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- Written By: Shannon Kietzman
- Edited By: Niki Foster
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2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
A virtual machine is a type of computer application used to create a virtual environment, which is referred to as virtualization. Virtualization allows the user to see the infrastructure of a network through a process of aggregation. Virtualization may also be used to run multiple operating systems at the same time. Through the help of a virtual machine, the user can operate software located on the computer platform.
There are several different types of virtual machines. Most commonly, the term is used to refer to hardware virtual machine software, also known as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor. This type of software makes it possible to perform multiple identical executions on one computer. In turn, each of these executions runs an operating system. This allows multiple applications to be run on different operating systems, even those they were not originally intended for.
Through the use of the hardware virtual machine software, the user has a seemingly private machine with fully functional hardware that is separate from other users. Hardware virtual machine software also makes it possible for users to boot and restart their machines quickly, since tasks such as hardware initialization are not necessary.
Virtual machine can also refer to application software. With this software, the application is isolated from the computer being used. This software is intended to be used on a number of computer platforms. This makes it unnecessary to create separate versions of the same software for different operating systems and computers. Java Virtual Machine is a very well known example of an application virtual machine.
A virtual machine can also be a virtual environment, which is also known as a virtual private server. A virtual environment is used for running programs at the user level. Therefore, it is used solely for applications and not for drivers or operating system kernels.
A virtual machine may also be a group of computers that work together to create a more powerful machine. In this type of machine, the software makes it possible for one environment to be formed throughout several computers. This makes it appear to the end user as if he or she is using a single computer, when there are actually numerous computers at work.
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Discuss this Article
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anon129241
Post 22 |
what are the types of virtual machine?
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anon113424
Post 21 |
Will a virtual machine be able to get rid of a tidserv virus? |
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anon87090
Post 19 |
What are the examples of virtual machines found on computers in general? |
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anon85493
Post 18 |
A virtual machine allows you to use multiple operating systems in one local pc, for example, Ubuntu linux. This will allow you to use the os you need without actually partitioning the pc.
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anon71282
Post 17 |
after pre-phase installation do we need to reinstall new os for new virtual console? Can we use same os which is already installed on our system? E.g.: Suppose i have installed 3 os os1 os2 and os3 on my system and each os on different hard disks. and now i installed VMware(or other VC) s/w on my OS1, so can i open my OS2 by using VMware or some other s/w like same on that console? In short can i open my already installed OS via such s/w? please reply to me if you have an answer or any solutions to above. Shirish |
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anon69220
Post 15 |
what is a microsoft virtual pc? |
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anon65278
Post 14 |
what are the uses of virtual machines? |
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anon49646
Post 13 |
I have a copy of a screen capture program located in C:\program files, but I can't "see" it when trying to load/run it in the virtual machine. What to do?
Any help greatly appreciated. JohnP |
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anon44408
Post 11 |
how does a virtual machine work?
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anon35733
Post 10 |
How is a virtual machine implemented in XP? |
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paulnc2008
Post 9 |
How do SMM and protected mode instructions work on a simulated machine? |
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hokusai
Post 8 |
Silly question, but how, having created a virtual machine, do I actually load a program onto it from elsewhere? If I'm 'running the VM' -- henceam on virtual drive C:\ -- I can't access (say) the A:\ drive where my program may currently be located; whereas if I come out of the VM and try to Copy from A:\ to C:\ this is of course interpreted as 'copy to your actual C:\ drive on your actual HD', not to the VM. Help please? Martin |
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anon25268
Post 6 |
It functions in some ways like an emulator that runs additional operating systems, except you are not bound to a limited space on the hardware as you would be with partitioning. The space that the virtual machine is or can be somewhat dynamic, able to increase or decrease allocated memory depending on the virtualization software used. An added benefit is that you can transfer the virtual machine from one set of hardware to another while it is in use. Also redundancy often becomes cheaper if you use many small apps or utilize little space on individual systems. |
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anon23426
Post 5 |
is it a hardware or software?
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anon15727
Post 3 |
how can i create a virtual machine on my computer? |
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anon11494
Post 2 |
how i can change the name of virtual machine on my computer? |
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anon4874
Post 1 |
What are the examples of virtual machine software found on computers in general? |
