Day 4: Virtualization Technologies

Trainer: Deepesh Sinnya

M.E Computer NCIT
RHCE, RHCSA, Double VCP
Cypher Technology P. Ltd.
dsinnya@gmail.com, deepesh@cyphertechnepal.com

Co-Trainer: Amrit Ghale

Islington College.
NCA, Array Certified System Engineer.
Cypher Technology P. Ltd.
amrit@cyphertechnepal.com
 About Us

• Deepesh Sinnya, Chief Technical Officer

• Email: deepesh@cyphertechnepal.com
• Amrit Ghale, IT Officer
• Email: amrit@cyphertechnepal.com
• Phone number: 01-5010764/5
• Website: www.cyphertechnepal.com
• Address:
• 4th floor Allure Complex, Sanepa Marga, Lalitpur, Nepal
 Overview
• Virtualization Concepts
• Definition and benefits of virtualization
• Types of virtualization
• Virtualization vs traditional computing
• Hypervisors
• Types of hypervisors
• Key features and use cases
• Creating & managing VMs
• VM architecture & components
• Resource allocation
 Practical Workshop

• Research & present various virtualization platforms

• VMware ESXi
• Oracle VirtualBox
• VMware Workstation
• Install type-2 hypervisor (VirtualBox or VMware
Workstation)
• Create, configure & manage VMs
• Windows VM
• Linux VM
 Virtualization Concepts
• What is Virtualization?
• Technology that allows you to create virtual representations of
servers, storage, networks, and other physical machines.
• Enables the abstraction of physical resources, allowing multiple
virtual machines (VMs) or environments to run on a single
physical machine.
• Virtualization software is often referred to as a hypervisor.
• Businesses use virtualization to use their hardware resources
efficiently to get greater return from their investment.
• Virtualization Technology powers cloud computing services like
AWS, Azure, Alibaba, Digital Ocean and more.
 Virtualization Concepts
• Virtual Machine:
• A virtual machine is a software-defined computer
that runs on a physical computer with a separate
operating system and computing resources
• The physical computer is called the host
machine and virtual machines are guest
machines.
• Multiple virtual Machines can run on a single
physical machine.
• Virtual machines are abstracted from the
computer hardware by a hypervisor.
 Virtualization Concepts
• Benefits of Virtualization:
• Efficient Resource use
• Improved resource utilization
• Automated IT management
• Enhanced scalability
• Faster Disaster recovery capabilities
• Aids in business continuity
Platforms offering virtualization
 Types of virtualizations
Virtualization encompasses several types; each designed to abstract and optimize specific
aspects of IT infrastructure.
• Server virtualization
• Server virtualization is a process that partitions a physical server into multiple virtual servers by
use of hypervisor.
• Application virtualization
• Application virtualization pulls out the functions of applications to run on operating systems
other than the operating systems for which they were designed.
• Desktop virtualization
• Desktop virtualization creates a software-based, or virtual, version of an end user’s desktop
environment and operating system (OS) that is decoupled from the end user’s computing device
or client. This enables the user to access his or her desktop from any computing device.
 Types of virtualizations
• Network virtualization
• Abstracts physical network resources into logical segments with following two approach
• Software Defined Network (SDN): This controls traffic routing by taking over routing management from
data routing in the physical environment. Example : VMware NSX, Nutanix AHV with Nutanix flow,
Sangfor aNET.
• Network Function Virtualization: combines the functions of network appliances, such as firewalls, load
balancers, and traffic analyzers that work together, to improve network performance. Examples are
VMware NSX-T, Nutanix AHV with Nutanix flow security, Sangfor aNET with aSEC.
• Storage virtualization:
• Storage Virtualization consolidates multiple physical storage devices into a unified, virtual storage
pool and abstracts features of SAN and NAS.
• Storage Virtualization is the foundation of First generation Hyper converged infrastructure that
consolidates Compute and storage. Examples are VMware vSAN, Nutanix Unified Storage,
Sangfor aSAN
Virtualization vs Traditional computing
For those more visually inclined…

