Although the concept of virtualization is not new, virtualization has recently become a well-accepted means to
consolidate servers and reduce the costs of hardware acquisition, energy consumption, and space utilization. Server
virtualization can be implemented at different levels on the computing stack, including the application level, operating
system level, and hardware level. Hardware level virtualization allows a system to run multiple OS instances; with less
sharing of system resources than OS level virtualization, hardware virtualization provides stronger isolation of operating
environments. Hardware virtualization has become popular because of increasing CPU power and low utilization of CPU
resources in the IT data center.
This blueprint provides a comprehensive examination of hardware virtualization, particularly as it applies to Sun platforms.
It explores the underlying hardware architecture and software implementation. Great emphasis has been placed on the CPU hardware
architecture limitations for virtualizing CPU services and their software workarounds, with details on the software architecture
for implementing three types of virtualization: CPU virtualization, Memory virtualization, and I/O virtualization. It examines three
important implementations in detail: Sun xVM Server, Logical Domains, and VMware's relevant products, culminating in a comprehensive
comparison of these important solution.
Note: This article is available in PDF Format only.
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