Hypervisor Server Solutions

Hypervisors play a crucial role in cloud server hosting and computing. A hypervisor is a software or hardware layer that creates and manages multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical server or host system. It allows these VMs to run independently, sharing the same hardware resources, providing isolation, and enhancing resource utilization for tasks like server consolidation and efficient management of computing infrastructure.

Read more about what hypervisors are used for.

A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based emulation of a physical computer. It allows you to run multiple independent operating systems and their associated applications on a single physical server or host machine. VMs are created and managed by a hypervisor, which is a virtualization software or hardware layer that provides the necessary abstraction and isolation between the physical hardware and the virtualized environments. Each VM operates as an isolated entity with its own set of virtualized hardware resources, including CPU, memory, storage, and network interfaces.

Type-1 - Bare Metal or Native Hypervisors
Type-1 or native or bare metal hypervisor is the most commonly deployed type of hypervisor for virtualization software. It is installed directly on hardware and comes with it’s own operating system. What this means is that the machine has no pre-existing operating system (like Windows or Linux) or any other software. This type of setup keeps the machine secure from Hyper-V-based attacks.

Type-2 - Hosted Hypervisors
Type-2 or hosted hypervisors are installed on an existing operating system and runs your host machine, which could have Windows, Linux, MacOS, Unix, or any other operating system. They are often used for development, testing, or personal virtualization needs. They can be convenient for running multiple operating systems on a single desktop or laptop.

Read more about what the difference is between a Type-1 Hypervisor vs Type-2 Hypervisor.

Hypervisors are often used because they enable the efficient consolidation of multiple virtual machines on a single physical server, reducing hardware costs and enhancing resource utilization. They provide isolation, scalability, and flexibility, making them essential for businesses looking to streamline IT operations, improve security, and adapt to changing workloads.

A virtualization server, also known as a host server or hypervisor host, is a physical server or computer that is dedicated to running virtual machines (VMs) using virtualization technology. It is responsible for hosting and managing multiple VMs, each of which operates as an independent and isolated system with its own operating system and applications.

The virtualization server runs a hypervisor, which is a software or hardware layer that creates, allocates, and manages the resources (such as CPU, memory, storage, and network) for the virtual machines. The hypervisor abstracts the physical hardware, allowing multiple VMs to share the same physical server efficiently. This enables server consolidation, resource optimization, and the ability to run different operating systems and applications on a single physical server.

Virtualization servers are used in various IT environments, including data centers, cloud computing, and enterprise settings, to achieve resource efficiency, isolation, scalability, and flexibility in managing computing workloads. Common hypervisors used on virtualization servers include VMware vSphere/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and open-source solutions like KVM and Xen.

Paravirtualization is a virtualization technique in which the guest operating system is modified to be aware that it is running in a virtualized environment. Unlike full virtualization, where the guest operating system remains unaware of the virtualization layer, paravirtualization involves making certain changes to the guest operating system to improve performance, efficiency, and resource sharing in a virtualized environment.

When you’re looking to set up server virtualization, the biggest factor will always come down to the hardware resources you’re providing to the virtual machines. A physical server uses all the same hardware that your standard desktop PC needs, but at a much bigger scale.

The top three components to consider are:

• CPU: More cores usually mean better performance, because they allow for multi-threading, which is great for an environment that will be running multiple virtual servers. You’ll want to find a healthy balance between both cores and clock speed for best performance.
• RAM/Memory: The more memory you have, the more VMs it can run. Server virtualization needs a lot of RAM, and you’ll still need a buffer on top of it for increased workloads.
• Network Access: With virtualization software, it’s fairly common for multiple virtual machines to share a single interface, making network access even more important. Consider bandwidth speed, the speed of your Network Interface Card (NIC), strategies for redundancy and load balancing.

Read more about what hardware is required for a virtualization server?

Hypervisors: The most commonly used hypervisor is the bare metal Type-1 virtualization in professional work settings. Within bare-metal virtualization, a hypervisor’s own operating system is installed on a physical machine or server.

Containers: Containers are a big part of virtual machines. We can compare containers to how the Type-2 hypervisor works. Containers package an application and all the underlying dependencies together. This container package can then be run anywhere a container engine is installed.

Read more about what is containerization.

Performance: Virtualization can have both positive and negative impacts on performance. While there is some overhead due to the hypervisor, modern hypervisors are highly optimized and can still provide near-native performance for many workloads. Additionally, performance can be enhanced through the efficient allocation of resources and the ability to fine-tune configurations. However, resource contention and over-provisioning can lead to performance degradation.

Scalability: Virtualization enhances scalability by allowing for the rapid provisioning and scaling of VMs. As workloads grow, additional VMs can be easily deployed to meet demand. The flexibility of virtualization can improve overall system scalability. However, managing a large number of VMs can become complex, requiring effective resource management and automation to ensure efficient scaling without introducing bottlenecks or performance issues. Properly designed and managed virtualized environments can achieve high levels of scalability, but it requires careful planning and monitoring.

Server Virtualization: This is one of the most prevalent use cases for hypervisors. It involves running multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical server. Server virtualization optimizes hardware utilization, reduces the need for multiple physical servers, and simplifies management. It's used in data centers and cloud environments to host a variety of workloads, from web servers and databases to application development and testing.

Desktop Virtualization: Desktop virtualization allows multiple virtual desktops or remote desktop sessions to run on a single physical machine. This is beneficial for businesses, as it centralizes desktop management and enhances security. Users can access their virtual desktops from various devices, providing flexibility and ease of maintenance. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a common application of desktop virtualization.

Development and Testing Environments: Hypervisors are widely used in software development and testing. They allow developers to create isolated virtual environments for testing applications, new software releases, and different operating systems without impacting their production systems. This ensures that development and testing can occur in controlled, sandboxed environments, reducing the risk of conflicts and issues with existing infrastructure.