Chapter 2
Virtual Machine Resource Fundamentals
This chapter covers the primary building blocks of a virtual machine: the
motherboard, processor, memory, and storage resources. You will look at the
mechanics behind how these building blocks are virtualized on the physical host and
explore the configuration options available for each of the virtualized resources when
it’s assigned to a virtual machine. You will also take a look at the advantages and
limitations of the options in the different common usage scenarios. By thoroughly
understanding the fundamentals of virtual machine resources, you will be able to
correctly architect the optimal virtual machine configuration based on the
requirements available. You will also understand why the many other technologies are
needed and how they should be utilized when they are explained later in this book.
In this chapter, you will learn to:
Describe how the resources of a virtual machine are virtualized by the hypervisor.
Use processor and memory advanced configuration options.
Explain the difference between VHD/VHDX and pass-through storage.