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[[Category:Virtualization| ]]


From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization Wikipedia], the free encyclopedia



In computing, virtualization is a broad term that refers to the abstraction of computer resources:

::* Virtual machine (VM), a software implementation of a machine (computer) that executes programs like a real machine
:::* Platform virtualization, which separates an operating system from the underlying platform resources
::::* Full virtualization, sensitive instructions replaced by binary translation or trapped by hardware - all software can run in the VM, e.g. IBM's CP/CMS, VirtualBox, VMware Workstation
::::* Hardware-assisted virtualization, CPU traps sensitive instructions - runs unmodified guest OS; used e.g. by VMware Workstation, Xen, KVM
::::* Partial virtualization, for specific applications rather than the operating system
::::* Paravirtualization, a virtualization technique that presents a software interface to virtual machines that is similar, but not identical, to that of the underlying hardware, thereby requiring guest operating systems to be adapted
::::* Operating system-level virtualization, a method where the operating system allows for multiple user-space instances (virtual hosting, chroot jail + resource management)
:::* Application virtualization, the hosting of individual applications on alien hardware/software
::::* Portable application, a computer software program that runs from a removable storage device as a USB flash drive
::::* Cross-platform virtualization, allows software compiled for a specific CPU and operating system to run unmodified on different CPUs and/or operating systems
::::* Virtual appliance, a virtual machine image designed to run on a virtualization platform
::::* Emulation or simulation
::* Virtual memory, which allows uniform, contiguous addressing of physically separate and non-contiguous memory and disk areas
::* Storage virtualization, the process of completely abstracting logical storage from physical storage
::* Network virtualization, creation of a virtualised network addressing space within or across network subnets
::* Virtual private network (VPN), a computer network in which some of the links between nodes are carried by open connections or virtual circuits in some larger network(s), such as the Internet
::* Memory virtualization, aggregates RAM resources from networked systems into virtualized memory pool
::* Desktop virtualization, the remote manipulation of a computer desktop
::* Timeline of virtualization development, further work in this area

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