Isäntäkäyttöjärjestelmälle

Isäntäkäyttöjärjestelmälle, in English known as a host operating system, refers to the primary operating system running on a computer. This is the system that users directly interact with, managing hardware resources such as the CPU, memory, and storage. Applications and other software are typically installed and run on the host operating system. Examples include Windows, macOS, and various Linux distributions.

In virtualized environments, the term "host operating system" distinguishes the physical machine's OS from the guest operating systems running within virtual machines. The host OS manages the underlying hardware and provides the environment for the hypervisor, which in turn allocates resources to the guest OSs. This distinction is crucial for understanding how virtualization technologies function. The host OS ensures that the physical computer operates normally, while also facilitating the operation of virtualized environments. Its role is fundamental to the computer's overall functionality and its ability to support other software, whether directly or indirectly.