Hands-On Virtual Computing Chapter 1 Introduction to Virtual Computing

Overview of Virtual Machines and Virtualization Software Can run its own OS as though it were running on a dedicated computer Supports multiple OSs on a single computer Virtualization software includes many features for managing computer environments Define – Virtual Machine –An emulated computer environment that runs on a physical computer Virtualization software Software that runs on the physical computer to emulate a separate hardware environment. Host computer The physical computer that runs virtualization software and virtual machines. Guest system A virtual machine with an operating system running on it. vir·tu·al/ - Almost or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition: "the virtual absence of border controls".Not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so: "virtual images". Windows, Linux, Novell VMware ESX – own Linux kernel Tools for setup and configuration, hardware verification, Admin & User Consoles Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Overview of Virtual Machines and Virtualization Software (continued) Works by emulating a separate hardware environment in an existing OS environment Runs within OS of a physical computer (host computer) to create emulated computer environments called virtual machines Guest system When an OS is installed on a virtual machine Guest Computer Hands-On Virtual Computing

Hands-On Virtual Computing

How Virtualization Software Works with Virtual Machines Creates a separate environment for each virtual machine Configuration file Contains settings for virtual hardware Virtual disk file Contains a boot loader along with OS files and user data configuration file A file that defines what virtual hardware a virtual machine has available, such as the amount of memory, number of CPUs, and location of the virtual disk file. virtual disk file A file containing the boot sector, OS, and user files of an entire hard drive; it’s used by a virtual machine on the host computer. Hands-On Virtual Computing

Licensing Requirements From a licensing perspective Installing an OS or application on a virtual machine is the same as installing the product on a physical computer Running multiple copies of the same virtual machine Might violate the license agreement for software installed on the virtual system Server 2008 and hyper-V have their own licensing quirks – free if you meet MS requirements 2008 Standard – 1 free VM – licenced per box/assigned 2008 Enterprise – 4 free VM – licenced per box 2008 Datacentre – unlimited free VM - licenced per CPU Hands-On Virtual Computing

Categories of Virtualization Products Workstation virtualization Benefits of using virtual machines with workstation environments Running user desktop environments Running virtual appliances Software development Help desk support Classroom training V appliances – proxy server, storage, backup & recovery, power management, email gateway, file services, and many other single-focus solutions Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Categories of Virtualization Products (continued) Server virtualization Products emulate a physical computer’s hardware Major benefits of virtual servers Reduced hardware costs, server clustering, and improved disaster recovery Ability to create specialized servers to run different services Server sprawl Increases costs of computer hardware and maintenance and increases power consumption Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Categories of Virtualization Products (continued) Hardware virtualization Helps solve performance issues by performing part of the virtualization process inside the processor chip Intel and AMD now have built-in support for virtualization in their processors VMware Server and Hyper-V use hardware virtualization to improve performance Intel – called Intel VT for virtualized Technology into some P4 Pentium D and Core 2 processors AMD – AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) started with Athlon 64 processor Hands-On Virtual Computing

Categories of Virtualization Products (continued) Application virtualization Allows each application to have its own Registry and file system Virtual applications leave no footprint in the host computer’s Registry or file system Products include the following: VMware Thinapp Softricity SoftGrid Desktop Altiris Software Virtualization Solution (SVS) Softicity Softgrid Desktop purchased by Microsoft Main two are Softricity and Altiris Hands-On Virtual Computing

Exploring Virtualization Software Features and Use Administrative and user consoles User consoles Provide a window to the desktop of the OS running on the virtual machine Administrative console Provides an interface for creating, configuring, and managing virtual machine environments Advantage of Web-based consoles They make it easier to manage multiple virtual machines across a network without additional software Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Virtual Machine Hardware Configuration Processor and motherboard chipset Virtualization software provides emulated motherboard and chipset that are compatible with guest OS Memory settings Virtual machines use physical memory (RAM) from host computer for each virtual environment that is currently running To improve virtual machine performance Add RAM to the host computer Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Virtual Machine Hardware Configuration (continued) COM and LPT ports Administrative console can be used to configure a virtual machine to use standard COM and LPT ports USB ports USB has become the standard interface for many peripheral devices CD/DVD devices on a virtual machine Virtual machine can be configured to have virtual CD/DVD devices that can be linked to the host computer’s physical CD/DVD-ROM drive Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Virtual Machine Hardware Configuration (continued) Floppy disk support Only one virtual machine can be linked to the host computer’s floppy drive at a time With virtualization software You can link the virtual machine’s floppy drive to a physical floppy drive or redirect it to a floppy image file Hands-On Virtual Computing

Virtual Machine Hardware Configuration (continued) Disk support features With virtualization software, a virtual machine can use a specially formatted file (virtual disk) on the host computer as though it were an entire drive When you create a virtual machine, you specify: Type of virtual disk Amount of disk space (fixed or dynamic) to reserve for it on the host computer virtual disk file A file containing the boot sector, OS, and user files of an entire hard drive; it’s used by a virtual machine on the host computer. fixed-size virtual disk A virtual disk file that uses the entire amount of disk space on the host immediately for increased performance. Hands-On Virtual Computing

