Why You May Already Own Your Next Computer

By Thomas G. Stephens, Jr., CPA, CITP

Is there a virtual computer in your future? Though you may not yet know what a virtual computer is or how one works, you likely will be working with one in the very near future. As such, this series of articles is devoted to acquainting you with virtual computers and their benefits, how to build and deploy a virtual computer, and how virtual servers provide a very cost-effective strategy for improving the return on your investment in information technology.

 

What Is A Virtual Computer?

 

A virtual computer uses virtualization software and selected hardware components to create an emulated or virtual environment. Virtual computer technologies enable one physical computer – known as a host – to run multiple operating systems and related applications simultaneously. As such, one host may have several virtual computers – known as guests – loaded and running at the same time independently of the others.

 

For example, a physical computer might have Windows ® Vista™ Ultimate loaded as the host operating system; in addition, that same physical computer might have a virtual computer with Windows XP Professional installed and running.

 

The Benefits Of Virtual Computers

 

The benefits of virtualization are many and significant. Some of the more notable are:

 

● Virtualization assists in transition from one operating system to another. Many companies have deferred migrating from previous versions of the Windows operating system to Windows Vista. One of the most commonly-cited reasons for staying put with a previous version of Windows is the potential for application incompatibilities with Vista. Though most of these incompatibilities have been resolved and this issue is now more perception than reality, virtualization effectively removes application incompatibility with Vista as a reason for not upgrading and obtaining the benefits of the new operating system. More specifically, Vista could be the host operating system while XP could be installed in a guest virtual computer. Any applications that are not yet Vista compatible could be installed on the XP guest, while all Vista-compatible applications could be installed on the host.

 

● Virtualization provides a highly effective testing environment. Users and technology professionals who want to test different configurations of operating systems and applications could load the desired operating systems and applications in a virtual computer and adjust various configuration options inside the virtual computer without fear of compromising the host computer.

 

● Virtualization de-couples the decision of which operating system to run from and which applications to use. For example, one of the more popular virtualization applications is Parallels, which allows Windows operating systems to be installed on Macintosh-based hosts. As such, someone who wants to use a Macintosh computer may do so and still have access to Windows-based applications through a Windows-based guest virtual computer loaded on a Macintosh-based host.

 

● Virtual computers potentially reduce the amount of time required to equip and deploy applications on host computers. Suppose a company has just purchased 50 new laptop computers and plans to equip each in exactly the same fashion. A virtual computer could be created with all of the desired applications and settings included; then, that virtual computer could simply be copied and pasted to the remaining computers, drastically cutting the amount of time required to deploy the laptops to end users. If any of the computers ever require maintenance or replacement, an updated virtual computer could simply be “pushed” to each of the physical computers.

 

● Virtual servers can be deployed to reduce the number of servers in use in an organization, with no decline in performance. Instead of separate physical servers for each major application or service, multiple virtual servers can be deployed on one physical server, thereby taking advantage of the estimated 80% to 90% unused capacity of many physical servers. Additional benefits of virtual servers include potentially improved load-balancing and maintenance capabilities, better utilization of existing storage capacity, and streamlined back-ups.

 

The Required Technology

 

Fortunately, many of the common tools used in creating virtual computers are free of charge and readily downloadable. For instance, Microsoft’s Virtual PC 2007 and Virtual Server 2005 are both free and can be downloaded from Microsoft’s web site.

 

Though not free, VMWare’s Workstation is available for a modest investment of $189; however, there is no charge for VMWare’s Server application. Other key providers of virtualization software include Linux XEN, KVM, and Lguest.

 

Virtualization requires no specific additional hardware other than what's already installed on the host. However, from a practical perspective, virtualization is likely not a viable alternative on older computers with little RAM available. More specifically, a minimum of 2 GB of RAM is typically recommended for a host computer.

 

Perhaps the most significant issue associated with virtualization is that of licensing the guest operating systems and applications. As a general rule, from a licensing perspective treat each virtual computer as you would a physical computer. As such, each guest operating system and each application installed on a guest typically requires a separate, legal license. Be sure to check with the provider of your guest operating systems and applications regarding specific licensing issues and questions, including whether a license can be legally transferred from an existing physical computer to a virtual computer.

 

By now it should be clear that virtualization is a technology that is easy to deploy, offers tremendous benefits to companies of all sizes, and requires only minimal investment. Accordingly, it is no small wonder that your next computer may actually be a virtual computer.

In next month’s installment, we will learn how to create and deploy a virtual computer. Don’t worry! It is much easier to do than it sounds.

 

Mr. Stephens is a shareholder in K2 Enterprises, where he develops and presents technology-related continuing professional education programs to accounting and finance professionals across the United States. You may reach him at tommy@k2e.com.

 

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Microsoft.