application streaming. The process involves wrapping the application in a layer
that is isolated from the host OS and other applications. The result is an application that is much easier
to distribute and remove from user workstations. An example is the LANDesk application virtualization
platform which deploys software applications as self contained, executable files in an isolated environment
without requiring installation, system modifications or elevated security privileges.
5.1.2. Advantages and Disadvantages

Virtualization has now become extremely popular and widely used especially in cloud computing. The
primary reason for its wide success is the elimination of technology barriers that prevented virtualization
from being an effective and viable solution in the past. The most relevant barrier has been performance.
Today the capillary diffusion of the Internet connection and the advancements in computing technology
has made virtualization an interesting opportunity to deliver on-demand IT infrastructure and services.
Despite its renewed popularity this technology has benefits and also drawbacks.
Table 5.1 compares the relative merits of implementing virtualization at various levels. The number of X’s
in the table cells reflects the advantage points of each implementation level. Five X’s implies the best case
and one X implies the worst case. Overall hardware and OS support will yield the highest performance.
Table 5.1 Relative Merits of Virtualization at Various Levels
(More “X”’s Means Higher Merit with a Maximum of 5 X’s)
Level of Higher Application Implementation Application
Implementation Performance Flexibility Complexity Isolation
ISA X XXXXX XXX XXX
Hardware level virtualization XXXXX XXX XXXXX XXXX
OS level virtualization XXXXX XX XXX XX
Runtime library support XXX XX XX XX
User application level XX XX XXXXX XXXXX
Advantages. The advantages of virtualization are:

1. Cheaper. Virtualization does not require actual hardware components to be used or installed. IT
infrastructures find it to be a cheaper system to implement. There is no longer a need to dedicate large
areas of space and huge monetary investments to create an onsite resource. You just purchase the license
or the access from a third party provider and begin to work, just as if the hardware were installed locally.
2. Increase Availability. Virtualization platforms offer a number of advanced features that are not found
on physical servers. It increase uptime and availability. Although the vendor feature names may be different
they usually offer capabilities such as live migration, storage migration, fault tolerance, high availability
and distributed resource scheduling. These technologies keep virtual machines working continuously
along or give them the ability to recover from unplanned disruptions. The ability to move a virtual machine
from one server to another is perhaps one of the greatest single benefits of virtualization.
3. Costs Predictable. The third party providers typically provide virtualization options individuals and
corporations can have predictable costs for their information technology needs. For example: the cost of
a Dell PowerEdge T330 Tower Server at the time of writing is $1,279 direct from the manufacturer. In
comparison services provided by Bluehost Web Hosting can be a slow as $2.95 per month.
4. Reduces the Workload. Most virtualization providers automatically update their hardware and software
that will be utilized. Instead of sending people to do these updates locally they are installed by the third
party provider. This allows local IT professionals to focus on other tasks and saves even more money for
individuals or corporations.
5. Deploying Servers too Fast. You can quickly clone an image, master template or existing virtual
machine to get a server up and running within minutes. You do not have to fill out purchase orders, wait
for shipping, receiving and then assemble a physical machine only to spend additional hours waiting for
the operating system and applications to complete their installations. With virtual backup tools like Veeam,
Relocated images will be so fast that your end users will hardly notice there was an issue.
6. Better Uptime. Virtualization technologies, uptime has improved dramatically. Some providers offer
an uptime that is 99.9999%. Even budget friendly providers offer uptime at 99.99% today.
7. Promotes Digital Entrepreneurship. Before virtualization occurred on a large scale digital
entrepreneurship was virtually impossible for the average person. Today various platforms, servers
and storage devices that are available today, can be start by their own side hustle or become a business
owner. The Sites like Fiverr and UpWork provide platform for freelencers to offer services to customer
worldwide.
8. Save Energy. Moving physical servers to virtual machines and consolidating them onto far fewer
physical servers means lowering monthly power and cooling costs in the data center. It reduces carbon
footprint and helps to clean up the air we breathe. Consumers want to see companies reducing their output
of pollution and taking responsibility.
Disadvantages. Like most technologies there are advantages and disadvantages of virtualization that
must be considered before fully implementing a system or plan. The disadvantages of virtualization are :
1. High Cost of Implementation. The cost for the average individual or business when virtualization
is being considered will be quite low. For the providers of a virtualization environment however the
implementation costs can be quite high. Hardware and software are required at some point and that means
devices must either be developed, manufactured or purchased for implementation.
2. Learn the New Infrastructure. Implementing and managing a virtualized environment will require IT
staff with expertise in virtualization. On the user side a typical virtual environment will operate similarly
to the non-virtual environment. There are some applications that do not adapt well to the virtualized
environment.
3. Security Risk. Information is our modern currency. If you have it, you can make money. If you do not
have it you will be ignored. Because data is crucial to the success of a business it is targeted frequently.
The chances of experiencing a data breach while using virtualization 1 in 4.
4. Availability Issue. The primary concern that many have with virtualization is what will happen to
their work if their assets like data are not available. If an organization cannot connect to their data for an
extended period of time they will struggle to compete in their industry. And since availability is controlled
by third-party providers, the ability to stay connected is not in one’s control with virtualization.
5. Scalability Issue. Although you can grow a business or opportunity quickly because of virtualization.
But sometimes you may not be able to become because many entities share the same resources growth
creates lag within a virtualization network. One large presence can take resources away from several
smaller businesses and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.
6. Requires Several Links. It requires several links in a chain that must work together cohesively. If
you have local equipment then you are in full control of what you can do. With virtualization, you lose
that control because several links must work together to perform the same task. Let us take the example
of saving a document file, with a local storage device like a flash drive or HDD you can save the file
immediately and even create a backup. Using virtualization your ISP connection would need to be valid.
Your LAN or Wi-Fi would need to be working. Your online storage option would need to be available.
If any of those are not working you will not be able to save that file.
7. Time. Although you save time during the implementation phases of virtualization, it take more time
over the long-run when compared to local systems because there are extra steps that must be followed
to generate the desired result.
8. Testing is Critical. The purpose of IT is really to drive your business goals so you would not want
to rely on an untested platform for programs that keep your business running. This is especially true for
virtualization because once it malfunctions, it is not like that you can turn it off and back once again.
Implementing virtualization in a system that is already working seamlessly can introduce errors and
therefore risk of wastage of time and money can takes place. So always test before switching to a VM.
5.2. VIRTUALIZATION STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMS

In general there are three typical classes of VM architecture. The Fig.5.3 showed the architectures of a
machine before virtualization. Before virtualization, the operating system manages the hardware. After
virtualization, a virtualization layer is inserted between the hardware and the operating system (Fig. 5.4).
In such a case the virtualization layer is responsible for converting portions of the real hardware into virtual
hardware. Therefore, different operating systems such as Linux and Windows can run on the same physical
machine simultaneously. Depending on the position of the virtualization layer there are several classes of
VM architectures namely the hypervisor architecture, para-virtualization and host based virtualization.
Fig. 5.3. Architectures of a machine before virtualization.

The hypervisor is also known as the VMM (Virtual Machine Monitor). They both perform the same
virtualization operations.
Fig. 5.4. Architectures of a machine after virtualization.
5.2.1. Hypervisor
The term hypervisor goes way back to 1972 when IBM A hypervisor is a thin software layer that
updated the control program of its System/370 mainframe intercepts operating system calls to the
computing platform to support virtualization. The creation hardware. It is also called as the Virtual
of the hypervisor was a milestone in the evolution of Machine Monitor (VMM). It creates a virtual
platform on the host computer on top of which
computing because it provided a way to overcome the multiple guest operating systems are executed
architectural limitations and high cost of using mainframe and monitored.
computers. Hypervisors come in several different flavors.
They can be categorized for example by type that is by whether they run directly on the physical hardware
or within (hosted by) an operating system environment. Hypervisors can also be categorized by design
that is whether they are monolithic or microkernel.
A hypervisor is a virtualization platform that enables you to run multiple operating systems on a single
physical computer called the host computer. The main function of the hypervisor is to provide isolated
execution environments for each virtual machine and to manage access between the guest operating
systems running in virtual machines and the underlying
hardware resources on the physical computer.
Latest hypervisors allow us to make better use of the faster
processors that regularly appear in the commercial market
and more efficient use of the larger and denser memory
offerings that come along with those newer processors. The
hypervisor is a layer of software that resides below the virtual
machines and above the hardware. The Fig. 5.5 illustrates Fig. 5.5. Where the hypervisor resides.
where the hypervisor resides.
There are two type of hypervisor namely : Type 1 Hypervisor and Type 2 Hypervisor.
5.2.1.1. Type 1 Hypervisor

Type 1 Hypervisors run directly on the server hardware without an operating system below it. Because
there is no intervening layer between the hypervisor and the physical hardware this is also referred to as
a bare metal implementation (see Fig.5.6). Without an intermediary the Type 1 hypervisor can directly
communicate with the hardware resources in the stack below it making it much more efficient than the
Type 2 Hypervisor.
Fig. 5.6. Type 1 Hypervisor.

A side from having better performance characteristics Type
1 Hypervisors are also considered to be more secure than
Type 2 Hypervisors. Guest operations are handed off and a
guest cannot affect the hypervisor on which it is supported.
A virtual machine can damage only itself causing a single
guest crash, but that event does not escape the boundaries of
the VM container. Other guests continue processing, and the
hypervisor is unaffected as well. A malicious guest where
code is deliberately trying to interfere with the hypervisor or
the other guests would be unable to do so. Fig. 5.7 illustrates
a guest failure in a Type 1 Hypervisor. Fig. 5.7. A guest failure
Less processing overhead is required for a Type 1 Hypervisor, which means that more virtual machines
can run on each host. From a pure financial stand point a Type 1 Hypervisor would not require the cost
of a host operating system. Although from a practical point of view, the discussion would be much more
complex and involve all of the components and facets that comprise a total cost of ownership calculation.
Examples of Type 1 Hypervisors include VMware ESX, Microsoft Hyper-V and the many Xen variants.
Example 1: VMware ESX
VMware was founded in 1998. It was the first company to develop a commercially available x86
virtualization solution. The following year the company released their first product Workstation 1.0 which
allowed developers to create and work with virtual machines on their Windows or Linux desktops. After
two years in 2001 both ESX 1.0 and GSX 1.0 were released. ESX was a Type 1 Hypervisor and GSX
was a Type 2 hypervisor. Both solutions are still around today and are still being enhanced and updated.
GSX, though has been renamed to VMware Server and is available to download at no cost.
The original architecture of ESX was made up of two parts, the actual hypervisor, which is responsible
for the virtualization work and a Linux based console module that acted as a management interface to
the hypervisor. VMware decided that this model was not sustainable for two reasons. The first was that
the service console was roughly thirty times the size of the hypervisor in ESX 3.5. For example : The
hypervisor was about 32 MB while the service console required closer to 900 MB. The second reason
was security. Linux is a well understood environment and there was concern that the hypervisor could be
compromised through the service console. ESXi was developed as the same hypervisor core but without
the service console. The hypervisor is managed through a command line interface (CLI) and has been
rearchitected to allow third-party integrations that had been done through agents in the service console.
VMware released two versions classic ESX and ESXi from version 3.5 in 2007 through version 4.1 in
2010. As of the 2011 release 5, only the ESXi architecture is available.
Eample 2: Microsoft Hyper-V
Microsoft began in the virtualization space with virtual server in 2005 after they had acquired the solution
from Connectix software company a few years ago. Like GSX Virtual Server was a Type-2 Hypervisor,
and it is still available today at no cost. Microsoft Hyper-V was released in 2008 as an installable part of
the Windows server 2008 operating system.
Hyper-V is a Type 1 Hypervisor because the hypervisor code lives directly on the hardware. The
nomenclature is slightly different though rather than guests the virtualized workloads are called partitions.
Similar to the Xen model it requires a special parent partition that has direct access to the hardware
resources like Domaino. The parent partition runs an operating system in this case Windows server 2008.
This partition creates and manages the child partitions and handles the system management functions
and device drivers. Because it utilizes a model similar to XenServer, it is subject to the same available
vulnerabilities regarding patching and contention.
Example 3: The Xen Architecture
Xen is an open source hypervisor program developed by Cambridge University. Xen is a microkernel
hypervisor which separates the policy from the mechanism. The Xen hypervisor implements all the
mechanisms leaving the policy to be handled by Domain 0. Xen does not include any device drivers
natively. It just provides a mechanism by which a guest OS can have direct access to the physical devices.
As a result, the size of the Xen hypervisor is kept rather small. Xen provides a virtual environment located
between the hardware and the OS. A number of vendors are in the process of developing commercial Xen
hypervisors. The few of them are Citrix XenServer and Oracle VM.
5.2.1.2. Type 2 Hypervisors

A Type 2 Hypervisor itself is an application that runs a traditional operating system. The first x86 offerings
were Type 2 because that was the quickest pat to market. The actual operating system already handled
all of the hardware resources and the hypervisor would leverage that capability. The Fig.5.8 illustrates a
Type 2 Hypervisor.
Fig. 5.8. Type 2 Hypervisor.

One benefit of this model is that it can support a large range of hardware because it inherits support for
these hardware from the operating system it uses. The Type 2 hypervisors are easy to install and deploy
because much of the hardware configuration work such as networking and storage has already been
covered by the operating system.
Type 2 Hypervisors are not as efficient as Type 1 Hypervisors because of this extra layer between the
hypervisor itself and the hardware. Every time a virtual machine performs a disk read, a network operation,
or any other hardware interaction it hands the request off to the hypervisor just as in a Type 1 Hypervisor
environment. Unlike that environment the Type 2 Hypervisor must then itself hand off the request to the
operating system which handles the I/O requests. The operating system passes the information back to
the hypervisor and then back to the guest adding two additional steps, time and processing overhead,
to every transaction. Type 2 Hypervisors are also less reliable because there are more points of failure.
Anything that affects the availability of the underlying operating system also can impact the hypervisor and
the guests it supports. For example : The standard operating system patches that require a system reboot
would also forcereboots of all the virtual machines on that host. VMware Player VMware Workstation
and Microsoft Virtual Server are examples of Type 2 Hypervisors.
Example 1: VMware Player
VMware Player is a free desktop application that lets you run a virtual machine on a Windows or Linux
PC. VMware Player provides an intuitive user interface for running preconfigured virtual machines
created with VMware Workstation, GSX Server and ESX Server. It uses the same virtualization core as
VMware Workstation, with more features which is not free of charge. VMware Player is available for
personal non commercial use or for distribution or other use by written agreement. VMware Inc. does
not formally support player but there is an active community website for discussing and resolving issues
and a knowledge base.
VMware claimed in 2011 that the Player offered better graphics, faster performance and tighter integration
for running Windows XP under Windows Vista or Windows 7 than Microsoft’s Windows XP Mode running
on Windows Virtual PC which is free of charge for all purposes.
Example 2: VMware Workstation
VMware Workstation Pro allows you to run multiple operating systems at once on the same Windows
or Linux PC. Create real Linux and Windows VMs and other desktop, server and tablet environments,
complete with configurable virtual networking. It is use in code development, solution architecting,
application testing, product demonstrations and more.
VMware workstation versions 12.0.0, 12.0.1 and 12.1.0 were released at intervals of about two months in
2015. In January 2016, the entire development team behind VMware workstation and fusion was disbanded
and all US developers were immediately fired. The company said that the restructuring activities will
not impact the existence of any current product lines, and the roles and responsibilities associated with
particular businesses will be moved to other regions. The investment would continue with emphasis on our
growth products. The future of workstation and fusion became uncertain. On 24 April 2016, Maintenance
release 12.1.1 was released. In September same year the company announced that they are very much alive
and well. Consequently, on September 13 workstation 12.5 and fusion 8.5 were released as free upgrades
which added support for Windows 10 anniversary edition and Windows Server 2016.
Example 3: Microsoft Virtual Server
Microsoft virtual server was a virtualization solution that facilitated the creation of virtual machines
on the Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. Originally, it was
developed by Connectix then it was acquired by Microsoft prior to release. Virtual PC is Microsoft’s
related desktop virtualization software package.Virtual machines are created and managed through a web
based interface that relies on Internet Information Services (IIS) or through a Windows client application
tool called VMRCplus.
The last version using this name was Microsoft virtual server 2005 R2 SP1. The new features in R2 SP1
include Linux guest operating system support, Virtual Disk Precompactor, SMP, x64 host operating system
support and it have the ability to mount virtual hard drives on the host machine and additional operating
systems support including Windows Vista. It also provides a Volume Shadow Copy writer that enables
live backups of the Guest OS on a Windows Server 2003 or Windows server 2008 host. A utility to mount
VHD images has also been included since SP1. Virtual machine additions for Linux are available as a free
download. Officially, Linux guest operating systems include Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 2.1-5.0,
Red Hat Linux 9.0, SUSE Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server versions 9 and 10.
5.3. APPROACHES TO VIRTUALIZATION

There are three different approaches to virtualization. Before discussing them it is important to know about
protection rings in OSs. Protection rings are used to isolate the OS from untrusted user applications. The
OS can be protected with different privilege levels. In protection ring architecture the rings are arranged
in hierarchical order from Ring 0 to Ring 3 as shown in Fig.5.9. Ring 0 contains the programs that are
most privileged and Ring 3 contains the programs that are least privileged. Normally, the highly trusted
OS instructions will run in Ring 0 and it has unrestricted access to physical resources. Ring 3 contains
the untrusted user applications and it has restricted access to physical resources. The other two rings ;
Ring 1 and Ring 2 are allotted for device drivers. This protection ring architecture restricts the misuse of
resources and malicious behavior of untrusted user level programs.
Fig 5.9. Protection rings in OSs.

