Chapter 1. Introduction to Xen Virtualization | ||||
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 | 3. Documentation Conventions | 1.2. Understanding Virtualization Modes |  | |
Chapter 1. Introduction to Xen Virtualization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3. Documentation Conventions | 1.2. Understanding Virtualization Modes | | |
Contents
Virtualization of operating systems is used in many different computing areas. It finds its applications in server consolidation, energy saving efforts, or the ability to run older software on new hardware, for example. This chapter introduces and explains the components and technologies you need to understand to set up and manage a Xen-based virtualization environment.
The basic components of a Xen-based virtualization environment are the Xen hypervisor, the Domain0, any number of other VM Guests, and the tools, commands, and configuration files that let you manage virtualization. Collectively, the physical computer running all these components is referred to as a virtual machine host because together these components form a platform for hosting virtual machines.
The Xen hypervisor, sometimes referred to generically as a virtual machine monitor, is an open-source software program that coordinates the low-level interaction between virtual machines and physical hardware.
The virtual machine host environment, also referred to as domain0 or controlling domain, is comprised of several components, such as:
The SUSE Linux operating system, which gives the administrator a graphical and command line environment to manage the virtual machine host components and its virtual machines.
![[Note]](admon/note.png) | Note |
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The term “Domain0” refers to a special domain that provides the management environment. This may be run either in graphical or in command line mode. | |
The xend daemon (xend), which stores configuration information about each virtual machine and controls how virtual machines are created and managed.
A modified version of QEMU, which is an open-source software program that emulates a full computer system, including a processor and various peripherals. It provides the ability to host operating systems in full virtualization mode.
A Xen-based virtual machine, also referred to as a
domain, consists of the following components:
At least one virtual disk that contains a bootable operating system. The virtual disk can be based on a file, partition, volume, or other type of block device.
Virtual machine configuration information, which can be modified by exporting a text-based configuration file from xend or through Virtual Machine Manager.
There is a combination of GUI tools, commands, and configuration files to help you manage and customize your virtualization environment.
