Summary

This chapter has introduced you to virtualization and its different types. The information provided is intended to be fairly generic, since Oracle VM specifics will be provided throughout the book. Both software and paravirtualization were described, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of both technologies. Because hardware support for virtualization is changing so rapidly, some of the information in this chapter may be obsolete by the time you read this book; however, the general principles and methods will remain the same.

This chapter compared hardware-assisted software virtualization and paravirtualization. This comparison is based on the technology as it exists today. Soon hardware extensions for virtualization will improve as well as hardware support for paravirtualization. Virtualization is now at the forefront of CPU technology and is leading the new technological revolution.