What is a hypervisor in cloud computing?

A hypervisor is a type of virtualization software that can be used in embedded systems and in cloud hosting to divide and distribute resources between different hardware devices. A hypervisor is a software that creates and runs multiple virtual machines (VMs) and is also known as a virtual machine monitor or VMM. A hypervisor allows the host to support multiple virtual guest machines by virtually sharing its resources, such as memory and processing. This makes it possible to improve and expand the use of relevant resources.

The hypervisor isolates the operating system from the primary host. The task of the hypervisor is to meet the needs of the operating system on the virtual machine and effectively manage it. Each virtual machine is independent and will not interfere with each other, even if they work on the same host. There is no connection between them. Even if one of the virtual machines crashes or encounters a problem, the other machines continue to function normally.

Why Use a Hypervisor?

A hypervisor allows usage of more of the system's available resources and provides greater IT mobility because guest VMs are independent of host hardware. Since multiple virtual machines can run on one physical server with a hypervisor, a hypervisor can reduce:

• place

• vitality

• maintenance requirements

Advantages of Hypervisors

Using a hypervisor that hosts multiple virtual machines has the following benefits:

1. Speed. Unlike bare metal servers, hypervisors allow you to create virtual machines on the fly. This makes it easier to configure resources to meet dynamic workload requirements.

2. Efficiency. Hypervisors that run multiple virtual machines on physical machine resources also allow for more efficient use of physical servers. Running multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine is more cost and energy-efficient than running multiple underutilized physical machines for the same task.

3. Flexibility. Bare metal hypervisors allow the operating system and its associated applications to run on various types of hardware because the hypervisor decouples the operating system from the underlying hardware, eliminating software dependencies on specific hardware devices or drivers.

4. Portability. A hypervisor allows multiple operating systems to be on the same physical server (host). Virtual machines run by hypervisors are independent of physical machines and are portable. IT teams can offload workloads and allocate network, storage, cumulative, and processing resources across multiple servers as needed, moving from machine to machine or from platform to platform. If an application requires more computing power, virtualization software allows seamless access.

How Does a Hypervisor Work?

A hypervisor helps to create and manage virtual machines (VMs) by abstracting computer software from hardware.  Hypervisors enable virtualization by translating requests between physical and virtual resources.

Bare-metal hypervisors are sometimes embedded into the firmware at the same level as the motherboard's basic input/output system (BIOS) to enable the operating system on a computer to access and use virtualization software.

Types of Hypervisors

There are two main types of hypervisors:

1. Type 1 hypervisor (or bare-metal hypervisor)

2. Type 2 hypervisor (or "hosted hypervisor")

Type 1 Hypervisors

This type of hypervisor behaves like a lightweight operating system, running directly on the host's hardware.

The most commonly used type of hypervisor is Type 1 or bare metal, where virtualization software is installed directly on top of the hardware where the operating system is usually installed. As bare-metal hypervisors are isolated from vulnerable operating systems, they are very secure. Additionally, they generally perform better and more efficiently than hosted hypervisors. For these reasons, most organizations choose bare-metal hypervisors for their data center needs.

Advantages of Type 1 Hypervisors

1. Performance: Bare metal hypervisor have direct access to the hardware resources, increasing the performance of the virtual servers.

2. Resource utilization: They allow better utilization of resources as there's no need of host operating systems.

3. Highly stable and secure: As it does not rely on an underlying OS, it is less vulnerable to attacks and interruptions.

Disadvantages of Type 1 Hypervisors

1. Complexity: Managing and setting up Type 1 hypervisors might require dedicated IT staff due to their complexity.

2. Hardware compatibility: Each hypervisor has its own hardware compatibility list. If your server hardware is not on that list, you might face some problems.

3. Cost: Some Type 1 hypervisors can be quite expensive, especially for extensive deployments.

Bare Metal Xen Hypervisor

Xen is a Type 1 hypervisor that runs directly on the system hardware. Xen inserts a layer of virtualization between the system hardware and the virtual machine, turning the system hardware into a logical pool of computing resources that Xen can dynamically allocate to each guest operating system. An operating system running in a virtual machine interacts with virtual resources as if they were physical resources.

Xen Hypervisor is a bare-metal platform developed by the EPAM Embedded and Automotive team around the Xen Project Hypervisor focused on and within the Xen Project community for use cases outside the data center (automotive, Internet TV, mobile, and other embedded systems) representation the wider open source community.

Type 2 Hypervisors

This type of hypervisor runs as a software layer on top of the operating system, just like any other computer program.

Although the hosted hypervisor runs within the operating system, other (and different) operating systems can be installed on top of the hypervisor. The downside of managed hypervisors is higher latency than bare-metal hypervisors. Hosted hypervisors are also sometimes called client hypervisors because they are most commonly used for end-user and software testing where higher latency is not an issue.

Advantages of Type 2 Hypervisors

1. Ease of use: Setting up a Type 2 hypervisor is fairly straightforward and can be done by someone with basic IT skills, making them a good option for personal use or small businesses.

2. Hardware compatibility: Type 2 hypervisors are less prone to hardware compatibility issues.

3. Less expensive: Many Type 2 hypervisors are free or considerably less expensive than Type 1.

Disadvantages of Type 2 Hypervisors

1. Performance: Since Type 2 Hypervisors must go through the host operating system to interact with the hardware, the performance of these hypervisors is often worse than Type 1.

2. Resource utilization: They use extra resources because they rely on the underlying host operating system.

3. Security risks: They can be slightly more vulnerable to attacks and malfunctions than Type 1 hypervisors, as they rely on the host operating system for their operation.

Role of a Hypervisor in Cloud Computing

As cloud computing has become ubiquitous, hypervisors have become invaluable tools for running virtual machines in cloud environments and driving innovation. Because a hypervisor is a software layer that enables a host to support multiple virtual machines simultaneously, a hypervisor is a key element of the technology that enables cloud computing. Hypervisors make cloud-based applications available to users in virtual environments while allowing IT to continue to control the cloud environment's infrastructure, applications, and sensitive data.

Digital transformation and rising customer expectations lead to greater reliance on innovative applications. In response, many companies are migrating their virtual machines to the cloud. However, having to rewrite every existing application for the cloud consumes valuable IT resources and creates infrastructure silos. Fortunately, as an integral part of a virtualization platform, a hypervisor can help quickly move applications to the cloud. As a result, organizations can take advantage of the many benefits of cloud computing, including reduced hardware expenses, improved accessibility, and greater scalability, resulting in a faster return on investment.

Summing Up

In conclusion, hypervisors have significantly enhanced cloud computing by enabling the creation and operation of multiple virtual machines on a single server, optimizing resource use and minimizing costs. With the ability to isolate these virtual machines, hypervisors ensure robust and secure cloud environments where one failure doesn't affect the entire system. The role of hypervisors in cloud computing is invaluable in facilitating digital transformation for businesses by providing a seamless transition to the cloud, improving operational efficiency, and driving innovation. Through this, hypervisors ultimately improve overall cloud infrastructure.