Microsoft® Lync® Server 2013 Unleashed Second Edition

What Is Virtualization?

Virtualization enables a physical piece of hardware to run multiple virtual instances of an operating system. In a traditional physical server deployment, every server had its own dedicated physical hardware, with a single operating system, and the server performed a specific function. When it was time to add a new server to the environment, companies purchased a new piece of hardware, installed the operating system, and then configured any applications or services.

With virtualization, the physical hardware with its resources—such as processing power, memory, and disk space—is referred to as the host. Software called a hypervisor enables the physical host’s resources to be shared among many virtual machines. The virtual ...