For example : Any user application from Ring 3 cannot directly access any physical resources as it is the
least privileged level. But the kernel of the OS at Ring 0 can directly access the physical resources as it is
the most privileged level. Depending on the type of virtualization the hypervisor and guest OS will run in
different privilege levels. Normally the hypervisor will run with the most privileged level at Ring 0 and
the guest OS will run at the least privileged level than the hypervisor. There are three types of approaches
followed for virtualization and they are :
1. Full virtualization
2. Para virtualization
3. Hardware assisted virtualization
5.3.1. Full Virtualization

In Full Virtualization, the guest OS is completely abstracted from the underlying infrastructure. The
virtualization layer or VMM fully decouples the guest OS from the underlying infrastructure. The guest
OS is not aware that it is virtualized and thinks it is running on the real hardware. In this approach the
hypervisor or VMM resides at Ring 0 and provides all the virtual infrastructures needed for VMs.
Fig. 5.10. Full virtualization.

The guest OS resides at Ring 1 and has the least privilege than the hypervisor. Hence, the OS cannot
communicate to the physical infrastructure directly. It requires the help of hypervisors to communicate
with the underlying infrastructure. The user applications reside at Ring 3 as shown in Fig. 5.10. This
approach uses binary translation and direct execution techniques. Binary translation is used to translate
non virtualized guest OS instructions with new sequences of instructions that have the same intended
effect on the virtual infrastructure. On the other hand direct execution is used for user application requests
where the applications can directly access the physical resources without modifying the instructions.
5.3.2. Para-virtualization
This approach is also known as Partial Virtualization or OS Assisted Virtualization and provides partial
simulation of the underlying infrastructure. The main difference between the full virtualization and para-
virtualization is the guest OS knows that it is running in virtualized environment in paravirtualization.
But in full virtualization, this information is not known to the guest OS. Another difference is that the
para-virtualization replaces the translation of non virtualized OS requests with hyper calls. Hyper calls
are similar to system calls and used for the direct communication between OS and hypervisor. This
direct communication between the guest OS and hypervisor improves performance and efficiency. In full
virtualization, the guest OS will be used without any modification. But in paravirtualization the guest OS
needs to be modified to replace nonvirtualizable instructions with the hypercalls.
As shown in Fig. 5.11 the modified guest OS resides at Ring 0 and the user applications at Ring 3. As
the guest OS is at privileged position it can communicate directly to the virtualization layer without any
translation by means of hypercalls. Like in full virtualization the user applications are allowed to access
the underlying infrastructure directly.
Fig. 5.11. Para virtualization.

The popular Xen, KVM and VMware ESX are good examples of para virtualization.VMware pioneered
the software market for virtualization. The company has developed virtualization tools for desktop systems
and servers as well as virtual infrastructure for large data centers. ESX is a VMM or a hypervisor for bare-
metal x86 symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) servers. It accesses the hardware resources such as I/O directly
and has complete resource management control. An ESX-enabled server consists of four components: a
virtualization layer, a resource manager, hardware interface components and a service console as shown in
Fig. 5.12. To improve performance the ESX server employs a para virtualization architecture in which the
VM kernel interacts directly with the hardware without involving the host OS. The VMM layer virtualizes
the physical hardware resources such as CPU, memory, network, disk controllers and human interface
devices. Every VM has its own set of virtual hardware resources. The resource manager allocates CPU,
memory disk, and network bandwidth and maps them to the virtual hardware resource set of each VM
created. Hardware interface components are the device drivers.
Fig. 5.12. The VMware ESX server architecture using para-virtualization.

The service console is responsible for booting the system, initiating the execution of the VMM and resource
manager and relinquishing control to those layers. It also facilitates the process for system administrators.
5.3.3. Hardware Assisted Virtualization

Modern operating systems and processors permit multiple processes to run simultaneously. If there is no
protection mechanism in a processor all instructions from different processes will access the hardware
directly and cause a system crash. Therefore, all processors have at least two modes i.e. user mode and
supervisor mode to ensure controlled access of critical hardware. Instructions running in supervisor mode
are called privileged instructions and the instructions running in user made called unprivileged instructions.
In a virtualized environment it is more difficult to make OSes and applications run correctly because there
are more layers in the machine stack.
1. CPU Virtualization. A CPU architecture is virtualizable if it supports the ability to run the VM’s
privileged and unprivileged instructions in the CPU’s user mode while the VMM runs in supervisor
mode. When the privileged instructions including control and behavior sensitive instructions of a VM
are executed they are trapped in the VMM. In this case the VMM acts as a unified mediator for hardware
access from different VMs to guarantee the correctness and stability of the whole system. However not
all CPU architectures are virtualizable. RISC CPU architectures can be naturally virtualized because all
control and behavior sensitive instructions are privileged instructions. This technique attempts to simplify
virtualization because full or para virtualization is complicated. Intel and AMD add an additional mode
called privilege mode level (some people call it Ring 1) to x86 processors. Therefore, operating systems
can still run at Ring 0 and the hypervisor can run at Ring 1. All the privileged and sensitive instructions
are trapped in the hypervisor automatically. This technique removes the difficulty of implementing binary
translation of full virtualization. It also lets the operating system to run in VMs without modification.
Although x86 processors are not virtualizable primarily. Many effort are taken to virtualize them. They
are used widely in comparing RISC processors that the bulk of x86 are legacy systems cannot discard
easily. Virtualization of x86 processors is detailed in the following sections. Intel’s VT-x technology is
an example of hardware assisted virtualization as shown in Fig. 5.13. Intel calls the privilege level of x86
processors the VMX Root Mode. In order to control the start and stop of a VM and allocate a memory
page to maintain the CPU state for VMs a set of additional instructions is added. At the time of this
writing Xen, VMware and the Microsoft Virtual PC all implement their hypervisors by using the VT-x
technology. Generally hardware assisted virtualization should have high efficiency. However, since the
transition from the hypervisor to the guest OS incurs high overhead switches between processor modes.
It may sometimes cannot perform binary translation. Hence virtualization systems such as VMware now
use a hybrid approach in which a few tasks are offloaded to the hardware but the rest is still done in
software. In addition, para virtualization and hardware-assisted virtualization can be combined to improve
the performance further.
Fig. 5.13. Intel hardware-assisted CPU virtualization.

2. Memory Virtualization. Memory virtualization is similar to the virtual memory support provided
by modern operating systems. In a traditional execution environment the operating system maintains
mappings of virtual memory to machine memory using page tables which is a one-stage mapping from
virtual memory to machine memory. All modern x86 CPUs include a Memory Management Unit (MMU)
and a Translation Look Aside Buffer (TLB) to optimize virtual memory performance. However in a virtual
execution environment virtual memory virtualization involves sharing the physical system memory in
RAM and dynamically allocating it to the physical memory of the VMs.That means a two-stage mapping
process should be maintained by the guest OS and the VMM respectively i.e. virtual memory to physical
memory and physical memory to machine memory. Furthermore, MMU virtualization should be supported
which is transparent to the guest OS. The guest OS continues to control the mapping of virtual addresses
to the physical memory addresses of VMs. But the guest OS cannot directly access the actual machine
memory. The VMM is responsible for mapping the guest physical memory to the actual machine memory.
Fig. 5.14 shows the two level memory mapping procedure.
Fig. 5.14. Two-level memory mapping procedure.

Since, each page table of the guest OSes has a separate page table in the VMM corresponding to it. The
VMM page table is called the shadow page table. Nested page tables add another layer of indirection to
virtual memory. The MMU already handles virtual to physical translations as defined by the OS. Then the
physical memory addresses are translated to machine addresses using another set of page tables defined
by the hypervisor. Since, modern operating systems maintain a set of page tables for every process. The
shadow page tables will get flooded. Consequently, the performance overhead and cost of memory will
be very high.
3. I/O Virtualization. I/O virtualization involves managing the routing of I/O requests between virtual
devices and the shared physical hardware(see Fig. 5.15). At the time of this writing, there are three ways to
implement I/O virtualization: Full Device Emulation, Para Virtualization and Direct I/O. All the functions
of a device or bus infrastructure such as device enumeration, identification, interrupts and DMA are
replicated in software. This software is located in the VMM and acts as a virtual device. The I/O access
requests of the guest OS are trapped in the VMM which interacts with the I/O devices.
Fig. 5.15. Device emulation for I/O virtualization.
The full device emulation approach is shown in Fig. 5.15. A single hardware device can be shared by
multiple VMs that run concurrently. However software emulation runs much slower than the hardware it
emulates. The para virtualization method of I/O virtualization is typically used in Xen. It is also known
as the split driver model consisting of a front end driver and a back end driver. The front end driver is
running in Domain U and the back end driver is running in Domain 0. They interact with each other via
a block of shared memory. The front end driver manages the I/O requests of the guest OSes and the back
end driver is responsible for managing the real I/O devices and multiplexing the I/O data of different
VMs. Although, para I/O virtualization achieves better device performance than full device emulation. It
comes with a higher CPU overhead. Direct I/O virtualization lets the VM access devices directly. It can
achieve close to native performance without high CPU costs. However, current direct I/O virtualization
implementations focus on networking for mainframes. There are a lot of challenges for commodity
hardware devices. For example : When a physical device is reclaimed for later reassignment, it may
have been set to an arbitrary state e.g., DMA to some arbitrary memory locations which can function
incorrectly or even crash the whole system. Since, software-based I/O virtualization requires a very high
overhead of device emulation. Hardware-assisted I/O virtualization is critical. Intel VT-d supports the
remapping of I/O DMA transfers and device generated interrupts. The architecture of VT-d provides the
flexibility to support multiple usage models that may run unmodified, special purpose, or virtualization
aware guest OSes.
5.4. TYPES OF VIRTUALIZATION

Other than execution virtualization other types of virtualization provide an abstract environment to interact
with. These mainly cover server virtualization storage virtualization storage, Network virtualization,
desktop virtualization desktop and application server virtualization.
5.4.1. Server Virtualization

Server virtualization is the partitioning of a physical “The server virtualization is the masking
server into several virtual servers. It is used to maximize of server resources including the number
the server resources. Virtual machine shares the resources and identity of individual physical servers,
of the physical computer across multiple environments as processors and operating systems from server
users. The server administrator uses a software
shown in Fig. 5.16. This means that virtual machines can application to divide one physical server into
run different operating systems and multiple applications multiple isolated virtual environments.”
on the same single physical computer.
Fig. 5.16. Server virtualization.

The virtual environments as shown in Fig.5.17 are sometimes called virtual private servers. They are also
known as guests, instances, containers or emulations.
Fig. 5.17. Server virtualization.
5.4.1.1. Advantages and Disadvatnages of Server Virtualization

Advantages :
1. Reduce the number of servers. In server virtualization one physical server consolidate multiple
virtual server. As a result there is a reduction in physical space which is required for the server as well as
reduces the number of servers and the cost to maintain the servers.
2. Reduces IT cost. More the server more will be the IT cost, more servers means more space as well more
power to operate them and less the number of servers so less money is spent in maintaining the hardware.
3. More application can run. The server virtualization has hardware independence features to allow
more application to run in a software unlike the dedicated physical server. In server virtualization each
virtual server runs on its own operating system and performs like a unique individual server. Therefore,
it allows more application to run in the software without affecting any other application.
4. Continuity in business. The server virtualization enables the organization to get rid off from legacy
system i.e. when a hardware system becomes obsolete and it is difficult to shift from one system to another
which may lead to discontinuity in the business. With the adoption of server virtualization enable an
organization to continue its business and need not worry about hardware.
Disadvantages :
1. Slow. The server virtualization is not a good option for the application that requires high processing
power because in virtualization the processing power is divided among the various multiple servers. As
a result the server processing power will become slow and lots of time taken for the work to complete.
2. Storage space. Apart from limiting the speed of processing power server virtualization also limits the
amount of storage space. In server virtualization one physical computer is divided into multiple servers.
Hence this affect the disk space.
3. Migration of the data. Although, with the help of server virtualization the migration of
the data seems to be easier by migration. It is possible and easy to move virtual server from
one machine to another in a network but this is possible only when both the machine comes
from the same manufacturing processor. For example : If a network uses a server that runs on
different processors it is not possible to shift the virtual server from one physical machine to
another.
5.4.1.2. Approaches to Server Virtualization

There are three popular approaches to server virtualization : The Virtual Machine Model, The Para Virtual
Machine model and Virtualization at the Operating System Layer.
1. Virtual machines model. The virtual machines are based on the host or guest paradigm. Each guest
runs on a virtual imitation of the hardware layer. This approach allows the guest operating system to run
without modifications. It also allows the administrator to create guests that use different operating systems.
The guest has no knowledge of the host’s operating system because it is not aware that it is not running
on real hardware. However, it requires real computing resources from the host so it uses a hypervisor to
coordinate instructions to the CPU. The hypervisor is called a VMM. It validates all the guest issued CPU
instructions and manages any execuitable code that requires additional privileges. VMware and Microsoft
virtual server both use the virtual machine model.
2. Para virtual machine. The Para virtual machine (PVM) model is also based on the host or guest
paradigm and it uses a virtual machine monitor too. In the Para-virtual machine model, the VMM actually
modifies the guest operating system’s code. This modification is called porting. Porting supports the
VMM. So it can utilize privileged systems calls sparingly like virtual machines, para virtual machines are
capable of running multiple operating systems. Xen and UML both use the para virtual machine model.
3. OS level virtualization. The virtualization at the OS level works a little differently. It is not based
on the host or guest paradigm. In the OS level model the host runs a single OS kernel as its core and
exports operating system functionality to each of the guests. Guests must use the same operating system
as the host although different distributions of the same system are allowed. This distributed architecture
eliminates system calls between layers which reduces CPU usage overhead. It also requires that each
partition remain strictly isolated from its neighbors so that a failure or security breach in one partition
is not able to affect any of the other partitions. In this model common binaries and libraries on the same
physical machine can be shared allowing an OS level virtual server to host thousands of guests at the
same time. Virtuozzo and Solaris Zones both use OS-level virtualization.
5.4.2. Storage Virtualization

Virtualization is a system administration practice that allows decoupling the physical organization of the
hardware from its logical representation. Using this technique the users do not have to be worry about
the specific location of their data which can be identified using a logical path.
Storage virtualization allows us to harness a wide range of storage facilities and represent them under a
single logical file system. There are different techniques for storage virtualization. One of the most popular
is network based virtualization by means of storage area networks (SANs). SANs use a network-accessible
device through a large bandwidth connection to provide storage facilities.
The storage virtualization is a major component for “The storage virtualizations is abstracted and
storage servers in the form of functional RAID levels and the controller is determining how to write the
data or retrieve the requested data for the
controllers. Operating systems and applications with device operating system.”
can access the disks directly by themselves for writing. The
controllers configure the local storage in RAID groups and “The storage virtualization presents to the
present the storage to the operating system depending upon user a logical space for data storage and itself
the configuration. handles the process of mapping it to the actual
physical location.”
The virtualization of storage helps achieve location independence by abstracting the physical location of
the data as shown in Fig. 5.18.
Fig. 5.18. Virtualization storage.

The virtualization of storage helps to achieve location independence by abstracting the physical location
of the data. The virtualization system presents the user a logical space for data storage and itself handles
the process of mapping it to the actual physical location.
The advantages and disadvantages of storage virtualization are essential to consider because even though
it is a useful technology, it must be appropriately used to take its maximum benefit. There must be
discipline with scalability and control over the data to make such a system useful. It is useful technology
but because by this technology there will be accessibility issues which must be accounted for during the
evaluation process.
5.4.2.1. Advatnages and Disadvantages of Storage Virtualization

Advantages:
1. Migrations. It allows for migrations to be performed quickly. Appliance based storage virtualization
works on a scale where software mirroring is common. That makes the migration of data faster because
there are fewer barriers to movement are present. This process will also reduce the amount of downtime
that is experienced and in some cases completely eliminate it when moving data to the apps that are using
the storage.
2. Better workflows. It creates better workflows. If you were using multiple arrays for data storage,
then you would need to have someone managing them to maintain the viability of the data storage. With
storage virtualization everything can be accomplished from a central console. Instead of having several
people operating the system, it can feasibly be done with only one person on the command. For agencies
using enterprise-level storage devices the cost savings from labor alone makes storage virtualization a
tremendous asset.
3. More than one type of storage array. It allows more than one type of storage array. When using
virtual storage, it is possible to assign more than one type of array to your SAN. Even though the storage
types are different to the servers but they will look the same that makes it easier to manage your overall
storage needs from a central location because everything becomes more manageable.
4. Cheaper. It is a cheaper option for storage. Storage virtualization reduces the amount of hardware
that is necessary to achieve a needed storage capacity that makes it easier and cheaper for the required
infrastructure to be installed. It is like having three computers with 1TB of storage each. Instead of managing
each computer independently and competing for physical storage. Virtualization allows you to use that
3TB of total storage as if it were a singular item of physical storage. That reduces the number of on site
resources which are required and even opens up the possibility of cloud based systems for small businesses.
5. Cost. It allows for the costs to become more predictable. Instead of dealing with capital investments
for multiple hardware components and the software to access them you are working with an environment
that can be managed remotely. For the small business storage virtualization can even be controlled by
third party providers without a threat to their security. Some services are so cheap in fact that companies
can have their data managed as if it was stored locally for less than $3 per month.
6. Provides better access to your data. How many times have you dealt with a computer going down at
work? When that terminal stops functioning then the employee behind that terminal becomes unproductive.
Until you restore data access to that terminal, you are experiencing downtime. With storage virtualization,
you are managing all of your resources centrally instead either with an on-site installation or through the
cloud. That means the employee can move to a new terminal and stay productive because you are not
losing the overall access to the data you have.
Disadvantages:
1. Deal with multiple vendors. Storage virtualization requires you to deal with multiple vendors. From
a technology point of view storage has always been a market that have been adverse to risk. People do
not want to take chances with the information they need to store. That means they do not want the data to
be lost that led to complete storage systems that are being developed by vendors to help people to meet
their storage needs. With storage virtualization most consumers purchase their software from one vendor
and their storage needs from another. If a problem occurs you must troubleshoot with both organizations
instead of one.
2. Make upgrades challenging to process. Storage virtualization can be disadvantageous when there
is a need to upgrade the software on the node which is controlling the storage options. Although most
of upgrades happen without a hitch that there is the possibility that the failover node will hang for some
reason if the update fails and that would lead to problems with the applications that were using the storage
provisioned for them at the time.
3. Not always scale. Storage virtualization will usually scale as it should, but it comes with a risk. In
some areas it may not scale properly, like offering the number of virtual disks that were allocated to the
system. There are hard limits in place with this technology, so as you continue to grow and add more
servers you may find that you will start running out of storage room. Even with workarounds in place you
will suffer from issues that are similar to physical storage limits given enough time.
4. Data security risks. The Ponemon Institute reports that the cost of a data breach is very high. When
using storage virtualization you are facing a 25% risk of having a data breach at some point over the lifetime
of the system. We know that the information you are holding in storage is valuable. They will target this
system and because there are two points of access. They have another possible way to be successful. You
must protect your software and your hardware components especially with new privacy rules and those
costs could be excessive for some businesses.
5. Availability issues. Even if you build onsite resources for storage virtualization there is a risk present
that you may not be able to access that information. LAN connections can be disrupted. Cloud connections
can be disrupted. If you do not have internet access for some reason then you may not be able to access
any of your data. Although there are fewer issues with downtime when using this technology a promoted
uptime of 99.999% still means you will lose access to your data for several hours throughout the year.
The cost of that downtime must be added into the investments made into this type of system.
6. Creates more links for data access. If you save something, it will go to local storage like an HDD, a
solid state drive or a SIM card i.e., one link in the chain of storage. With storage virtualization we may
have multiple links that must work together to complete the same process. From our ISP to our software
node to the actual storage process, now we have got 3 links instead of one. Add in files being stored in
multiple locations and we could have many more links to worry about.
5.4.2.2. Types of Storage Virtualization

There are two basic types of storage virtualization
available: block based storage and file based storage.
The latter is the one which is most often used for
virtual storage systems as they abstract the logical
storage from the physical memory blocks. This
allows the capacity of the memory space to be pooled
into a shared resource.
1. Block Level Storage. In block level storage
systems raw blocks are created and each block can
be controlled like an individual hard drive. The
Fig. 5.19 shows virtualization on block level
in which the task of file system management is
the responsibility of the operating system or the
applications.
Generally these blocks are controlled by the server
based operating systems. Each block or storage
volume can be individually formatted with the
required file system.
“In block level storage system the raw volumes
of storage are created and each block can be
controlled as an individual hard drive. These
blocks are controlled by server based operating
systems and each block can be individually Fig. 5.19. Block level storage.
formatted with the required file system.”
Advantages:
(a) The block level storage systems offer a better performance/speed than file level storage systems.
(b) In each block or storage volume can be treated as an independent disk drive and are controlled by
external server OS.
(c) In each block or storage volume can be formatted with the file system required by the application
(NFS/NTFS/SMB, etc).
(d) The block level storage systems are very popular
with SAN.
(e) The block level storage systems are more reliable
and their transport systems are very efficient.
(f) The block level storage can be used to store files
and also provide the storage required for special
applications like Databases VMFS (Virtual
Machine File Systems), etc.
(g) They can support external booting of the systems
connected to them.
2. File Level Storage. A file level storage system is

the most common storage system that we find with our
hard drives, NAS systems etc. In this type of storage,
the storage disk is configured with a particular protocol
(Like NFS etc) and files are stored and accessed from
it as such in bulk.
“The file level storage technology is common to
storage system which is found in hard drives,
NAS systems and so on. In this File Level
storage the storage disk is configured with a
protocol say NFS or SMB/CIFS and the files are
stored and accessed from it in bulk.” Fig. 5.20. File level storage.
Virtualization on file level means that the virtualization entity provides virtual storage to the operating
systems or applications in the form of files and directories as shown in Fig. 5.20.
Advantages :
(a) The file level storage system is simple to implement and simple to use.
(b) It stores files and folders and is visible as such to both the systems storing the files and the systems
accessing it.
(c) The file level storage systems are generally inexpensive when compared to block level storage
systems.
(d) The systems are more popular with NAS based storage systems network attached storage.
(e) They can be configured with common file level protocols like NTFS (Windows), NFS (Linux), etc.
(f) The file level storage systems are well suited for bulk file storage.
(g) The file level storage device itself can generally handle operations like access control, integration
with corporate directories, etc.
5.4.2.3. Storage Virtualization Approaches

There are three basic approaches to data storage :
1. Direct Attached Storage (DAS). This is the traditional method used in data storage where hard drives
are attached to a physical server because this method is easy to use but hard to manage virtualization
technology and it is causing organization to have a second thought with regard to its viability. DAS evolved
from the server industry where server vendors have traditionally sold storage as an add-on. DAS is an
appropriate choice for the following:
Very low end PC applications, Very high end high performance mainframe applications, certain compute
intensive and high performance and for OLTP database applications. The direct attached storage networks
topology are shown in Fig. 5.21.
Fig. 5.21. Direct-attached storage network topology.

Advantages :
(a) DAS requires a relatively lower initial investment than storage networking.
(b) DAS configuration is simple and can be deployed easily and rapidly.
(c) Setup is managed using host based tools such as the host OS which makes storage management
tasks easy for small and medium enterprises.
(d) DAS is the simplest solution when compared to other storage networking models and requires fewer
management tasks and less hardware and software elements to set up and operate.
Disadvantages :
(a) However DAS does not scale well. A storage device has a limited number of ports which restricts
the number of hosts that can directly connect to the storage.
(b) A limited bandwidth in DAS restricts the available I/O processing capability. When capacities
are being reached the service availability may be compromised and this has a ripple effect on the
performance of all hosts attached to that specific device or array.
(c) The distance limitations associated with implementing DAS because of direct connectivity
requirements can be addressed by using fibre channel connectivity.
(d) DAS does not make optimal use of resources due to its limited ability to share front end ports.
(e) In DAS environments unused resources cannot be easily re allocated, resulting in islands of over-
utilized and under utilized storage pools.
2. Network Attached Storage (NAS). This is a machine that resides on our network and provides data
storage to other machines. It can be thought of as the first step toward storage virtualization. This approach
provides a single source of data facilitating data backup. By collecting our data in one place it also avoids
the problem of multiple servers needing to access data located on another server.
The NAS evolved from the networking industry where there are strong standards for connectivity, data
security and load balancing. NAS is a more mature technology and deployed in 1 of 2 enterprises today.
NAS is the best choice for the following types of applications: UNIX and Windows NT data sharing
applications, consolidated file serving applications, technical and scientific applications, Internet and
intranet applications, e-business and certain types of decision support (DSS) applications. The network-
attached storage network topology is shown in Fig. 5.22.
Fig. 5.22. Network-attached storage network topology.

Advantages :
(a) The users running different types of machines (PC, Apple iMac etc.) and running different types of
operating systems (Windows, UNIX, Mac OS etc.) can share files.
(b) The NAS appliances are plug-and-play meaning that very little installation and configuration is
required beyond connecting them to the LAN.
(c) A less administration overhead than that required for a UNIX or NT file server.
(d) The centralized storage which makes it easier and cheaper to maintain, backup and administer
(comparable to DAS). Incidentally centralized storage is more expensive than local disks on byte
cost basis but users have to do tasks such as backups and restores on their own.
(e) A separate purchase of storage from the purchase of application servers.
(f) A fast response times for users since NAS are on LANs close to the users as opposed to being on
a backbone SAN marginally faster than DAS but slower than a local disk.
Disadvantages :
(a) Heavy use of NAS will block up the shared LAN negatively affecting the users on the LAN.
Therefore NAS is not suitable for data transfer intensive applications (the same applies to DAS
but not to local disks in case of SAN it depends upon whether or not a LAN interface is involved).
(b) Something is inefficient since data transfer rides on top of standard TCP/IP protocol (as in case of
DAS). In contrast SAN uses protocols designed especially for data transfer (though the advantage
disappears if a server on the LAN is used to provide a file interface to a SAN).
(c) It can not offer any storage service guarantees for mission critical operations since NAS operates
in a shared environment. Only local disks and SANs (if they do not use a shared LAN) can be used
to provide some service guarantees.
(d) The NAS is shared storage as with other shared storage system administrators must enforce quotas
without which a few users may control all the storage at the expense of other users.
3. Storage Area Network (SAN). This ultra sophisticated approach deploys specialized hardware and
software to transform simple disk drives into a data storage solution that transfers data on its own high-
performance network. “The companies shift over to a SAN when they
The SAN evolved from the storage industry where recognize that corporate data is a key resource
that must be available 24/7 and needs to be
standards have been weak therefore SAN implementations conveniently managed. The price tag for this
are not standardized. SAN is deployed in one out of twenty approach is very high indeed.”
enterprises because of its current lack of standards SAN is
available only in proprietary configurations and the long term inter operability of these schemes is still
not apparent. Although, the SAN vision involves many benefits now available on NAS. There are certain
cooperation with existing enterprise operational and management tools that have led early adopters to
experiment with test deployments. The SAN topology is shown in Fig. 5.23.
Fig. 5.23. Storage Area Network (SAN).
Advantages :
(a) The SAN architecture facilitates scalability allow any number of storage devices to be added to
store hundreds of terabytes.
(b) It reduces down time. We can upgrade our SAN, replace defective drives, backup our data without
taking any servers offline. A well-configured SAN with mirroring and redundant servers can bring
zero downtime.
(c) The sharing of SAN is possible. As SAN is not directly attached with any particular server or
network, a SAN can be shared by all.
(d) SAN provides long distance connectivity, with fiber channel capable of running up to 10 kilometers.
We can keep our data in a remote, physically secure location. Fiber channel switching also makes it
very easy to establish private connections with other SANs for mirroring, backup, or maintenance.
(e) SAN is truly versatile. A SAN can be single entity, a master grouping of several SANs and can
include SANs in remote locations.
Disadvantages :
(a) SANs are very expensive as fiber channel technology tends to be costly and maintenance requires
a higher degree of skill.
(b) Leveraging of existing technology investments tends to be much difficult. Though SAN facilitates
to make use of already existing legacy storage, lack of SAN-building skills has greatly diminished
deployment of homegrown SANs. So, currently pre-packaged SANs based on Fiber channel
technology are being used among the enterprises.
(c) Management of SAN systems has proved to be a real tough one due to various reasons. and also
have a SAN storage facility seems to be wasteful one.
(d) There are a few SAN product vendors due to its very high price and very few mega enterprises
need SAN set up.
5.4.3. Network Virtualization

Virtualization combines hardware appliances and specific software for the creation and management of
a virtual network. Network virtualization can aggregate different physical networks into a single logical
network (external network virtualization) or provide network like functionality to an operating system
partition (internal network virtualization). The result of external network virtualization is generally a virtual
LAN (VLAN). A VLAN is an aggregation of hosts that communicate with each other as though they were
located under the same broadcasting domain. Internal network virtualization is generally applied together
with hardware and operating system level virtualization in which the guests obtain a virtual network
interface to communicate with. The Fig. 5.24 illustration shows the VMware schema.
There are several options for implementing internal network “The Network virtualization is a method of
virtualization. The guest can share the same network combining the available resources in a network
interface of the host and use network address translation by splitting up the available bandwidth into
(NAT) to access the network. The virtual machine manager channels, each of which is independent from
the others and each of which can be assigned
can emulate and install on the host. An additional network (or reassigned) to a particular server or device
device together with the driver or the guest can have a in real time.”
private network only with the guest.
Fig. 5.24. VMware schema.

In a virtualized network multiple virtual networks coexist on top of a shared substrate. The different
virtual networks provide alternate end-to-end packet delivery systems and may use different protocols
and packet formats. The Virtual networks are implemented by virtual routers connected by virtual links
as shown in Fig. 5.25.
Fig. 5.25. Network virtualization.

The idea is that virtualization disguises the true complexity of the network by separating it into manageable
parts much like our partitioned hard drive makes it easier to manage our files.
In network virtualization the network is carved up and can be used for multiple purposes such as running
a protocol analyzer inside an ethernet switch. The components of a virtual network could include NICs,
switches, VLANs, network storage devices, virtual network containers and network media.
5.4.3.1. Advantages and Disadvatnages of Network Virtualization
Advantages :
(a) We can typically save a lot of money by reducing hardware costs when we use virtualization.
(b) Many organizations have found that going virtual has reduced their overall electricity consumption
for server computers by eighty percent. This savings is a direct result of using less computer hardware
to do more work. For example : One host computer running ten virtual servers uses approximately
one tenth of the energy used if each of the ten servers were runing on separate hardware.
(c) One of the biggest benefits of virtualization is not the cost savings but the ability to quickly recover
from hardware failures. For example : Suppose our organization has ten servers each running
on separate hardware, if any one of those servers goes down due to a hardware failure say a bad
motherboard that server will remain down until we can fix the computer.
(d) On the other hand if those ten servers are running as virtual machines on two different hosts and
one of the hosts fails the virtual machines that were running on the failed host can be brought up
on the other host in a matter of minutes.
(e) In fact with the most advanced hypervisors available is the transfer from a failing host to another
host can be done automatically and instantaneously. So downtime is all but eliminated.
(f) Besides, the benefit of recoverability when hardware failures occur. It becomes an even bigger
benefit of virtualization comes into play in a true disaster recovery situation.
Disadvantages :
(a) This is the most notable thing that it is similar to serve virtualization and it can bring forth a higher
degree of complexity in addition to performance overhead.
(b) It also tends to call for a higher skill set on the part of network administrators and users.
(c) The successful network virtualization requires thoughtful planning. This is primarily because it
has not been as widely deployed as traditional hardware virtualization a concept that dates back
to the 1960s.
(d) Many organizations elect to plan and implement the technology in phases. Often deciding to begin
with the non-essential aspects of the IT environment. This strategy is often used to minimize
disruptions and enable the organization to determine the value in virtualization before deploying
it across the entire network.
5.4.3.2. Types of Network Virtualization

1. Virtual LAN (VLAN). A VLAN allows several networks to work virtually as an LAN. One of the most
beneficial elements of a VLAN is that it removes latency in the network which saves network resources
and increases network efficiency.
A VLAN allows a network of computers and users to communicate in a simulated environment as if they
exist in a single LAN and are sharing a single broadcast
“A virtual local area network (VLAN) is a logical
and multicast domain. VLANs are implemented to achieve group of workstations, servers and network
scalability, security, ease of network management and devices that appear to be on the same LAN
can quickly adapt to change in network requirements and despite their geographical distribution.”
relocation of workstations and server nodes.
The key benefits of implementing VLANs include:
(a) Allowing network administrators to apply additional security to network communication.
(b) Making expansion and relocation of a network or a network device easier.
(c) Providing flexibility because administrators are able to configure in a centralized environment while
the devices might be located in different geographical locations.
(d) Decreasing the latency and traffic load on the network and the network devices, offering increased
performance.
VLANs also have some disadvantages and limitations as listed below:
(a) High risk of virus issues because one infected system may spread a virus through the whole logical
network.
(b) Equipment limitations in very large networks because additional routers might be needed to control
the workload.
(c) More effective at controlling latency than a WAN but less efficient than a LAN.
2. Virtual SAN (VSAN). A VSAN provides similar services and features as a typical SAN, but because it
is virtualized it allows for the addition and relocation of subscribers without having to change the network’s
physical layout. It also provides flexible storage capacity that can be increased or decreased over time.
The use of multiple VSANs can make a system easier to configure and scale out. Subscribers can be added
or relocated without the need for changing the physical layout. If a problem occurs in one VSAN, that
problem can be handled with a minimum of disruption to the rest of the network. The independence of
VSANs minimizes the total system’s vulnerability security is improved. VSANs also offer the possibility
of data redundancy, minimizing the risk of catastrophic data loss.
The key benefits of implementing VSANs include:
(a) Consolidate separate physical SAN fabrics into one large fabric for ease of management and reduced
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
(b) Provide secure and reliable isolation of different storage islands.
(c) Share common infrastructure and resources like tape libraries to further reduce storage and network
expenditure.
(d) As hybrid storage systems, VSAN can accelerate the I/O operations destined for the hard disk tier,
providing many of the benefits of flash storage without all of the costs.
VLANs also have some disadvantages and limitations as listed below:

(a) VSAN is very much a build your own approach to the storage layer and will theoretically work
with any hardware on VMware Hardware Compatibility list.
(b) However, not every hardware combination is tested and validated. This will be one of the primary
drawbacks to VSAN.
(c) VMware is working on a program called Virtual SAN ready nodes. These Virtual SAN ready
nodes will be pre-configured certified and tested configurations which are optimized for things
like performance.
5.4.4. Operating System Virtualization
With the help of OS virtualization nothing is pre-installed or permanently loaded on the local device and
no-hard disk is needed. Everything runs from the network using a kind of virtual disk. This virtual disk
is actually a disk image file stored on a remote server SAN or NAS. The client will be connected by the
network to this virtual disk and will boot with the operating system installed on the virtual disk.
The components needed for using OS virtualization in OS virtualization is a type of virtualization
the infrastructure are given below in Fig.5.26. The first technology which works on OS layer. Here, the
kernel of an OS allows more than one isolated
component is the OS virtualization server. This server is user-space instances to exist. Such instances
the center point in the OS Virtualization infrastructure. are called containers/software containers
The server manages the streaming of the information on or virtualization engines. In other words OS
the virtual disks for the client and also determines which kernel will run a single operating system and
provide that operating system’s functionality to
client will be connected to which virtual disk. Also the replicate on each of the isolated partitions.
server can host the storage for the virtual disk locally or the
server is connected to the virtual disks via a SAN. In high availability environments there can be more
OS virtualization servers to create no redundancy and load balancing. The server also ensures that the
client will be unique within the infrastructure.
Fig. 5.26. Operating system virtualization.

