Hostbetriebsystems

Hostbetriebsystems (host operating systems) are the operating systems running on physical hardware that host virtualization software and services. They provide the environment in which hypervisors operate, allocate and manage hardware resources, and offer user interfaces and management tools.

In virtualization, there are two main deployment models. In bare-metal or Type 1 hypervisors, the hypervisor runs directly on hardware, and the host OS may be minimal or absent; in hosted or Type 2 configurations, the host OS runs first on hardware and hosts the hypervisor and virtual machines as software layers on top of it.

Key responsibilities include resource management (CPU, memory, I/O, storage, and networking), device driver support, kernel modules, security controls, and system services. They expose management interfaces for administrators and sometimes APIs for automation. They also support virtualization-specific features such as hardware-assisted virtualization (Intel VT-x/AMD-V) and virtualization drivers (paravirtualized or virtio-like) used by guest VMs.

Common examples of host operating systems include Windows, Linux distributions, and macOS. Some platforms integrate virtualization capabilities directly into the host OS, such as Hyper-V on Windows or KVM on Linux, and third-party products (VMware Workstation, VirtualBox) run as applications on the host OS.

Because the host OS sits between hardware and guests, its stability and security are critical for virtualization reliability. Updates and driver compatibility must be managed to prevent conflicts with the hypervisor and guest VMs.