What is virtualization, and how does it benefit your server? In computing, virtualization divides physical computer resources into individual virtual machines called virtual private servers (VPS). Server virtualization masks server resources from server users into individual virtual private servers with their own operating system. Servers get isolated from the OS of the other servers hosted on the master physical machine known as the host. So, what is virtualization? In simple terms, virtualization is a process that partitions one big server into multiple smaller servers.
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How does virtualization work?
Virtualization works by installing hypervisor software on the physical server to manage and allocate CPU, RAM, and storage resources. The hypervisor creates a virtual machine with its own operating system. It dynamically allocates the physical server resources to the VM-based requirements. The virtual machines communicate via the virtual network created by virtualization. The virtualization also allows tools for creating, starting, stopping, restarting, and deleting the virtual machines hosted on the physical host.
Types of Virtualization
There are different types of virtualization, such as server virtualization, storage, network, data virtualization, application virtualization, and desktop virtualization.
As explained above, server virtualization is a process that partitions the physical server into multiple virtual servers. The physical host uses few resources without server virtualization, leaving the devices idle. This is not a cost-effective and efficient way to run a server. That’s why we need server virtualization at its highest level.
Storage virtualization uses all physical data storage, creating large units of virtual storage assigned and controlled by management software. It also combines the functions of physical storage devices such as network-attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN).
Network virtualization refers to abstracting network resources delivered from hardware to software. It can combine multiple physical networks into one virtual software-based network or divide one physical network into separate virtual networks.
Data virtualization allows an application to retrieve and manipulate data without requiring technical details. In other words, how it is formatted at the source or where it is physically located. With data virtualization, we keep the data in place and give real-time access to the source system. This reduces the risks of data errors.
We will not explain other virtualization types in more detail. Instead, we will proceed with the most important part of this post, which is the benefits of virtualization.
What are the Benefits of Virtualization?
The main benefit of virtualization is Efficient Resource Usage. Instead of running a physical server, you can create multiple virtual servers with their own OS, disk, and dedicated RAM. This will reduce the costs of having multiple physical servers idle without using their power rationally.
Backup Recovery is also one of the benefits of virtualization because there is always a backup of the whole VPS available for restoring if something goes wrong with the data. The backup recovery reduces the time needed to investigate, detect, and fix the issue, which may take hours or even days. With backup recovery, in a virtualized environment, we only need a couple of minutes to stop the crashed VPS and start the one from the backup.
Automation enables physical servers to be virtualized by special software called a hypervisor. The system administrators can create a template for the virtual machine, and the same virtual machines can be created according to the needs of the clients and developers. Automation can eliminate the possibility of manually configuring the same setup multiple times. It also reduces the time it takes to create something manually every time.
Using virtual machines on one host provides better security since every virtual machine or VPS has its own OS and security updates. Each VPS is encapsulated and isolated from every other, meaning other users can never compromise it.
If you need more RAM, CPU, or storage, you can upgrade the resources on your existing VPS. With virtualization, it is possible to upgrade individual resources as needed, which gives you significant cost savings. For example, if you need 20 GB of additional RAM, you can get that without upgrading to a higher-tier plan. You avoid paying more for CPU cores and storage you may not need.
Virtualization allows users to securely remotely access their servers via SSH, SFTP, and FTP from any device with an Internet connection. This means you can always complete your job almost anywhere and keep your business moving. If you are a company owner, your employees can work from home and connect to the server. This can also help you reduce office space and equipment costs.
Safe application testing is a benefit that developers get daily. They can create a testing environment on a new virtual machine without affecting the production environment. They can try new features, experiment with the new code, update the existing infrastructure, and protect existing infrastructure.
Conclusion
Virtualization is one of the best things that has happened as far as IT enthusiasts are concerned. It improved the workflow and value the best hosting companies can offer, competing with one another to give users the best infrastructure catered to unique needs.
Over the past few decades, our VPS plans have given thousands of satisfied customers full root access to their virtual servers. This alone is very rare in the hosting industry, and entirely unique when combined with our fully managed offering. With our virtualization, users can store their data, host their websites, and always have the latest updates and operating systems done automatically. We provide free migration, no matter where you were hosted previously, and will configure your website to work smoothly, catering to your specific needs. Our support is available 24/7 and will take care of your request immediately.
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