1. Hands-On Virtual Computing
Chapter 1
Introduction to Virtual Computing

2. 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
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4. 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
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6. 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.
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7. 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
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8. 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, gateway, file services, and many other single-focus solutions
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10. 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
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15. 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
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16. 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
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17. 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
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19. 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
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21. 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
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23. 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
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24. 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.
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25. 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
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Break
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27. 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
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29. 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.
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30. 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
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32. 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.
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34. 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
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35. 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
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37. 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
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38. 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.
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39. VMware Player
Free, but has more limited configuration options than VMware Workstation or VMware Server
Often used for running virtual appliances
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40. 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
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41. 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
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42. 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.
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44. 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
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45. 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
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46. 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
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47. 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
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48. 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
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49. 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
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50. 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
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