Hypervisor, explained
A hypervisor provides the layer that runs and isolates virtual machines using a physical host's resources.
- The field
- Technical
- Reading time
- 1 minute
- In this entry
- Meaning · relevance · limits
The meaning
A hypervisor provides the layer that runs and isolates virtual machines using a physical host's resources.
Why it matters
It manages compute, memory and virtual devices. Updates and configuration on this layer affect the security and reliability of multiple guests.
The boundary
Guest administration cannot replace the provider's responsibility for the underlying platform.
Know where isolation is enforced
A hypervisor schedules virtual machines and mediates access to the physical hardware. Inside a guest, the administrator controls that guest’s software and users; host administration remains a separate trust boundary. Isolation reduces interference but does not eliminate the need for updates, capacity planning and independent recovery.
- Distinguish guest administrator access from host or firmware control.
- Assess shared-resource limits and failure domains when placing multiple critical services.