A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor (VMM), is an essential component of virtualization technology. It is a software layer that runs directly on the physical server hardware and creates multiple virtual machines (VMs) on top of it.
The main purpose of the hypervisor is to manage and allocate the physical resources of the server, such as CPU, memory, and storage, among the multiple VMs. It does this by abstracting the physical resources and presenting them as virtual resources to the VMs. Each VM runs its own operating system (OS) and applications as if it were running on its own dedicated server, while sharing the physical resources with other VMs on the same server.
Here are some of the key reasons why a hypervisor is needed in virtualization:
Resource management: A hypervisor provides a layer of abstraction between the physical hardware and the VMs, enabling it to manage and allocate physical resources to the VMs as needed. This allows for efficient use of server resources and improves overall server utilization.
Isolation: The hypervisor provides a layer of isolation between the VMs, ensuring that any problems or issues with one VM do not affect the other VMs running on the same server. This improves the overall reliability and availability of the virtualized environment.
Hardware independence: The hypervisor abstracts the physical hardware, enabling VMs to run on any physical server regardless of its underlying hardware configuration. This makes it easier to move VMs between physical servers, either for load balancing or disaster recovery purposes.
Security: The hypervisor provides a secure environment for the VMs, preventing unauthorized access to the underlying physical hardware and protecting the VMs from attacks or malware.
Overall, a hypervisor is a critical component of virtualization technology, providing resource management, isolation, hardware independence, and security for the VMs running on a physical server.
