What kind of virtual machines are there? Why do you need a virtual machine? Desktop virtualization platforms in business

From time to time, users need a second computer on which they can install another shell. Virtual machine is a system for emulating another platform, it helps the user to operate the device when installing several operating systems, independent from each other, thanks to which one device can combine the properties of two or more PCs. This technique is popular among developers when testing programs.

What is a virtual machine

Such devices are created on real computers as conditional ones. This is a program that simulates a copy of existing hardware with all its components (BIOS, HDD, peripherals). By using special utilities You can run several virtual machines with the same or different operating systems on one computer.

What is it for?

Installing a virtual machine expands the capabilities of your computer. Why use this functionality?

1. Installation of two operating systems on one computer. Allows you to simultaneously install two bit depth shells: x32 and x64. Windows Emulator Can be compatible with Linux.
2. Virtualization does safe start suspicious software and files.
3. A virtual operating system that is different from the installed one helps to use applications that are incompatible with the “native” shell.
4. Used when testing new utilities.
5. Use of new architectures as emulation (for example, imitation game console).
6. In order to protect information and limit the capabilities of programs.
7. Several conditional processors help simulate a computer network, this is important when debugging a server.
8. The virtual machine creation program is used to connect peripheral devices that are not compatible with the installed shell.

Virtual Machines Overview

The first attempts to develop such software began in the 70s. Now virtual machines have the ability to create full-fledged computer with parallel or embedded access. Universal options support not only well-known shells of different bit depths, but also unfamiliar operating systems. Each market segment has its own leaders.

For Windows 7

Virtualbox is an emulator whose distribution is distributed to free of charge. The high rating and popularity among users is due to the fact that the version is supported by the majority known systems. The advantage of the utility is its clear interface, which makes it easier to manage. The disadvantages are that it is not possible to transfer files using “grab and drag”; you need to start a NAT connection.

VMware is paid service, which is highly customizable and optimizes hard drive space. The ESXi version distribution can be written to a USB flash drive or built into the Firmware server. In addition to Windows, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, Netware are also suitable. The disadvantages include the fact that, in comparison with the previous resource, you cannot download the full version of the utility for free.

For Windows 10

Microsoft Virtual PC is a free virtual machine. It belongs to the category of virtual machines for Windows, and therefore cannot be installed on Linux
or Mac, which can be considered disadvantages. The downside is the lack of support for USB devices. It is intended to create through machine code a conditional shell with the operating parameters of the components of the hardware system of an existing computer.

Oracle is a utility that helps you work with large amounts of information. When processing databases, their real protection. The advantage of the system is some manipulations that help to obtain fast access to information, which speeds up the management process. For example, Oracle RAC is a rapidly deployable cluster access to a database.

For Linux

This system is relatively new, but has proven itself wide possibilities thanks to open computer code. Linux OS is more difficult to choose a virtual machine. OpenVZ was released specifically for the shell. The service helps you configure multiple virtual processors on one machine. At the same time, bonuses are preserved open source, thanks to which the PC does not lose power random access memory.

Hyper-V is an emulator that is used both in Linux and in 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows XP. The advantage is that this is a technology that directly “communicates” with the server hardware, and therefore memory consumption is reduced and processor performance is increased. The disadvantages include the fact that when managing large arrays virtual servers you need to additionally install System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

For Mac

VMware Fusion is an emulator that runs Windows and other operating systems on Mac computers without rebooting, providing virtual and physical servers. The advantage is that the Mac shell can be used separately from others or integrated into a single convenient environment. Among the disadvantages is that there is a fee for use.

Boot Camp created for Windows installations on Mac computer. The shell comes as additional system to a separate section hard drive. When you start, you just need to select your Mac and virtual Windows will function. The utility is characterized by its simplicity and intuitive interface. Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting the need to restart in order to select another system.

Creating a virtual machine

What to do if you need to create a virtual machine:

• select and download a utility for your computer, taking into account the installed shell;
• install this software;
• upon completion of installation, create a new conditional computer with the required amount of RAM allocated;
• a new device requires configuration of operating parameters.

