What is a Virtual Machine in Cloud Computing?
Written By
Ananaya Kandpal
Reading time: 4 minutes
A virtual machine refers to an abstraction of a physical computer that is created and runs on top of another computer. In the cloud computing paradigm, virtual machines help users operate different operating systems and applications on an individual server with the help of virtualization tools. This feature is crucial to the cloud infrastructure since it eases an elastic nature, resource efficiency, and adaptability.
What is Virtualization?
Virtualization is a process that helps integrate in the form of virtual appearances, like servers, storage, networks, etc. This is done with the help of another software layer, which is called a Hypervisor. It divides the physical resources between the virtual machines.
The Hypervisor enables different virtual machines to run on a single physical server, where each virtual machine has its own operating system and software applications designed on top; all these utilize the server’s hardware.
Types of Hypervisor
There are mainly two types of hypervisors, according to their place in the server virtualization structure:
Type 1 Hypervisors, which are also known as bare-metal or native
Type 2 Hypervisors, which are also known as hosted hypervisors
Type 1 and Type 2 hypervisors are software you use to run one or more virtual machines on a single physical machine. A virtual machine is a digital copy of a physical machine. It’s an isolated computing environment that your users experience as fully independent of the underlying hardware. The hypervisor refers to a technology that makes this possible. It handles and distributes physical resources to VMs and communicates with the underlying hardware in the background.
The type 1 hypervisor sits on top of the bare metal server and has direct access to the hardware resources. Because of this, the type 1 hypervisor is also known as a bare metal hypervisor. On the other hand, the type 2 hypervisor is an application installed on the host operating system. It’s also known as a hosted or embedded hypervisor.
Key Components of Virtual Machine
A virtual machine consists of various crucial parts:
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Virtual Hardware: The hardware of each virtual machine comprises its virtual components, like CPU, memory, storage media, and network adapters. This virtual hardware is described as files on the host machine.
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Operating System: VMs can run different operating systems independently of the host OS. It allows different environments to exist together on one physical server.
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Applications: Users can easily download and execute applications within the virtual machine, similar to how they would on a computer.
Significant Benefits of Virtual Machines in Cloud Computing
Virtual machines provide various benefits, mainly when deployed in cloud environments:
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Scalability: The capacity of cloud virtual machines can be increased or decreased instantly in response to needs. Organizations can easily set up more virtual machines to manage higher workloads without buying more physical equipment.
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Cost-Effective: Operating several virtual machines on one physical server enables organizations to make the most of resources and lower purchasing, upkeep, and power usage charges.
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Portability: It is easy to transfer VMs between different physical servers or cloud environments. The mobility makes disaster recovery, application migration, and load balancing easier.
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Isolation: Each VM functions separately, so issues in one VM do not affect the others. It elevates security and stability for safer testing and development environments.
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Rapid Provisioning: Instantly creating, cloning, or destroying VMs enables the fast deployment of applications and services, known as rapid provisioning. Businesses need agility to quickly adapt to shifts in market conditions.
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Better Security: By applying tailored security features, VMs allow businesses to set up safe testing environments and manage crucial data without risking the host system.
Thus, virtual machines are crucial in cloud computing since they allow the organization of resources, scalability, and flexibility. It becomes crucial to comprehend how virtual machines (VMs) function and the advantages they offer for improving IT environments on the eve of businesses gradually integrating cloud technologies into production. Businesses can improve operational efficiency, save expenses, and better manage shifting needs in the digital world by utilizing virtual machines (VMs).
