VMware works by virtualizing physical computers using its core hypervisor product. This allows multiple independent operating systems and applications to run on a single physical machine.
Understanding VMware's Core Technology
At the heart of VMware's functionality is the concept of virtualization, specifically through the use of a hypervisor.
What is a Hypervisor?
A hypervisor is a crucial component in the VMware ecosystem. As stated in the reference, it is a thin layer of software that performs a vital function:
- It interacts directly with the underlying resources of a physical computer.
- This physical computer is often referred to as the host.
- The hypervisor's primary role is to allocate these host resources, such as CPU power, memory, storage, and network access, to one or more other operating systems.
- These operating systems running on top of the hypervisor are known as guests. Each guest operates as if it has dedicated access to the physical hardware, even though the hypervisor is managing and sharing those resources among multiple guests.
Essentially, the hypervisor acts as an intermediary, creating virtual versions of the physical hardware for each guest operating system. This allows each guest operating system to run in its own isolated environment, called a virtual machine (VM).
How Virtual Machines Operate
Each virtual machine created by VMware encapsulates an entire computer system, including:
- A virtual CPU
- Virtual memory
- Virtual disk drives
- Virtual network interfaces
Because the hypervisor manages the physical resources and presents virtual resources to each VM, multiple VMs can run concurrently on a single physical host machine without interfering with each other. This is the fundamental principle behind VMware's ability to consolidate workloads and improve hardware utilization.
Key Benefits of VMware Virtualization:
- Server Consolidation: Running multiple virtual servers on one physical server reduces hardware costs and power consumption.
- Improved Resource Utilization: Physical resources are more effectively used as they are shared among various VMs.
- Increased Agility: Quickly provision or clone new virtual machines as needed.
- Disaster Recovery: Easier to back up, restore, and replicate entire virtual machines.
- Isolation: Issues in one virtual machine typically do not affect others running on the same host.
In summary, VMware leverages the hypervisor to abstract the physical hardware, enabling the creation and management of multiple isolated virtual machines, each running its own operating system, on a single physical server.
