Virtualisierungshilfe

Virtualisierungshilfe, also known as hardware-assisted virtualization, refers to a set of technologies integrated into modern CPUs that significantly enhance the performance and efficiency of running virtual machines. Without this assistance, virtualization software would have to emulate hardware instructions in software, leading to substantial performance overhead. Virtualisierungshilfe allows the CPU to directly handle certain privileged instructions that are critical for virtualization, offloading these tasks from the hypervisor.

The primary benefit of Virtualisierungshilfe is improved performance. By enabling the processor to manage virtual machine operations more directly, the speed at which virtual machines run applications and perform tasks is greatly increased. This leads to a smoother user experience and allows for a higher density of virtual machines on a single physical host. Furthermore, it reduces the complexity of the hypervisor software, as it no longer needs to implement complex software emulation for these hardware operations.

Two prominent examples of Virtualisierungshilfe technologies are Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) and AMD Virtualization (AMD-V). Both Intel VT and AMD-V provide specific hardware extensions that allow for more efficient memory management, I/O device access, and interrupt handling for virtualized environments. These technologies are crucial for modern server consolidation, cloud computing, and desktop virtualization solutions, making them indispensable for achieving efficient and scalable virtualized infrastructure.