Virtual machines replicate physical machines and allow multiple systems to exist on one computer. Virtual migration simplifies OS upgrades, disaster recovery, and reduces operating costs. It also allows for testing and debugging of new systems, isolates crashes, and can be used for legacy software. Operational costs are reduced by hosting multiple applications on fewer servers. Disaster recovery is simplified with virtual migration.
Virtual machines have been around since the 1960s but have only become widespread since the late 1990s. A virtual machine is a replica of the original physical machine and multiple virtual machines can exist on a single physical computer. The software emulates all parts of the machine, including hardware and input/output (I/O) drivers. Using virtual migration, an entire computer system can be migrated to new hardware with no software changes required. This greatly simplifies operating system (OS) upgrades and disaster recovery, as well as reducing the operating costs of the technology for a business.
Migrating data and software from an old operating system to a new one can lead to a number of unforeseen complications. Drivers for I/O devices may be incompatible, older programs may not run on the new operating system, or application conflicts may occur. Virtual system migration can allow support staff members to fully test and debug a new operating system before it is activated.
Running financial programs, databases or customer service applications on the same computer can be risky. When a program crashes on a computer, every other running application can be negatively affected. If a single physical machine is used to host multiple applications, a program crash can be a disaster. By migrating virtually every critical program to its own virtual machine, disaster recovery consists of restarting a single virtual system, leaving other applications intact and running.
Software developers can test an application on multiple operating systems on the same physical computer. Virtual computers running Windows®, Linux, and Macintosh® operating systems can be configured on a single physical computer. Using virtual migration, the software can be tested on each platform. Debugging is simplified because each virtual operating system can be restarted or tuned without affecting any of the other platforms.
Virtual migration can be used to configure old legacy software on new systems. Businesses may want to keep an old but stable system, but they may want to run it on new hardware. Virtual migration can allow you to move your entire software system into one partition on new hardware because virtual systems are hardware independent. You can use a new operating system to host your legacy system on a virtual machine.
Operational costs are reduced using virtual migration. Enterprises can purchase fewer high-performance servers by virtually hosting more than one fully independent application on each. This allows you to perform database maintenance or application updates without disrupting other mission-critical applications. With fewer physical systems, fewer hardware support staff are required.
Disaster recovery can be simplified with virtual migration, and it can be as simple as starting a software program. It doesn’t matter if the hardware is different on the recovery system. All hardware, firmware, operating system and application configurations are virtualized, so a fully mirrored system can be set up on any physical computer.
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