Quick Byte: Virtualization

The goal of this blog is to introduce a reader to virtualization without getting too technical. I want to give you a small bite to ingest, just like those tiny cupcakes at your favorite grocery store. In my years as an IT professional, I have painfully noticed IT professionals (sometimes myself) turning normal human beings into glazed-over zombies with nerd talk. Let’s peel the wrapper off this cupcake and get started!

What is Virtualization? Here comes the nerd talk. Don’t worry. It will be brief! Virtualization is the use of a Hypervisor to allocate resources of a server so that you can run virtual machines. Yep. I know. That’s a mouthful, and it probably does not make sense to a layperson. Let’s dig a little deeper using food analogies.   

Here is the situation, you are a very picky kid that does not like their food to touch. You like for your food to have different areas of a plate because your food nourishes your body in different ways. Let’s break down the parts of this situation and start to tie in the tech talk.  

Understanding the Parts:  

• Server = In this situation, the server is the plate.  
• The plate has a task to hold the different types of food. With virtualization, the server’s job is to house the virtual machines. In both situations, the server and the plate have limited resources, and you must carefully choose what you add, or you could have a messy plate.  
• Virtual Machines = The different types of food that are added to your plate are virtual machines.  
• Virtual Machines (also known as VMs) are like a computer inside a server with a specific job. Just like your food, virtual machines can perform different jobs. Cupcakes and kale don’t perform the same job in your body, and virtual machines can be just as varied. If you have a big plate, you can add lots of food. Servers work in the same way as the plate, meaning that a server with a lot of resources can hold many virtual machines. Don’t forget to double up on that kale! ???? 
• Hypervisor = Parent 
• Your parent is crazy smart and has figured out a way to insert movable dividers into your plate. They want you to be an efficient eater and eat the right foods. Since your parent/hypervisor is aware that you will have a meltdown, they have cooked your food and inserted little dividers into your plate so that your food will not touch. The hypervisor’s job is very similar. A Hypervisor is software that creates the Virtual machine, then allocates a certain amount of resources from the server so that the Virtual Machine can run properly. The result is a happy user that can use a VM to perform tasks.  

I hope that this explanation has not made you hungry and has brought you closer to understanding virtualization. Click here for more information about Red Hat Virtualization.  

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