Below mentioned are the top 10 virtualization systems that are handy for any system or network administrator for their demanding IT tasks.
VMWARE VSPHERE Type: Hypervisor (Type-1) Features: Advanced features for server virtualization, high availability, vMotion for live migration and extensive management tools. Use Case: Enterprise-grade virtualization and cloud infrastructure.
MICROSOFT HYPER-V Type: Hypervisor (Type-1) Features: Integrated with Windows Server, supports nested virtualization, and provides robust management via System Center. Use Case: Windows centric-environments seeking scalabale virtualization.
RED HAT VIRTUALIZATION Type: Hypervisor (KVM-based) Features: Enterprise vitualization based on open-source KVM, tightly integrated with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Use Case: Linux-centric enterprise virtualization.
CITRIX HYPERVISOR Type: Hypervisor (Type-1) Features: High performance, workload balancing, GPU virtualization for graphics-heavy applications. Use Case: Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and server virtualization.
PROXMOX VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT Type: Hypervisor (KVM and LXC-based) Features: Open-source platform combining KVM for VMs and LXC for containers, with a powerful web-based interface. Use Case: Affordable virtualization for small to medium-sized businesses.
KVM (KERNEL-BASED VIRTUAL MACHINE) Type: Hypervisor (Type-1) Features: Integrated into the Linux kernel, supports hardware-assisted virtualization, and highly customizable. Use Case: Open-source and flexible virtualization for Linux environments.
VMWARE WORKSTATION AND FUSION Type: Hypervisor (Type-2) Features: Desktop virtualization with support for 3D graphics and advanced networking features. Use Case: Development, testing, and learning environments.
DOCKER Type: Containerization platform Features: Lightweight containers, fast aplication deployment, and microservices architecture support. Use Case: Application isolation and containerized environments.
OPENSTACK Type: Cloud management platform Features: Open-source, supports multi-hypervisor environments, and extensive cloud orchestration capabilities. Use Case: Building private and hybrid clouds.
XEN PROJECT Type: Type 1 Hypervisor Features: Open-source, Paravirtualization, minimal overhead, security-focused. Use Case: Public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS legacy systems), embedded systems.