Paravirtualization allows virtual software to access real hardware, speeding up certain functions without sacrificing computing power. It requires paravirtualization software and compatible hardware.
Paravirtualization is a method that allows software running on a virtual system to bypass the virtual interface and perform operations on the system’s actual hardware. In a standard virtual system, the only program that uses the actual hardware of the system is the virtual interface. The rest of the software runs entirely within the virtual environment. With paravirtualization, there are ways that the included software can access real resources rather than virtual ones. This speeds up some functions without sacrificing computing power.
Virtual computing environments have become much more common in the 21st century. Using basic virtual systems, a single hardware system can perform the operations of several without loss of computing power. Additionally, redundant virtual servers allow a single machine to go offline for replacement or repair without impacting users of the system.
In most virtual systems, a real machine has a program installed that acts as a virtual interface for the rest of the operations. This interface, often called a hypervisor, is usually inaccessible to users of the virtual system; only people with real access to the hardware can access it. When virtual users have access to the hypervisor, they are often severely limited in what they can do to the system.
The hypervisor is essentially the center of the virtual system. Supervises installed virtual software and provides a platform for virtual users. When programs on the virtual system need access to hardware, the hypervisor will take the information and either process it itself or format it and send it to the underlying system.
In a system using paravirtualization, a virtual program has the ability to bypass the virtual operating system and operate directly with the system hardware when hardware access is needed. Some operations are very difficult for the virtual system to perform. When a virtual program needs to perform any of these tasks, fewer resources are required for the program to bypass the virtual layer and go directly to the hardware system. Paravirtualization is still done sparingly, as too many direct hardware calls can overload the system.
To use paravirtualization, both the real system and the virtual system need some preparation. The most important factor is the paravirtualization software itself; only operating systems and hypervisors with paravirtualization capabilities can perform these functions. While these are often left out of a standard installation, most server software companies have add-ons available that will give their products the correct functionality.
The second point of compatibility is in the underlying hardware. Using a virtual interface, it is possible to run almost any operating system on almost any hardware system. For paravirtualization to work, the underlying hardware must be something that virtual programs know how to access. If the hardware is very foreign to the system, paravirtualization hardware calls will fail.
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