Server virtualization has quickly become a trusted, mainstream solution aboard x86 servers. KVM, which stands for Kernel-based Virtual Machine, is the newest hypervisor to enter the virtualization market, and it joins a market that already has no fewer than four other major solutions in place. Like several other Type 1 hypervisors, it is embedded into an operating system (OS), namely Linux. However, the implementation of KVM into the OS is unique in several ways. This brief IDC white paper examines the architecture, progression, and future of KVM and its related management software.
This IDC paper is available for download.