Beyond Server Consolidation

Virtualization technology was developed in the late 1960s to make more efficient use of hardware. Hardware was expensive, and there was not that much available. Processing was largely outsourced to the few places that did have computers. On a single IBM System/360, one could run in parallel several environments that maintained full isolation and gave each of its customers the illusion of owning the hardware. Virtualization was time sharing implemented at a coarse-grained level, and isolation was the key achievement of the technology. It also provided the ability to manage resources efficiently, as they would be assigned to virtual machines such that deadlines could be met and a certain quality of service could be achieved.