The phrases “bare metal servers” and “hypervisors” describe two important parts of the virtualization world.
It is important to understand that these terms represent natural persons (A A bare metal server) and software layer (A hypervisor).
In this article we will discuss What is a bare metal server? and What is a hypervisor?And then we’ll explain How can the two work together?.
The term “bare metal” refers to a physical server with tangible components such as RAM, CPU, network cards, and more. In this configuration, the operating system directly communicates with these hardware elements, optimizing performance and resource usage.
Take a look at our bare metal servers to understand that these are physical servers with tangible components such as RAM, hard drives and Intel processors/cores.
Performs:
Bare metal servers, stripped of the virtualization layer, are characterized by raw performance. With direct access to components such as RAM and CPU, they are ideal for high-performance applications such as databases and real-time analytics.
safety:
In security-sensitive environments, bare metal servers are preferred because there is no intermediate layer between the hardware components and the operating system, thus reducing the attack surface.
To learn more about bare metal servers, see our What is a bare metal server? article.
Hypervisors: software layer
On the other hand, hypervisors are not physical objects; They are software layers that create a separation between hardware components and the operating system. This separation makes it possible to create and manage multiple virtual machines, each with its own operating system.
flexibility and isolation
Hypervisors provide the flexibility to run multiple virtual machines with different operating systems simultaneously. This is valuable for testing environments and scenarios that require isolation between workloads.
resource sharing
Unlike bare-metal servers, hypervisors enable resource sharing between multiple virtual machines, offering a cost-effective solution where resource efficiency is prioritized over raw performance.
Ease of management
Hypervisors offer a user-friendly interface for managing virtual machines, making them suitable for development, testing, and environments that require rapid deployment and scalability.
To learn more about hypervisors, see our What is a hypervisor? article.
A bare metal server, an inherently powerful physical machine, becomes more flexible when a hypervisor is added. A hypervisor acts as a manager that allows a bare metal server to host multiple virtual machines. These virtual machines run independently, each with its own operating system and applications. The beauty of this collaboration is that it combines the rugged performance of a bare-metal server with the efficiency and adaptability of virtualization.
In practical terms, this means that organizations can maximize the potential of their hardware. A bare-metal server handles resource-intensive tasks directly, while a hypervisor efficiently allocates resources and manages virtual machines based on different workloads. This dynamic duo enables a cloud-like environment where virtual machines can easily be scaled up or down as needed.
