What is a virtual machine?
Jul 23, 2020 Running a virtual machine is a good way to use an operating system without installing it on your PC. For instance, you can test drive the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview or a new Ubuntu (Linux) distribution without any risk. Here's how to create a virtual machine in Windows 10 without installing third-party software. Meet Hyper-V in Windows 10. Creating a Windows 7 Virtual Machine on Windows 10 I need to get some new computers and would like to get dual use touchscreen versions, however I have existing work software that only runs on windows 7 professional not on windows 10 can I create virtual machines under windows 10 and run windows 7 on the virtual machine, If I can how painful is. Safely and easily run a second operating system as a virtual machine (VM) on a single PC without affecting your main desktop environment and without rebooting. The Perfect Tool for Learning The isolation and sandbox capabilities of VMware Workstation Player make it the perfect tool to help you learn about operating systems, applications and how.
A Virtual Machine(VM) is a compute resourcethat uses software instead of a physical computerto runprograms and deployapps. One or more virtual “guest” machinesrun on aphysical “host” machine.Each virtual machine runs its own operating systemand functions separately from the other VMs,even when they are all running on the same host. This means that, for example,a virtual MacOS virtual machine can run on a physical PC.
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Virtual machine technology is used for many use cases across on-premises and cloud environments. More recently, public cloud servicesare using virtual machines toprovide virtual application resourcesto multiple users at once, for even more cost efficient and flexible compute.
What are virtual machines used for?
Virtual machines(VMs) allow a business to run an operating system that behaves like a completely separate computer in an app window on a desktop. VMsmay be deployed to accommodate different levels of processing power needs, to run software that requires a different operating system, or to test applications in a safe, sandboxed environment.
Virtual machines have historically been used forserver virtualization, which enables IT teams to consolidate their computing resources and improve efficiency. Additionally, virtual machines can perform specific tasks consideredtoo risky to carry out in a host environment, such as accessing virus-infected data or testing operating systems. Since the virtual machine is separated from the rest of the system, the software inside the virtual machine cannot tamper with the host computer.
How do virtual machines work?
The virtual machine runs as a process in an application window, similar to any other application, on the operating system of the physical machine. Key files that make up a virtual machine include a log file, NVRAM setting file, virtual disk file and configuration file.
Advantages of virtual machines
Virtual machines are easy to manage and maintain, and they offer several advantages over physical machines:
- VMs can run multiple operating system environments on a single physical computer, saving physical space, time and management costs.
- Virtual machines support legacy applications, reducing the cost of migrating to a new operating system. For example, aLinux virtual machine running a distribution of Linux as the guest operating system can exist on a host server that is running a non-Linux operating system, such as Windows.
- VMs can also provide integrateddisaster recoveryand application provisioning options.
Disadvantages of virtual machines
While virtual machines have several advantages over physical machines, there are also some potential disadvantages:
- Running multiple virtual machines on one physical machine can result in unstable performance if infrastructure requirements are not met.
- Virtual machines are less efficient and run slower than a full physical computer. Most enterprises use a combination of physical and virtual infrastructure to balance the corresponding advantages and disadvantages.
The two types of virtual machines
Users can choose from two different types of virtual machines--process VMs and system VMs:
A process virtual machineallows a single process to run as an application on a host machine, providing a platform-independent programming environment by masking the information of the underlying hardware or operating system. An example of a process VM is the Java Virtual Machine, which enables any operating system to run Java applications as if they were native to that system.
A system virtual machineis fully virtualized to substitute for a physical machine. A system platform supportsthe sharing of a host computer’s physical resources between multiple virtual machines, each running its own copy of the operating system. This virtualization process relies on ahypervisor, which can run on bare hardware, such as VMware ESXi,or on top of an operating system.
What are 5 types ofvirtualization?
All the components of a traditional data center or IT infrastructure can be virtualized today, with various specific types of virtualization:
- Hardware virtualization:When virtualizing hardware, virtual versions of computers and operating systems (VMs) are created and consolidated into a single, primary, physical server. A hypervisor communicates directly with a physical server’s disk space and CPU to manage the VMs. Hardware virtualization, which is also known as server virtualization, allows hardware resources to be utilized more efficiently and for one machine to simultaneously run different operating systems.
- Software virtualization:Software virtualization creates a computer system complete with hardware that allows one or more guest operating systems to run on a physical host machine. For example, Android OS can run on a host machine that is natively using a Microsoft Windows OS, utilizing the same hardware as the host machine does.Additionally, applications can be virtualized and delivered from a server to an end user’s device, such as a laptop or smartphone. This allowsemployees to accesscentrally hosted applications when working remotely.
- Storage virtualization:Storage can be virtualized by consolidating multiple physical storage devices to appear as a single storage device. Benefits include increased performance and speed, load balancing and reduced costs. Storage virtualization also helps with disaster recovery planning, as virtual storage data can be duplicated and quickly transferred to another location, reducing downtime.
- Network virtualization:Multiple sub-networks can be created on the same physical network by combiningequipment into a single, software-based virtual network resource. Network virtualization also divides available bandwidth into multiple, independent channels, each of which can be assigned to servers and devices in real time. Advantages include increased reliability, network speed,security and better monitoring of data usage. Network virtualization can be a good choice for companies with a high volume of users who need access at all times.
