Virtualization

Terms related to virtualization, including definitions about virtualization technologies and words and phrases about server virtualization, desktop virtualization and storage virtualization.

Scalable Processor Architecture (SPARC) - Scalable Processor Architecture (SPARC) is a 32- and 64-bit microprocessor architecture developed by Sun Microsystems in 1987.
second-level address translation (SLAT) - Second-level address translation (SLAT) is a hardware virtualization technology that reduces hypervisor overhead.
service mesh - A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that controls service-to-service communication over a network.
service virtualization - Service virtualization is the process of creating replicas of systems that new applications depend on to test how well the application and systems integrate.
software-defined data center (SDDC) - A software-defined data center (SDDC) is a server management concept in which all infrastructure elements -- networking, storage and compute -- are virtualized and delivered as a service.
software-defined storage (SDS) - Software-defined storage (SDS) is a software program that manages data storage resources and functionality and has no dependencies on the underlying physical storage hardware.
SPI model - The SPI model is an abbreviation of the most common cloud computing service models: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Storage Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) - VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) is a load balancing utility that assigns and moves computing workloads to available hardware resources in a virtualized environment.
storage virtualization - Storage virtualization is the pooling of physical storage from multiple storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device -- or pool of available storage capacity.
Storage vMotion - Storage vMotion is a component of VMware vSphere that allows the live migration of a running virtual machine's (VM) file system from one storage system to another, with no downtime for the VM or service disruption for end users.
syslog - Syslog is an IETF RFC 5424 standard protocol for computer logging and collection that is popular in Unix-like systems including servers, networking equipment and IoT devices.
translation lookaside buffer (TLB) - A translation lookaside buffer (TLB) is a type of memory cache that stores recent translations of virtual memory to physical addresses to enable faster retrieval.
Type 2 hypervisor (hosted hypervisor) - A Type 2 hypervisor is a virtual machine (VM) manager that is installed as a software application on an existing operating system (OS).
unified computing system (UCS) - A unified computing system (UCS) is a converged data center architecture that integrates computing, networking and storage resources to increase efficiency and enable centralized management.
USB redirection - USB redirection is a technology that enables an end user to plug an external device into a USB port on their endpoint and access the device from within a remote desktop or application.
virtual - In computing, the term virtual refers to a digitally replicated version of something real, whether it's a machine, a switch, memory or even reality.
virtual address - A virtual address is a binary number in virtual memory that lets a process use a location in primary storage (main memory) or, in some cases, secondary storage.
virtual agent - A virtual agent -- sometimes called an intelligent virtual agent (IVA) -- is a software program or cloud service that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to provide automated services or guidance to humans.
virtual call center - A virtual call center -- or virtual contact center (VCC) -- is a call center in which the organization's representatives are geographically dispersed, rather than situated at workstations in one location.
virtual CPU (vCPU) - A virtual CPU (vCPU) is the processor of a virtual machine (VM).
virtual desktop - A virtual desktop is a computer operating system that does not run directly on the endpoint hardware from which a user accesses it.
virtual firewall - A virtual firewall is a firewall device or service that provides network traffic filtering and monitoring for virtual machines (VMs) in a virtualized environment.
virtual hard disk (VHD) - A virtual hard disk (VHD) is a disk image file format for storing the entire contents of a computer's hard drive.
virtual hard drive - A virtual hard drive file is a container file that acts similar to a physical hard drive.
virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) - A virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) is a representation of a storage area that is not tied to any physical storage allocation.
virtual machine (VM) - A virtual machine (VM) is an operating system (OS) or application environment installed on software that imitates dedicated hardware.
virtual machine configuration - Virtual machine configuration is the arrangement of resources assigned to a virtual machine.
Virtual Machine Disk format (VMDK) - VMware Virtual Machine Disk format (VMDK) is a format specification for virtual machine (VM) disk image files.
virtual machine escape - A virtual machine escape is an exploit in which an attacker runs code on a VM that lets the operating system (OS) running within it break out and interact directly with the hypervisor.
Virtual Machine Management Service - The Virtual Machine Management service, also known as VMMS or vmms.
virtual machine replication - Virtual machine replication is a process used by information technology (IT) professionals to create backup versions of virtual machines (VMs) The backup can be kept and used to restore the machine in the event that its data is corrupted or lost.
virtual memory - Virtual memory is a memory management technique where secondary memory can be used as if it were a part of the main memory.
virtual network adapter - A virtual network adapter is software that operates like a physical network adapter within the host operating system (OS) or through an application installed on the endpoint or server.
virtual network functions (VNFs) - Virtual network functions (VNFs) are virtualized tasks formerly carried out by proprietary, dedicated hardware.
virtual networking - Virtual networking is the abstraction of network resources from the underlying physical network infrastructure.
