Virtualization

Terms related to virtualization, including definitions about virtualization technologies and words and phrases about server virtualization, desktop virtualization and storage virtualization.
  • virtual firewall - A virtual firewall is a firewall device or service that provides network traffic filtering and monitoring for virtual machines (VMs) in a virtualized environment.
  • virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) - A virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) is a representation of a storage area that is not tied to any physical storage allocation.
  • virtual machine configuration - Virtual machine configuration is the arrangement of resources assigned to a virtual machine.
  • Virtual Machine Disk format (VMDK) - VMware Virtual Machine Disk format (VMDK) is a format specification for virtual machine (VM) disk image files.
  • virtual machine escape - A virtual machine escape is an exploit in which an attacker runs code on a VM that lets the operating system (OS) running within it break out and interact directly with the hypervisor.
  • Virtual Machine Management Service - The Virtual Machine Management service, also known as VMMS or vmms.
  • virtual machine replication - Virtual machine replication is a process used by information technology (IT) professionals to create backup versions of virtual machines (VMs) The backup can be kept and used to restore the machine in the event that its data is corrupted or lost.
  • virtual network adapter - A virtual network adapter is software that operates like a physical network adapter within the host operating system (OS) or through an application installed on the endpoint or server.
  • virtual network functions (VNFs) - Virtual network functions (VNFs) are virtualized tasks formerly carried out by proprietary, dedicated hardware.
  • virtual networking - Virtual networking is the abstraction of network resources from the underlying physical network infrastructure.
  • virtual private server (VPS) or virtual dedicated server (VDS) - A virtual private server (VPS), also called a virtual dedicated server (VDS), is a virtual server that appears to the user as a dedicated server, but that is actually installed on a computer serving multiple websites.
  • virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) - Virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) is a technology included in Internet Protocol (IP) network routers that enables multiple instances of a routing table to exist in a virtual router and work simultaneously.
  • virtual SAN appliance (VSA) - A virtual SAN appliance (VSA) is a software bundle that allows a storage manager to turn the unused storage capacity in his network's virtual servers into a storage area network (SAN).
  • virtual server - A virtual server, also known as a virtual machine (VM), is a partitioned space inside a real server and is transparent to users, replicating the functionality of a dedicated physical server.
  • virtual server farm - A virtual server farm is a networking environment that employs multiple application and infrastructure servers running on two or more physical servers using a server virtualization program such as VMware or Microsoft Virtual Server.
  • virtual storage area network (VSAN) - A virtual storage area network (VSAN) is a logical partition in a physical storage area network (SAN).
  • virtual switch (vSwitch) - A virtual switch (vSwitch) is a software program that enables one virtual machine (VM) to communicate with another.
  • virtual to physical (V2P) - Virtual to physical (V2P) involves transferring or porting a virtual machine (VM) onto a physical machine.
  • virtual to virtual (V2V) - Virtual to virtual (V2V) refers to the migration of an operating system (OS), application program and data from a virtual machine (VM) or disk partition to another virtual machine or disk partition.
  • virtualization - Virtualization is the creation of a virtual version of an actual piece of technology, such as an operating system (OS), a server, a storage device or a network resource.
  • virtualization architecture - A virtualization architecture is a conceptual model of a virtual infrastructure that is most frequently applied in cloud computing.
  • virtualization sprawl (VM sprawl) - Virtualization sprawl is a phenomenon that occurs when the number of virtual machines (VMs) on a network reaches a point where administrators can no longer manage them effectively.
  • VLAN (virtual LAN) - A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a logical overlay network that groups together a subset of devices that share a physical LAN, isolating the traffic for each group.
  • VM BIOS (virtual machine basic input/output system) - A VM BIOS (virtual machine basic input/output system) is the set of instructions that controls the booting process of a VM.
  • VMkernel - VMkernel is a POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface)-like operating system developed by VMware.
  • VMware - VMware is a virtualization and cloud computing software provider based in Palo Alto, Calif.
  • VMware AirWatch - VMware AirWatch is an enterprise mobility software provider based in Atlanta.
  • VMware Cloud on AWS - VMware Cloud on AWS is a hybrid cloud service that runs the VMware software-defined data center (SDDC) stack in the AWS public cloud.
  • VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) - VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) is a utility that balances computing workloads with available resources in a virtualized environment.
  • VMware ESXi - VMware ESXi, also called VMware ESXi Server, is a bare-metal hypervisor developed by VMware for vSphere.
  • VMware Horizon Client - VMware Horizon Client is software that establishes a connection between endpoint devices and Horizon View virtual desktops and applications.
