Guide: Understanding and Answering Questions on Virtual Machines

Virtual Machines (VMs) are an integral part of modern network infrastructure. They are essentially emulations of computer systems.

Importance: VMs allow multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a single physical host. This improves system utilization by practically eliminating costly downtime. Furthermore, VMs are essential for cloud computing as they offer the flexibility and scalability businesses need today.

Concept: Virtual Machines work by virtualizing hardware components into software emulations. When an operating system is installed in a VM, it doesn't communicate directly with the host hardware. Instead, it communicates with the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) or hypervisor.

How VMs work: Hypervisors like VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, or KVM provide the layer that translates instructions from VMs to the actual hardware. By doing this, the hypervisor isolates operating systems and applications from the underlying hardware. This allows each VM to have its own unique, isolated operating system, executed on the same physical machine.

Exam tips: You might encounter multiple choice questions or scenarios asking you to identify situations in which VMs would be beneficial. Understanding the basic concept, the benefits, and the general working mechanism of VMs will be essential. Be aware of the difference between different types of hypervisors as they may play a part in specific use cases.

For better retention of information, try doing self-study quizzes on VMs and hypervisors, review practice test examples and real-life practical examples. This way, you can understand eventual exam questions from different angles.