[Term of the Day]: Operating System (OS) Virtualization
Term of the Day
"Operating System Virtualization"
Definition — What is Operating System (OS) Virtualization and what it does?
Operating System (OS) Virtualization, also called a "virtual private server" is a method for splitting a server into multiple partitions called "containers" or "virtual environments" (VEs) in order to prevent applications from interfering with each other.
This involves tailoring a standard operating system so that it can run different applications handled by multiple users on a single computer at a time. The operating systems do not interfere with each other even though they are on the same computer.
Decades ago, OS virtualization was built into various Unix operating systems, and it migrated into the Linux world in the mid-2000s. Microsoft also introduced built-in containers in Windows Server 2016 powered by Dockers. Docker is the most prominent software for setting up and managing containers (see Docker).
The OS virtualization method differs from the traditional "Virtual Machine" (VM) method because it shares one operating system just as in the typical user's computer. The more VMs running in the server at the same time, the more the entire system slows. However, containers communicate directly to the host operating system just as in a non-virtualized computer, and RAM and CPU cycles are minimized. Depending on the size of the app and the required components in each container, hundreds of containers can exist in a single machine.
This involves tailoring a standard operating system so that it can run different applications handled by multiple users on a single computer at a time. The operating systems do not interfere with each other even though they are on the same computer.
Decades ago, OS virtualization was built into various Unix operating systems, and it migrated into the Linux world in the mid-2000s. Microsoft also introduced built-in containers in Windows Server 2016 powered by Dockers. Docker is the most prominent software for setting up and managing containers (see Docker).
The OS virtualization method differs from the traditional "Virtual Machine" (VM) method because it shares one operating system just as in the typical user's computer. The more VMs running in the server at the same time, the more the entire system slows. However, containers communicate directly to the host operating system just as in a non-virtualized computer, and RAM and CPU cycles are minimized. Depending on the size of the app and the required components in each container, hundreds of containers can exist in a single machine.