Saving the Virtual Machine State Important feature in virtualization software Being able to save a virtual machine’s current settings and disk contents Nonpersistent disks Changes made to a virtual machine are used only in the current session Snapshots Allow you to return a virtual machine to a specific point if you have problems restoring a virtual machine to a saved state is useful in development and education environments because you can experiment with software options by performing a process several times from the same starting point. Snapshots – a feature for saving a virtual machine state Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Parenting and Cloning Virtual machine parenting In VMware Enables you to have a master (parent) copy of a virtual machine that can be distributed to other users Is closely related to snapshots and undo disks In VMware Virtual machine created from the parent is called a clone Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Network Support With virtualization software Virtual network adapter Virtual machine can have one to four simulated network adapters (NICs) Virtual network adapter Can be configured in a number of ways, including local, bridged, or shared (NAT) When a virtual machine is in local mode (called “host-only mode” in VMware) Its emulated NIC is plugged into a virtual switch shared (NAT - Network Address Translation) mode A network mode in which the virtual NIC is configured to send all packets for the outside network to the host computer, which then acts like a NAT router, forwarding packets to the outside network by using its own network address. bridged mode A network mode in which the virtual NIC communicates with the physical network by using the host computer’s NIC. local mode A Microsoft Virtual PC network mode in which the virtual NIC communicates only within the host computer’s virtual network. No packets are sent to the physical network; called “host-only mode” in VMware. Hands-On Virtual Computing

Network Support (continued) Bridged mode Often discouraged in testing environments Shared (NAT) mode Allows access to outside networks yet isolates the virtual machine, preventing it from sending and receiving packets across the physical network Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Additional Options for Virtual Machines Virtualization software Often has options for installing additional tools on a virtual machine Microsoft and VMware Include tools for both Windows and Linux systems Virtualization software often has options for installing additional tools on a virtual machine. VMware calls these optional additions VMware Tools, and Microsoft refers to them as Virtual Machine Additions. LAN segment A virtual network environment that VMware Workstation uses to simulate communication between members of a virtual team. teams A VMware Workstation feature in which virtual machines are configured to work together as a group. Hands-On Virtual Computing

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VMware Teams Enable you to link virtual machines into a group Communicate within a private network called a LAN segment LAN segments Invisible to the physical network Use a proxy server or NAT router to bridge team members to the network Hands-On Virtual Computing

Comparing and Downloading Virtualization Products Major requirements for running virtualization software Having a lot of RAM and disk space on the host computer At least 1 to 2 GB for each virtual machine Hands-On Virtual Computing

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VMware Workstation 6.5 Features include: Built-in support for most guest OSs Snapshot Manager Being able to capture screens from virtual machines Unity view Teams of virtual machines connected across a LAN Capability to create a virtual machine from a physical computer Ability to map drive letters from the host computer to a virtual hard disk Activity – next slide Hands-On Virtual Computing

VMware Server 2.0 Advantages Reduced overhead to improve server performance Free downloadable product and serial number Capability to run and manage virtual servers from a remote location Web-based user and administrative consoles VMware Server 2.0 (previously called GSX Server) is a free virtualization product that is streamlined to provide high performance for virtual machines running server OSs. Hands-On Virtual Computing

VMware Player Free, but has more limited configuration options than VMware Workstation or VMware Server Often used for running virtual appliances Hands-On Virtual Computing

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 and 2007 Similar products from an operational standpoint, but Virtual PC 2007 offers improved performance and reliability Virtual PC 2007 Contains many important features and is free and easy to us Activity – next slide Hands-On Virtual Computing

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Microsoft’s server virtualization software product before Hyper-V Available as a free download Runs as a service on the host computer instead of as a Windows application Uses a Web-based administrative console Activity – next slide Hands-On Virtual Computing

Microsoft Hyper-V Available at no additional cost with all 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 Runs as a service that can be managed through standard MMCs for both user and administrative consoles there are some licensing provisions which actually allow you to run Windows Server 2008 for free on Windows Server 2008 CALs is that if the server is only acting as a Hyper-V host machine, then you don’t have to purchase CALs for it. If any of the virtual servers are running Windows Server 2008, then a CAL is required. Microsoft gives you the Windows Server 2008 Enterprise guest operating system for free when you purchase the server license for the host license for the host operating system, and for up to four virtual servers that are running on the host. Hands-On Virtual Computing

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Acquiring Windows Server 2008 Free trial version Available from the Microsoft Web site Runs for 60 days before requiring activation Microsoft Documents a method for pushing the activation time beyond 60 days Hands-On Virtual Computing

Migration Tools Microsoft and VMware Offers migration tools for importing virtual machine files from other sources and With free version of VMware Converter, you can: Convert local and remote physical computers into virtual machines without any disruption or downtime Convert other virtual machine formats or backup images of physical machines to VMware virtual machines Hands-On Virtual Computing

Summary Virtualization software Workstation virtualization software Provides a separate emulated hardware environment on a host Computer Can be classified as workstation, server, or application virtualization Workstation virtualization software Intended to support desktop OSs Server virtualization software Reduces server sprawl by consolidating several specialized servers into one physical computer Activity – next slide Hands-On Virtual Computing

Summary (continued) Application virtualization Enables you to run different software versions on the same host computer With hardware virtualization Virtualization is built into processors Virtualization software Has both user and administrative consoles Best way to enhance virtual machine performance Increase the amount of RAM on the host computer Hands-On Virtual Computing

Summary (continued) Virtualization software Teams VMware Workstation Allows you to emulate network adapters for virtual machines Teams VMware Workstation feature for managing virtual machines as a group VMware Workstation Workstation virtualization product with features for running and managing virtual workstation environments Hands-On Virtual Computing

Summary (continued) VMware Server and ESX Server Virtual Server 2005 Server virtualization products that optimize virtual server performance Virtual Server 2005 Free server virtualization product that runs on host computers using Windows XP and later Hyper-V Microsoft’s latest server virtualization software that ships with Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Virtual Computing

LAB Homework Reset Bios to factory defaults – reboot Install Server 2008 on Computers marked Monday Homework Pg 197 for Complete review questions at the end of chapter 1 Hands-On Virtual Computing