The Difference Between Virtualization and Cloud Computing

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Article by Chris Brenton on the Cloud Passage Blog.

This article provides information on the differences between virtualization and Cloud computing.

As the article states, "Virtualization, at its core, is the ability to emulate hardware via software. If we walk through the system initialization processes, some form of operating system still needs to be booted from the hardware. This may be a full blow OS such as Linux or Windows, or it may be a stripped down OS specifically designed to provide virtualization, such as VMware’s ESXi (which is a stripped down Linux operating system). In either case an operating system is first booted and then an emulation software stack is loaded which is referred to as a “hypervisor”.

The hypervisor is the component which is responsible for emulating specific hardware configurations to guest operating systems."

The article provides a description of cloud computing as well, "...a cloud maximizes the efficiency of a resource by spreading it out over multiple consumers. For example let’s say that you and five of your neighbors determine you only actually need a car for two hours a day. If you each buy your own car, you will have purchased six cars total and each will spend an overwhelming majority of its time sitting in the driveway idle. If you all chip in on a single car however, you each spend 1/6th as much, and if schedules align you each still have a vehicle available for the required two hours per day. This is essentially how resource pooling works in cloud computing, except the shared resources are CPU’s, hard drives, network access, etc. rather than automobiles."

The article also discusses the intersection between the two, "So how does virtualization and cloud fit together? Virtualization simplifies the process of sharing computer resources. Cloud computing needs to be able to share resources in order to improve efficiency and reduce costs. This makes the two technologies a natural fit to work together. Virtualization increases the efficiency of hardware utilization, while cloud adds a layer of management so that VMs care be created, scaled and torn down as required. This is why a majority of today’s cloud solutions are built on virtualization technology."

To further illustrate the point the author states, "A good analogy is home building. Most houses are built on top of basements. They are great for storage as well as expanded living space. Basements are certainly not a requirement of house building however as many homes are built on slabs or even stilts. So while it can be argued that using a basement results in a better house, it is not a prerequisite to building a home. Think of cloud (house building) and virtualization (basement) in the same light and you’ll get the idea."