Virtual machines - on premises

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Answer to 1st question --> Yes, you are correct. Virtual machines (VMs) have been used in on-premises datacenters long before the advent of cloud services like Azure. In Azure, VMs operate on the same fundamental principles as those in physical datacenters. They are virtual instances of an operating system and infrastructure, allowing you to run applications and services in a virtualized environment.

Answer to 2nd question -->

Yes, that's correct. The distinction between Type 1 and Type 2 hypervisors is an important concept in virtualization:

Type 1 Hypervisor (Bare-Metal Hypervisor): This type of hypervisor runs directly on the physical hardware of the host machine. It does not require a host operating system. Examples include VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Xen. Type 1 hypervisors are typically used in enterprise datacenters to create and manage VMs on servers.

Type 2 Hypervisor (Hosted Hypervisor): This type of hypervisor runs on top of a host operating system, such as Windows, Linux, or macOS. Examples include VMware Workstation, Oracle VirtualBox, and Parallels Desktop. Type 2 hypervisors are more flexible and can be used on a variety of devices, including laptops, desktops, and servers. They are often used for development, testing, and personal use.

In summary, Type 1 hypervisors are generally used in environments where performance and resource efficiency are critical, such as in enterprise datacenters. Type 2 hypervisors are more versatile and can be used on a wider range of hardware, making them suitable for individual users and smaller-scale deployments.

Answer to 3rd question-->

Hypervisors and virtualization software are closely related but not exactly the same. Here's the distinction:

Hypervisor: A hypervisor is a specific type of software, firmware, or hardware that creates and runs virtual machines (VMs). It allows multiple operating systems to share a single hardware host. The hypervisor manages the system's resources, such as CPU, memory, and storage, and allocates them to each VM as needed. There are two types of hypervisors:

Type 1 (Bare-Metal) Hypervisor: Runs directly on the physical hardware.

Type 2 (Hosted) Hypervisor: Runs on top of a host operating system.

Virtualization Software: This is a broader term that encompasses any software that enables virtualization. This includes hypervisors but also other tools and platforms that facilitate the creation, management, and operation of virtual environments. Virtualization software can include:

Hypervisors: As described above.

Management Tools: Software that helps manage and orchestrate VMs, such as VMware vCenter, Microsoft System Center, or OpenStack.

Virtual Machine Monitors (VMMs): Software that provides additional features for managing VMs, often included with hypervisors.

Containerization Platforms: Software like Docker or Kubernetes that provides a form of virtualization at the application level, allowing multiple applications to run in isolated environments on the same OS.

In summary, while all hypervisors are a type of virtualization software, not all virtualization software is a hypervisor. Virtualization software includes a range of tools and platforms that support the creation and management of virtual environments.

References:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/hyper-v-overview?source=recommendations

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/about/containers-vs-vm?source=recommendations

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Thanks

Deepanshu