  • VMware Lab Manager - VMware Lab Manager is a software development and testing tool that enables designers and engineers to pool network and storage resources .
  • VMware NSX - VMware NSX is a virtual networking and security software product family created from VMware's vCloud Networking and Security (vCNS) and Nicira's Network Virtualization Platform (NVP) intellectual property.
  • VMware Partner Network - The VMware Partner Network is a global channel partner program with benefits and support to provide VMware's virtualization and cloud technology.
  • VMware resource pool - A VMware resource pool is the aggregated physical compute hardware -- CPU and memory, as well as other components -- allocated to virtual machines (VMs) in a VMware virtual infrastructure.
  • VMware snapshot - A VMware snapshot is a copy of a virtual machine (VM) in a VMware environment taken at a specific point in time.
  • VMware template - A VMware template is a perfect, model copy of a virtual machine from which you can clone, convert or deploy more virtual machines.
  • VMware vApp - A VMware vApp is a collection of virtual machines (VMs) and sometimes other vApps that host a multi-tier application, its policies and service levels.
  • VMware vCenter Mobile Access (VMware vCMA) - VMware vCenter Mobile Access (VMware vCMA) is a virtual appliance used by admins to manage a data center from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
  • VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat (vCSHB) - VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat (vCSHB) is VMware's OEM version of NeverFail, which is designed to ensure the high availability and disaster recovery of vCenter Server whether on a LAN or a Wireless Wide Area Network.
  • VMware View Persona Management - VMware View Persona Management is a feature of Horizon View that stores and delivers user-specific data from a remote storage repository to virtual or physical desktops.
  • VMware VMCI (VMware Virtual Machine Communication Interface) - VMware VMCI (Virtual Machine Communication Interface) is a high-speed interface that virtual machines (VMs) on the same host use to communicate with each other and the host kernel modules.
  • VMware vSAN - VMware vSAN is an enterprise storage virtualization software that supports hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI).
  • VMware vSphere App HA - VMware vSphere App HA is virtual appliance introduced with vSphere 5.
  • VMware vSphere Client - The VMware vSphere Client is a web-based application that connects to the vCenter Server so IT administrators can manage installations and handle inventory objects in a vSphere deployment.
  • VMware vSphere Web Client plug-in - VMware vSphere Web Client plug-ins are programs that either come from VMware itself or from third-party developers and partners to extend the vSphere Web Client with custom menu selections and toolbar icons that provide access to custom capabilities and external functionality.
  • VMware Workspace ONE - VMware Workspace ONE is a management platform that allows IT administrators to centrally control end users' mobile devices and cloud-hosted virtual desktops and applications from the cloud or from an on-premises deployment.
  • VMware Workstation Pro - VMware Workstation Pro is a 64-bit hosted hypervisor intended to implement virtualization on Microsoft Windows and Linux endpoint computers, such as desktop systems.
  • vSphere HA (VMware High Availability) - VMware vSphere HA (High Availability) is a utility included in VMware's vSphere software that can restart failed virtual machines (VMs) on alternative host servers to reduce application downtime.
  • What are virtual agents and how are they being used? - A virtual agent -- sometimes called an intelligent virtual agent (IVA) -- is a software program or cloud service that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to provide automated services or guidance to humans.
  • What is a content management system (CMS)? - A content management system (CMS) is a software application that lets users create, edit, collaborate on, publish and store digital content.
  • What is a private cloud? Definition and examples - Private cloud is a type of cloud computing that delivers advantages similar to public cloud, including scalability and self-service, but through a proprietary architecture.
  • What is a remote desktop and how does it work? - A remote desktop is a program or an operating system feature that allows a user to connect to a computer in another location, see that computer's desktop and interact with it as if it were local.
  • What is a service mesh? - A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that controls service-to-service communication within a distributed application.
  • What is a software-defined data center (SDDC)? - A software-defined data center (SDDC) is a server management concept in which all infrastructure elements -- networking, storage and compute -- are virtualized and delivered as a service.
  • What is a virtual contact center? - A virtual contact center (VCC) is a type of call center in which an organization's representatives are geographically dispersed, rather than situated at workstations in one location.
  • What is a virtual hard disk (VHD)? - A virtual hard disk (VHD) is a disk image file format for storing the entire contents of a computer's hard drive.
  • What is a virtual hard drive? - A virtual hard drive file is a container file that acts similar to a physical hard drive.
  • What is a virtual machine (VM) and how does it work? - A virtual machine (VM) is a virtual emulation of a physical computer.
