CCS372:

Virtualization
Fundamentals of Virtualization
• To Learn the basics and types of Virtualization
• To understand the Hypervisors and its types
• To Explore the Virtualization Solutions
• To Experiment the virtualization platforms

2
 Unit I INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION
7

Virtualization and cloud computing – Need of

virtualization – cost, administration, fast deployment,
reduce infrastructure cost – limitations- Types of
hardware virtualization: Full virtualization – partial
virtualization – Paravirtualization-Types of
Hypervisors
3
 UNIT II SERVER AND DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION

Virtual machine basics- Types of virtual machines-

Understanding Server Virtualization- types of server
virtualization- Business Cases for Server Virtualization – Uses
of Virtual Server Consolidation – Selecting Server
Virtualization Platform-Desktop Virtualization-Types of
Desktop Virtualization

4
 UNIT III NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION 6

Introduction to Network Virtualization-Advantages-

Functions-Tools for Network Virtualization-VLAN-
WAN Architecture-WAN Virtualization

5
 Unit IV STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION

Memory Virtualization-Types of Storage

Virtualization-Block, File-Address space
Remapping-Risks of Storage Virtualization-SAN-
NAS-RAID

6
 Unit V VIRTUALIZATION TOOLS

VMWare-Amazon AWS-Microsoft HyperV- Oracle VM Virtual Box –

IBM PowerVM- Google Virtualization- Case study.

7
PRACTICAL EXERCISES:
1. Create type 2 virtualization in VMWARE or any equivalent Open
Source Tool. Allocate memory and storage space as per
requirement. Install Guest OS on that VMWARE.
2.
1. Shrink and extend virtual disk
2. Create, Manage, Configure and schedule snapshots
3. Create Spanned, Mirrored and Striped volume
4. Create RAID 5 volume
3.
1. Desktop Virtualization using VNC
2. Desktop Virtualization using Chrome Remote Desktop
4. Create type 2 virtualization on ESXI 6.5 server
5. Create a VLAN in CISCO packet tracer
6. Install KVM in Linux
7. Create Nested Virtual Machine(VM under another VM) 8
 COURSE OUTCOMES:

1. Analyse the virtualization concepts and Hypervisor

2. Apply the Virtualization for real-world applications
3. Install & Configure the different VM platforms
4. Experiment with the VM with various software

9
TEXT BOOKS
1. Cloud computing a practical approach – Anthony T.Velte , Toby J. Velte Robert Elsenpeter, TATA McGraw- Hill , New
Delhi – 2010
2. Cloud Computing (Principles and Paradigms), Edited by Rajkumar Buyya, James Broberg, Andrzej Goscinski, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2011
3. David Marshall, Wade A. Reynolds, Advanced Server Virtualization: VMware and Microsoft Platform in the Virtual
Data Center, Auerbach
4. Chris Wolf, Erick M. Halter, “Virtualization: From the Desktop to the Enterprise”, APress, 2005.
5. James E. Smith, Ravi Nair, “Virtual Machines: Versatile Platforms for Systems and Processes”, Elsevier/Morgan
Kaufmann, 2005.
6. David Marshall, Wade A. Reynolds, “Advanced Server Virtualization: VMware and Microsoft Platform in the Virtual
Data Center”, Auerbach Publications, 2006.

10
 UNIT II SERVER AND DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION

Virtual machine basics- Types of virtual machines-

Understanding Server Virtualization- types of server
virtualization- Business Cases for Server Virtualization – Uses
of Virtual Server Consolidation – Selecting Server
Virtualization Platform-Desktop Virtualization-Types of
Desktop Virtualization

11
 Virtual machine basics
• A Virtual Machine (VM) is a software-based emulation of a physical computer. It

allows multiple operating systems (OS) to run on a single physical machine by

abstracting the underlying hardware.

• What is a Virtual Machine?

A VM is a software environment that behaves like a physical computer. It runs

an OS and applications just like a real machine but is isolated from the host system.
Components of a Virtual
Machine

• Host Machine: The physical computer that provides resources.

• Guest Machine: The virtualized OS running inside the VM.

• Hypervisor: Software that creates and manages VMs (e.g., VMware, VirtualBox,

Microsoft Hyper-V).

