CHAPTER 30

Virtualization on Ubuntu

IN THIS CHAPTER

KVM

VirtualBox

VMware

Xen

References

Virtualization is an important topic today, but it isn’t a difficult one to

understand—at least conceptually. We cover two distinct use cases in this
chapter: server virtualization and virtualization on the desktop. Most of the
options covered in this chapter work for either use case. In the sections that
follow, this chapter points out specific moments that are focused solely on one
use case. There are several scenarios, both large and small, that are helpful to
illustrate the potential of virtualization and to give the idea some definition.

For starters, imagine a large corporation or business that processes huge
amounts of data. That corporation has many dedicated computers to assist
with the task. In the past, it might have used mainframes, single computers
capable of performing multiple tasks concurrently while dealing with large
data sets and multiple, concurrent users. Today, the same company might use
a server farm, a network of smaller computers that is extensible and where
specific servers in the network can be dedicated to precise tasks.

The problem is that some of these servers do not get used to their capacity.
Take, for example, a payroll server that might get extensive use at certain
times but might sit nearly idle at other times. That seems like a waste of
resources.

What if a systems administrator could pool the resources of all these
machines and then dole out those resources as they are needed? She can do so