Traditional Architecture Virtual Architecture

Virtualization vs Traditional computing
Traditional View Virtual Infrastructure

Exchange File/Print
Operating System Operating System Virtual Infrastructure
OS
Virtualization
OS
Virtualization
CPU
Pool

Memory
Pool
SAP ERP Oracle CRM
Storage
Operating System Operating System Pool
OS
Virtualization
OS
Virtualization

Interconnect
Pool
 Virtualization vs Traditional computing
• Disadvantages of traditional computing
• Typically dedicated to running a single operating system and application.
• Underutilized resources as the hardware often operates below its capacity.
• Result in higher costs, greater energy consumption, and increased physical space
requirements.
• Advantages of virtualization
• Simplifies management
• Enhanced scalability
• Rapid provisioning
• Improved disaster recovery through live migration, replication & snapshots
 Types of hypervisors
• Type 1 hypervisor (bare-metal)
• Run directly on the physical hardware of a server
or computer, without the need for a host
operating system.
• Deliver high performance, lower latency, and
greater efficiency.
• Example: VMware ESXi, Nutanix AHV, Microsoft
Hyper-V, Citrix Xen.
• Type 2 hypervisor (hosted)
• Operates on top of a host operating system.
• Better suited for personal use, testing, or
environments where ease of deployment is
prioritized over performance.
• Example: VMware Workstation, Oracle
VirtualBox
 Key features & use cases
• Type 1 bare-metal hypervisor
• Ideal for large-scale enterprise data centers, cloud computing platforms, and mission-
critical applications requiring maximum efficiency and reliability.
• Use cases:
• Running multiple virtual servers on a single physical machine
• Hosting cloud services
• Supporting high-availability clusters.

• Type 2 hosted hypervisor

• Portable, flexible, and user-friendly.
• Suitable for small-scale or personal virtualization needs.
• Use cases:
• Educational purpose
• Software development testing
 VM Architecture & Components

The VM architecture provides framework to operate multiple instances on a

single hardware, maximizing hardware usage and efficiency.
The three main components are:
1. Hypervisor
2. Guest OS
3. Virtual Hardware
 Hypervisor
Hypervisor is the software that enables virtualization by allowing the creation
of multiple virtual instances on the same physical hardware.
 Guest OS
Each VM has its own guest operating system which can be completely
different than others running on the same physical hardware. This allows
flexibility and supports diverse applications and software requirements.
 Virtual Hardware
The hypervisor creates virtual representations of hardware component for
each VM. These virtual components interact with the guest OS, mimicking
physical hardware, so applications and software within the VM can operate
as if they were on a dedicated machine. Some virtual hardware are:
• vCPU
• Virtual RAM
• Virtual Disk Storage
• Virtual Network adapter
• USB, CD/DVD & Serial Port
• Virtual GPU
 Resource allocation
• CPU allocation
• Assign vCPUs to VMs based on workloads.
• Hyperthreading helps to create more vCPU counts.
• CPU overcommitment can be an option but requires careful monitoring.
• A typical vCPU-to-core ratio for server workloads is 4:1, but it can be higher if the
workloads are not CPU-intensive.
• RAM allocation
• Hypervisors can manage memory dynamically.
• Memory overcommitment can also be an option. We can allocate virtual memory more
than the available physical RAM.
• Storage allocation
• We have option to choose either fixed-size disk (thick-provisioned) or dynamic (thin-
provisioned).
• Other settings like deduplication and compression can help reduce storage consumption.
Time for Practical
Workshop!
 Demo: VMware ESXi
Features that can be found
• Virtual Machines
• Networking (Port group, vSwitch,
VMkernel NICs, TCP/IP)
• Storage (Datastore, iSCSI, Browser)
• Services (SSH, SNMP, NTP, Syslog)
• Performance monitoring
• License
 Installing VMware ESXi on a physical server

