Features and Capabilities of KVM Virtualization

ONEHOST.KZ offers users a VPS service with virtualization technology called KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine). Here, in an accessible form, it is described what virtualization and the KVM hypervisor are, and what relation these concepts have to cloud servers with Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian.

Concepts: Virtualization and Hypervisor

Creating multiple virtual environments (machines) on one physical device, be it a computer or a server, is virtualization. To create a virtual environment, a special program is required that redistributes the physical resources of the server between operating systems. This program is called a hypervisor. It enables multiple OSes to function efficiently simultaneously on a shared physical device.

Virtualization and KVM Hypervisor

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a hardware virtualization technology developed on the basis of the Linux kernel. With the KVM program, multiple virtual machines can be created on one real physical server. The KVM hypervisor acts as one of the processes of the main Linux OS. The program controls all guest "OSes," and the base OS copies its own functions onto the guest OSes and manages the server's resources.

On a VPS with KVM, processor cores, RAM, and hard disk are allocated for the virtual server in accordance with the established tariffication. The use of KVM Virtualization has no difference from interacting with a regular physical server. VPS provides absolute independence and freedom to choose resources to perform user tasks.

KVM Capabilities

KVM is one of the most popular and demanded modern solutions when working with VPS:

• Freedom of resources from neighboring servers - KVM is used on a dedicated server;
• The server has its own OS kernel, which does not allow violations in the work of the common kernel;
• The ability to copy and save the state of the server;
• Official interaction with the Linux kernel;
• Guest OSes work at high speed in direct cooperation with the hardware;
• Support for various guest OSes;
• The ability to install Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian on the virtual server;
• Installation of any software is allowed, as with physical servers;
• Support for VNC;
• The ability to install Docker;
• No restrictions on configuring iptables;
• No need to connect additional modules.

Servers with KVM show good results under high periodic loads on the processor. This happens when visiting sites with pulsating traffic, web applications with high load. The program is very efficient, has high productivity and protection.