Linux Virtualization

What Does Linux Virtualization Mean?

Linux virtualization is a process through which one or more virtual machines can be installed, executed and maintained on top of the Linux operating system. Linux virtualization enables the consolidation of hardware and software resources used by the Linux OS, and allows them to be shared and divided across several virtual machines and their associated processes.

Techopedia Explains Linux Virtualization

Linux virtualization is designed to achieve virtualization on a system running the Linux operating system. Linux virtualization is accomplished through the installation of a virtual machine application on the target system that can create some or more virtual machines depending on the back-end system resources. Each virtualized machine shares the underlying hardware resources but runs independently of the parent Linux OS. However, Linux virtualization allows the creation and execution of Windows, Mac OS X and other virtual machines powered by operating systems other than Linux.

Xen, KVM, VirtualBox and VMware are among the popular applications for Linux virtualization.