Virtualization in cloud computing.

Virtualization is the process of constructing an abstraction layer on top of computer hardware

using software. This layer enables the physical elements of a single computer, such as its
processors, memory, storage, and other components, to be partitioned into multiple virtual
computers, also known as virtual machines (VMs). Each virtual machine (VM) has its own
operating system (OS) and works on its own, even though it only uses a small part of the real
computer hardware underneath

Virtualization Technologies
1. Virtualization assigns a logical name for a physical resource and then provides a
pointer to that physical resource when a request is made.
2. It provides a means to manage resources efficiently because the mapping of virtual
resources to physical resources can be both dynamic and facile.
3. Virtualization is dynamic in that the mapping can be assigned based on rapidly
changing conditions, and it is facile because changes to a mapping assignment can be
nearly instantaneous.
These are among the different types of virtualization that are characteristic of cloud
computing:
Access: A client can request access to a cloud service from any location.
Application: A cloud has multiple application instances and directs requests to an
instance based on conditions.
CPU: Computers can be partitioned into a set of virtual machines with each machine
being assigned a workload. Alternatively, systems can be virtualized through load-balancing
technologies.
Storage: Data is stored across storage devices and often replicated for redundancy.
To enable these characteristics, resources must be highly configurable and flexible. You can
define the features in software and hardware that enable this flexibility as conforming to one
or more of the following mobility patterns:
l P2V: Physical to Virtual
l V2V: Virtual to Virtual
l V2P: Virtual to Physical
l P2P: Physical to Physical
l D2C: Datacenter to Cloud

According to Gartner (“Server Virtualization: One Path that Leads to Cloud Computing,” by
Thomas J. Bittman, 10/29/2009, Research Note G00171730), virtualization is a key enabler
of the first four of five key attributes of cloud computing:
Service-based: A service-based architecture is where clients are abstracted from service
providers through service interfaces.
Scalable and elastic: Services can be altered to affect capacity and performance on
demand.
Shared services: Resources are pooled in order to create greater efficiencies.
Metered usage: Services are billed on a usage basis.
Internet delivery: The services provided by cloud computing are based on Internet protocols
and formats.
Porting of applications in the cloud

In a nutshell, portability in cloud computing refers to the ability to transfer applications and data
between cloud computing environments, enabling cloud services migration from one cloud provider
to another or between public and private cloud

The allow
 Cloud computing applications have the ability to run on virtual systems and these virtual
systems to be moved as needed to respond to demand.
 Systems storage, network access can all be virtualized.
Cloud developers want the ability to port their applications from one cloud vendor to another. Some
technologies used for porting applications are:

1. Simple cloud API by Zend Technologies

2. Virtual application appliance by Appzero
1. Simple cloud API by Zend Technologies: The Simple Cloud API is an API (Application Programming
Interface). It enables users to access cloud application services written in the PHP programming
language across different cloud computing platforms. It was launched in 2009 by Zend Technologies.

2. Virtual application appliance by Appzero: AppZero encapsulates an application and its

dependencies in what it calls a “virtual application appliance” (VAA), without a virtual machine (VM).
The result is application flexibility that is hypervisor -agnostic, cloud independent, and fast.

Types of virtualization.
1) Hardware Virtualization:
When the virtual machine software or virtual machine manager (VMM) is directly installed
on the hardware system is known as hardware virtualization. The main job of hypervisor is to
control and monitoring the processor, memory and other hardware resources.
2) Operating System Virtualization:
When the virtual machine software or virtual machine manager (VMM) is installed on the
Host operating system instead of directly on the hardware system is known as operating
system virtualization.
3) Server Virtualization:
When the virtual machine software or virtual machine manager (VMM) is directly installed
on the Server system is known as server virtualization.
4) Storage Virtualization:
Storage virtualization is the process of grouping the physical storage from multiple network
storage devices so that it looks like a single storage device.
Hypervisor and its Types:
•A hypervisor is a form of virtualization software used in Cloud hosting to divide and allocate
the resources on various pieces of hardware.
•The program which provides partitioning, isolation, or abstraction is called a virtualization
hypervisor.
•The hypervisor is a hardware virtualization technique that allows multiple guest operating
systems (OS) to run on a single host system at the same time.
•A hypervisor is sometimes also called a virtual machine manager (VMM).
Benefits of Hypervisors :
•Speed: The hypervisors allow virtual machines to be built instantly unlike bare-metal
servers. This makes provisioning resources for complex workloads much simpler.
•Efficiency: Hypervisors that run multiple virtual machines on the resources of a single
physical machine often allow for more effective use of a single physical server.
•Flexibility: Since the hypervisor distinguishes the OS from the underlying hardware, the
program no longer relies on particular hardware devices or drivers, bare-metal hypervisors
enable operating systems and their related applications to operate on a variety of hardware
types.
•Portability: Multiple operating systems can run on the same physical server thanks to
hypervisors (host machine). The hypervisor's virtual machines are portable because they are
separate from the physical computer.