• Download VMware ESXi ISO from Broadcom Portal

• For specific hardware brand, you may be required to download a custom ESXi ISO, for
example Dell, HPE, Cisco, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and Lenovo.
• Insert pen-drive and create a bootable image using the ISO and the
application called Rufus.
• Insert the bootable pen-drive to the server USB port and switch on the
server.
• Enter Boot Manager and boot from the pen-drive.
Creating a bootable image
pen-drive using Rufus
• Select the pen-drive in the Device.
• Select the ESXi ISO in the Boot
selection.
• Select Partition scheme. MBR is
preferable in most cases.
• Select Target system. BIOS or UEFI is
preferable in most cases.
• Click Start.
Warning: doing this operation will
erase all data in the pen-drive.
 Installation process
Start the ESXi installation wizard
• Step 1: Boot your server from the bootable pen-drive or you can mount the ISO
directly as the virtual image to the iLO/iDRAC or any IPMI specific to the server
brand.
• Step 2: ESXi 8 installer will start the wizard and then press Enter to continue.
 Installation process
Step 3: Press F11 to accept the License Agreement and continue.
 Installation process
Step 4: select the disk you want to install the ESXi, and press enter to
continue.
 Installation process

Step 5: select the keyboard layout and press enter to continue.

 Installation process

Step 6: provide and confirm the root password and press Enter to continue.
 Installation process
Step 7: press F11 to start installation.
 Installation process
Step 8: press Enter to reboot the server after completing the installation.
Remove the pen-drive or image after reboot.
 Configuring Management Network
Step 1: In the ESXi console, press F2 to customize the system and provide the root
password to continue.
Select configure management network to assign a management IP for the ESXi host.
 Configuring Management Network
Step 2: Select IPv4 to configure an IPv4 management IP.
 Configuring Management Network
Step 3: Press spacebar on “Set static IPv4”. By default, DHCP is used.
Provide the IPv4 address, subnet mask and default gateway. Press Enter to
continue.
 Configuring Management Network
Step 4: Now, go to DNS Configuration. Press spacebar on the “Use the following
DNS server”.
Provide the primary DNS server and alternate DNS server IP (optional). Provide a
hostname for the ESXi host. Press Enter to continue.
 Configuring Management Network
Step 5: Now, go to Custom DNS Suffixes. Provide a domain suffix, for
example cypher.local. In the screenshot, srv.world is provided.
Press enter to continue.
 Configuring Management Network
Step 6: Press Esc to exit configuration window. Press Y to apply changes
to restart networking.
 Install Type-2 Hypervisor
• Oracle VirtualBox (free)
• Link: https://www.oracle.com/virtualization/technologies/vm/downloads/virtualbox-
downloads.html
• VMware Workstation Pro (requires a Broadcom account)
• Link:
https://support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/productdownloads?subfamily=VMware%20
Workstation%20Pro
• We can provide the .exe installer file if necessary.
Note: you may be required to enable hardware virtualization in your device
BIOS if the program fails to execute.
 Create a Windows virtual machine
in VirtualBox
• Task 1: Deploy a Windows Server VM
• Step 1: Download Windows Server ISO
• Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-
server-2019

• Step 2:
• Create a new VM in VirtualBox
• Step 3:
• Provide the name of VM
• Allocate a folder to store the
VM files
• Provide the Windows Server
ISO in the ISO Image section
• Check box “Skip unattended
installation”
• Step 4:
• Allocate RAM
• Allocate number of vCPU core

• Step 5:
• Allocate the size of the virtual hard
disk.
 • Step 6:
• Finalize the VM settings and click Finish

• Step 7:
• The VM is now created. You can power
on the VM and begin the OS installation.
• You can access the machine in a separate
console.
 Create an Ubuntu virtual machine
in VirtualBox

• Task 2: Deploy Ubuntu 20/22/24 live server or Desktop version

• Download the Ubuntu ISO
• Link: https://releases.ubuntu.com/jammy/
• Create a new Ubuntu VM in VirtualBox using the ISO.
• Apply the necessary settings like vCPU, vRAM, and virtual hard disk, just like the
previous task.
 Additional tasks
you can do in VirtualBox:

• Create snapshot.
• Change network adapter settings from NAT to Bridge and vice-versa.
• Resize VM like vCPU, RAM, and virtual disk size.
• Add another hardware media like disk, network port and USB.
• Suspend or Pause VM.
We have reached the end of Day 4
Thank You!
See you in Day 5!