Definition
Hypervisor
A hypervisor is a software or hardware that allows to run multiple virtual machine (VMs) on a single physical machine. The physical machine is called the host, and each virtual machine is called a guest. The hypervisor acts as a middleman between the VMs and the physical hardware, providing each VM with its own virtual operating system and resources.
Types
Type 1
A type 1 hypervisor, also known as a bare-metal hypervisor, operates directly on the host’s hardware to control the hardware and to manage guest operating systems. This direct operation enables more efficient resource management and better performance compared to type 2 hypervisors.
Examples:
- KVM
- ESXi (VMware)
- Xen
Type 2
A type 2 hypervisor, also known as host hypervisor, runs on top of an existing operating system on a host.
Examples:
- VMware Workstation
- VirtualBox
- VMware Player
Virtualised Components
The following components are always virtualised using a Hypervisor:
- NIC (Network)
- CPU
- RAM
- Storage