A few years ago, the concept of a virtual machine (VM) was alien to many. In fact, before VM technology, companies had to install hardware and software for each physical server. Today, with the introduction of VMs, one physical server can host multiple virtual servers in different configurations. But what is a virtual machine? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing virtual machines? More importantly, does a virtual machine require hardware?
What is a Virtual Machine?
A virtual machine (VM) is a technology that allows you to run many operating systems simultaneously on a single piece of hardware. VMs will enable you to create a virtual environment on your computer. This environment allows you to install new software and programs without affecting the existing system.
Virtual machine software creates virtual platforms—a combination of hardware and software resources. It enables the user to run multiple operating systems on the same physical machine by partitioning the computer memory into multiple segments. This allows each virtual platform to operate independently and helps meet various application requirements.
A virtual machine does require hardware to run. However, it's not additional hardware per se. Instead, it allocates resources from your existing hardware. For instance, the virtual machine will use part of your computer's hard drive as storage and dedicate a portion of its RAM.
Why Choose Virtual Machines Over Physical Servers?
Choosing virtual machines over physical servers offers one distinct advantage—enabling multiple operating systems and applications to run on a single physical server. This maximizes hardware utilization, allowing organizations to do more with less infrastructure. Unlike physical servers, which are often underutilized, VMs can dynamically allocate resources based on workload demands, improving efficiency and reducing costs.
Additionally, VMs provide greater flexibility for testing, development, and disaster recovery. They enable quick provisioning, easy backups, and seamless migrations between environments. This makes VMs an ideal choice for businesses looking to optimize their IT resources while
Advantages vs. Disadvantages of Virtual Machines
Before you decide whether to implement this technology, you must understand the benefits of virtual machine technology in operating systems.
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | Reduces hardware costs by running multiple VMs on one server, requiring fewer hardware resources. | Purchasing VM software and storage space can sometimes be costlier than installing physical servers for each application. |
| Resource Utilization | Maximizes hardware utilization with better resource allocation. | Performance overhead due to shared resources. |
| Platform Independence and Flexibility | Easily scalable and allows running multiple OS environments. | Limited compatibility with some hardware or legacy systems. |
| Disaster Recovery | Simplifies backup and recovery processes. | Recovery relies on host system stability. |
| Security and Isolation | Provides isolated environments for testing and development. | If host security is compromised, all VMs are at risk. |
| Structure | Allows software developers to code applications on any hardware or operating system. | Creating too many VMs you don’t actively use can lead to server sprawl. |
| Maintenance and Management | Simplifies system management and updates. | Requires skilled professionals to configure and manage the virtualization setup. |
Features of Virtual Machines
A look at the core features of this technology can help you better understand the advantages and disadvantages of virtual machines. That said, here are some of the core features of VMs in OS that make them so powerful:
Multi-tenancy. This is one of the key features of virtual machines in cloud computing. Multi-tenancy allows multiple users to access a single physical server or cloud platform. This feature makes virtual machines ideal for resource sharing — multiple users can access the same resources.
Isolation. Each virtual machine is isolated from other machines and only has access to its resources — helping to protect it from malicious attacks and malware.
Portability. Virtual machines are transferrable between different platforms or hardware configurations — making it easy to scale the computing resources as per your needs.
Resource Optimization. This feature allows virtual machines to use hardware resources more efficiently by sharing them across multiple machines. This helps improve performance and reduces costs, as you don't have to purchase additional hardware for each application or server.
Virtual Machine Example
One of the best examples of a virtual machine setup is using Scale Computing HyperCore, widely regarded as one of the best systems for running virtual machines on a Windows operating system. This software provides flexibility and robust performance, which makes it a great choice for beginners and seasoned professionals.
Creating a virtual machine is a simple process accomplished through the SC//HyperCore interface in a single dialogue box. The interface is also used to upload OS and Virtual Appliance ISO installation images for VM installation as part of the VM creation process (ISOs are virtual DVD / CD images). ISO images can be uploaded by drag-and-drop anywhere on the HyperCore UI, or you can manage and upload ISOs through the media tab in the SC//HyperCore Control Center console. Once uploaded, ISO images are available for use by any future VMs.
Selecting the Create VM option (the + icon in the UI) right from the main VM management screen allows the user to specify required and optional parameters for the virtual machine, including:
- VM name and optional description
- Optional tags that allow logical VM grouping (the VM name, description, and tags are searchable and filterable in the main VM management screen)
- Number of virtual CPU cores
- VM RAM
- Number and size of virtual, thin provisioned disks
- A previously uploaded virtual DVD/CD ISO image for installing an operating system
Creating a virtual machine creates persistent VM configuration parameters and virtual disks using the Scale Computing Reliable Independent Block Engine (SCRIBE) distributed storage pool that attaches to the VM when started. SC//HyperCore VMs can access their virtual disks directly as if they are local disks without using any SAN or NAS protocols, regardless of which node the VM is running on.
Because all SC//HyperCore capable nodes have access to the entire pool of storage, virtual machine placement on nodes is determined by the availability of compute resources (RAM and CPU).
Why Migrating to Scale Computing's Virtualization Solution is the Smart Choice
Whether transitioning from an existing virtualization platform or virtualizing for the first time, there’s a smarter way to achieve your goals. SC//Platform offers a straightforward, cost-effective approach to virtualization, designed to be simple to deploy, manage, and expand—whether for a single location or a distributed edge computing network spanning hundreds of sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is one benefit of using a virtual machine versus a physical server?
A virtual machine allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical server, maximizing resource utilization and reducing hardware costs.
What are some common examples of virtual machine platforms?
Common virtual machine platforms include Scale Computing Platform, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Oracle VirtualBox.
What are the main advantages of using virtual machines?
Virtual machines provide flexibility, scalability, and cost savings by enabling efficient use of hardware resources, simplifying disaster recovery, and allowing for isolated environments for testing or development.
What are the disadvantages of virtualization and virtual machines?
Disadvantages include potential performance overhead, increased complexity in management, and vulnerability to the failure of the underlying physical hardware.