lizfcm/homeworks/virtualization/virtual_machines.md

• Elizabeth Hunt (A02364151), MATH 4610

Virtual Machines

Question 1

Run the Linux OS as a virtual machine, or run the application in a containerized Linux environment (which is the same abstraction).

Question 2

A native system virtual machine has dedicated hardware to run the hypervisor, while a hosted system virtual machine runs a hypervisor as a process in the operating system.

Question 3

A virtual machine hosts an entire operating system and requires users to perform configuration if they want to run an application, whereas a Virtual Appliance is built to provide an easy plug-and-play virtual machine image built to run some specific software stack.

Question 4

In a large application sense, containerizing services into their own virtual machines allows for easier replication, scaling, and networking. Instead of running several smaller servers, one large server can host several applications in parallel. This provides a good seperation of concern. And, if one service goes down, the whole system does not go down with it.

Locally, it can help in development when targeting another operating system. Virtual machines can be used to verify builds without installing a whole other operating system.

Question 5

A virtual machine monitor is just another term for a hypervisor, so, see question 2.

Question 6

The three components of a virtual machine are:

1. The host
2. The virtualization layer
3. The guest