Understanding virtualization

Organizations continue to explore ways to create, migrate, and deploy their virtual machine (VM) workloads. As the foundation of cloud computing, virtualization provides a more efficient way to use physical hardware, making a single physical machine act like multiple.

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What is virtualization?

Virtualization is technology that allows you to create multiple simulated environments or dedicated resources from a single, physical hardware system. Software called a hypervisor connects directly to that hardware and lets you split 1 system into separate and distinct environments known as virtual machines (VMs). These VMs rely on the hypervisor’s ability to separate the machine’s resources from the hardware and distribute them appropriately. Virtualization helps you get the most value from previous investments.

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Red Hat® OpenShift® Virtualization

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Read more about specific virtualization topics

Virtual machine

A VM is a computing environment that functions as an isolated system.

Hypervisor

A hypervisor is software that creates and runs VMs.

Kernel-based Virtual Machine

Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) is an open source virtualization technology built into Linux®.

Virtualization management

Virtualization management is software that interfaces with virtual environments and the underlying physical hardware.

Virtual machine migration

VM migration is the transfer of a VM from 1 platform to another.

Cloud vs. virtualization

Virtualization is a technology, whereas the cloud is an environment.

Containers vs. VMs

Containers and VMs are 2 approaches to packaging computing environments.

Application migration

Application migration is the process of moving a software application from 1 computing environment to another.

Container-native virtualization

Container-native virtualization is a feature of Red Hat OpenShift that lets you run and manage VM workloads alongside container workloads.

Network virtualization

Network virtualization is the transformation of a network that was once hardware dependent into a network that is software based.

Network functions virtualization

NFV is a way to virtualize network services that have traditionally been run on proprietary hardware.

VNF vs. CNF

Virtual network functions deliver network functions. Cloud-native network functions run inside containers.

Hyperconverged infrastructure

A hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) consists of VMs managed with a hypervisor.

Virtualized radio access networks

vRANs allow telecommunications operators to run their baseband functions as software.

Backup and recovery

Backup and recovery is the process of making duplicate copies of critical data.

Live migration

Live migration moves a VM from one host to another without interrupting access to the VM.

KubeVirt

KubeVirt is an open source project that makes it possible to run, deploy, and manage virtual machines (VMs) with Kubernetes as the underlying orchestration platform.

Red Hat for virtualization

Red Hat can help you address virtualization challenges like rising costs, innovation barriers, and migration complexities.

Resources

E-book

15 reasons to adopt Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

Get the most from your existing virtualization investments.

Case study

sahibinden.com delivers reliable retail services faster

See how this e-commerce platform benefited from migrating its VMs with Red Hat.

Brief

Automate the migration and operation of VMs with Red Hat

Learn the benefits of OpenShift Virtualization and Ansible Automation Platform for VM migration and management.

Datasheet

Migration assessment: Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

Understand, plan, and create a strategic path forward for VM infrastructure migrations.

Learning paths

Get started with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

Learn how to incorporate VMs into containerized workflows without having to drastically alter their existing infrastructure.

Manage virtual machines on Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS

Find out how to create or migrate VMs using OpenShift Virtualization on OpenShift Service on AWS.

Learn OpenShift Virtualization concepts as a vSphere admin

Explore how virtualization concepts work when coming from a background in vSphere.

Create and scale 6,000 VMs in 7 hours with OpenShift Virtualization

Learn how to create a large number of VMs for a production infrastructure in less time.

More about virtualization

Products

Red Hat OpenShift

Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

Migrate and manage virtual machines on a comprehensive hybrid cloud application platform with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization.

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Manage the full end-to-end lifecycle of VMs—from provisioning, to patching, to enforcing configuration standards.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management Kubernetes

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes

Monitor and manage the security and performance of your VMs from a single console. 

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Resources

Datasheet

Work with Red Hat consulting to develop a clear roadmap and timeline for migrating your VMs.

Learning hub

Explore learning materials and tools designed to help you use Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization.

E-book

Learn 15 key benefits of deploying Red Hat OpenShift as a unified app platform for both VMs and containers.

Brief

Explore how you can automate and scale migration of VMs off of traditional technology.

Training

70% discount

Managing Virtual Machines with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization.