Chameli Devi Group of Institute

Department of Information Technology

Subject: Cloud Computing (IT702 [B])

Virtualization technology: Definition, benefits, sensor virtualization, HVM, study of hypervisor, logical
partitioning- LPAR, Storage virtualization, SAN, NAS, cloud server virtualization, virtualized data center.

UNIT III VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY

VIRTUALIZATION DEFINITION
Virtualization means that the users (programs or people) only see an abstraction of a computer resource.
Virtualization can be done in software, or with hardware. Virtualization is the creation of virtual servers,
infrastructures, devices and computing resources. Virtualization changes the hardware-software relations
and is one of the foundational elements of cloud computing technology that helps utilize the capabilities of
cloud computing to the full. Virtualization techniques allow companies to turn virtual their networks,
storage, servers, data, desktops and applications.

BENEFITS
The benefits of cloud virtualization are as follows:
1. Security: During the process of virtualization security is one of the important concerns. The security
can be provided with the help of firewalls, which will help to prevent unauthorized access and will
keep the data confidential. Moreover, with the help of firewall and security, the data can protect
from harmful viruses malware and other cyber threats. Encryption process also takes place with
protocols which will protect the data from other threads. So, the customer can virtualize all the
data store and can create a backup on a server in which the data can store.
2. Flexible operations: With the help of a virtual network, the work of it professional is becoming more
efficient and agile. The network switch implement today is very easy to use, flexible and saves time.
With the help of virtualization in Cloud Computing, technical problems can solve in physical
systems. It eliminates the problem of recovering the data from crashed or corrupted devices and
hence saves time.
3. Economical: Virtualization in Cloud Computing, save the cost for a physical system such as
hardware and servers. It stores all the data in the virtual server, which are quite economical. It
reduces the wastage, decreases the electricity bills along with the maintenance cost. Due to this,
the business can run multiple operating system and apps in a particular server.
4. Eliminates the risk of system failure: While performing some task there are chances that the system
might crash down at the wrong time. This failure can cause damage to the company but the
virtualizations help us to perform the same task in multiple devices at the same time. The data can
store in the cloud it can retrieve anytime and with the help of any device. Moreover, there is two
working server side by side which makes the data accessible every time. Even if a server crashes
with the help of the second server the customer can access the data.
5. Flexible transfer of data: The data can transfer to the virtual server and retrieve anytime. The
customers or cloud provider don’t have to waste time finding out hard drives to find data. With the
help of virtualization, it will very easy to locate the required data and transfer them to the allotted
authorities. This transfer of data has no limit and can transfer to a long distance with the minimum
charge possible. Additional storage can also provide and the cost will be as low as possible.

SENSOR VIRTUALIZATION
Virtualization creates an environment in embedded and sensor networks, by which efficient sharing of
resources, services and networks is achieved. Virtualization combines different hardware and software on
a platform along with the network functionalities to control and administrate all the network
resources. The goal of virtualization is to provide users with seamless access to the sensor data
and efficient utilization of the resources. Virtualization hides all the physical details of the sensors and
networks from the user application. User applications feel as if running directly on the hardware. It enables
the users, services and applications to interact with each other. Virtualization enables sharing of resources
in a secure and energy efficient manner. Sensor networks are required to dynamically collaborate and
facilitate different applications, on the air integrating sensor networks, forming clusters and
supporting multiple radios. Virtualizations of networks and sensors have wide application
areas that include health care, smart space, structural monitoring, telemedicine, vehicle monitoring,
agriculture, industrial, military, environment, smart home, smart city and entertainment.
Sensor virtualization can be achieved by the middleware layer. Middleware sits between the application
layer and the lower layers providing abstraction from the network details. Middleware is a
software tool that helps in hiding the complexities of the underlying heterogeneous hardware, radio
technologies, networks and low level software. Furthermore, Middleware provides ease of managing the
network resources using the concept of virtualization of the network and the virtualization of the
sensors.
Figure 3.1 shows the general model of WSN virtualization, representing communication stack having
multiple heterogeneous sensors and radio networks and network protocols. Furthermore, the slice under
concentration, the middleware layer is composed of a number of modules facilitating the lower layers as
well as higher layer. It acts like a bridge between the multiple sensor networks and multiple applications.

Figure 3.1: Sensor virtualization middleware

The middleware should be lightweight for the tiny sensors and embedded devices as they have
memory, processing and energy constraints

HVM
Hardware-assisted virtual machine (HVM) is a platform virtualization approach that enables full
virtualization. This approach is also known as hardware-assisted virtualization, accelerated virtualization,
and native virtualization (specific to Virtual Iron). Full virtualization is used to simulate a hardware
environment or virtual machine where a guest server executes instructions in complete isolation. Each
guest server is unaware of and runs independently of the other guest servers on the physical machine. This
means each guest server can run on its own OS, so we can have one guest running on Linux and another
one on Windows.

HVM advantages
 1. Simulates a complete hardware environment.
2. Guest server executes in complete isolation.
3. Each guest server can run on its own OS.
4. More stability.

STUDY OF HYPERVISOR
A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor or VMM, is software that creates and runs virtual
machines (VMs). A hypervisor allows one host computer to support multiple guest VMs by virtually sharing
its resources, such as memory and processing.
Hypervisors make it possible to use more of a system’s available resources and provide greater IT mobility
since the guest VM is independent of the host hardware. This means they can be easily moved between
different servers. Because multiple virtual machines can run off of one physical server with a hypervisor, a
hypervisor reduces Space, Energy and .Maintenance requirements
The hypervisor has emerged as an invaluable tool for running virtual machines and driving innovation in a
cloud environment. Since a hypervisor is a software layer that enables one host computer to
simultaneously support multiple VMs, hypervisors are a key element of the technology that makes cloud
computing possible. Hypervisors make cloud-based applications available to users across a virtual
environment while still enabling IT to maintain control over a cloud environment’s infrastructure,
applications and sensitive data.
Digital transformation and rising customer expectations are driving greater reliance on innovative
applications. In response, many enterprises are migrating their virtual machines to the cloud. However,
having to rewrite every existing application for the cloud can consume precious IT resources and lead to
infrastructure silos. Fortunately, as an integral part of a virtualization platform, a hypervisor can help
migrate applications to the cloud quickly. As a result, enterprises can reap the cloud’s many benefits,
including reduced hardware expenditures, increased accessibility and greater scalability, for a faster return
on investment.

Benefits of hypervisors
There are several benefits to using a hypervisor that hosts multiple virtual machines:
1. Speed: Hypervisors allow virtual machines to be created instantly, unlike bare-metal servers. This
makes it easier to provision resources as needed for dynamic workloads.
2. Efficiency: Hypervisors that run several virtual machines on one physical machine’s resources also
allow for more efficient utilization of one physical server. It is more cost and energy-efficient to run
several virtual machines on one physical machine than to run multiple underutilized physical
machines for the same task.
3. Flexibility: Bare-metal hypervisors allow operating systems and their associated applications to run
on a variety of hardware types because the hypervisor separates the OS from the underlying
hardware, so the software no longer relies on specific hardware devices or drivers.
4. Portability: Hypervisors allow multiple operating systems to reside on the same physical server
(host machine). Because the virtual machines that the hypervisor runs are independent from the
physical machine, they are portable. IT teams can shift workloads and allocate networking,
memory, storage and processing resources across multiple servers as needed, moving from
machine to machine or platform to platform. When an application needs more processing power,
the virtualization software allows it to seamlessly access additional machines.

LOGICAL PARTITIONING- LPAR

A logical partition (LPAR) is the division of a computer's processor s, memory, and storage into multiple
sets of resources so that each set of resources can be operated independently with its own operating
system instance and applications. The number of logical partitions that can be created depends on the
system's processor model and resources available. Typically, partitions are used for different purposes such
as database operation or client/server operation or to separate test and production environments. Each
partition can communicate with the other partitions as if the other partition is in a separate machine.
LPAR Architecture

Figure 3.2: LPAR architecture

The LPAR architecture consists of:
 LPARs: Identify logical partitions of a mainframe (z/OS system) on which we execute our external
security manager (ESM) as a backend engine for this product. Multiple LPARs are supported.
 CA Compliance Event Manager Engine: Contains the CA Compliance Event Manager system, which
includes the product components, CA LDAP, and the user interface.
 Security Engines: Composite of the ESM and compliance products that together provide the input
to this product. Includes but is not limited to CA ACF2, CA Top Secret, IBM RACF, and the CA LDAP
Server.
 Shared Storage: Represents all storage devices that are shared across CA Compliance Event
Manager.
 Private Storage: Represents storage devices that are shared only within CA Compliance Event
Manager.

STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION
Storage virtualization in Cloud Computing is nothing but the sharing of physical storage into multiple
storage devices which further appears to be a single storage device. It can be also called as a group of an
available storage device which simply manages from a central console. This virtualization provides
numerous benefits such as easy backup, achieving, and recovery of the data.

Methods of Storage Virtualization

1. File-based Storage Virtualization: This type of virtualization is used for a specific purpose and can
apply to network-attached storage (NAS) system. File-based storage virtualization in Cloud
Computing utilizes server message block or network file system protocols and with its help of it
breaks the dependency in a normal network attached storage array. This is done between the data
being accessed and the location of the physical memory. It also provides a benefit of better
handling file migration in the background which improves the performance.
 2. Block-based Virtual Storage: The Block based virtual storage is more widely used than the virtual
storage system as the virtual storage system is sometimes used for a specific purpose. The block-
based virtual storage system uses logical storage such as drive partition from the physical memory
in a storage device. It also abstracts the logical storage such as a hard disk drive or any solid state
memory device. This also allows the virtualization management software to get familiar with the
capacity of the available device and split them into shared resources to assign.

Advantages of Storage Virtualization

 Easy Retrieval and Upload of Data: In storage virtualization, the data quickly retrieve from virtual
storage. It is as easy as accessing a file on the local computer. The data store very easily with the
help of some application and an internet connection which is an easy task.
 Better Management: The data can be migrated based upon the utilization such as the data which is
frequently used can be stored on a high-performance storage system. However, the data which is
rarely used can be placed on a bit slower system. This is an example of a battery management
system and the customer won’t face any issue regarding storage.
 Security: In storage virtualization, the data stores in different place and secure with maximum
security. If any disaster takes place the data can be retrieved from some other place and it won’t
affect the customer. The security has the ability to meet the real utilization necessities rather than
providing additional storage.

SAN
Storage area networks (SANs) are the most common storage networking architecture used by enterprises
for business-critical applications that need to deliver high throughput and low latency. A rapidly growing
portion of SAN deployments leverages all-flash storage to gain its high performance, consistent low
latency, and lower total cost when compared to spinning disk. By storing data in centralized shared
storage, SANs enable organizations to apply consistent methodologies and tools for security, data
protection, and disaster recovery.
A SAN is block-based storage, leveraging a high-speed architecture that connects servers to their logical
disk units (LUNs). A LUN is a range of blocks provisioned from a pool of shared storage and presented to
the server as a logical disk. The server partitions and formats those blocks—typically with a file system
A SAN presents storage devices to a host such that the storage appears to be locally attached. This
simplified presentation of storage to a host is accomplished through the use of different types of
virtualization.

Figure 3.3: Storage Area Network

SANs are often used to:

 Improve application availability (e.g., multiple data paths)
 Enhance application performance (e.g., off-load storage functions, segregate networks, etc.)
  Increase storage utilization and effectiveness (e.g., consolidate storage resources, provide tiered
storage, etc.), and improve data protection and security.
 SANs also typically play an important role in an organization's Business Continuity Management
(BCM) activities.

NAS
An NAS device is a storage device connected to a network that allows storage and retrieval of data from a
central location for authorized network users and varied clients. NAS devices are flexible and scale out,
meaning that as we need additional storage, we can add to what we have. NAS is like having a private
cloud in the office. It’s faster, less expensive and provides all the benefits of a public cloud on site, giving us
complete control.
With a NAS, data is continually accessible, making it easy for employees to collaborate, respond to
customers in a timely fashion, and promptly follow up on sales or other issues because information is in
one place. Because NAS is like a private cloud, data may be accessed remotely using a network connection,
meaning employees can work anywhere, anytime.

Benefits of NAS include

1. Simple to operate; a dedicated IT professional is generally not required
2. Lower cost; can significantly reduce wasted space over other storage technologies like SAN
3. Easy data backup and recovery, with granular security features
4. Centralization of data storage in a safe, reliable way for authorized network users and clients
5. Supports a large variety of applications
6. Permits data access across the network, including cloud based applications and data

CLOUD SERVER VIRTUALIZATION

Server virtualization is a partition of physical servers into multiple virtual servers. Here, each virtual server
is running its own operating system and applications. It can be said that server virtualization in cloud
computing is the masking of server resources. The server is familiar with the identity of individual physical
servers. The single physical server is divided into multiple isolated virtual servers, with the help of
software.
Many companies contain a large number of servers but don’t use them. This results in, the waste of
expensive servers. We can use server virtualization in IT infrastructure, this can reduce cost by increasing
the utilization of existing servers. Server virtualization generally benefits from small to medium scale
applications.

Types of Server Virtualization

There are 3 types of server virtualization in cloud computing:
1. Hypervisor: A Hypervisor is a layer between the operating system and hardware. The hypervisor is
the reason behind the successful running of multiple operating systems. It can also perform tasks
such as handling queues, dispatching and returning the hardware request. Host operating system
works on the top of the hypervisor, we use it to administer and manage the virtual machines.
2. Para-Virtualization: In Para-virtualization model, simulation in trapping overhead in software
virtualizations. It is based on the hypervisor and the guest operating system and modified entry
compiled for installing it in a virtual machine. After the modification, the overall performance is
increased as the guest operating system communicates directly with the hypervisor.
3. Full Virtualization: Full virtualizations can emulate the underlying hardware. It is quite similar to
Para-virtualization. Here, machine operation used by the operating system which is further used to
perform input-output or modify the system status. The unmodified operating system can run on
the top of the hypervisor. This is possible because of the operations, which are emulated in the
software and the status codes are returned with what the real hardware would deliver.

Server Virtualization Benefits

Advantages of Server Virtualization in Cloud Computing:
1. Economical: This is one of the major benefits of server virtualization because it can divide a single
server into multiple virtual servers which eliminate the cost of physical hardware. Moreover, the
applications are no longer in need of their own server as each virtual machine on the server
operates them.
2. Quick Deployment and Provisioning: Within minutes, we can perform the provisioning and
deployment process. Here, Server Virtualization allows replicating an existing virtual machine.
3. Disaster Recovery: A data virtually move from one server to another, quickly and safely. we can
store the data anywhere and retrieved from anywhere, this process consumes less time and
downtime will be very less.
4. Increase Productivity: If the physical servers are less in amount then it will be easy for them to
maintain. In addition, there are many tools available for making provision and convert services as
efficiently as possible.

VIRTUALIZED DATA CENTER

A Virtual Datacenter is a pool of cloud infrastructure resources designed specifically for enterprise business
needs. Those resources include compute, memory, storage and bandwidth. A Virtual Datacenter in the
context of cloud computing services falls within the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) category. It enables us
to quickly access cloud infrastructure from a service provider.
It can provide on-demand computing, storage and networking, as well as applications, all of which can be
seamlessly integrated into an organization's existing IT infrastructure. The premise of the virtual data
center solution is to give organizations the option of adding capacity or installing a new IT infrastructure
without the need to buy or install costly hardware, which takes up additional manpower, space and power.
The whole data center infrastructure is provided over the cloud.

Benefits of data center virtualization

1. Less heat buildup: Virtualization of servers means using less physical hardware. Use less physical
hardware and we generate less heat. Generate less heat in our data center and a host of issues go
away.
2. Reduced cost: Hardware is most often the highest cost in the data center. Reduce the amount of
hardware used and we reduce our cost. But the cost goes well beyond that of hardware lack of
downtime, easier maintenance, less electricity used. Over time, this all adds up to a significant cost
savings.
3. Faster redeploy: With virtualization, the redeploy can occur within minutes. Virtual machine
snapshots can be enabled with just a few clicks. And with virtual backup tools like Veeam,
redeploying images will be so fast our end users will hardly notice there was an issue.
4. Easier backups: We can do backups and snapshots of our virtual machines. These virtual machines
can be moved from one server to another and redeployed easier and faster. Snapshots can be
taken throughout the day, ensuring much more up-to-date data. And because firing up a snapshot
is even faster than booting a typical server, downtime is dramatically cut.
5. Greener pastures: Let's face it: If we're not doing our part to help clean up the environment, we're
endangering the future. Reducing our carbon footprint not only helps to clean up the air we
breathe, it also helps to clean up our company image. Consumers want to see companies reducing
their output of pollution and taking responsibility. Virtualizing our data center will go a long way
toward improving our relationship with the planet and with the consumer.
6. Better testing: If we make a tragic mistake, all is not lost. Just revert to a previous snapshot and we
can move forward as if the mistake didn't even happen. We can also isolate these testing
environments from end users while still keeping them online. When we've perfected our work,
deploy it as live.
7. No vendor lock-in: One of the nice things about virtualization is the abstraction between software
and hardware. This means we don't have to be tied down to one particular vendor the virtual
 machines don't really care what hardware they run on, so we're not tied down to a single vendor,
type of server, or even platform.
8. Better disaster recovery: Disaster recovery is quite a bit easier when our data center is virtualized.
With up-to-date snapshots of our virtual machines, we can quickly get back up and running. And
should disaster strike the data center itself, we can always move those virtual machines elsewhere.
9. Easier migration to cloud: With a move to virtual machines, we are that much closer to enjoying a
full-blown cloud environment. We may even reach the point where we can deploy VMs to and from
our data center to create a powerful cloud-based infrastructure. But beyond the actual virtual
machines, that virtualized technology gets us closer to a cloud-based mindset, making the
migration all the more easy.