virtual phone number - A virtual phone number is a telephone number is used to route calls to the user's actual phone number or numbers.
virtual private server (VPS) or virtual dedicated server (VDS) - A virtual private server (VPS), also called a virtual dedicated server (VDS), is a virtual server that appears to the user as a dedicated server, but that is actually installed on a computer serving multiple websites.
virtual reality - Virtual reality, or VR, is a simulated three-dimensional (3D) environment that lets users explore and interact with a virtual surrounding in a way that approximates reality, as it's perceived through the users' senses.
virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) - Virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) is a technology included in Internet Protocol (IP) network routers that enables multiple instances of a routing table to exist in a virtual router and work simultaneously.
virtual SAN appliance (VSA) - A virtual SAN appliance (VSA) is a software bundle that allows a storage manager to turn the unused storage capacity in his network's virtual servers into a storage area network (SAN).
virtual server - A virtual server, also known as a virtual machine (VM), is a partitioned space inside a real server and is transparent to users, replicating the functionality of a dedicated physical server.
virtual server farm - A virtual server farm is a networking environment that employs multiple application and infrastructure servers running on two or more physical servers using a server virtualization program such as VMware or Microsoft Virtual Server.
virtual storage area network (VSAN) - A virtual storage area network (VSAN) is a logical partition in a physical storage area network (SAN).
virtual switch (vSwitch) - A virtual switch (vSwitch) is a software program that enables one virtual machine (VM) to communicate with another.
virtual to physical (V2P) - Virtual to physical (V2P) involves transferring or porting a virtual machine (VM) onto a physical machine.
virtual to virtual (V2V) - Virtual to virtual (V2V) refers to the migration of an operating system (OS), application program and data from a virtual machine (VM) or disk partition to another virtual machine or disk partition.
virtualization - Virtualization is the creation of a virtual version of an actual piece of technology, such as an operating system (OS), a server, a storage device or a network resource.
virtualization architecture - A virtualization architecture is a conceptual model of a virtual infrastructure that is most frequently applied in cloud computing.
virtualization sprawl (VM sprawl) - Virtualization sprawl is a phenomenon that occurs when the number of virtual machines (VMs) on a network reaches a point where administrators can no longer manage them effectively.
VLAN (virtual LAN) - A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a logical overlay network that groups together a subset of devices that share a physical LAN, isolating the traffic for each group.
VM BIOS (virtual machine basic input/output system) - A VM BIOS (virtual machine basic input/output system) is the set of instructions that controls the booting process of a VM.
VMkernel - VMkernel is a POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface)-like operating system developed by VMware.
VMware - VMware is a virtualization and cloud computing software provider based in Palo Alto, Calif.
VMware AirWatch - VMware AirWatch is an enterprise mobility software provider based in Atlanta.
VMware Certified Professional (VCP) - VMware Certified Professional (VCP) is a certification designed to demonstrate technical competency with VMware vSphere and related technologies.
VMware Cloud on AWS - VMware Cloud on AWS is a hybrid cloud service that runs the VMware software-defined data center (SDDC) stack in the AWS public cloud.
VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) - VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) is a utility that balances computing workloads with available resources in a virtualized environment.
VMware ESXi - VMware ESXi, also called VMware ESXi Server, is a bare-metal hypervisor developed by VMware for vSphere.
VMware Horizon Client - VMware Horizon Client is software that establishes a connection between endpoint devices and Horizon View virtual desktops and applications.
VMware Lab Manager - VMware Lab Manager is a software development and testing tool that enables designers and engineers to pool network and storage resources .
VMware NSX - VMware NSX is a virtual networking and security software product family created from VMware's vCloud Networking and Security (vCNS) and Nicira's Network Virtualization Platform (NVP) intellectual property.
VMware Partner Network - The VMware Partner Network is a global channel partner program with benefits and support to provide VMware's virtualization and cloud technology.
VMware resource pool - A VMware resource pool is the aggregated physical compute hardware -- CPU and memory, as well as other components -- allocated to virtual machines (VMs) in a VMware virtual infrastructure.
VMware snapshot - A VMware snapshot is a copy of a virtual machine (VM) in a VMware environment taken at a specific point in time.
VMware template - A VMware template is a perfect, model copy of a virtual machine from which you can clone, convert or deploy more virtual machines.
VMware vApp - A VMware vApp is a collection of virtual machines (VMs) and sometimes other vApps that host a multi-tier application, its policies and service levels.
VMware vCenter Mobile Access (VMware vCMA) - VMware vCenter Mobile Access (VMware vCMA) is a virtual appliance used by admins to manage a data center from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
VMware vCenter Server (formerly VMware VirtualCenter) - VMware vCenter Server is the centralized monitoring and resource management software for VMware vSphere virtual infrastructure.
VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat (vCSHB) - VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat (vCSHB) is VMware's OEM version of NeverFail, which is designed to ensure the high availability and disaster recovery of vCenter Server whether on a LAN or a Wireless Wide Area Network.
VMware vCloud Director (VMware vCD) - VMware vCloud Director (vCD) is deployment, automation and management software for virtual infrastructure resources in multi-tenant cloud environments.
VMware View Persona Management - VMware View Persona Management is a feature of Horizon View that stores and delivers user-specific data from a remote storage repository to virtual or physical desktops.
VMware vLockstep - VMware vLockstep is the technology supporting VMware's Fault Tolerance (FT) high-availability software feature.
VMware VMCI (VMware Virtual Machine Communication Interface) - VMware VMCI (Virtual Machine Communication Interface) is a high-speed interface that virtual machines (VMs) on the same host use to communicate with each other and the host kernel modules.
VMware vRealize Log Insight (formerly vCenter Log Insight) - VRealize Log Insight is a log collection and analytics virtual appliance that enables administrators to collect, view, manage and analyze syslog data.
VMware vRealize Suite - VMware vRealize Suite, formerly called vCenter Operations Management Suite, is a software platform designed to help IT administrators build and manage heterogeneous, hybrid clouds.
VMware vSAN - VMware vSAN is an enterprise storage virtualization software that supports hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI).
VMware vShield - VMware vShield is a group of networking and security products for virtualized IT infrastructures, comprising vShield Manager, vShield Edge, vShield Zones, vShield App, vShield Data Security and vShield Endpoint.
VMware vSphere - VMware vSphere -- formerly known as VMware Infrastructure -- is the brand name for VMware's suite of server virtualization products that includes its ESXi hypervisor and vCenter management software.
VMware vSphere App HA - VMware vSphere App HA is virtual appliance introduced with vSphere 5.
VMware vSphere Client - The VMware vSphere Client is a web-based application that connects to the vCenter Server so IT administrators can manage installations and handle inventory objects in a vSphere deployment.
VMware vSphere Web Client plug-in - VMware vSphere Web Client plug-ins are programs that either come from VMware itself or from third-party developers and partners to extend the vSphere Web Client with custom menu selections and toolbar icons that provide access to custom capabilities and external functionality.
VMware Workspace ONE - VMware Workspace ONE is a management platform that allows IT administrators to centrally control end users' mobile devices and cloud-hosted virtual desktops and applications from the cloud or from an on-premises deployment.
VMware Workstation Pro - VMware Workstation Pro is a 64-bit hosted hypervisor intended to implement virtualization on Microsoft Windows and Linux endpoint computers, such as desktop systems.
VPN (virtual private network) - A virtual private network (VPN) is a service that creates a safe, encrypted online connection.
vSphere HA (VMware High Availability) - VMware vSphere HA (High Availability) is a utility included in VMware's vSphere software that can restart failed virtual machines (VMs) on alternative host servers to reduce application downtime.
VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) - Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) is a proposed Layer 3 encapsulation protocol that will make it easier for network engineers to scale out a cloud computing environment while logically isolating cloud apps and tenants.
What is a private cloud? - Private cloud is a type of cloud computing that delivers similar advantages to public cloud, including scalability and self-service, but through a proprietary architecture.
What is cloud computing? Types, examples and benefits - Cloud computing is a general term for the delivery of hosted computing services and IT resources over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.
What is hyperconverged infrastructure? Guide to HCI - Hyperconverged infrastructure is a software-centric architecture that tightly integrates compute, storage and virtualization resources in a single system that usually consists of x86 hardware.
What is network virtualization? Everything you need to know - Network virtualization is a method of combining the available resources in a network to consolidate multiple physical networks, divide a network into segments or create software networks between VMs.
What is PaaS? Platform as a service definition and guide - Platform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model where a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools to users over the internet.
What is server sprawl and how to prevent it? - Server sprawl is when multiple underutilized servers take up more space and consume more resources than can be justified by their workload.
What is server virtualization? The ultimate guide - Server virtualization is a process that creates and abstracts multiple virtual instances on a single server.
What is Software as a Service (SaaS)? - Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet.
What is virtual desktop infrastructure? VDI explained - Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is a desktop virtualization technology wherein a desktop operating system, typically Microsoft Windows, runs and is managed in a data center.
Windows as a service - Windows as a service is the approach Microsoft introduced with Windows 10 to deploy, update and service the operating system.
Windows containers - Windows containers provide abstracted, isolated, lightweight and portable operating environments for application development on a single system.
Windows file share witness (FSW) - A Windows file share witness is a file share that is available to all nodes in a high-availability cluster.
World Wide Name (WWN) - A World Wide Name (WWN) is a unique identifier that is hard-coded into each Fibre Channel (FC) device by the device's manufacturer.
XaaS (anything as a service) - XaaS is a collective term that refers to the delivery of anything as a service.