Lecture 05
Course Title Virtual Systems and Services
Course Code :DI-421
Virtualization Structures
Virtualization structures define the layers and architectures used to enable
virtualization between hardware and software. These structures determine
how Virtual Machines (VMs) run on a host system, the role of different layers, and
the model of virtualization being used.
1. Basic Structure of Virtual Machine Architecture
Virtual Machine architecture consists of 4 key components:
1. Physical Hardware: Includes CPU, RAM, Storage, and Network Devices
2. Hypervisor (VMM): Software layer that distributes hardware among VMs
3. Guest OS: Operating system running inside the VM
4. Applications: User programs running within the VM
2. Key Components of Virtual Machine
A. Physical Hardware Layer
CPU: Executes processing tasks
RAM: Temporary data storage
Storage (HDD/SSD): Permanent data storage
Network Interface Card (NIC): Provides network connectivity
B. Hypervisor (Virtual Machine Monitor)
Manages and allocates hardware resources to multiple VMs
Types of Hypervisors:
1. Type 1 (Bare-metal Hypervisor)
o Installed directly on hardware
o Examples: VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Xen, KVM
o Used for high-performance enterprise solutions
2. Type 2 (Hosted Hypervisor)
o Runs on top of existing OS
o Examples: VMware Workstation, Oracle VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop
o Primarily for personal use and software testing
C. Guest OS
Operating system running inside each VM
Examples: Windows, Linux, macOS
Functions as independent system with its own file system, applications and drivers
D. Virtual Hardware Components
vCPU: Shared CPU resources among VMs
vRAM: Dedicated memory allocation per VM
vDisk: Virtual storage space
vNIC: Virtual network communication
3. How Virtual Machine Works (Step-by-Step)
1. Hypervisor installed on physical hardware
2. Hypervisor creates multiple Virtual Machines
3. Each VM assigned a specific Guest OS
4. Guest OS uses virtual hardware provided by hypervisor
5. User applications installed, VM behaves like physical machine
4. Advantages of Virtual Machine Architecture
Cost Efficiency: Multiple VMs on single hardware reduces costs
Isolation: Complete separation between VMs
Scalability: Dynamic resource allocation and resizing
Disaster Recovery: Easy restoration from backups
5. Limitations of Virtual Machine Architecture
Performance Overhead: VMs slower than physical machines
Resource Sharing: One VM consuming excess resources can affect others
Security Risks: Hypervisor vulnerability compromises all VMs
Types of Virtualization Structures
1. Bare-Metal Virtualization (Type-1 Hypervisor)
Definition:
A hypervisor installed directly on hardware without an underlying operating system.
How It Works:
Acts as a software layer controlling multiple VMs.
Manages CPU, memory, and device sharing between VMs.
Examples:
VMware ESXi
Microsoft Hyper-V (bare-metal mode)
Citrix XenServer
Use Cases:
Enterprise data centers
Production servers
High-performance virtualization environments
Advantages:
High performance
Low overhead
Secure and stable
2. Hosted Virtualization (Type-2 Hypervisor)
Definition:
A hypervisor installed on top of an existing OS (e.g., Windows, Linux).
How It Works:
Runs as an application inside the host OS.
Creates and manages VMs within the OS environment.
Examples:
VMware Workstation
Oracle VirtualBox
Parallels Desktop (for Mac)
Use Cases:
Developer testing environments
Learning & training
Lightweight VMs on personal computers
Advantages:
Easy to install
User-friendly interface
Beginner-friendly
Limitations:
Performance overhead due to host OS
Less efficient than Type-1
3. Hybrid Virtualization
Definition:
Combines features of Type-1 and Type-2 hypervisors for flexibility.
Common Technologies:
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) – Built into Linux kernel
Microsoft Hyper-V (Client Edition)
Use Cases:
Environments needing both OS and hardware control
Data centers requiring flexibility and speed
4. Para-Virtualization
Definition:
A virtualization model where the Guest OS is modified to communicate directly with
the hypervisor.
How It Works:
Uses special APIs for optimized performance.
Eliminates hardware emulation overhead.
Example:
Xen Hypervisor (in para-virtual mode)
Limitations:
Requires Guest OS modification (not all OSes support it)
5. Full Virtualization
Definition:
The Guest OS believes it is running on real hardware, but it’s actually on a
hypervisor.
Examples:
VMware vSphere
VirtualBox (with hardware acceleration)
Advantages:
No OS modifications needed
Supports legacy operating systems
6. Hardware-Assisted Virtualization
Definition:
Uses CPU-level features (Intel VT-x, AMD-V) to improve virtualization efficiency.
Key Features:
Ring-level isolation for secure execution
Direct hardware access for VMs
Examples:
KVM
VMware (with hardware support)
7. OS-Level Virtualization (Containers)
Definition:
Creates isolated environments (containers) sharing the same OS kernel.
Examples:
Docker
LXC (Linux Containers)
Advantages:
Lightweight & fast startup
Low resource usage
Limitations:
All containers must use the same OS kernel (e.g., Linux containers can’t run
Windows).
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