• Virtual Hardware: The emulated components, including CPU, RAM, storage, and

network interfaces.
 Types of Virtual Machines
•System Virtual Machines: Provide a complete OS environment (e.g., running Linux on a
Windows machine).
•Process Virtual Machines: Run a single application in a virtualized environment (e.g., Java
Virtual Machine - JVM).
Benefits of Virtual Machines
• Isolation: VMs are independent of each other and the host OS.
• Portability: VMs can be easily moved between different physical systems.
• Resource Optimization: Multiple VMs can share the same hardware, maximizing
utilization.
• Security: Malicious software in one VM does not affect the host or other VMs.
Common Virtualization Software

• VMware Workstation/ESXi
• Oracle VirtualBox
• Microsoft Hyper-V
• KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
• Parallels Desktop (for macOS)
 Types of virtual machines
System Virtual Machines
• These VMs provide a complete virtualized environment that acts as a
separate physical computer.
• They allow users to run multiple OS instances on a single physical
machine.
• Each VM includes a full OS, virtual hardware, and applications.
• Examples: Running Ubuntu Linux on a Windows machine using VirtualBox.
Common Use Cases
✔️ Server Virtualization (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V)
✔️ Cloud Computing (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud VMs)
✔️Software Testing & Development
Process Virtual Machines

• These VMs are designed to run a single application or process, not an

entire OS.
• They provide a runtime environment independent of the host OS.
• Once the application finishes execution, the VM is terminated.
• Example: The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) allows Java applications to
run on any OS.
Common Use Cases
✔️Running cross-platform applications (e.g., JVM, .NET CLR)
✔️Application security & sandboxing (e.g., WebAssembly VM)
Server virtualization
• Server virtualization is a technology that allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run
on a single physical server. It abstracts the server's hardware and enables better
resource utilization, efficiency, and flexibility.
• A hypervisor (also called a Virtual Machine Monitor, VMM) is installed on a
physical server.
• The hypervisor creates and manages multiple Virtual Machines (VMs).
• Each VM operates independently with its own OS, applications, CPU, RAM,
and storage.
• The physical server’s resources are dynamically allocated to different VMs as
needed.
Types of Server Virtualization

Full Virtualization (Bare-metal or Type-1 Hypervisor)

• The hypervisor directly manages hardware and VMs.
• Examples: VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM
Para-Virtualization
• The guest OS is modified to communicate efficiently with the hypervisor.
• Improves performance by reducing overhead.
• Examples: Xen, VMware vSphere
OS-Level Virtualization (Containerization)
• No hypervisor; instead, multiple isolated user spaces (containers) run on the
host OS.
• Examples: Docker, LXC, OpenVZ
Benefits of Server Virtualization

✔ Better Resource Utilization – Maximizes CPU, memory, and storage efficiency.

✔ Cost Savings – Reduces hardware and energy costs.

✔ Scalability & Flexibility – Easily scale up/down VMs as per demand.

✔ Improved Security & Isolation – Each VM is independent, reducing security risks.

✔ Disaster Recovery & Backup – VMs can be quickly backed up, restored, or

migrated.
Common Hypervisors for Server
Virtualization
• VMware vSphere (ESXi) – Enterprise-grade, widely used in data centers.

• Microsoft Hyper-V – Integrated with Windows Server for enterprise

virtualization.

• KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) – Open-source Linux hypervisor.

• Xen – Used in cloud platforms like AWS.

 Business Cases for Server
Virtualization
• Before Virtualization: Companies need multiple physical servers, each running
a separate application, leading to underutilized resources and high costs.

• With Virtualization: A single server can host multiple VMs, reducing the need
for hardware purchases, maintenance, and energy consumption.

• Business Impact: Lower CapEx (Capital Expenses) and OpEx (Operational

Expenses).

• ✔ Example: A company consolidates 10 underutilized physical servers into 2

virtualized servers, reducing hardware costs by 70%.
Improved Business Continuity & Disaster
Recovery
• Virtualization allows businesses to create snapshots and backups of
entire servers.

• VMs can be migrated to another host in case of failure, ensuring

minimal downtime.

• Business Impact: Reduces risk of business disruptions due to hardware

failure.

• ✔ Example: A bank uses VMware vSphere to ensure its core banking

applications can failover automatically during outages.
 Faster Deployment & Scaling

• Traditional server provisioning takes days or weeks; VMs can be

deployed in minutes.

• Businesses can scale resources up or down based on demand.

• Business Impact: Accelerates IT service delivery and improves

responsiveness.

✔ Example: An e-commerce company uses virtualization to scale up

resources during holiday sales and scale down during off-peak times.
 Cloud Adoption & Hybrid IT
Environments
• Virtualization is a key enabler for private, public, and hybrid cloud
strategies.

• Businesses can seamlessly migrate workloads between on-premise data

centers and cloud environments.

• Business Impact: Improves flexibility and supports digital transformation.

✔ Example: A software company moves its development workloads to a

hybrid cloud using Microsoft Hyper-V and Azure.
Enhanced Security &
Compliance
• Virtualization enables isolated environments, reducing the impact of
cyber threats.

• Security policies and updates can be centrally managed for multiple VMs.

• Business Impact: Meets regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) more

effectively.

✔ Example: A healthcare provider uses virtualized environments to keep

patient data secure and ensure compliance with medical regulations.
 Optimized Software Testing &
Development
• Developers can quickly create test environments without affecting

production servers.

