Virtualization

Virtualization is the creation of a virtual version of something,such as an operating system,a server,a storage device or network resources.You probably know a little about virtualization if you have ever divided your hard drive into different partitions.A partition is the logical division of a hard disk drive to create two separate hard drives.

Operating system virtualization refers to the use of software to allow system hardware to run multiple instances of different operating systems concurrently allowing you to run different applications requiring different operating systems on one computer systems.

                                     VIRUALIZATION TIMELINE
In the mid 1960s I.B.M developed CP 40 which hoped would implement full virtualization.

In 1972 I.B.M announced several virtual storage operating systems.

In 1999 VMware introduced the first x86 virtualiztion product.

In 2005 VMware decided to provide high quality virtualization technology to everyone for free.They omitted the ability to create virtual machines and did not distribute the acceleration tools that come with VMware workstation.

In 2006  This year virtualization has a new level of playing field in application virtualization and application streaming.

In 2008 VMware release the first programme for Windows and Linux to enable DirectX 9 accelerated graphics on Windows XP guest.

                       FUTURE OF VIRTUALIZATION

It is felt that virtualization is moving back to servers. It is a cyclical shift and it in no way means that clients are obsolete. The client will be able to see the VM as a single server or a cloud where all necessary computing applications are available. The administrator on a network will also be able to access and administer all clients through this cloud with a single tool. The client will be able to utilize the resources in the cloud to store all his data, make changes or create new databases and even use the resources available in the VM to create or manipulate images.