If you move in this internet world, it is possible that you have come across the term “virtual machine”. Even though it has a somewhat peculiar name and its operation is certainly complex, its concept is simple. It is because of that, In this post we will try to solve all the doubts you have about virtual machines.
What is a virtual machine
A virtual machine (or virtual machine in English) it is a software that loads a different operating system inside, so the computer thinks it is the real one.
His name gives clear clues: a machine is created (PC, console, mobile, etc.) that, instead of being physical, is virtual or emulated.
In other words, virtual machines are not truly machines with gears and virtual reality headsets.
Types of virtual machines
First, you should know that there are two types of virtual machines, that differ in their functionality.
System virtual machines
A system virtual machine fully emulates a computer, In other words, it is software that pretends to be another device to run a different operating system inside. Therefore, has its own hard drive, memory, graphics card and other hardware components. Decidedly, all virtual.
That they are virtual does not mean that they do not exist. As an example, you can reserve some RAM and hard disk capacity that, logically, they have to come from somewhere: the PC where the virtual machine is installed.
Thus, emulation is transparent and invisible to the operating system running on the virtual machine. In other words, works as if it were running on a computer, without really knowing that it is inside another operating system.
And it is that the virtual machine cannot enter the host or the host in any case, even when you are physically working on it. Despite this, the main virtual machine applications (like VMWare or VirtualBox) have shortcuts and tools that facilitate the transfer of files between machines.
Virtualization is done through software or hardware, which provides higher performance. Several years, it is normal for processors to have hardware virtualization technology, even though sometimes it is not enabled by default in BIOS.
Process virtual machines
Instead of totally emulating a computer, a process virtual machine executes a procedure in its execution environment. They are very useful when developing applications for different platforms, since instead of having to program specifically for an operating system, the virtual machine takes care of it.
With this type of virtual machines you can enjoy applications in the same way on very different platforms such as Windows, Mac or Linux, among other.
What is a virtual machine for?
Theory is fine, but you are probably wondering what is the use of creating a virtual machine on a computer. Here we show you several reasons.
1. Try other operating systems
One thing is clear: installing an operating system on a computer is long, boring and difficult to reverse. Therefore, if there is a new version, the ideal is to test it in a virtual machine instead of on the hard disk. If you are not satisfied, just delete it.
2. Run old programs
In case that, as an example, a company's software cannot be modernized, the answer is to keep using it on a compatible operating system. Thanks to virtual machines, such software can be opened on modern hardware rather than an outdated computer.
3. Use applications available for other systems
With a virtual machine you can also run applications developed for an operating system other than the one you are using. Therefore, it is feasible to use a Windows application from Mac and vice versa.
4. Test an application on different systems
Application developers should always consider as many configurations as feasible, which includes different versions of operating systems. For this you can have several computers or use virtual machines in one.
5. Additional security
How a virtual machine is isolated, provides additional security in certain tasks where you do not want an application to access the rest of the data. As a curiosity, they are often used to install viruses and malware and thus study them.
The main drawback of virtual machines is performance. And it is that if the hardware of a PC is used to support two operating systems instead of one, performance suffers.
Although the applications to create virtual machines are increasingly efficient and the hardware more powerful, emulating an operating system requires additional effort that would not be necessary if the software communicated with the hardware directly without intermediaries.
Do you want to try a virtual operating system?
Virtual machines is a Microsoft Azure service with which applications and programs can be implemented in a virtualized system. At the same time, can be used for many functions: as a development and test environment for cloud applications and programs, like disaster recovery and much more.
