In computing, virtualization is a broad term that refers to the abstraction of computer resources:
*Platform virtualization, which separates an operating system from the underlying platform resources[citation needed]
o Full virtualization
o Hardware-assisted virtualization
o Partial virtualization
o Paravirtualization
o Operating system-level virtualization
o Hosted environment[citation needed] (e.g. User-mode Linux)
*Resource virtualization, the virtualization of specific system resources, such as storage volumes, name spaces, and network resources
o Encapsulation, the hiding of resource complexity by the creation of a simplified interface
o Virtual memory, which allows uniform, contiguous addressing of physically separate and non-contiguous memory and disk areas
o Storage virtualization, the process of completely abstracting logical storage from physical storage
+ RAID – redundant array of independent disks
+ Disk partitioning, is the splitting of a single resource (usually large), such as disk space or network bandwidth, into a number of smaller, more easily utilized resources of the same type
+ Logical volume management, which combines many disks into one large pool and then divides it into logical disks.
o Network virtualization, creation of a virtualized network addressing space within or across network subnets
o Channel bonding, the use multiple links combined to work as though they offered a single, higher-bandwidth link
*Computer clusters and grid computing, the combination of multiple discrete computers into larger metacomputers
*Application virtualization, the hosting of individual applications on alien hardware/software
o Portable application
o Cross-platform virtualization
o Emulation or simulation
*Virtualization Development, further work in this area
*Desktop virtualization, the remote manipulation of a computer desktop
Refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization
