VM

Virtual Machine

A software-based emulation of a physical computer. It allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical host, by virtualizing the hardware resources of that host. VMs are isolated from one another, meaning that the resources and state of one VM are separate and distinct from the resources and state of another VM on the same host.

A VM typically includes virtual versions of the following physical hardware components:

• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Memory (RAM)
• Storage (hard drive or SSD)
• Network Interface
• Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) (depending on the use case)

VMs are typically created and managed using virtualization software, such as VMware, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, etc. This software creates a layer between the physical hardware and the operating system, called a hypervisor. The hypervisor allows multiple VMs to share the physical resources of a host, while providing isolation and abstraction between the VMs.

VMs are widely used in cloud computing, data centers, and other enterprise environments, as they provide a way to efficiently utilize the resources of a physical host while isolating the different workloads running on that host. Additionally, VMs can also be used for disaster recovery, testing, and development, and for running multiple operating systems on a single physical machine.

• Abbreviation: VM