• Multiple OS versions and configurations can run on the same hardware.

• Business Impact: Accelerates software development cycles.

✔ Example: A fintech startup uses VMware Workstation to test its app on

different OS versions before deployment.

 Centralized IT Management &
Automation
• Virtualization platforms offer centralized control panels for managing servers and

workloads.

• Automation tools can handle routine tasks like VM provisioning, patching, and

monitoring.

• Business Impact: Reduces IT workload and improves operational efficiency.

✔ Example: A retail chain automates server updates using Red Hat Virtualization,

reducing manual work by 50%.

Uses of Virtual Server Consolidation

• Virtual Server Consolidation refers to the process of reducing the

number of physical servers in an organization by running multiple

virtual machines (VMs) on fewer, more powerful physical servers.

This improves efficiency, cost savings, and manageability.

Reduced Hardware Costs
• Before consolidation, businesses need multiple physical servers to
run different applications.

• With virtualization, multiple VMs can run on a single physical

machine, reducing hardware requirements.

• Use Case: A company replaces 10 old servers with 2 high-

performance virtualized servers, cutting hardware expenses.
 Lower Energy & Cooling Costs
• Fewer physical servers mean lower power consumption and reduced cooling

requirements.

• Helps businesses achieve green IT initiatives and lower their carbon footprint.

• Use Case: A data center consolidates 50 physical servers into 10 virtualized

hosts, reducing electricity costs by 60%.

 Improved Resource Utilization
• Traditional servers often run at low utilization (10-20%), wasting resources.

• Virtualization enables efficient resource allocation, allowing multiple

workloads to share CPU, memory, and storage.

• Use Case: A university consolidates underutilized servers into a virtualized

environment, maximizing hardware use.

 Simplified IT Management &
Maintenance
• Managing multiple physical servers is complex and time-consuming.

• Server consolidation allows for centralized management through

hypervisors like VMware, Hyper-V, or KVM.

• Use Case: A retail company uses a single management console to

monitor and update all virtualized servers.

 Faster Disaster Recovery &
Business Continuity
• Consolidated virtual servers can be backed up, cloned, and restored quickly.

• Enables live migration of VMs to another server in case of hardware failure.

• Use Case: A bank uses virtualization to ensure critical applications remain

online even if a physical server fails.

 Easier Scalability & Cloud
Integration
• Businesses can quickly scale up by adding more VMs instead of

purchasing new hardware.

• Supports seamless migration to hybrid or cloud environments.

• Use Case: An e-commerce company expands server capacity during

peak sales by adding VMs instead of new physical servers.

Enhanced Security & Isolation

• VMs provide isolation between applications, reducing the risk of

malware or system crashes affecting multiple services.

• Security patches can be applied centrally without downtime.

• Use Case: A healthcare provider uses virtual servers to keep patient

data isolated and secure.

Cost-Effective Software Testing
& Development

• Developers can create multiple virtual test environments without

requiring separate hardware.

• Speeds up software testing and reduces development costs.

• Use Case: A software company uses virtual machines to test apps across

different OS versions before release.

Selecting Server Virtualization
Platform

Choosing the right server virtualization platform depends on business

needs, workload requirements, scalability, security, and budget.

Below are the key factors to consider and a comparison of popular

platforms.
 Key Factors to Consider
✅ 1.1 Performance & Scalability
• Does the platform support high-performance computing (HPC) and large
workloads?
• Can it scale efficiently with increasing workloads?
✅ 1.2 Compatibility & Integration
• Supports multiple operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS)?
• Works with existing IT infrastructure (network, storage, cloud)?
✅ 1.3 Management & Automation Features
• Centralized management via dashboard or command-line tools?
• Supports automated provisioning, updates, and monitoring?
✅ 1.4 High Availability & Disaster Recovery
• Offers live migration, failover clustering, and backup integration?
• Ensures minimal downtime in case of hardware failure?
✅ 1.5 Security & Compliance
• Built-in security features like encryption, firewall, and isolation?
• Meets industry standards for data protection (HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS,
etc.)?
✅ 1.6 Cost & Licensing
• Open-source vs. commercial licensing?
• Does it fit within your IT budget?
 1. Features and Capabilities

• Virtual Machine Support: Make sure the platform supports the type of
virtual machines (VMs) you need, including hardware acceleration,
snapshots, and cloning.
• Live Migration: Some platforms allow moving running VMs from one
physical server to another without downtime, which is important for load
balancing and maintenance.
• Storage Virtualization: Check if the platform provides shared storage
options for better VM management and performance.
• Network Virtualization: Some platforms offer network virtualization to
manage the virtual network infrastructure.
• High Availability and Fault Tolerance: Ensure the platform supports
failover, replication, and disaster recovery.
2. Performance
• Resource Management: Look at how the platform handles CPU, memory,
and storage allocation for VMs.