Which virtual machine to choose

The main selection parameter is the installed operating system. Since the creation software virtual computers supports different shells - these can be both highly specialized and applications for working with different systems. There are paid and free utilities. Selection criteria include:

• clear interface;
• high degree of data protection;
• a wide range of built-in tools;
• restrictions on access to hardware and software.

Video

Hello, dear readers of the site “Computer with Mind!”

Today I will tell you what a virtual machine is, what they are, what they are for, and what they are. Essentially, a virtual machine is a program that emulates another computer on your computer, with the parameters that you set for it. That is, it is a computer within a computer. What is this for? There may be several reasons for using a virtual machine on your computer:

1. Testing additional operating system, in order to see how it works, how convenient it is and what its features and capabilities are. But at the same time, you do not want to remove the operating system that is already on your computer. I faced this task when I was deciding for myself several years ago whether it was worth switching from Windows XP to Window I installed it on a virtual Windows machine 7, looked at the still crude version of this operating system, and at that time decided to leave it on my own Windows computer XP. I switched to Windows 7 only after significant improvements were made to it, vulnerabilities were tested and some errors were fixed. The same thing is now happening with Windows 8 - I have not yet completely switched to this system and use Windows 7, and Windows 8 lives in my virtual machine. Basically, thanks to a virtual machine, my computer can run multiple operating systems at the same time, and in my opinion, this is the most basic purpose of using different virtual machines.
2. Testing various programs, which for one reason or another you do not want to install on your computer right away. Or you want to choose from several programs that have the same functionality (for example, audio or video players), the one that you like best, but at the same time you will not clutter up your computer unnecessary programs, but just try them on a virtual machine.
3. Launch potentially dangerous programs. For example, when downloading a program, your antivirus suggested that it could be potentially malicious. You can run it first on a virtual machine to see how it works, and only then, if it doesn’t raise any suspicions, you can install it directly on your computer.
4. Running programs that are incompatible with the operating system installed on your computer. For example, some program may not be supported by new versions of Windows, but you are already used to working in it and you really need it. Let's assume that the program is not supported by versions of Windows 7 and higher, but only works on Windows XP. You can, of course, in this case try to use the emulation mode previous versions Windows, but this doesn't always work. Therefore, it is easier to install Windows XP on a virtual machine and use your program in it. Things are even more complicated if your program was created for Linux. In this case, having a virtual machine with the Linux operating system installed also helps.

In fact useful functions there is a lot more to virtual machines than what I described above, since I only mentioned the main ones.

In this article we will discuss three programs - virtual machines: VMware, VirtualBox And Microsoft Virtual PC. Let's look at them in order.

1. VMware- the most powerful and best virtual machine on this moment. And, unfortunately, the main full-featured version of this VMware Workstation program is paid. This program has a lot of settings that make the work of serious computer servers easier. This virtual machine works primarily with Windows and Linux operating systems, but does not support MacOs systems. VMware also has free app- VMware Player, which at the moment can also create virtual machines, but with very limited functionality, in contrast to the full version. Previously, VMware Player could only open previously created virtual machines.
2. VirtualBox– in my opinion, the best free virtual machine at the moment. It is inferior in functionality to the previous VMware, but a definite plus VirtualBox is free. The undoubted advantage of this machine for Russian-speaking users is the availability of a version of this program in Russian. VirtualBox is very easy to configure and has an intuitive interface, so at the moment I use this particular virtual machine.
3. Microsoft Virtual PC– also a free virtual machine from the famous Microsoft company (although in fact the first versions Virtual programs PCs were created by another company, and then Microsoft acquired all rights to this program and continued its development). Since Microsoft is currently the developer of this program, this virtual machine only supports operating systems Windows systems(previously there was support for MacOS). Overall, I liked this virtual machine, but due to the fact that it only supports different versions Windows, and also, in my subjective opinion, has a little less user-friendly interface than VirtualBox, I rarely use it.

Summarizing this review, I would like to note that among the virtual machines described above, I gave my preference to VirtualBox, since in terms of price/quality ratio it seemed to me the most profitable, given that it is free. I plan to tell you where you can download it and how to install it, and also discuss its basic settings.

The concept of a virtual machine (from the English Virtual Machine) is understood as a software or hardware system that emulates Hardware a certain platform (guest platform), executing programs for the guest platform using the host platform.

Also, a virtual machine can virtualize a certain platform, creating independent isolated environments for operating operating systems and programs.

Virtual machine for Windows 7 - we offer you a review popular programs.

To put it simply, a virtual machine provides the opportunity on one real, physical computer, create several virtual computers, install various operating systems, programs, etc. on them.

This technology came to the general public from the world server infrastructure, where virtual machines are used to create maximum server load and reduce equipment downtime.

Virtual machines are used to solve a range of tasks such as:

1. Optimizing the use of server resources.
2. Information security, as well as limiting the capabilities of some programs, the so-called sandbox idea.
3. Research into new computer architecture or software.
4. Emulation of various computer architectures(for example, to emulate game console PlayStation from Sony).
5. Creation malicious code.
   For example, the SubVirt rootkit created in 2006 by Microsoft Research (MSR), created a virtual work environment, which contained the user’s operating system along with an antivirus, firewall and other software, (software) designed to provide PC protection.
   The rootkit itself remained external and therefore did not fall within the scope of antivirus software, providing remote control over a virtual machine to an attacker.
6. Modeling computer networks.
7. Software testing and debugging.

We bring to your attention short review the most popular virtualization programs.

Virtual machine for Windows 7: Virtual Box

Virtualization program from Oracle, for operating systems Linux, Mac OS X, MS Windows, etc.

The program is quite popular and below we will consider not everything, but only its key advantages:

Free.

Cross-platform.

Support for 64-bit guests on 32-bit host platforms. To do this, the host platform must support virtualization technology at the processor level.

Audio device support and various types network interaction.

The ability to create a chain of backup states that you can return to in case of problems with the guest system.

Russian-language interface.

Important! The program's shortcomings are not significant, but for the sake of objectivity in the assessment, they should also be mentioned - VirtualBox is poorly compatible with Win 95/98 OS (noted slow work systems) and Mac OS X (sound problems).

As you can see, the program's shortcomings are not significant and are rather nominal.

Virtual machine for Windows 7: Xen

Virtual Machine Monitor (hypervisor), developed at the University of Cambridge and distributed open source source code(GPL license).

Using paravirtualization technology (PV mode), Xen allows you to achieve very high performance by emulating real hardware platforms.

A feature of the PV mode is that there is no initial moment when the computer boots (imitation of BIOS code, boot loader) and the guest OS kernel starts immediately in desired mode, like regular programs.

It's worth noting that Xen can be compared to software corporate level in view of his rich functionality.

Advantages:

Free.

Cross-platform.

High performance running virtual machines, which is very close to the performance real systems.

Ability to migrate running virtual machines between physical hosts.

High degree of support for emulated hardware.

There is perhaps only one drawback of the program - its relative complexity, compared to similar software from other companies.

Virtual machine for Windows 7: Virtual PC

Initially this program was developed by Connetix for Mac OS back in 1997. 4 years later, a version for Windows OS was released.

Later, in 2003, the rights to the program were acquired by Microsoft Corporation, and in 2006 the program became free.

Subsequently, Virtual PC was not developed and currently contains the functionality of 2007.

Advantages:

Free.

Simple, user-friendly interface.

Flaws:

The program only works in Windows OS, but is not compatible with Windows 8 and higher.

The program, unlike Virtual Box, is not compatible with AMD processors.

Virtual machine for Windows 7: VMware Player

A product from the largest American virtualization software developer Vmware.

Vmware products are primarily aimed at the corporate segment of the market, therefore full version programs - VMware Workstation - paid.

The license price is about $250. For non-commercial use, the manufacturer offers a program with limited functionality VMware Player.

It is worth noting that the restrictions generally apply to software developers and IT specialists; the program is quite functional for performing the tasks of the average user.

Advantages:

Free.

Fast.

Simple, user-friendly interface.

ThinPrint technology allows you to print any document opened in the guest OS without installing additional drivers.

Working with multiple monitors in a guest OS.

Exchange files between guest systems using Drag&Drop technology.

Flaws:

Limited functionality of the free version.

Installing Windows 7 x64 on VirtualBox (virtual machine)

Virtual machine for Windows 7: multiple operating systems on one machine

For windows which allows you to run suspicious programs.
Today we'll talk about this useful tool How virtual machine for windows, and how to set up a virtual machine.
What will it be useful for?
These programs allow you to create a separate operating system on your system that will not depend on the main one.

The benefits of virtual machines.

We'll consider 3 most popular programs to create a virtual machine for windows.

100,000 subscribers on your Instagram page - do you think that the task is too difficult, it is almost impossible? You are wrong! The impossible is possible! You just need to learn the techniques SMM marketing V in social networks with a blogpricemmm . You will learn a lot of interesting things about promotion and SMM services. All that remains is to apply the knowledge in practice.

Vmware player.

Program interface: English.
Download link (official website) - tyts

Exists paid version Vmware workstation And free version VMware player (more stripped down).
We will consider free, VMware player.
Downloaded in the section "Files for downloading - free products for download".
The paid version has more functionality that is not necessary for the average user.
Exists for windows and linux.
Installation will not be difficult.

Initial launch requires entering email(email) must be selected "non-commercial" version.

After which the program itself will open.
Program languages ​​are English. But if you have even a little knowledge of English (if you are a confident user), then you will most likely figure it out.
After launching, I recommend opening "Player - Preferences - Download all components" You will download some add-ons that provide a little more functionality (shared clipboard with the main OS).

If you already have a virtual machine file (your friends sent it to you, or you downloaded an interesting assembly on a torrent), then select Open a Virtual machine and select the virtual machine file on your computer.
Supported formats (Vmx, Vmc, Ovf, Ova).

Creating a virtual machine in VMware.

— To create a new virtual machine, select "Create a New Virtual Machine"
— If you need to install from disk, select Installer disc and select the required disk from the menu.
If you have a disk image in .iso format, then select Installer disc image file and press browse and select the location where you have the disk image and click next to continue.
— Select the operating system you will install (the most common are Windows or Linux, if it’s different and it’s not in the list, select other) and click next.
— Write the name of your virtual machine and indicate the path to save. NExt.
— You indicate hard size disk that will be allocated for the OS (approximately how much the OS will weigh + calculate the space for files if you download anything). NExt
— In the next window, you can select how much RAM will be allocated for your OS and other settings by clicking “Customize Hardware”.
Basically, the main thing for you is to configure the memory item, allocate RAM (it will be subtracted from your main memory) and click finish.
— Everything is set up, launch and install your operating system (I hope you can do this).

Virtualbox.

The program interface is available in Russian and several others.
Download link ( official resource) - tyts (choose depending on what Axis you have installed, most likely Windows).

Virtualbox virtual machine.
Absolutely free a program for working with virtual machines is no worse in functionality than Vmware (Although some people don’t respond very well, it’s more a matter of taste).
It has many add-ons (which on the one hand can be good, but a beginner can get confused).
Personally, this is what I usually use.
The advantage is that there is a Russian interface, unlike the previous program.
Choose "create" and create your own virtual machine, the steps are almost the same as with the previous program, especially since the Russian language will help you configure everything you need.
When working with Linux on PAE kernel, an error may appear
This kernel requires the following features not present one the CPU:
Unable to boot — please use a kernel appropriate for your CPU.
This can be easily fixed.

Click right click mouse on the created virtual machine, select Configure - System - Processor and put a tick on Enable PAE/NX. Now everything will work without problems.

Shared virtualbox clipboard
To use the shared clipboard with the main OS (copy files or links from the main OS and vice versa), you need to download the extension from the website VirtualBox Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack .
Next, choose file - settings - plugins - add plugin and open the file that you downloaded earlier and confirm the installation.