Secondly, there is a client which will contact the server to get connected to the virtual disk and asks
for components stored on the virtual disk for running the operating system. The available supporting
components are database for storing the configuration and settings for the server, a streaming service for
the virtual disk content, a (optional) TFTP service and a (also optional) PXE boot service for connecting
the client to the OS Virtualization servers.
As it is already mentioned that the virtual disk contains an image of a physical disk from the system that
will reflect to the configuration and the settings of those systems which will be using the virtual disk.
When the virtual disk is created then that disk needs to be assigned to the client that will be using this disk
for starting. The connection between the client and the disk is made through the administrative tool and
saved within the database. When a client has a assigned disk the machine can be started with the virtual
disk using the following process as displayed in the Fig. 5.26.
5.4.4.1. Advantages and Disadvatnages of Operaing System Virtualization
Advantages:
1. Flexible provisioning. With OS virtualization you can easily connect different VDisks to a system.
The client can easily start another operating system or another role. The workstations or servers can be
assigned with a specific role when needed by assigning another virtual disk (also known as on-demand
capacity or hardware re-purposing).
2. Support of multiple images. The extended flexible provisioning may be taken a step further with the
possibility of assigning multiple images to one client simultaneously. When starting a boot menu, it can
be presented to the client, so that the end-user can choose which operating system (with a different role)
will be started. In this case a system could be used for several purposes within seconds.
3. Rapid software (OS/Apps) deployment. Adding a new server or workstation to your infrastructure
takes just a few minutes. Instead of installing and configuring the system manually or via a deployment
tool, taking at least a few hours and few steps the client is assigned to a virtual disk and can be used in
production.
4. System hundred % identical. Troubleshooting issues are concentrated on one machine because
something is different on that machine. Especially in terminal servers, it is crucial that all the servers
hosting the same role and are identical as explained in the article terminal server basics. This only applies
to shared virtual disks because in private disk changes are stored.
5. Easy rollback scenarios. Although the update or hotfix was tested thoroughly. During production the
behavior of this hotfix/update is not as expected. By assigning the previous virtual disk to those clients
and restarting them you can revert to the previous state easily and quickly.
6. Restarting the system is back to a clean state. This advantage only applies to shared images. If
your system is behaving strangely, often a complete re-installation is the only possible solution. With
OS virtualization (in combination with the shared disk) a machine only needs to be restarted to load the
default configuration again.
Disadvantages :
1. No work off-line capability. At the moment OS virtualization products must be connected with the
OS virtualization server to use the operating system on the virtual disk. When no network connection is
available the system cannot be used.
2. High-speed LAN recommended (>100Mb). It is because the virtual disk is connected from the OS
virtualization server via the network interface card a LAN is recommended. Over a WAN connection
there is probably not enough bandwidth available and/or not reliable enough to use the system smoothly.
3. Not all operating systems are supported. Although, many operating systems are supported there are
some Linux distributions which cannot run via the OS virtualization technique.
4. Imaging disadvantages applied to this technique. As described earlier, an image based technique
is used to create the virtual disk. All disadvantages that apply to imaging techniques are also valid for the
OS virtualization component. Think of an application which adds the computer name in the registry/files
or an application which creates a GUID/unique number during installation.
5.4.5. Desktop (Client) Virtualization
Virtualization abstracts the desktop environment available on a personal computer in order to provide
access to it using a client/server approach. Desktop virtualization provides the same outcome of hardware
virtualization but serves a different purpose. Similarly to hardware virtualization desktop virtualization
makes accessible a different system as though it were natively installed on the host but this system
is remotely stored on a different host and accessed through a network connection. Moreover desktop
virtualization addresses the problem of making the same desktop environment accessible from everywhere.
Although, the term desktop virtualization strictly refers to the ability to remotely access a desktop
environment. Generally the desktop environment is stored in a remote server or a data center that provides
a high-availability infrastructure and ensures the accessibility and persistence of the data. In this scenario,
an infrastructure supporting hardware virtualization is fundamental to provide access to multiple desktop
environments hosted on the same server. A specific desktop environment is stored in a virtual machine
image that is loaded and started on demand when a client connects to the desktop environment. This is a
typical cloud computing scenario in which the user leverages the virtual infrastructure for performing the
daily tasks on his computer. The advantages of desktop virtualization are high availability, persistence,
accessibility and ease of management.
‘‘The desktop virtualization provides a user
In the most common form of desktop virtualization, this with an operating environment that is separate
is provided on servers in the company’s data center. The from their local physical system. It consists
operating system, applications and user data which are of the servers, virtualization software on the
Servers and virtual image on the desktops.’’
normally loaded on to the user’s computer are now hosted
and rendered on servers in the Companies. The data center and the user can access his desktop environment
from anywhere as shown in Fig. 5.27. This is the purpose of desktop virtualization.
Fig. 5.27. Desktop virtualization.

A user logs-in to the network using his corporate directory user-name and password in his computer. He
gets his desktop and then he goes to the conference room with his laptop.
5.4.5.1. Advatnages and Disadvantages of Desktop Virtulization

Advantages :
1. It follows us to access our desktop environment from anywhere through LAN, WAN including
broadband from home, etc at any time we want.
2. Most of the desktop virtualization (DV) solutions support local USB drives, local printing and local
graphics acceleration (Remember that the desktop and applications are rendered on a server and
not on the local computer).
3. The centralized operating system and application updates can be done regularly by a trained
technician at the data center collectively for a group of virtual desktops.
4. The desktop virtualization solutions are integrated with corporate directories like active directory etc.
and user access policies can be applied to all users based on their role, location, type of device, etc.
5. It enhances security as the administration is centralized – antivirus/ firewall policies can be applied
and monitored from the data center. The applications that can be accessed and run by the users can
be restricted and even tracked.
6. The faster, reliable and easier backup of all the user data is possible due to centralized hosting and
administration.
Disadvantages:
1. The desktop virtualization is cap-ex intensive. One needs to buy the desktop virtualization software,
licenses, servers, centralized storage infrastructure, upgrade network infrastructure to support more
bandwidth etc in addition to thin clients for each user.
2. There is no reduction in the number of end-user client machines that are needed in the network.
3. The licenses for operating systems, applications etc, still needs to be bought for each user and there
is no reduction of costs there.
4. The thin clients are sometimes as expensive as individual computers as with huge volumes computer
prices fluctuate drastically as they are manufactured and distributed in bulk quantities.
5. The network infrastructure needs to handle all that extra bandwidth that desktop virtualization
is going to introduce. Otherwise it has to be upgraded. The WAN links need to have sufficient
bandwidth to handle all those remote DV users as well.
6. If the bandwidth on the remote end is not sufficient or if there is congestion in LAN, the display
quality may not be as good as processing and viewing applications right from a desktop.
5.4.6. Application Server Virtualization

Application server virtualization abstracts a collection of application servers that provide the same services
as a single virtual application server by using load balancing strategies and providing a high availability
infrastructure for the services hosted in the application server. This is a particular form of virtualization
and serves the same purpose of storage virtualization by providing a better quality of service rather than
emulating a different environment.
In application virtualization an application can be installed or executed locally within a container that
controls how it interacts with other system and application components.
“This is a method of providing a specific application to an end user that is virtualized
from the desktop OS and which is not installed in a traditional manner.”
Latter method will support almost any user, with no installation requirement on almost any platform in
any location as shown in Fig. 5.28. But it only supports a limited set of applications.
Fig. 5.28. Application virtualization.

The applications can be placed in a sealed sandbox where they do not have the ability to affect the underlying
operating system components directly. This can be extremely useful for running multiple conflicting
versions of the same software on the same system. We have to keep in mind that this technology can be
combined with other virtualization technology to achieve even higher levels of control. This is also a way
to prevent applications from contaminating a clean operating system image on a client computer or server.
5.4.6.1. Advantages and Disadvatnages of Application Server Virtualization

Advantages :
1. No installation required. Installing an application on hundreds or thousands of computers is prone

to error. Application virtualization simplifies software deployment.
2. Application retirement simplified. Getting free of cost an application in our whole network is much
easier. Since virtual application just have to be deleted, uninstalling them is usually not required.
3. No more application conflicts. Sometimes installing an application corrupts another application.
The application virtualization helps to reduce the risks of application conflicts.
4. Multiple runtime environments. We can deploy the runtime environment together with the
application. This enables us to run different versions of a runtime environment on a desktop.
For example : We can run different Java versions simultaneously without messing around with
environment variables.
5. Multiple versions of the same application. For instance the end users can run Word 2007 and
Word 2013 at the same time.
6. Application updates. We can update the virtualized application at a central location on our servers.
This means we have to update an app only once and not on all of our desktops.
Disadvantages :
1. A new complexity layer. Most Windows application were not developed to run in a virtual
environment. This might cause unforeseen problems.
2. Vendor might deny support. If we tell our vendor that we are running their application in a virtual
environment they might deny support.
3. Problematic applications. Some application especially those installing their own system drivers
do not work as virtualized applications.
4. Shell integration. One reason that applications are installed is because they have to be integrated
in the Windows shell. Since virtualized applications are not installed on the host, shell integration
has to be established by other means.
5. Changes to our infrastructure. Many things work differently with virtualized applications. For
example : We might not be able to use our current patch management solution anymore.
6. Single point of failure. The launching applications from a server have its advantages but network
outages or server problems increase the risk of system wide failures.
5.5. VIRTUAL CLUSTERS AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

A physical cluster is a collection of servers (physical machines) interconnected by a physical network such
as a LAN. Virtual clusters are built with VMs installed at distributed servers from one or more physical
clusters. The VMs in a virtual cluster are interconnected logically by a virtual network across several
physical networks. Fig. 5.29 illustrates the concepts of virtual clusters and physical clusters. Each virtual
cluster is formed with physical machines or a VM hosted by multiple physical clusters.
Fig. 5.29. Virtual clusters over three physical clusters shaded differently.
Three physical clusters are shown on the left side of Fig 5.29. Four virtual clusters are created on the right,
over the physical clusters. The physical machines are also called host systems. In contrast the VMs are
guest systems. The host and guest systems may run with different operating systems. Each VM can be
installed on a remote server or replicated on multiple servers belonging to the same or different physical
clusters. The boundary of a virtual cluster can change as VM nodes are added, removed or migrated
dynamically over time.
The Fig. 5.30 shows the concept of a virtual cluster based on application partitioning or customization.
The different colors in the figure represent the nodes in different virtual clusters. As a large number of
VM images might be present, the most important thing is to determine how to store those images in
the system efficiently. There are common installations for most users or applications, such as operating
systems or user-level programming libraries. These software packages can be preinstalled as templates
(called template VMs).
Fig. 5.30. Virtual cluster based on application partitioning.
5.6. VIRTUALIZATION FOR DATA-CENTER AUTOMATION

Data centers have grown rapidly in recent years and all major IT companies are pouring their resources
into building new data centers. In addition, Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, Microsoft, HP, Apple, and IBM
are all in the game. All these companies have invested billions of dollars in datacenter construction
and automation. Data center automation means that huge volumes of hardware, software, and database
resources in these data centers can be allocated dynamically to millions of internet users simultaneously,
with guaranteed QoS and cost effectiveness.
5.6.1. Server Consolidation in Data Centers

In data centers a large number of heterogeneous workloads can run on servers at various times. These
heterogeneous workloads can be roughly divided into two categories : Chatty workloads and Noninteractive
workloads. Fig.5.31 illustrates server virtualization in a data center.
Fig. 5.31. The architecture of livewire for intrusion detection using a dedicated VM.
In this case, the granularity of resource optimization is focused on the CPU, memory and network interfaces.
Therefore, it is common that most servers in data centers are underutilized. A large amount of hardware,
space, power, and management cost of these servers is wasted. Server consolidation is an approach to
improve the low utility ratio of hardware resources by reducing the number of physical servers. Among
several server consolidation techniques such as centralized and physical consolidation, virtualization
based server consolidation is the most powerful. Data centers need to optimize their resource management.
Yet these techniques are performed with the granularity of a full server machine, which makes resource
management far from well optimized. Server virtualization enables smaller resource allocation than a
physical machine.
5.6.2. Virtual Storage Management

The term storage virtualization was widely used before the renaissance of system virtualization. Yet the
term has a different meaning in a system virtualization environment. Previously storage virtualization
was largely used to describe the aggregation and repartitioning of disks at very coarse time scales for use
by physical machines. In system virtualization virtual storage includes the storage managed by VMMs
and guest OSes. Generally the data stored in this environment can be classified into two categories: VM
images and application data. The VM images are special to the virtual environment, while application
data includes all other data which is the same as the data in traditional OS environments. The Fig. 5.32
shows a high level view of the structure of a parallax based cluster. A cluster wide administrative domain
manages all storage appliance VMs which makes storage management easy.
Fig. 5.32. Parallax is a set of per-host storage appliances that share access to a common block device and presents virtual
disks to client VMs.
VM also allows functionality that is currently implemented within data center hardware to be pushed out
and implemented on individual hosts. This mechanism enables advanced storage features such as snapshot
facilities to be implemented in software and delivered above commodity network storage targets. Parallax
itself runs as a user-level application in the storage appliance VM. It provides virtual disk images (VDIs)
to VMs. A VDI is a single-writer virtual disk which may be accessed in a location transparent manner
from any of the physical hosts in the Parallax cluster. The VDIs are the core abstraction provided by
Parallax. Parallax uses Xen’s block tap driver to handle block requests and it is implemented as a tapdisk
library. This library acts as a single block virtualization service for all client VMs on the same physical
host. In the Parallax system, it is the storage appliance VM that connects the physical hardware device
for block and network access.
5.6.3. Cloud OS for Virtualized Data Centers

Data centers must be virtualized to serve as cloud providers. Table 5.2 summarizes four virtual infrastructure
(VI) managers and OSes. These VI managers and OSes are specially tailored for virtualizing data centers
which often own a large number of servers in clusters. Nimbus, Eucalyptus and OpenNebula are all open
source software available to the general public. Only vSphere 4 is a proprietary OS for cloud resource
virtualization and management over data centers.
Table 5.2. VI Managers and Operating Systems for Virtualizing Data Centers.
Manager/ Resources Client API, Hypervisors Public Cloud Special
OS, Platforms Being Language Used Interface Features
License Virtualized,
Web Link
Nimbus VM creation, EC2 WS, WSRF, Xen, KVM EC2 Virtual networks
Linux, virtual CLI
Apache v2 clustor, www.
nimbusproject.
org/
Eucalyptus Virtual EC2 WS, CLI Xen, KVM EC2 Virtual networks
Linux, BSD networking www
eucalyptus.com/
OpenNebula Management XML-RPC, CLI, Xen, KVM EC2, Elastic Host Virtual networks,
Linux of VM host, Java Dynamic
Apache v2 virtual network, provisioning
and scheduling
tools www.
opennebula.org/
vSphere 4 Virtualizing OS CLI, GUI, Portal, VMware ESX, VMware vCloud Data protection
Linux for data centers WS ESXI partners vStorage VMFS,
Windows DRM, HA
proprietary
Example - VMware vSphere 4 as a Commercial Cloud OS

