The first lab of IT security course is about introduction to virtualization & VMware and we are using VMware to illustrate the concept of virtualization. During lab session, En.Mohd Zaki explain concept of virtualization and the VMware to us. After that, we are required to understand lab sheet and follow instructions inside to install VMware Worksation, create a disk image on VMware Station and install Window Server 2003 in disk image.
After listen to En. Mohd Zaki explanation, I understand that virtualization is the creation of a virtual rather than actual version of something, such as an operating system, a server, a storage device or network resources. Operating system virtualization is the use of software to allow a piece of hardware to run multiple operating system at the same time. For example, an application such as VMware or Microsoft Virtual PC can let windows run Linux or other applications and vice versa on a virtual PC. Virtualization environment created by such software is called virtual machine which also known as disk image.
Virtual Machine (VM) is a software implementation of a machine that executes programs like a real machine which is created by Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) which provides a second layer on a machine for another operating system to run on it. The underlying operating system is called host operating system while operating system runs by VMM is called guest operating system. VMM can hold more than one operating system on it. The host operating system and the guest operating system can either be of the same or different type of operating system.
After implement VMware Workstation in the lab, I understand that VMware Workstation enable user to use multiple operating systems concurrently on the same PC by create and run multiple virtual machines. Each virtual machine virtualized a complete set of PC, including memory, HDD, network connections, peripheral ports and processor. There are several advantages of VMware Workstation which are provide mobility to user where disk image created or shares files can be cloned and copy by just drag and drop, provide ability to simulate hardware, configure its network adapter to use Network Address Translation (NAT) through host machine rather than bridging through it and provide test environment. Ability to use snapshot allows user to roll back virtual machine to the saved status at any time without worrying system will crash during testing.
After this lab, I gained interest in virtualization concept. So, I do some information searching on others software virtualization that can be used such as VirtualBox. VirtualBox is a powerful x86 virtualization product developed by Sun Microsystems for enterprise as well as home use. Besides that, it is the only professional solution that is freely available as open source software under the terms of General Public License (GPL). Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris hosts and supports a large number of guest operating system including not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Sever 2003, Vista, Window 7), DOS/Window 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), Solaris and OpenSolaris, and OpenBSD.
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