  • What is a VPN? - A virtual private network (VPN) is a service that creates a safe, encrypted online connection.
  • What is an Amazon EC2 Instance? Types, features and pricing - An Amazon EC2 instance is a virtual server in Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) scalable compute platform for running applications on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.
  • What is cloud automation? - Cloud automation is a broad term that refers to processes and tools that reduce or eliminate manual efforts used to provision and manage cloud computing workloads and services.
  • What is cloud computing? Types, examples and benefits - Cloud computing is a general term for the on-demand delivery of hosted computing and IT services over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.
  • What is Dell EMC? - Dell EMC is an American multinational technology company that offers products and services across all areas of computing, networking and storage.
  • What is Docker? - Docker is an open source software platform used to create, deploy and manage applications in virtualized environments called containers.
  • What is hardware virtualization? - Hardware virtualization, which is also known as server virtualization or simply virtualization, is the abstraction of computing resources from the software that uses those resources.
  • What is hardware-assisted virtualization? - Hardware-assisted virtualization is the use of a computer's physical components to support the software that creates and manages virtual machines (VMs).
  • What is hyperconverged infrastructure? Guide to HCI - Hyperconverged infrastructure is a software-centric architecture that tightly integrates compute, storage and virtualization resources in a single system that usually consists of x86 hardware.
  • What is image-based backup? - Image-based backup creates a copy of an operating system (OS) and all the data associated with it, including the system state and application configurations.
  • What is LXD (Linux container hypervisor)? - LXD, pronounced 'lex-dee,' is a unified platform for managing system containers and virtual machines (VMs).
  • What is network virtualization? Everything you need to know - Network virtualization is a method of combining the available resources in a network to consolidate multiple physical networks, divide a network into segments or create software networks between VMs.
  • What is PaaS? Platform as a service definition and guide - Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet.
  • What is SaaS (software as a service)? - Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a cloud provider hosts applications and makes them available to end users over the internet.
  • What is server sprawl and how to prevent it? - Server sprawl is when multiple underutilized servers take up more space and consume more resources than can be justified by their workload.
  • What is server virtualization? The ultimate guide - Server virtualization is a process that creates and abstracts multiple virtual instances on a single server.
  • What is storage virtualization? - Storage virtualization is the pooling of physical storage from multiple storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device or pool of available storage capacity.
  • What is virtual desktop infrastructure? VDI explained - Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a desktop virtualization technology wherein a desktop operating system, typically Microsoft Windows, runs and is managed in a data center.
  • What is virtual memory? - Virtual memory is a memory management technique where secondary memory can be used as if it were a part of the main memory.
  • What is virtual reality? How it's used and how it will evolve - Virtual reality, or VR, is a simulated three-dimensional (3D) environment that lets users explore and interact with a virtual surrounding in a way that approximates reality, as it's perceived through the users' senses.
  • What is VMware Aria Suite (formerly vRealize Suite)? - VMware Aria Suite, formerly called vRealize Suite, is a software platform designed to help IT administrators build and manage heterogeneous, hybrid cloud environments.
  • What is VMware Certified Professional (VCP)? - VMware Certified Professional (VCP) is a certification level designed to demonstrate technical competency with VMware vSphere and related technologies.
  • What is VMware Cloud Director (VCD)? - VMware Cloud Director (VCD), formerly vCloud Director (vCD), is a cloud services delivery platform that helps cloud service providers offer secure cloud resources to their enterprise customers.
  • What is VMware vCenter Server? - VMware vCenter Server is a centralized management platform for configuring, controlling and monitoring VMware vSphere virtual environments.
  • What is VMware vSphere? - VMware vSphere is a virtualization platform that includes a suite of products for deploying and managing virtual environments.
  • white box server - A white box server is a data center computer that is not manufactured by a well-known name-brand vendor.
  • Windows as a service - Windows as a service is the approach Microsoft introduced with Windows 10 to deploy, update and service the operating system.
  • Windows containers - Windows containers provide abstracted, isolated, lightweight and portable operating environments for application development on a single system.
  • Windows file share witness (FSW) - A Windows file share witness is a file share that is available to all nodes in a high-availability cluster.
  • World Wide Name (WWN) - A World Wide Name (WWN) is a unique identifier that is hard-coded into each Fibre Channel (FC) device by the device's manufacturer.
  • XaaS (anything as a service) - XaaS is a collective term that refers to the delivery of anything as a service.
  • zero client - Zero client, also known as ultrathin client, is a server-based computing model in which the end user's computing device has no local storage.