The vSphere 4 offers a hardware and software ecosystem developed by VMware and released in April
2009. vSphere extends earlier virtualization software products by VMware, namely the VMware
Workstation, ESX for server virtualization, and Virtual Infrastructure for server clusters. Fig. 5.33 shows
vSphere’s overall architecture. The system interacts with user applications via an interface layer, called
vCenter. vSphere is primarily intended to offer virtualization support and resource management of data-
center resources in building private clouds. VMware claims the system is the first cloud OS that supports
availability, security, and scalability in providing cloud computing services.
Fig. 5.33. vSphere/4, a cloud operating system that manages compute, storage, and network resources over virtualized data
centers.
5.7. CREATING A VIRTUAL MACHINE

Virtual machines are the building blocks for today’s data centers. Once an infrastructure is in place, the
process of populating the environment with workloads begins. There are two main methods of creating
those virtual machines the first being a physical to virtual operation (or P2V) and the second being a from
the ground up execution. Although, you could download and install a Type-1 hypervisor on your PC. It
would be outside the scope of this text as well as unnecessary for the work that you will be doing. In fact
many tools are available that will allow you to create VMs using a Type-2 hypervisor as your environment.
The benefit is that you will be able to start up virtual machines when they are required, shut them down or
suspend them when the work is complete and then return to your usual PC applications. Many application
developers use these tools to create virtual machines that then get migrated to the larger dedicated virtual
environment. Here is a short list of some of the more popular applications:
1. VMware Workstation.
2. VMware Player.
3. VMware Fusion (for Macintosh).
4. Parallels Desktop.
5. Virtual Box (open source).
6. Microsoft Windows Virtual PC.
5.7.1. Installing VMware Workstation Player
To choose the virtualization workbench tools our choice will depend on several factors including what we
are running as a desktop operating system and what we are willing to pay for the tools. The examples in
this text use VMware player for most of the work and VMware workstation for some illustrative elements
that player does not have. Just as Adobe Acrobat Reader allows you to read PDF documents created by
other people. VMware Player allows you to play virtual machines.
VMware workstation player is a hosted hypervisor so you need to have a pre-installed OS before
continuing to install it.
1. It also allows you to create new VMs. The player is used in these examples for a number of reasons
the first and foremost is that it is available as a free download.
2. The second is that VMware has the lion’s share of the virtualization market, so it makes sense to
use a solution that would be more prevalent than a lesser-used application.
3. Also, if you are using this text as part of a university class many schools have agreements with
various software companies such as Microsoft, Red Hat, Cisco, and VMware to provide their
solutions at little or no cost to students. That means that VMware Workstation might be available
to students at a reduced cost or free.
In Fig. 5.34 (a), you can download VMware Player from the VMware website from a number of different
links including www.vmware.com/downloads. Read the release notes which are available via the link on
the page to make sure that your computer meets the requirements for the software. Usually, the resource
that your computer needs most is memory. If you recall that a Type-2 hypervisor sits on top of a native
operating system you will see that you need to provide memory for the host operating system i.e., VMware
Player as well as any VMs that you will be running because you will typically be running only one VM at
a time processor resources do not usually become a bottleneck. This could change if you do run multiple
VMs which is not unusual in a test or development environment.
Fig. 5.34 (a). Download VMware player.
After downloading the player executable, as illustrated in Fig. 5.34 (b), install it by double-clicking the icon.
Fig. 5.34 (b). The VMware player package.

The Windows user account control window appears. Select Yes. The Player Setup screen appears. Select
Next to continue.
Fig. 5.35. The Player setup window.

The Destination Folder screen appears, as illustrated in Fig.5.36. Select the destination folder of your
choice by clicking the Change button or select Next to choose the default folder and continue.
Fig. 5.36. The Destination folder window.

As shown in Fig.5.37, the Software updates window appears. Uncheck the selection box if you do not
want to check for updates. Select the Learn More link to find out about the update process. Choose Next
to continue.
Fig. 5.37. The Software updates window.

The User experience improvement program window appears as shown in Fig. 5.38. Uncheck the selection
box if you do not want to provide user feedback to VMware. Select the Learn More link to find out about
the feedback process. Choose Next to continue.
Fig. 5.38. The user experience improvement program window.

The Shortcuts Window appears as shown in Fig. 5.39. Uncheck the selection boxes if you do not want
the offered shortcuts created. Choose Next to continue.
Fig. 5.39. The shortcuts window.

As illustrated in Fig.5.40, the final acceptance window appears. You can review your selections screen
by screen using the Back button. Choose Continue to install VMware Player.
Fig. 5.40. The final screen before installation.

VMware Player will be installed. And there will be a series of update screens showing the progress of the
installation, as shown in Fig. 5.41. This process will take a few minutes.
Fig. 5.41. The installation progress screen.
As illustrated in Fig.5.42, at the completion of the installation, a last screen appears saying the installation
is completed and that you need to reboot your system as a final step. If you choose to retain the shortcut
option, a shortcut appears on the desktop. Select Restart Now to reboot Windows.
Fig. 5.42. Installation complete.
5.7.2. Creating a First VM

Taking into account best practices about proper configuration for your first virtual machine, let us create
a VM with one vCPU, one GB of memory, 30 GB of storage and one network connection. Don’t forget
that the VM is equivalent to a hardware server, so when you are done, you will merely have a container
to load an operating system. Let us begin by opening VMware Player. Select the Create a New Virtual
Machine option from the main screen or the File menu. Fig. 5.43 shows the New Virtual Machine
Wizard. There are three choices here. The first two will load an operating system from either a DVD or
an ISO image, but we will defer those methods for now. Select the option “I will install the operating
system later” and then select Next.
Fig. 5.43. The new virtual machine wizard.

The Select a Guest Operating System screen shown in Fig. 5.44 allows you to choose which operating
system you plan to install. You can see there are quite a few operating systems that can be installed in a
virtual machine. Choose the Guest Operating System. Choose the Version. This VM will be used as the
base for Chapter 5 so Windows 7 x64 is selected. Select Next to continue.
Fig. 5.44. The select a guest Operating System screen.

The Name the Virtual Machine screen in Fig. 5.45 is where you choose a name for the VM and select
where you want the files that comprise the VM to reside. You can choose the defaults or create your own
name. Use the Browse button to choose a different place to create the files. Select Next to continue.
Fig. 5.45. The name the virtual machine screen.

The Specify Disk Capacity screen in Fig.5.46 is where you will size the initial disk for your VM Player.
It provides a recommendation. In this case 60 GB based on the operating system type and version that
you plan to install. You can choose to create one large file or many smaller files to represent the disk out
on the host file system because there are no plans to move this VM, store the virtual disk as a single fi le
and choose a smaller amount of storage space for the disk. Choose Next to continue.
Fig. 5.46. The specify disk capacity screen.

The VM is now ready to be created. If you look at the settings, you will see that some virtual devices
included in the VM were not selected such as a floppy drive and a printer. If you want to make additional
changes to the default device selections, you can select Customize Hardware. Fig.5.47 shows a summary
of the hardware devices that will be configured as well as the memory settings. You will make adjustments
as you go forward, so for the moment just Close the window.
Fig. 5.47. Customize the hardware.

Fig.5.48 shows the final screen. Select Finish to complete the VM creation.
Fig. 5.48. Create the virtual machine.

The Virtual Machine is now created. You can see the new VM in the left column because the VM is
selected, additional information and operational options appear on the right. We will examine these in
the next section.
5.7.3. Installing Windows on a Virtual Machine

It is like a physical server a virtual machine needs to have an operating system installed to function and
run applications. Although, there are still dozens of different operating systems that can work on the x86
platform. The bulk of virtualization today is done on the more recent versions of Windows. Understanding
how to install Windows and then optimize it for a virtual environment is crucial.
In order to install Windows or any operating system, we need the source disks so that we can execute from
them. These disks can take the form of actual CDs, DVDs or image file of the software on those media.
In the case of Windows, we can purchase a copy at a retail store and come home with the disks or buy
it online and download the images to your computer and that image can be burned to a CD or DVD for
backup or execution purposes. If we are using this text as part of a class we may have a student version
of Windows. Many universities have agreements with Microsoft to allow students to download Windows
for educational use at little or no cost.
The steps that follow are not the only method we can use to create Windows 7 VM, but rather one of many
possible options are there. For examples : A 64-bit version of Windows 7 SP1 was used (see Fig.5.49).
The ISO image is staged on the desktop for the VM to access.
Fig. 5.49. The windows image.

Steps for Installing Windows and Virtual Machine :
1. Open VMware Player.

2. As shown in Fig. 5.50 select the Windows 7 virtual machine we created earlier by left-clicking on
the image. We can also select the VM by choosing Open a Virtual Machine option on the right.
Either method will work.
Fig. 5.50. Select the VM.
3. Note that the machine state is powered off. We need to tell the VM to boot from the ISO image, much
as a physical server needs the CD or DVD drive in the boot sequence so it can find the Windows
disks we would stage there. Select Edit Virtual Machine Settings, which is illustrated in Fig.5.51.
Fig. 5.51. Edit the virtual machine settings.
4. As shown in Fig.5.52 select CD/DVD (IDE).
Fig. 5.52. Using the ISO image to connect.
5. We can see a number of choices regarding the CD/DVD devices. Under connection, choose Use
ISO Image File. This will allow us to have the VM use the ISO image we have staged. Use the
Browse button to locate and select the ISO image. Select OK to continue.
6. Now select Play Virtual Machine. We might get a message similar to that shown in Fig.5.53. It
means that you have additional hardware devices on your physical computer that could be added
to the virtual machine for use. Select OK to continue.
Fig. 5.53. Removable devices.
7. The virtual machine boots up and connects to the Windows 7 ISO image as if it were a DVD in
a disk drive. If we are prompted to Download VMware Tools for Windows 2000 and Later, we
can cancel the download and continue with Windows 7. The Install Windows screen appears, as
shown in Fig.5.54. Notice at the bottom of the screen, outside of the virtual machine is an alert bar
with some choices regarding the installation of VMware Tools. We will cover this separately after
the installation. Select Remind me later and the alert bar disappears.
8. In the VM Window, click inside the Install Window and select your menu choices. Select Next
to continue.
Fig. 5.54. Windows installation.
9. The next screen, illustrated in Fig.5.55 allows you to get some installation information before
continuing. Select Install Now to continue.
Fig. 5.55. Install now.
10. As with most software, we will need to accept the license terms. Select the checkbox as shown in
Fig. 5.56 and then select Next to continue.
Fig. 5.56. The license terms.
11. Because this is a new installation, we will be doing a Custom installation rather than an Upgrade
of an existing system. As shown in Fig. 5.57 choose Custom to continue.
Fig. 5.57. The installation type.
12. The example VM was created with one 30 GB disk drive. If we select advanced options, you can
see in Fig. 5.58 some of what those options will allow with regard to disk storage. Select Next to
continue.
Fig. 5.58. Disk choice and options.
13. The Windows installation process will proceed with a number of steps, including formatting the
disk storage, creating a file system, and copying the files to the disk. This is usually the most time-
consuming step. We can see the steps and the progress in Fig. 5.59.
Fig. 5.59. Installation progress.
14. Windows will reboot a number of times during the process. It will then run through a number of first
time use initialization steps. The first of these, as shown in Fig. 5.60 prompts us to choose a user
name and a system name. Choose the appropriate values for both of these and select Next to continue.
Fig. 5.60. Choose user and system names.
15. We will need to choose a password and a hint for that password for the user we just created. Fig.5.61
shows this screen. Create a password and a hint and then select Next to continue.
Fig. 5.61. Create the user password and hint.
16. The Windows Product Key prompt is in the next screen illustrated in Fig. 5.62. If we have a
product key, enter it at this time. If we do not have a key, we can enter it later when we acquire one.
Windows will remind us if we do not Select Next to continue.
Fig. 5.62. The product key prompt.
17. The next screen, shown in Fig. 5.63 allows us to choose how to implement the Windows Updates.
Whichever method we choose, we can change it later. Select Use Recommended Settings to
continue.
Fig. 5.63. Choose the security update method.
18. In the next screen, illustrated in Fig. 5.64 we may set the correct date and time for our system. Select
the correct time zone, date, and time. Select Next to continue.
Fig. 5.64. Set correct date and time.
19. The Fig. 5.65 shows the Network Setup screen. We will be able to make adjustments later when
we investigate virtual networking. Choose Home Network to continue. Windows will attempt to
connect to our network through the virtual machine and VMware Player.
Fig. 5.65. Network selection.
20. As we can see in Fig.5.66 Windows will complete the one time setup and be ready to use.
Fig. 5.66. The completed Windows 7 installation.
5.7.4. Installing VMware Tools

You have one more step left to complete before we can work in this virtual machine, and that is adding
the VMware Tools. VMware tools are a combination of device drivers and processes that enhance the user
experience with the VM to improve VM performance and help manage the virtual machine. Although
installation of the VMware Tools suite is not mandatory. It is very highly recommended for VMs in any
of the VMware environments.
1. Select Virtual Machine from the menu at the top of the VMware Player window. Choose the Install
VMware Tools menu option. If we are presented with a Software Updates screen, like that shown
in Fig. 5.67 Select Download and Install.
Fig. 5.67. Download the latest VMware tools.
2. If we need to perform the download, as shown in Fig.5.68 the host operating system will ask if it
is okay for the application to update. We should choose Yes for the update to continue. When the
Update is completed, close the window to continue.
Fig. 5.68. VMware tools download progress.
3. The AutoPlay screen, illustrated in Fig. 5.69 appears. Choose Run setup64.exe to continue. Again,
answer Yes to the allow changes screen.
Fig. 5.69. AutoPlay.
4. The initial VMware tools installation screen appears, as illustrated in Fig.5.70. At the bottom of
the VMware Player window is a message stating that VMware Tools is installing. We can dismiss
the message. Choose Next to continue.
Fig. 5.70. The VMware tools welcome screen.
5. The Fig. 5.71 shows the Setup Type selection window where there are short descriptions of the
three options. The default is typical which is sufficient for your needs. Choose Next to continue.
Fig. 5.71. Setup type.
6. The Install screen appears, as shown in Fig.5.72. If any changes need to be made, we can use the
Back button to scroll back through the preceding screens to make those changes. If we are ready
to continue, select Install.
Fig. 5.72. Ready to install.
7. The VMware Tools are installed, and we can mark the progress on the displayed Status screen. It is
typically a very short process, requiring only a few minutes. When it is completed, the final screen,
as shown in Fig.5.73 is displayed. Select Finish.
Fig. 5.73. The installation is complete.
8. Finally, we will need to reboot the VM one more time. The system prompts us as shown in Fig.5.74.
Select Yes to restart the VM.
Fig. 5.74. Restart the system.

Now that we have a working VM. So let’s take a closer look at what we have built. The first thing to
observe is that the VM looks identical to the physical desktop which is exactly what we want. If you
select the Start icon as in Fig.5.75, we will see exactly what we would expect to see in a fresh install of
Windows 7 SP1. It is easy to tell that we are using a virtual machine by looking at the VMware Player
application bar at the top of the VM window. However, most virtual machines are run on servers and are
connected to by users who never see the physical or virtual servers with which they work.
Fig. 5.75. A running Windows 7 VM.
5.8. INSTALL LINUX- CentOS ON VMWARE PLAYER WORKSTATION

Nowadays Linux operating system’s popularity is increasing. Most of the servers are using the Linux
Operating System and personal system also start using various Linux distribution. CentOS is one of the
popular Linux operating systems. In these days most of the IT professionals learning Linux, as their work
environment around Linux based open source and free operating system. Here, in this section we are
going to install CentOS 7 in VMware workstation. We can use any other virtual environment also like
Virtualbox, VMware Player, KVM etc. The Prerequisites – CentOS 7 installation are:
1. CentOS 7. Download CentOS 7 from https://www.centos.org/download/.
2. Virtual Environment:
(a) Download VMware Workstation from - https://www.vmware.com/in/products/workstation-pro.
html. The step by step process to install VMware is also explained in Article 5.8 of this chapter.
(b) Download VMware Player from- https://www.vmware.com/in/products/workstation-player/
workstation-player-evaluation.html.
(c) Download Virtualbox from - https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads.
Anyone application is enough for a virtual environment. We are going to use here VMware Workstation,
but the overall process of installation is the same for all virtual environment package.
Open VMware workstation application to start the installation of CentOS 7 operating system. We will get the
first screen in workstation as shown in Fig. 5.76 and here click on Create a New Virtual Machine button.
Fig. 5.76. Create a new virtual machine.

There are two option we will get when start preparing. Typical (recommended) and Custom (advanced),
We are choosing here Custom setup in VMware as shown in Fig. 5.77.
Fig. 5.77. Custom (advanced).

Click on Next button. In this dialog box, we can choose hardware compatibility for your virtual machine.
As we are using VMware workstation version 12 Pro, so we configured our virtual machine compatibilities
according to configured in this version and choose Workstation 12.0 for Hardware compatibility as shown
in Fig. 5.78.Click on Next button.
Fig. 5.78. Choose the VM hardware compatibility.
5.8.1. VMware Installation Media Configuration

After selection of hardware compatibility a new dialog box will appear for installation media selection
as shown in Fig. 5.79, where three options are available:
1. Installer disc.
2. Installer disc image file (iso).
3. We will install the operating system later.
Fig. 5.79. Installation media selection.

