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Systems & Data Center · Foundational

Hypervisor

Software that creates and runs virtual machines by abstracting physical CPU, memory, storage and network resources.

Definition

The hypervisor (virtual machine monitor) isolates guest operating systems and schedules their access to hardware. Type 1 hypervisors run directly on hardware, while Type 2 hypervisors run on a host OS.

Example

VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V and KVM are hypervisors widely used in data centers.

Exam tip

Know the Type 1 versus Type 2 distinction and examples of each.

Related terms