Virtualization with KVM
All for One
Whether you want to lock up your web server, test security functions, put a really powerful server to better use, or just try out a new distribution, virtual machines can be very useful. The Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) [1] is a fairly recent project now being promoted by Red Hat, and it's another candidate for the job of launching and managing your virtual machines. Although KVM is frequently overlooked in the wake of VirtualBox and VMware, it offers an impressive feature scope, is included by nearly every distribution, and is totally free. The virtualization functions in Red Hat Enterprise Linux are based on it.
Building Blocks
KVM comprises individual modules that handle different tasks. To start, Qemu [2] emulates the hardware of one or multiple computers. Operating systems can coexist peacefully on the virtual machines that Qemu provides without fighting over the physical network interface (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Thanks to KVM, Windows 7 and openSUSE 11.3 will run peacefully side by side on Ubuntu 10.04 .
Of course, simulating computer components is heavy on CPU cycles. To improve the execution speed of
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