If we are going to install through operating system CD/DVD disc, we should select Installer disc. After
selection of this option, we have to select CD/DVD ROM driver. If we are using an operating system iso
file please click on the Browse button and select the image file.
Here we are going to install through iso file so we choose Installer disc image file (iso) and click on
the Browse button. After clicking on Browser button a new window will appear, where we need to go
to the location of iso file and select the iso file. When you select your operating system disc file it will
appear in installer media selection window as shown in Fig. 5.79. Now, click on Next button for further
configuration.
In this window Personalize Linux we can fill the form for username and password, which will be on
new installed operating system’s default username and password as shown in Fig.5.80. In case of the
CentOS operating system, it will not configure for the operating system but go to the next option we
need to fill the form.
Fig. 5.80. Personalize linux.

In the next window, we can select the desired name for the virtual machine and location where this virtual
machine will store in system storage. The dialog box will similar like as shown in Fig.5.81. Click on
Next Button.
Fig. 5.81. Virtual machine name and location.

5.8.2. VMware CPU, RAM, Network, VMware I/O controller and Disk Configuration
In this dialog box, we are configuring processors for the virtual machine as shown in Fig.5.82. The options
are to select numbers of processors and numbers of cores per processors. After selection of these, click
on the Next button for further configuration.
Fig. 5.82. VMware CPU configuration.

Similarly, CPU configuration in this window are here to configure RAM for the virtual machine and after
selection of RAM quantity click on the Next button for further configuration (See Fig. 5.83).
Fig. 5.83. VM memory configuration.

The new window appears for virtual machine network configuration where we get four option to select
as shown in Fig. 5.84:
1. Use bridged networking.

2. Use network address translation (NAT).
3. Use host-only networking.
4. Do not use a network connection.
If we want to configure our virtual machine to connect directly with the network and get the IP address
from the main network device we should select Use bridged networking. If we want to configure our
networking with our host networking and NAT with the host IP address, we should select Use network
address translation(NAT). Choose Use host-only networking if we do not want to configure independent
networking on our virtual machine and use network from the host interface. The last option Do not use
a network connection is for if we do not want to use networking in our virtual machine. Now, we select
Use bridged networking as we are using my virtual machine network connectivity directly from the
network device without the intervention of the host network.
Fig. 5.84. VMware network configuration.

The new dislog box will appear for I/O controller configuration with three options like below image:
1. BusLogic.
2. LSI Logic.
3. LSI Logic SAS.
BusLogic is not available for the 64-bit arch operating system and we are using here Ubuntu 16.04 64-bit
operating system so it is in disabled mode. We are not using any SAS device also so not choosing LSI
Logic SAS option also, so we choose here LSI Logic option and click on the Next button for further
configuration (see Fig. 5.85).
Fig. 5.85. VMware I/O controller configuration.

Next dialog box is for virtual disk type configurations with options are:
1. IDE
2. SCSI
3. SATA
We suggest choosing the SCSI option which is most used by the virtual machine (see Fig. 5.86).
Fig. 5.86. VMware virtual disk configuration.

Click on Next. In this dialog box we are configuring virtual disk with below options:
1. Create a new virtual disk.
2. Use an existing virtual disk.

3. Use a physical disk.
Here, we will choose Create a new virtual disk as we are going to install a new virtual machine(see
Fig. 5.87).
Fig. 5.87. Create a new virtual disk.

In this dialog box ,we are configuring the size of the virtual disk. For this operating system we configured
20 GB as we can see in Fig. 5.88. If we select Allocate all disk space now option it will take all 20 GB
storage from the beginning otherwise it will take only storage which is used by the virtual machine.
Fig. 5.88. Configuring the size of the virtual disk.

Click on Next button. This dialog box is used for naming and locating of the virtual disk file (see
Fig. 5.89).Click on Next Button.
Fig. 5.89. Disk file using the file name.

Now, VMware configuration for the new virtual machine is done. This window is summary for all
configuration and there is Customize Hardware button which you can use for reconfiguration of any
hardware configuration like CPU, RAM etc(See Fig. 5.90). Now, Click on Finish button to finish the
virtual machine configuration.
Fig. 5.90. VMware hardware configuration review.

Now VMware workstation main window will appear with a new tab of new virtual machine CentOS 7.
Here, click on the Power on this virtual machine link to start the virtual machine (see Fig. 5.91).
Fig. 5.91. Virtual machine CentOS 7.

After starting virtual machine we will get below window which is virtual machine booting and VMware
logo displaying at booting time (see Fig. 5.92).
Fig. 5.92. Boot virtual machine with CentOS ISO.

This new window showing now our new virtual machine booting with CentOS installation media and it
is ready to install (see Fig. 5.93).
Fig. 5.93. Virtual machine booting.

New screen will appear with CentOS installation progress bar(see Fig. 5.94).
Fig. 5.94. CentOS installation progress bar.

After 15 min when CentOS installation process completed, virtual machine booted and after complete
boot the new screen for login is coming like below Fig. 5.95.
Fig. 5.95. Login in CentOS.

After login we will on the CentOS desktop, which is similar like below screen as shown in Fig. 5.96.
Fig. 5.96. CentOS desktop.
Point to Remember
t Virtualization is a technique which allows sharing a single physical instance of a resource or an application
among multiple customers and organizations.
t The idea of VMs can be dated back to the 1960s.
t The purpose of a VM is to enhance resource sharing.
t Virtualization is the creation of a virtual rather than actual version of something such as a server, a desktop, a
storage device, an operating system or network resources.
t The machine on which the virtual machine is created is known as host machine and virtual machine is referred
as a guest machine.
t This virtual machine is managed by a software or firmware which is known as hypervisor.
t At the ISA level virtualization is performed by emulating a given ISA by the ISA of the host machine.
t The idea is to virtualized a computer’s resources such as its processors, memory and I/O devices.
t The idea was implemented in the IBM VM/370 in the 1960s.
t Operating system level virtualization refers to an abstraction layer between traditional OS and user applications.
t An API is an interface or communication protocol between different parts of a computer program intended to
simplify the implementation and maintenance of software.
t Application level virtualization is also known as process level virtualization. The most popular approach is to
HLL VMs.
t Depending on the position of the virtualization layer there are several classes of VM architectures namely the
hypervisor architecture, para-virtualization and host based virtualization.
t The hypervisor is also known as the virtual machine monitor.
t The creation of the hypervisor was a milestone in the evolution of computing because it provided a way to
overcome the architectural limitations and high cost of using mainframe computers.
t The hypervisor is a layer of software that resides below the virtual machines and above the hardware.
t Type 1 Hypervisors run directly on the server hardware without an operating system beneath it.
t Aside from having better performance characteristics Type 1 Hypervisors are also considered to be more secure
than Type 2 Hypervisors.
t A Type 2 hypervisor itself is an application that runs a top a traditional operating system.
t Type 2 hypervisors are not as efficient as Type 1 Hypervisors because of this extra layer between the hypervisor
itself and the hardware.
t The protection rings in OSs are in hierarchical order from Ring 0 to Ring 3.
t In full virtualization the guest OS is completely abstracted from the underlying infrastructure.
t The main difference between the full virtualization and paravirtualization is the guest OS knows that it is running
in virtualized environment in para-virtualization but in full virtualization, this information is not known to the
guest OS.
t VMware Player provides an intuitive user interface for running preconfigured virtual machines created with
VMware Workstation, GSX Server and ESX Server.
t The last version using this name was Microsoft virtual server 2005 R2 SP1.
t The guest OS is not aware that it is virtualized and thinks it is running on the real hardware.
t Server virtualization is the partitioning of a physical server into several virtual servers. It is used to maximize
the server resources.
t All modern x86 CPUs include a memory management unit and a translation look aside buffer to optimize virtual
memory performance.
t The I/O access requests of the guest OS are trapped in the VMM which interacts with the I/O devices.
t In block level storage system the raw volumes of storage are created and each block can be controlled as an
individual hard drive.
t The file level storage technology is common to storage system, which is found in hard drives, NAS systems and
so on.
t Network virtualization can aggregate different physical networks into a single logical network or provide network
like functionality to an operating system partition.
t With the help of OS virtualization nothing is pre-installed or permanently loaded on the local device and no-hard
disk is needed. Everything runs from the network using a kind of virtual disk
t A physical cluster is a collection of servers interconnected by a physical network such as a LAN. Virtual clusters
are built with VMs installed at distributed servers from one or more physical clusters.
t The desktop virtualization solutions integrate with corporate directories like active directory etc and user access
policies can be applied to all users based on their role, location, type of device, etc.
t The faster, reliable and easier backup of all the user data is possible due to centralized hosting and administration.
t The thin clients are sometimes as expensive as individual computers as with huge volumes computer prices
plummet drastically as they are manufactured and distributed in bulk quantities.
Solved Questions
Q.1. Define virtualization. Why virtualization is important in cloud computing?
(RGPV, Bhopal, B.E., May 2019)
Or
What is virtualization? Discuss the role and importance of virtualization and virtual appliance in
cloud computing. (GNDU, Amritsar, B.Tech., M.Sc. Dec. 2016)
Ans. In computing, virtualization means to create a virtual version of a device or resource, such as a server,
storage device, network or even an operating system where the framework divides the resource into one
or more execution environments. The usual goal of virtualization is to centralize administrative tasks
while improving scalability and overall hardware-resource utilization. Operating system virtualization
is the use of software to allow a piece of hardware to run multiple operating system images at the same
time. (Refer Article 5.1)
Q.2. What is virtualization? Explain its characteristics and benefit in cloud computing.
(PTU, Jalandhar, B.Tech., Dec. 2018, June 2019 ; Mumbai University, B.Tech. Dec. 2017, June 2019)
Or
What is virtualization? Explain the pitfall of virtualization. (DBATU, B.Tech., Dec. 2019)
Ans. Virtualization occurs when a virtual version of something is created instead of an actual version.
Virtualization has expanded into almost every form of digital life. From virtual machines that act like
a real computer to console emulation, many people take advantage of what virtualization can provide.
(Refer Article 5.1)
Q.3. Explain the taxonomy of virtual machines. (JNTU, ME, May 2019)
Or
What is virtualization? What are mechanisms used for virtualization.
(Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec. 2017)
Or
How to implement virtualization in your organization and explain in detail.
(AKTU, Lucknow, MCA, Dec. 2018)
Ans. In general there are three typical classes of VM architecture. Before virtualization, the operating
system manages the hardware. After virtualization, a virtualization layer is inserted between the hardware
and the operating system. (Refer article 5.2)
Q.4. Why is virtualization so popular? How many types of virtualization are there?
Or
Explain the characteristics and types of virtualization in cloud computing.
(RGPV, Bhopal, B.E., Dec. 2016, Nov. 2018, Nov. 2019)
Or
What is virtualization? How many types of virtualization are there?
(GNDU, Amritsar, B.Tech., M.Sc, Dec. 2016)
Ans. The most important function of virtualization is the capability of running multiple operating systems
and applications on a single computer or server. Virtualization can usually improve overall application
performance due to technology that can balance resources, and provide only what the user needs. There
are different types of virtualization in computing they are as follows :
(a) OS Virtualization.
(b) Server Virtualization.
(c) Application Virtualization.
(d) Network Virtualization.
(e) Storage Virtualization.
(f) Hardware Virtualization.
Q.5. What is virtualization structure? List the different levels of virtualization.

Or
What is Virtualization? Explain the various implementation levels of virtualization. Differentiate
between server and desktop virtualization.
(RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2015, June 2017 ; JNTU, B.Tech., May 2017, May 2019 ;
Anna University, May 2017 ; JNTU, ME, June 2017 ; Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec. 2017)
Or
Explain the process virtualization at ISA level. (JNTU, B.Tech May-2019)
Ans. A virtualization architecture is a conceptual model specifying the arrangement and interrelationships
of the particular components involved in delivering a virtual rather than physical version of something,
such as an operating system (OS), a server, a storage device or network resources.
Common virtualization layers include the instruction set architecture (ISA) level, hardware level, operating
system level, library support level, and application level. At the ISA level, virtualization is performed by
emulating a given ISA by the ISA of the host machine. (Refer Article 5.1)
Q.6. What is Hypervisor? Mention the types of hypervisor. Why type I hypervisor better in
performance than type 2 hypervisor. (RGPV, Bhopal, B.E., Dec. 2017 ; AKTU, Lucknow, M.Tech. Dec. 2018)
Or
Explain in detail about hypervisor. (JNTU, B.Tech., May 2019 ; JNTU, ME, June 2017)
Or
Explain the need of virtualization in the context of cloud computing. Compare type 1 and type 2
virtualization. (Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec. 2017)
Or
Explain different types of hypervisor with example. (Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec. 2017)
Or
What is host based virtualization? What are the advantages and disadvantages of it?
Or
What is VMM? Discuss the properties of a Virtual Machine. (AKTU, Lucknow MCA Dec. 2018)
Or
Give VMM design requirement and explain. (JNTU, B.Tech May-2017).
Or
How all sensitive instructions of the guest OS and its applications are trapped in the VMM.
Or
What is the main function of a hypervisor? Explain its advantages and disadvantages.
Ans. A hypervisor or virtual machine monitor( VMM )is a computer software, firmware or hardware that
creates and runs virtual machines. A computer on which a hypervisor runs one or more virtual machines
is called a host machine, and each virtual machine is called a guest machine.
A Type 1 hypervisor runs directly on the host machine’s physical hardware and it is referred to as a bare-
metal hypervisor. It does not have to load an underlying OS first. Hypervisors such as VMware ESXi,
Microsoft Hyper-V server and open source KVM are examples of Type 1.
A Type 2 hypervisor is a virtual machine manager that is installed as a software application on an existing
operating system (OS). Type 2 hypervisors support guest virtual machines by coordinating calls for CPU,
memory, disk, network and other resources through the physical host’s operating system. Examples of
this type of hypervisor include VMware Fusion, Oracle Virtual Box, Oracle VM for x86, Solaris Zones,
Parallels and VMware Workstation.
The hypervisor drives the concept of virtualization by allowing the physical host machine to operate
multiple virtual machines as guests to help maximize the effective use of computing resources such as
memory, network bandwidth and CPU cycles. The advantages and disadvantages of hypervisor are as
following:
Advantages :
(a) Any processor with an MMU can be used to implement a virtualization solution and some of the
common rich operating systems have been ported to run on top of them.
(b) There is also no requirement for additional hardware to implement a hypervisor.
(c) Security sensitive applications can be ported to run in a secure environment running on top of the
hypervisor, but outside of the view of the rich operating environment.
(d) The hypervisor can provide communications mechanisms which can be used to allow software
virtual machines to communicate.
Disadvantages:
(a) The isolation provided by virtualization technology is restricted to the processor implementing the
hypervisor.
(b) This is difficult to achieve without damaging the performance of the system.
(c) The virtualization ignores the security issues associated with hardware attacks, such as threats that
use the debug or test infrastructure.
Q.7. What is VMM? Explain Xen architecture.