- Desktop virtualization:This common type of virtualization separates the desktop environment from the physical device and stores a desktop on a remote server, allowing users to access their desktops from anywhere on any device. In addition to easy accessibility, benefits of virtual desktops includebetter data security, cost savingson software licenses and updates, andease of management.
Container vs virtual machine
Likevirtual machines, container technology such as Kubernetesissimilar in the sense of running isolated applications on a single platform. While virtual machines virtualize the hardwarelayer to create a “computer,”containers package up just a single app along with its dependencies.Virtual machines are often managed by a hypervisor, whereas container systems provide shared operating system services from the underlying host and isolate the applications using virtual-memory hardware.
A key benefit of containersis that they have less overhead compared to virtual machines. Containers include only the binaries, libraries and other required dependencies, and the application. Containers that are on the same host share the same operating systemkernel, making containers much smaller than virtual machines.As a result,containers boot faster, maximize server resources,and makedelivering applicationseasier. Containershave become popluar foruse cases such as web applications, DevOps testing, microservices and maximizing the number of apps that can be deployed per server.
Virtual machinesare larger and slower to boot than containers. They are logically isolated from one another, with their own operating system kernel, and offer the benefits of a completely separate operating system. Virtual machines are best for running multiple applications together, monolithic applications, isolation between apps, and for legacy apps running on older operating systems.Containers and virtual machines may also be used together.
Setting up a virtual machine
Virtual machines can be simple to set up, and there are many guides online that walk users through the process. VMware offers one such usefulvirtual machine set-up guide.
Related Topics |
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Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Virtual Desktops Business Mobility Server Virtualization Network Virtualization Virtual Networking |
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Getting Started Resource Center / 10-Minute Tutorials / ...
Amazon Lightsail is the easiest way to get started on AWS. It offers virtual servers, storage, databases and networking, plus a cost-effective, monthly plan.
In this tutorial, you create a Windows Server 2016 instance in Amazon Lightsail in seconds. After the instance is up and running, you connect to it via RDP within the Lightsail console using the browser-based RDP client.
About this Tutorial | |
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Time | 10 minutes |
Cost | Free Tier Eligible |
Use Case | Compute |
Products | Amazon Lightsail |
Audience | Developer |
Level | Beginner |
Last Updated | September 11, 2020 |
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2. Create a Windows Server 2016 instance in Amazon Lightsail
a. Choose Create instance in the Instances tab of the Lightsail home page.
a. An AWS Region and Availability Zone is selected for you. Choose Change Region and Availability Zone to create your instance in another location.
b. Choose the Microsoft Windows platform option, and choose OS only to view the operating system-only instance images available in Lightsail.
To learn more about Lightsail instance images, see Choose an Amazon Lightsail instance image.
d. (Optional) Choose Add launch script to add a PowerShell script that will run on your instance when it launches.
e. Choose your instance plan.
You can try the $8 USD Lightsail plan free for one month (up to 750 hours). We'll credit one free month to your account.
g. (Optional) Choose one of the following options to add tags to your instance:
- (Optional) Add key-only tags— Enter your new tag into the tag key text box, and press Enter. Choose Save when you’re done entering your tags to add them, or choose Cancel to not add them.
- (Optional) Create a key-value tag— Enter a key into the Key text box, and a value into the Value text box. Choose Save when you’re done entering your tags, or choose Cancel to not add them.
Key-value tags can only be added one at a time before saving. To add more than one key-value tag, repeat the previous steps.
For more information about key-only and key-value tags, see Tags in Amazon Lightsail.
Within minutes, your Windows Server 2016 instance is ready, and you can connect to it using the browser-based RDP client in the Lightsail console.
4. Connect to your instance using the browser-based RDP client in Lightsail
a. In the Instances tab of the Lightsail home page, choose the RDP icon, or the ellipsis (⋮) icon next to the Windows Server 2016 instance you just created.
The browser-based RDP client window appears. You can use, and manage your instance without configuring a third-party RDP client.
b. To get the administrator password for your Windows Server 2016 instance, choose the name of the Windows Server 2016 instance in the Instances tab of the Lightsail home page.
Choose the Connect tab, scroll down to the Default login credentials section of the page, and choose Show default password.
Choose the Connect tab, scroll down to the Default login credentials section of the page, and choose Show default password.
Important: If you changed the administrator password after signing in to your Windows Server 2016 instance, then the administrator password displayed in the Lightsail console is no longer valid.
Now that you can connect to your instance, what you do next depends on how you plan to use it. For example, you can:
- Create a static IP address for your instance to keep the same IP address each time you stop and start your Lightsail instance.
- Create a snapshot of your instance to keep as a backup.
- Attach a disk to your instance to add more storage space
You used Amazon Lightsail to easily spin up and configure a Windows instance.
Amazon Lightsail is great for developers, WebPros, and anyone looking to get started on AWS in a quick and cheap way. You can launch instances, databases, SSD-based storage, transfer data, monitor your resources, and so much more in a managed way.
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Create a static IP address
Create a static IP address for your instance to keep the same IP address each time you stop and start your Lightsail instance.
Add a snapshot
Run A Virtual Machine Online
Create a snapshot of your instance to keep as a backup.
Attach a disk
Run Virtual Machine On Qnap
Attach a disk to your instance to add more storage space.