• Resource Optimization: Check if the platform provides automatic resource

optimization, such as dynamic resource allocation or load balancing.

3. Scalability

• Choose a platform that can scale with your future needs, whether that
means supporting a growing number of VMs, more servers, or greater
storage capacity.
4. Security
• The platform should offer robust security features, such as secure boot, VM
isolation, and encryption of data both at rest and in transit.
5. Cost
• Evaluate the total cost of ownership, including initial licensing, support,
training, and any additional hardware requirements.
• Consider if the platform offers a free version or trial to test the capabilities
before committing to a purchase.
6. Management Tools
• Look for a platform with a centralized management interface to manage the
virtualized environment.
• The ability to automate tasks like VM provisioning, patch management, and
updates can also reduce administrative overhead.
7. Integration and Compatibility

• Ensure the platform integrates with your existing IT infrastructure, such as

storage systems, networking equipment, and operating systems.

• Also, check for third-party integrations, such as backup, monitoring, and

security solutions.

8. Support and Community

• Consider the level of support offered by the vendor and the community
around the platform. Some platforms have large communities and forums
where you can get help and share knowledge.
 Popular Server Virtualization Platforms
1. VMware vSphere (ESXi)

• Strengths: Industry leader in virtualization, feature-rich, robust management, scalability, and high
availability.

• Best For: Large enterprises and organizations with complex IT environments.

• Pricing: Paid, with a free version of ESXi available but limited in features.

2. Microsoft Hyper-V

• Strengths: Seamless integration with Windows Server and Active Directory, supports Windows and
Linux VMs, good performance.

• Best For: Organizations already using Microsoft infrastructure.

• Pricing: Included with Windows Server, but can have additional licensing costs for advanced features.
3. Proxmox VE

• Strengths: Open-source, flexible, supports both KVM and LXC containers, centralized
management, backup features, and good for small to medium-sized businesses.

• Best For: Cost-conscious organizations, small businesses, and open-source enthusiasts.

• Pricing: Free with paid support options.

4. XenServer (Citrix Hypervisor)

• Strengths: Open-source, powerful VM management, supports a wide range of operating

systems, high availability, and live migration.

• Best For: Businesses looking for a robust, open-source solution.

• Pricing: Free with paid support options.

5. Oracle VM Server

• Strengths: Integration with Oracle software, high-performance virtualization, and good for
Oracle applications.

• Best For: Oracle-centric environments.

• Pricing: Free, but typically used with Oracle products which may incur additional costs.

6. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

• Strengths: Open-source, lightweight, and highly customizable, good for Linux environments.

• Best For: Linux-based environments or when you want full control over the virtual
infrastructure.

• Pricing: Free.
7. Red Hat Virtualization (RHV)

• Strengths: Enterprise-grade, based on KVM, integrated with Red Hat

technologies, and offers solid support.

• Best For: Enterprises that rely on Red Hat products.

• Pricing: Paid, typically requiring a subscription for updates and

support.
Desktop Virtualization
• Desktop virtualization allows organizations to run desktop operating
systems (OS) on virtual machines (VMs) instead of on physical
hardware. Users access these virtual desktops remotely from various
devices, enabling flexibility, centralized management, and enhanced
security.
There are two primary types of desktop virtualization:

• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): Provides virtualized desktop

environments hosted on centralized servers. Users can access their desktop
from anywhere, using any device.

• Remote Desktop Services (RDS) or Remote Desktop Virtualization (RDV):

Allows users to access a shared server where the desktop environment or
applications are hosted. Unlike VDI, RDS typically hosts multiple users on a
single virtual machine.
 Key Benefits of Desktop Virtualization

• Centralized Management: IT admins can manage virtual desktops from a single location, making
updates, patches, and configurations more efficient.

• Security: With virtual desktops stored centrally, data does not reside on end-user devices, reducing the
risk of data theft or loss.

• Cost Savings: By using lower-cost thin clients or repurposed old hardware for users, you can reduce
hardware expenses.

• Flexibility: Users can access their desktops from various devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones) and
locations (office, remote work, etc.).

• Disaster Recovery: Virtual desktops are easier to back up and recover in case of a system failure.

• Improved Compliance: Organizations can better control and monitor user activities, enhancing
compliance with security and regulatory standards.
 Key Components of Desktop Virtualization

• Hypervisor: The software responsible for creating and managing VMs. In the case
of desktop virtualization, it runs the virtual desktops.

• Connection Broker: A component that connects users to their virtual desktop

sessions, ensuring they get the appropriate virtual machine based on their profile.

• Virtualization Platform: The underlying platform used to create and manage

virtual desktops, including storage, networking, and computing resources.

• User Devices (Thin Clients or Endpoints): Devices users access virtual desktops
from. These can be thin clients, laptops, or mobile devices.