Next, turn on the desired virtual machine, select the menu “devices - Mount guest additions disk image” and agree to the installation. Once installed, you need to restart the virtual machine.
If you wish to do backup copy(so that in case of a virus or problem you can restore) then select in right side window "Snapshots" and click take photo. If restored, all files and settings made after the screenshot will be deleted. It is advisable to do it constantly if you are going to work with something unknown.

Windows virtual pc.

The program interface is available in Russian.

Works on Windows 7.

Virtual machine from Microsoft. It's free, but the functionality is very low. You cannot create your own virtual one, you can only download it windows image xp (many outdated programs which do not work in seven and eight are supported by it). To download the image, go to Start - Windows virtual pc - Windows xp mode. You will be prompted to download the image, agree and the program will download itself, after which you agree to the installation.
If you do not need to work with other distributions, but purely work with suspicious files for windows, this is the best option for you. You won’t get confused with the settings here, there are practically none.
The flash drive connects automatically (as well as hard disks computer for comfortable work with files between your OS and the virtual machine.
Here we have looked at three popular applications for working with virtual machines. Images ready-made assemblies You can search on a torrent, for example rutracker.org. take care of yourself

The term virtual machine (from the English Virtual Machine) is understood as a software or hardware system that emulates the hardware of a certain platform (guest platform), executing programs for the guest platform using the host platform.

Also, a virtual machine can virtualize a certain platform, creating independent, isolated environments for operating operating systems and programs on it.

To put it simply, a virtual machine provides the opportunity on one real, physical computer to create several virtual computers and install various operating systems, programs, etc. on them.

This technology came to the general public from the world of server infrastructure, where virtual machines are used to create maximum server load and reduce equipment downtime.

Virtual machines are used to solve a range of tasks such as:

Optimizing the use of server resources.

Information protection, as well as limiting the capabilities of some programs, the so-called sandbox idea.

Research into new computer architecture or software.

Emulation of various computer architectures (for example, to emulate the PlayStation game console from Sony).

Software testing and debugging.

We bring to your attention a brief overview of the most popular virtualization programs.

Virtual machine for Windows 7: Virtual Box

Virtualization program from Oracle, for operating systems Linux, Mac OS X, MS Windows, etc.

The program is quite popular and below we will consider not everything, but only its key advantages:

Free.

Cross-platform.

Support for 64-bit guests on 32-bit host platforms. To do this, the host platform must support virtualization technology at the processor level.

Supports audio devices and various types of network communication.

The ability to create a chain of backup states that you can return to in case of problems with the guest system.

Russian-language interface.

Important! The program's shortcomings are not significant, but for the sake of objectivity in the assessment, they should also be mentioned - VirtualBox is poorly compatible with Win 95/98 (slow system operation) and Mac OS X (sound problems).

As you can see, the program's shortcomings are not significant and are rather nominal.

Virtual machine for Windows 7: Xen

Virtual machine monitor (hypervisor), developed at the University of Cambridge and distributed under open source (GPL license).

Using paravirtualization technology (PV mode), Xen allows you to achieve very high performance by emulating real hardware platforms.

A feature of the PV mode is that there is no initial moment when the computer boots (imitation of BIOS code, boot loader) and the guest OS kernel starts immediately in the desired mode, like regular programs.

It is worth noting that Xen can be compared to enterprise-grade software due to its rich functionality.

Advantages:

Free.

Cross-platform.

High performance of running virtual machines, which is very close to the performance of real systems.

Ability to migrate running virtual machines between physical hosts.

High degree of support for emulated hardware.

There is perhaps only one drawback of the program - its relative complexity, compared to similar software from other companies.

Virtual machine for Windows 7: Virtual PC

This program was originally developed by Connetix for Mac OS back in 1997. 4 years later, a version for Windows OS was released.

Later, in 2003, the rights to the program were acquired by Microsoft Corporation, and in 2006 the program became free.

Subsequently, Virtual PC was not developed and currently contains the functionality of 2007.

Advantages:

Free.

Simple, user-friendly interface.

Flaws:

The program only works in Windows OS, but is not compatible with Windows 8 and higher.

The program, unlike