(JNTU, B.Tech., May 2017 ; Mumbai University, B.Tech. Dec 2017)
Or
Explain the architecture of Xen hypervisor in detail.
(Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec. 2018, B.Tech., Dec. 2019)
Or
Explain architecture of bare metal hypervisor in detail. (Mumbai University, B.Tech., May 2019)
Or
What is virtualization? Explain any one virtualization software architecture.
Ans. Xen is an open source hypervisor program developed by Cambridge University. Xen is a microkernel
hypervisor, which separates the policy from the mechanism. The Xen hypervisor implements all the
mechanisms, leaving the policy to be handled by Domain 0. Xen does not include any device drivers
natively.
Q.8. Differentiate between para virtualization and full virtualization and give one example of VMM
that is built in each of the two categories. (AKTU, Lucknow, MCA, Dec. 2018 ; RTU, Kota, B.Tech. Dec. 2015)
Or
Define full virtualization? Draw a neat sketch of para virtualization architecture and explain.
(JNTU, B.Tech., May 2017)
Ans. In full virtualization the guest OS is completely abstracted from the underlying infrastructure. The
virtualization layer or virtual machine manager (VMM) fully decouples the guest OS from the underlying
infrastructure. (Refer Article 5.3)
Q.9. Explain virtualization structures. How to virtualized CPU? Explain.
(PTU, Jalandhar, B.Tech., Dec. 2018)
Or
What is memory virtualization? Explain two level memory mapping procedure.
(JNTU, B.Tech, May 2019)
Or
Explain the virtualization of CPU, Memory and I/O devices. (JNTU, ME, June 2017)
Or
What are the different techniques used for implementation of hardware virtualization? Explain
them in detail. (RGPV, Bhopal, B.E. May 2019)
Or
Write a note about CPU virtualization. (RGPV, Bhopal, B.E. Nov. 2019 ; JNTU, ME, June 2017)
Or
List various challenges of memory virtualization. (JNTU, B.Tech., May 2017)
Ans. Modern operating systems and processors permit multiple processes to run simultaneously. If there is
no protection mechanism in a processor, all instructions from different processes will access the hardware
directly and cause a system crash. Therefore, all processors have at least two modes that are user mode
and supervisor mode to ensure controlled access of critical hardware. (Refer Article 5.3)
Q.10. Describe VMware infrastructure in detail. (RGPV, Bhopal B.E Nov- 2018)
Ans. VMware Workstation Pro allows you to run multiple operating systems at once on the same Windows
or Linux PC. (Refer Article 5.2)
Q.11. What is storage virtualization? Explain storage virtualization approaches.
Or
What is the need of storage virtualization? Discuss the three ways in which it is structured.
(RGPV, Bhopal, B.E., Dec. 2017)
Ans. The storage virtualization is a concept in system administration referring to the abstraction of logical
storage from physical storage (storage devices that hold, spin, read and write magnetic or optical disks
such as CD, DVD or even a hard disk drive etc.). There are three basic approaches to data storage:
(a) Direct-Attached Storage (DAS). This is the traditional method used in data storage where hard
drives are attached to a physical server.
(b) Network-Attached Storage (NAS). This is a machine that resides on our network and provides
data storage to other machines.
(c) Storage Area Network (SAN). This ultra-sophisticated approach deploys specialized hardware
and software to transform mere disk drives into a data storage solution that transfers data on its
own high-performance network.
Q.12. Explain networking virtualization? What are the advantages and disadvantages of networking
virtualization?
What is network virtualization? Describe the various component of network virtualization.
(RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2015)
Or
Mention the significance of network virtualization. (JNTU, ME, May 2019 ; DBATU, B.Tech., Dec. 2019)
Ans. The network virtualization is a method of combining the available resources in a network by splitting
up the available bandwidth into channels. Each of which is independent from the others and each of which
can be assigned to a particular server or device in real time.
Advantages :
(a) We can typically save a lot of money by reducing hardware costs when we use virtualization.
(b) Many organizations have found that going virtual has reduced their overall electricity consumption
for server computers by eighty percent.
(c) One of the biggest benefits of virtualization is not the cost savings, but the ability to quickly recover
from hardware failures.
Disadvantages:
(a) This perhaps the most notable thing that it is similar to server virtualization and it can bring forth
a higher degree of complexity in addition to performance overhead.
(b) It also tends to call for a higher skill set on the part of network administrators and users.
(c) The successful network virtualization requires thoughtful planning.
(d) Many organizations elect to plan and implement the technology in phases. Often deciding to begin
with the non-essential aspects of the IT environment.
Q.13. What do you mean by server virtualization? Explain using example.
(RGPV, Bhopal, B.E., Dec. 2015, May 2019 ; AKTU, Lucknow, MCA, Dec. 2018 ;
JNTU, ME, June 2017 ; JNTU, ME, May 2019 ; Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec 2017)
Ans. Server virtualization is the partitioning of a physical server into several virtual servers. It is used
to maximize the server resources. Virtual machine shares the resources of the physical computer across
multiple environments. (Refer Article 5.5)
Q.14. What is desktop or client virtualization? Explain the advantages and disadvantages of desktop
virtualization.
Ans. The desktop virtualization provides a user with an operating environment that is separate from their
local physical system.
Advantages :
(a) It can access our desktop environment from anywhere through LAN, WAN including broadband
from home, etc. at any time we want.
(b) Most of the desktop virtualization (DV) solutions support local USB drives, local printing and local
graphics acceleration.
(c) The centralized operating system and application updates can be done regularly by a trained
technician at the data center collectively for a group of virtual desktops.
(d) The desktop virtualization solutions integrate with corporate directories like active directory etc
and user access policies can be applied to all users based on their role, location, type of device, etc.
Disadvantages :
(a) There is no reduction in the number of end-user client machines that are needed in the network.
(b) The licenses for operating systems, applications etc., still needs to be bought for each user and there
is no reduction of costs there.
(c) The thin-clients are sometimes as expensive as individual computers as, with huge volumes computer
prices plummet drastically as they are manufactured and distributed in bulk quantities.
(d) The network infrastructure needs to handle all that extra bandwidth that desktop virtualization is
going to introduce. Otherwise, it has to be upgraded.
(e) There is a limit to the number of operating systems that can be supported by desktop virtualization
products.
Q.15. Describe application virtualization? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Ans. In application virtualization an application can be installed and/or executed locally within a container
that controls how it interacts with other system and application components.
Advantages :
(a) No installation required. Installing an application on hundreds or thousands of computers is prone

to error.
(b) Application retirement simplified. Getting free of an application in our whole network is much
easier as well.
(c) No registry and system bloat. The more application we install on a desktop, the more bloated its
registry and system folder will get.
(d) Multiple runtime environments. We can deploy the runtime environment together with the
application. This enables us to run different versions of a runtime environment on a desktop.
(e) Simplified roaming. Some products allow us to store settings and data belonging to the app in the
virtual environment on a server or a memory stick.
Disadvantages :
(a) A new complexity layer. Most Windows application were not developed to run in a virtual
environment. This might cause unforeseen problems.
(b) Vendor might deny support. If we tell our vendor that we are running their application in a virtual
environment so they might deny support.
(c) Problematic applications. Some application especially those installing their own system drivers
do not work as virtualized applications.
(d) Bandwidth requirements. We just have to make sure that we always have the necessary bandwidth
available.
(e) Costs. The prices of application virtualization solutions range are very high.
Q.16. What is a virtual cluster? Write the steps to create a virtual machine cluster?
Ans. Virtual machine clustering is an effective technique that ensures high availability of servers and the
network. The virtual machine clusters are used in virtual machines which are installed at various services.
Each virtual machine in a cluster is interconnected by a virtual network. The procedure to create virtual
machine cluster are as following:
(a) Browse to a data center in the vSphere Web Client navigator.

(b) Right-click the data center and select New Cluster.
(c) Enter a name for the cluster.
(d) Select DRS and vSphere HA cluster features option.
(e) Select an Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) setting.
(f) Select the Virtual SAN cluster feature.
(f) Click OK.
Q.17. What is data center virtualization? Explain Cloud versus data center?
Or
How performance does enhance by virtualizing the data center? (JNTU, B.Tech., May 2018)
Or
How virtualized data centre ensure trust management. (Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec. 2017)
Ans. Data center virtualization is the process of designing, developing and deploying a data center on
virtualization and cloud computing technologies. It primarily enables virtualizing physical servers in a
data center facility along with storage, networking and other infrastructure devices and equipment.
The main difference between the cloud and data center is that a data center refers to on-premise hardware
while the cloud refers to off-premise computing. The cloud stores your data in the public cloud, while a
data center stores your data on your own hardware. (Refer Article 5.6)
Q.18. Write and explain about virtual clusters. (JNTU, B.Tech April 2018 ; DBATU B.Tech. Dec. 2019)
Or
What is difference between physical and virtual clusters? (JNTU, ME, June 2017)
Or
Illustrate the design of a large scale virtual cluster system. (JNTU, ME, May 2019)
Or
How are virtualizations and cloud computing interrelated? Explain virtualization in cluster.
Or
Explain resource virtualization system in details.
(AKTU, Lucknow, M.Tech., Dec. 2018 ; JNTU, ME, June 2017)
Ans. A physical cluster is a collection of servers interconnected by a physical network such as a LAN.
Virtual clusters are built with VMs installed at distributed servers from one or more physical clusters.
The VMs in a virtual cluster are interconnected logically by a virtual network across several physical
networks. (Refer Article 5.5)
Q.19. Define data center infrastructure? What is the difference between data center and server.
Ans. Data center infrastructure refers to the core physical or hardware-based resources and components
including all IT infrastructure devices, equipment and technologies that comprise a data center.
The main distinction is that server runs on a single node while data center allows you to run on multiple
nodes. When your server instances grow and your organization’s ability to build products and deliver
services puts an increasingly demanding load on them. You might need a better way to stay ahead.
Q.20. What is block level storage? Discuss its advantages.
Or
Write in brief about block and file level storage in virtualization. (RGPV, Bhopal B.E Dec- 2015)
Ans. In block level storage systems, raw blocks (storage volumes) are created and each block can be
controlled like an individual hard drive. Generally, these blocks are controlled by the server based
operating systems.
Advantages :
(a) The block level storage systems offer a better performance/speed than file level storage systems.
(b) In each block or storage volume can be treated as an independent disk drive and are controlled by
external server OS.
(c) The block level storage systems are more reliable and their transport systems are very efficient.
(d) The block level storage can be used to store files and also provide the storage required for special
applications like Databases, VMFS (Virtual Machine File Systems), etc.
A file level storage system is the most common storage system that we find with our hard-drives, NAS
systems etc. In this type of storage, the storage disk is configured with a particular protocol (Like NFS
etc) and files are stored and accessed from it as such in bulk.
Advantages :
(a) The file level storage system is simple to implement and simple to use.
(b) It stores files and folders and is visible as such, to both the systems storing the files and the systems
accessing it.
(c) The file level storage systems are generally inexpensive, when compared to block level storage
systems.
(d) The systems are more popular with NAS based storage systems network attached storage.
(e) They can be configured with common file level protocols like NTFS, NFS , etc.
(f) The file level storage systems are well suited for bulk file storage.
(g) The file level storage device itself can generally handle operations like access control, integration
with corporate directories etc.
Q.21. What is virtual LAN(VLAN) and SAN (VSAN)? Explain its benefits.
Or
Explain virtual LAN and Virtual SAN in cloud computing. Write their benefits.
Ans. A virtual local area network (VLAN) is a network technology used to logically separate large
broadcast domains using layer devices.
VLANs provide the following general benefits are :
(a) Improved Security. The different groups of users do not need to know of each other and should
not see each other’s data unless explicitly configured.
(b) Higher Performance. It divides the network into different virtual sub-networks reduces unnecessary
traffic and improves performance.
(c) Cost Reduction. The routers are usually considerably more expensive compared to switches.
(d) Simplified Network Management. It logically divides the network into virtual sub-networks
improves maintenance and manageability.
A virtual storage area network (VSAN) is a logical partition in a storage area network (SAN). VSANs
allow traffic to be isolated within specific portions of a storage area network. The benefits of VSANs are:
(a) Virtual SAN Islands. VSANs provide a way to consolidate what would amount to multiple costly
physical SAN islands onto a more cost-effective Virtual Fabrics.
(b) Transparent to End Devices. VSANs do not require any special awareness, configuration, or
software on the SAN end devices such as hosts/HBAs or disk subsystems.
(c) ISL Trucking. Trucking provide the capability for multiple virtual fabrics to share the same ISLs.
Multiple VSANs can share the bandwidth of ISLs for increased ISL utilization.
(d) Fabric Availability. Each virtual fabric includes separate instances of all Fabric services. This
provides for a much more stable Fabric as not only are fabric service failures isolated per VSAN
but Fabric level events such as Build Fabric or Reconfigure Fabric are also isolated per VSAN.
(e) Fabric Scalability. By deploying virtual fabrics the fiber channel addressing scheme is implemented
on a per VSAN basis.
Q.22. Explain about virtualization for Linux, Windows and NT platform. (JNTU, B.Tech., April 2018)
Ans. In order to install Windows, or any operating system you need the source disks so that you can
execute from them. These disks can take the form of actual CDs, DVDs, or image files of the software
on those media. In the case of Windows, you can purchase a copy at a retail store and come home with
the disks. (Refer Article 5.8)
Q.23. How does an unauthorized access can be detected by the help of virtualization techniques?
Ans. Virtualization can be used in many ways and requires appropriate security controls in each situation.
The following are the few ways that minimize risks and improve security using virtualization:
1. Sandboxing. Sandboxing is a security mechanism for separating running programs that is often used
to execute untested code or programs from unverified third parties, suppliers and websites. The main
goal of sandboxing is to improve virtualization security by isolating an application to protect it from
outside malware, harmful viruses, applications that stop execution, etc. If you have any application that
is unstable or untested, simply put it in a virtual machine so that it does not affect the rest of the system.
2. Server Virtualization. Server virtualization is the masking of server resources, which helps in
partitioning the physical server into smaller virtual servers to maximize resources. The administrator divides
the physical server into multiple virtual environments. These days, official records are often stolen from
servers by hackers. Server virtualization allows small virtual servers to run their own operating systems
and reboot independently of one another. Virtualized servers are used to identify and isolate applications
that are unstable, as well as compromised applications.
3. Network Virtualization. Network virtualization is the combination of hardware and software
network resources, and it combines network functionality into a single virtual network. With network
virtualization, virtual networks minimize the effect of the malware when infecting the system. Network
virtualization creates logical virtual networks from underlying network hardware to better integrate with
virtual environments. An important feature of network virtualization is isolation. It allows the dynamic
composition of multiple virtual networks that co-exist in isolation to deploy customized end-to-end services
on the fly. They are managed on those virtual networks for the users by sharing and using network resources
gained from infrastructure providers. The another main feature of network virtualization is segmentation,
in which the network is divided into sub-networks. A process that leads to boosting performance by
minimizing local traffic in the network and improving security by making the internal network structure
invisible from the outside. Network virtualization is also used to create a virtualized infrastructure to support
complex requirements by creating single instances of software applications serving multiple customers.
4. Hypervisor Security. There are some key security recommendations for hypervisors:
(a) Install the hypervisor updates released by the vendor. Most hypervisors will have automatic updating
of software and will install updates when found.
(b) Secure with thin hypervisors which makes deployment easy and efficient to run with minimal
computing overhead. It also reduces the chance of attack by malicious code that could reach the
hypervisor.
(c) Do not connect unused physical hardware to the host system, or unused NICs to any network.
Sometimes, disk drives are used to back up data, so unused devices should be disconnected when
they are not actively being used for backup.
(d) If you do not need file sharing service or any other service between the guest OS and the host OS.
It will disable any services that are not needed.
(e) There must be security between guest operating systems in order for them to communicate.
Non-virtualized environments should be handled by security controls such as firewalls, network
appliances, etc.
Q.24. What types of cloud OS are used in virtualized data centers? (RGPV, Bhopal, B.E. Nov. 2018)
Ans. Data centers must be virtualized to serve as cloud providers. Table 5.3 summarizes four virtual
infrastructure (VI) managers and OSes. These VI managers and OSes are specially tailored for virtualizing
data centers which often own a large number of servers in clusters. Nimbus, Eucalyptus, and OpenNebula
are all open source software available to the general public. Only vSphere 4 is a proprietary OS for cloud
resource virtualization and management over data centers.
Table 5.3. VI Managers and Operating Systems for Virtualizing Data Centers.
Manager/ Resources Client API, Hypervisors Public Cloud Special
OS, Platforms Being Language Used Interface Features
License Virtualized,
Web Link
Nimbus VM creation, EC2 WS, WSRF, Xen, KVM EC2 Virtual networks
Linux, virtual CLI
Apache v2 clustor, www.
nimbusproject.
org/
Eucalyptus Virtual EC2 WS, CLI Xen, KVM EC2 Virtual networks
Linux, BSD networking
www eucalyptus.
com/
OpenNebula Management XML-RPC, CLI, Xen, KVM EC2, Elastic Host Virtual networks,
Linux of VM host, Java dynamic
Apache v2 virtual network, provisioning
and scheduling
tools www.
opennebula.org/
vSphere 4 Virtualizing OS CLI, GUI, Portal, VMware ESX, VMware vCloud Data protection
Linux for data centers WS ESXI partners vStorage VMFS,
Window www.vmware. DRM, HA
proprietary com/products/
vsphere
These VI managers are used to create VMs and aggregate them into virtual clusters as elastic resources.
Nimbus and Eucalyptus support essentially virtual networks. OpenNebula has additional features to
provision dynamic resources and make advance reservations. All three public VI managers apply Xen
and KVM for virtualization. vSphere 4 uses the hypervisors ESX and ESXi from VMware. Only vSphere
4 supports virtual storage in addition to virtual networking and data protection.
Q.25. Differentiate between system VMM and process VM. (JNTU, ME, May 2019)
Ans. A process virtual machine sometimes called an application virtual machine, runs as a normal
application inside a host OS and supports a single process. It is created when that process is started and
destroyed when it exits. Its purpose is to provide a platform-independent programming environment that
abstracts away details of the underlying hardware or operating system, and allows a program to execute in
the same way on any platform. For example : Wine software in Linux helps to run Windows application.
A system virtual machine provides a complete system platform which supports the execution of a complete
operating system (OS) just like you said VirtualBox is one example. A host virtual machine is the server
component of a virtual machine which provides computing resources in the underlying hardware to support
guest virtual machine (guest VM). A system Virtual Machine gives a complete virtual hardware platform
with support for execution of a complete operating system (OS).
Q.26. What are the steps involved in live VM migration? (JNTU, B.Tech., May 2017)
Or
Explain the process of live migration of VM from one host to another.
(JNTU, B.Tech., April 2018 ; Mumbai University, B.Tech., Dec. 2017)
Ans. Live migration refers to the process of moving a running virtual machine or application between
different physical machines without disconnecting the client or application. Memory, storage and network
connectivity of the virtual machine are transferred from the original guest machine to the destination.
Here are simple steps:
To locate a virtual machine, select a datacenter-> folder->cluster-> resource pool, host or vApp. Click
the related objects tab and click Virtual Machines. Select Change both host and data store and click Next.
Select the destination resource for the virtual machine migration.
Q.27. Write a short note on emulation in virtual machines. (JNTU, ME, May 2019)
Ans. With virtualization, the virtual machine uses hardware directly. Although there is an overarching
scheduler. As such, no emulation is taking place, but this limits what can be run inside virtual machines
to operating systems that could otherwise run atop the underlying hardware. This method provides the
best overall performance of the two solutions.
With emulation, since an entire machine can be created as a virtual construct. There are a wider variety
of opportunities, but with the aforementioned emulation penalty but emulation makes it possible to. For
example : Run programs designed for a completely different architecture on an x86 PC. This approach is
common. For example : When it comes to running old games designed for obsolete platforms on today’s
modern systems because everything is emulated in software. There is a performance hit in this method.
Although today’s massively powered processors often cover for this.
Q. 28. Discuss the following:
(a) Xen virtualization technology (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec 2015)
(b) VMware: Full virtualization (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2015)
(c) Operating System level virtualization (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2015)
(d) Programming language level virtualization (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2015)
(e) Application level virtualization (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2015)
(f) VMware hypervisor (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2016)
(g) KVM hypervisor (RTU, Kota B.Tech Dec-2016, JNTU, B.Tech May-2019)
(h) Virtual cluster and resource management (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2018)
(i) Virtualization of data-center (RTU, Kota, B.Tech., Dec. 2019)
Ans. (a) Refer Article 5.2.
(b) Refer Article 5.2.
(c) Refer Article 5.5.
(d) Refer Article 5.5.
(e) Refer Article 5.5.
(f) Refer Article 5.2.
(g) Refer Article 5.2.
(h) Refer Article 5.5.
(i) Refer Article 5.6.
Objective Type Questions

Fill in the BlankS
1. The idea of VMs was evolved in the ___________.
2. Virtualization is the creation of a ___________ version of something.
3. The machine on which the virtual machine is created is known as ___________ and virtual machine
is referred as a guest machine.
4. The idea of virtualization was implemented in the ___________ VM/370 in the 1960s.
5. ___________ virtualization is also known as process level virtualization.
6. The hypervisor is also known as the ___________.
7. There is no intervening layer between the ___________ and the physical hardware this is also
referred to as a bare-metal implementation.
8. ___________ rings in OSs. hierarchical order from Ring 0 to Ring 3.
9. ___________ are similar to system calls and used for the direct communication between OS and
hypervisor.
10. The ___________ presents to the user a logical space for data storage .
11. Types of network virtualization are ___________ and virtual SAN.
12. With the help of OS virtualization nothing is ___________ or permanently loaded on the local
device and no-hard disk is needed.
13. Desktop virtualization provides the same outcome of ___________ virtualization.
14. The ___________ virtualization is cap-ex intensive.
15. ___________ is types of storage virtualization.
16. An ___________ is an interface or communication protocol between different parts of a computer
program intended to simplify the implementation and maintenance of software.
17. ___________ was the first company to develop a commercially available x86 virtualization solution.
18. Microsoft ___________ was released in 2008 as an installable part of the Windows server 2008
operating system.
19. Hyper-V is a ___________ hypervisor because the hypervisor code lives directly on the hardware.
20. Xen is an open source hypervisor program developed by ___________ University.
21. VMware Player is a free desktop application that lets you run a ___________ on a Windows or
Linux PC.
22. VMware Workstation Pro allows you to run multiple ___________ at once on the same Windows
or Linux PC.
23. Microsoft virtual server was a virtualization solution that facilitated the creation of virtual machines
on the Windows XP, Windows Vista and ___________ operating systems.
24. In full virtualization the ___________ is completely abstracted from the underlying infrastructure.
25. This approach is also known as ___________ or OS assisted virtualization and provides partial
simulation of the underlying infrastructure.
26. Virtual memory virtualization is similar to the ___________ support provided by modern operating
systems.
27. ___________ involves managing the routing of I/O requests between virtual devices and the shared
physical hardware.
28. ___________ is the partitioning of a physical server into several virtual servers.
29. In ___________ systems raw blocks are created and each block can be controlled like an individual
hard drive.
30. A ___________ system is the most common storage system that we find with our hard-drives, NAS
systems etc.
31. ___________ is the traditional method used in data storage where hard drives are attached to a
physical server.
32. ___________ is a machine that resides on our network and provides data storage to other machines.
33. ___________ can aggregate different physical networks into a single logical network or provide
network-like functionality to an operating system partition.
34. The ___________ is a type of virtualization technology which works on OS layer.
35. A physical ___________ is a collection of servers (physical machines) interconnected by a physical
network such as a LAN.
36. The vSphere four offers a hardware and software ecosystem developed by ___________ and released
in April 2009.
37. VMware Player allows you to play ___________.
38. CentOS is one of the popular ___________ systems.
Multiplce Choice Questions

1. Virtualization is a computer architecture technology by which multiple virtual machines are
___________in the same hardware machine.
(A) Integrated (B) Mounted
(C) Multiplexed (D) None of the above
2. The idea of virtual machines was evolved in the ___________.
(A) 1960s (B) 1950s
(C) 1970s (D) 1990s
3. The purpose of a VM is to enhance resource sharing by many users and improve computer
performance in terms of
(A) Resource utilization and flexibility
(B) Resource utilization and Storage
(C) Resource utilization and application flexibility
(D) Storage and application flexibility
4. Virtualization is the creation of a virtual rather than actual version of something such as server
(A) Desktop (B) Storage device
(C) An operating system (D) Network resource
(E) All of the above
5. The machine on which the virtual machine is created is known as ___________ machine and virtual
machine is referred as a ___________ machine.
(A) Host, guest (B) Client, server
(C) Peer to peer (D) All of the above
6. This virtual machine is managed by a software or firmware, which is known as
(A) Supervisor (B) Hub
(C) Server (D) Hypervisor
7. Virtualization assigns a logical name to a physical storage and providing a ___________ to that
physical resource when demanded.
(A) Number (B) Pointer
(C) Index (D) IP address
8. Which of the following computer’s resources cannot be virtualized
(A) Processors (B) Memory
(C) I/O devices (D) Keyboard
9. Operating system level refers to an abstraction layer between traditional ___________ and user
applications.
(A) Hardware (B) Operating System
(C) Services (D) Platform
10. Application-level virtualization is also known as process level virtualization. The most popular
approach is to deploy ___________ VMs.
(A) Middle level language (B) High level language
(C) Low level language (D) All of the above
11. Advantages of application-level virtualization are:
(A) Cheaper, increase availability (B) Costs predictable
(C) Reduces the workload (D) Deploying servers too fast
12. Disadvantage of application-level virtualization are:
(A) High cost of implementation (B) Learn the new Infrastructure
(C) Security risk (D) Availability issue
13. The hypervisor provides a way to overcome the architectural limitations and high cost of using
___________ Computers.
(A) Micro computer (B) Mainframe computer
(C) Mini computer (D) All of the above
14. Depending on the position of the virtualization layer there are classes of VM architectures namely
(A) Hypervisor architecture (B) Para-virtualization
(C) Host-based virtualization. (D) Both (A) and (B)
15. Which of the following is not true about hypervisor:
(A) The hypervisor is also known as the VMM (Virtual Machine Monitor)
(B) It is a type of web service provided by Google
(C) The creation of the hypervisor was a milestone in the evolution of computing because it provided
a way to overcome the architectural limitations and high cost of using mainframe computers.
(D) The hypervisor is a layer of software that resides below the virtual machines and above the
hardware.
16. Which of the following is not true:
(A) Type 1 Hypervisors cannot run directly on the server hardware without an operating system
beneath it.
(B) Without an intermediary the Type 1 Hypervisor can directly communicate with the hardware
resources in the stack below it, making it much more efficient than the Type 2 Hypervisor.
(C) Aside from having better performance characteristics, Type 1 Hypervisors are also considered
to be more secure than Type 2 Hypervisors.
(D) Type 2 Hypervisors are also less reliable because there are more points of failure.
17. Which of the following is a example of Type 1 Hypervisors are:
(A) Microsoft Hyper-V (B) VMware Player
(C) VMware Workstation (D) Microsoft Virtual Server.
18. Which of the following is not true:
(A) A Type 2 Hypervisor itself is an application that runs a top a traditional operating system.
(B) Type 2 Hypervisor benefit of this model is that it can support a large range of hardware because
that is inherited from the operating system it uses.
(C) Often Type 2 Hypervisors are easy to install and deploy because much of the hardware
configuration.
(D) Type 2 Hypervisors are more efficient than Type 1 Hypervisors because of this extra layer
between the hypervisor itself and the hardware.
19. Which of the following is a Example of Type 2 Hypervisors are:
(A) VMware ESX (B) Microsoft Hyper-V
(C) VMware Player (D) The Xen Architecture
20. Which of the ring contains the programs that are most privileged
(A) Ring 0 (B) Ring 1
(C) Ring 2 (D) Ring 3
21. Which of the following is the main difference between the full virtualization and para-virtualization
(A) The guest OS knows that it is running in virtualized environment in para-virtualization but in
full virtualization, this information is not known to the guest OS.
(B) The para-virtualization replaces the translation of non virtualized OS requests with hyper calls.
(C) In full virtualization, the guest OS will be used without any modification but in para virtualization,
the guest OS needs to be modified to replace non virtualized instructions with the hyper calls.
(D) Both are same
22. Advantages of server virtualization:
(A) Reduce the number of servers (B) Reduces IT cost
(C) More application can be run (D) Continuity in business
23. Disadvantages of server virtualization:
(A) Slow (B) Storage space
(C) Migration of the data (D) All of the above
24. Which of the following is not a approach to server virtualization
(A) Virtual machines model (B) OS-level virtualization
(C) Para-virtual machine (D) Migration of the data
25. Advantages of storage virtualization :
(A) Migrations (B) Better workflows
(C) More than one type of storage array (D) Cheaper
26. Disadvantages of storage virtualization :
(A) Deal with multiple vendors (B) Make upgrades challenging to process
(C) Not always scale (D) Data security risks
27. Which of the following is types of storage virtualization
(A) Block level storage (B) Register level storage
(C) Virtual IO level (D) OS-level virtualization
28. Which of the following is not included in hardware assisted virtualization
(A) CPU Virtualization (B) OS Virtualization
(C) Memory Virtualization (D) I/O Virtualization
29. Which of the following is not storage virtualization approach
(A) Direct-attached storage (B) Storage area network
(C) Network-attached storage (D) VMware ESX
30. Advantages of operating system virtualization:
(A) Flexible provisioning (B) Support of multiple images
(C) Rapid software (OS/Apps) deployment (D) System 100% identical
31. Disadvantages of operating system virtualization:
(A) No work off-line capability
(B) High-speed LAN recommended (>100Mb)
(C) Not all operating systems are supported
(D) All of the above
32. Which of the following type of virtualization is also characteristic of cloud computing ?
(A) Storage (B) Application
(C) CPU (D) All of the above
33. Which of the following is another name for system virtual machine ?
(A) Hardware virtual machine (B) Software virtual machine
(C) Real machine (D) None of the mentioned
34. Which of the following provide system resource access to virtual machines ?
(A) VMM (B) VMC
(C) VNM (D) All of the mentioned
Answers
Fill in the Blanks
1. 1960s 2. Virtual 3. Host machine
4. IBM 5. Application-level 6. Virtual Machine Monitor
7. Hypervisor 8. Protection 9. Hyper calls
10. Storage virtualization 11. Virtual LAN 12. Pre-installed
13. Hardware 14. Desktop 15. Block level storage
16. Application programming interface 17. VMware 18. Hyper-V
19. Type 1 20. Cambridge 21. Virtual machine
22. Operating systems 23. Windows Server 2003 24. Guest OS
25. Partial virtualization 26. Virtual memory 27. I/O virtualization
28. Server virtualization 29. Block level storage 30. File level storage
31. Direct-attached storage 32. Network-attached storage 33. Network virtualization
34. OS virtualization 35. Cluster 36. VMware
37. Virtual machines 38. Linux operating
Mutliple Choice Questions
1. (C) 2. (A) 3. (C) 4. (E) 5. (A) 6. (D) 7. (B) 8. (D)
9. (B) 10. (B) 11. (E) 12. (E) 13. (B) 14. (E) 15. (B) 16. (A)
17. (A) 18. (D) 19. (C) 20. (A) 21. (A) 22. (E) 23. (D) 24. (D)
25. (E) 26. (E) 27. (A) 28. (B) 29. (D) 30. (E) 31. (D) 32. (D)
33. (A) 34. (A)
Unsolved Questions
1. What are the basic concepts of virtualization? Describe the virtualization architecture.
2. What is virtualization? List its benefits and drawbacks.
3. What is the different level of virtualization? Explain the different benefits of virtualization.
4. Explain how virtualization changes the computing in the IT industry.
5. Briefly explain how hardware resources such as processor, memory, storage and networks can be
virtualized.
6. Write short notes on data virtualization and application virtualization.
7. What are protection rings? Explain how it is used in virtualization.
8. Explain the different approaches used to achieve virtualization with a neat diagram.
9. Differentiate full virtualization, para-virtualization and hardware-assisted virtualization techniques.
10. What is the role of hypervisor in virtualization? Briefly explain the different types of hypervisors
with a neat diagram.
11. Differentiate type 1 and type 2 hypervisors.
12. What is storage virtualization? Explain storage virtualization approaches.
13. Explain the different attacks targeted on hypervisors with a neat diagram.
14. Explain networking virtualization. What are the advantages and disadvantages of networking
virtualization?
15. Explain how cloud computing is different from virtualization.
16. Compare and contrast cloud computing and virtualization.
17. What is desktop or client virtualization? Explain the advantages and disadvantages of desktop
virtualization.
18. Describe application virtualization. What are its advantages and disadvantages ?
19. Explain the server virtualization? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of server virtualization.
20. Explain the different approaches of server virtualization.
21. What is block level storage? Discuss its advantages.
22. Describe file level storage. Discuss its advantages.
23. What are the infrastructure requirements for virtualization?
24. What is the difference between VLAN and VSAN ? Explain the different benefits of VLANs and
VSAN.

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VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES 5-1

5.1.1. Meaning and Level of Virtualization

(a) Traditional Computer (b) After Virtualization

Fig. 5.2. Level of virtualization from hardware to applications.

5.1.2. Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages. The advantages of virtualization are:

5.2. VIRTUALIZATION STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMS

Fig. 5.3. Architectures of a machine before virtualization.

Fig. 5.4. Architectures of a machine after virtualization.

5.2.1.1. Type 1 Hypervisor

Fig. 5.6. Type 1 Hypervisor.

5.2.1.2. Type 2 Hypervisors

Fig. 5.8. Type 2 Hypervisor.

5.3. APPROACHES TO VIRTUALIZATION

Fig 5.9. Protection rings in OSs.

5.3.1. Full Virtualization

Fig. 5.10. Full virtualization.

Fig. 5.11. Para virtualization.

Fig. 5.12. The VMware ESX server architecture using para-virtualization.

5.3.3. Hardware Assisted Virtualization

Fig. 5.13. Intel hardware-assisted CPU virtualization.

Fig. 5.14. Two-level memory mapping procedure.

Fig. 5.15. Device emulation for I/O virtualization.

5.4. TYPES OF VIRTUALIZATION

5.4.1. Server Virtualization

Fig. 5.16. Server virtualization.

Fig. 5.17. Server virtualization.

5.4.1.1. Advantages and Disadvatnages of Server Virtualization

5.4.1.2. Approaches to Server Virtualization

5.4.2. Storage Virtualization

Fig. 5.18. Virtualization storage.

5.4.2.1. Advatnages and Disadvantages of Storage Virtualization

5.4.2.2. Types of Storage Virtualization

2. File Level Storage. A file level storage system is

5.4.2.3. Storage Virtualization Approaches

Fig. 5.21. Direct-attached storage network topology.

Fig. 5.22. Network-attached storage network topology.

Fig. 5.23. Storage Area Network (SAN).

5.4.3. Network Virtualization

Fig. 5.24. VMware schema.

Fig. 5.25. Network virtualization.

5.4.3.2. Types of Network Virtualization

VLANs also have some disadvantages and limitations as listed below:

VLANs also have some disadvantages and limitations as listed below:

Fig. 5.26. Operating system virtualization.

Fig. 5.27. Desktop virtualization.

5.4.5.1. Advatnages and Disadvantages of Desktop Virtulization

5.4.6. Application Server Virtualization

Fig. 5.28. Application virtualization.

5.4.6.1. Advantages and Disadvatnages of Application Server Virtualization

1. No installation required. Installing an application on hundreds or thousands of computers is prone

5.5. VIRTUAL CLUSTERS AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Fig. 5.30. Virtual cluster based on application partitioning.

5.6. VIRTUALIZATION FOR DATA-CENTER AUTOMATION

5.6.1. Server Consolidation in Data Centers

5.6.2. Virtual Storage Management

5.6.3. Cloud OS for Virtualized Data Centers

Example - VMware vSphere 4 as a Commercial Cloud OS

5.7. CREATING A VIRTUAL MACHINE

Fig. 5.34 (a). Download VMware player.

Fig. 5.34 (b). The VMware player package.

Fig. 5.35. The Player setup window.

Fig. 5.36. The Destination folder window.

Fig. 5.37. The Software updates window.