During the first video I learned that there are three types of server virtualization each distinctively different from one another. The first type of server virtualization is virtualization (the most basic type). Virtualization uses software called a hypervisor which interacts directly with the physical server’s CPU and disk space. The hypervisor allow different operating systems to run at the same time and keeps each virtual server completely independent and unaware of the other virtual servers operating on the physical server. Additionally the hypervisor monitors and relay resources from the physical server to the appropriate virtual server.
The second type of server virtualization is paravirtualization. Paravirtualization technique differs from virtualization technique in that a paravirtualizaton system is aware of one another. A paravirtualization hypervisor doesn’t require much processing power to manage an operating system because each operating system is already aware of the demands the other operating systems are placing on the physical server.
The third type of server virtualization is OS level virtualization. The OS level virtualization system does not use a hypervisor. Instead the virtualization is part of the operating system and it performs all the functions of a virtualization hypervisor. Because the virtualization is part of the operating system all servers must run the same operating system. Each virtual server remains independent of one another, but you can’t use various operating systems among them.
Virtualization is very important to companies such as the Hudson’s Bay Company. Hudson’s Bay Company customer base is very large and required a system that would help them become more efficient. Virtualization helped HBC improve their overall efficiency by cutting technology cost and providing a means to store almost unlimited amounts of customer data. This saved company both time and money. IBM led the industry in virtualization, so it was a logical choice for Hudson Bay Company to partner with them. . Additionally, Hudson’s Bay Company used Storage Area Networks (SAN) to store all of their data and IBM’s blade servers had the ability to be booted directly from the Hudson’s Bay Company SAN. The combination of IBM leading the industry and the ability of their blade servers made it an easy decision for HBC to partner with IBM.