Physical Server Architecture (Traditional Architecture)In a traditional server setup, the operating system (OS) is installed directly on the physical hardware. The OS controls the server and manages its resources. After installing the OS, the application is installed. Usually, one physical server is dedicated to running a single application. In this architecture, the physical storage, computing power (CPU), and network are directly managed by the OS installed on the server.
Virtual Server Architecture
In a virtual server setup, a special software called a hypervisor is installed directly on the physical hardware instead of a regular operating system. The hypervisor scans the physical resources like CPU, storage, and network, and presents them in a virtual form (software-based). It allows the creation of virtual servers, called Virtual Machines (VMs). Each VM can use virtual resources such as virtual CPU (vCPU), virtual storage (vStorage), and virtual network (vNetwork). Hypervisor make possible to consume multiple servers to run on single hardware.
Comparison between Physical and Virtualization environments
| Aspect | Physical Environment | Virtualized Environment |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dedicated hardware running a single OS and application stack | Multiple virtual machines (VMs) running on shared hardware |
| Resource Utilization | Often underutilized | Optimized through resource sharing |
| Scalability | Limited by physical hardware | Highly scalable with dynamic resource allocation |
| Cost | Higher due to hardware, power, and space | Lower due to consolidation and efficient resource use |
| Deployment Time | Slower – requires physical setup | Faster – VMs can be cloned or spun up quickly |
| Maintenance | Requires physical access and downtime | Easier with snapshots, live migration, and centralized control |
| Disaster Recovery | Complex and time-consuming | Simplified with VM backups and replication |
| Security | Isolated by hardware | Requires strong isolation between VMs |
| Performance | Generally better for high-performance workloads | Slight overhead due to hypervisor |
| Flexibility | Less flexible – tied to hardware | Highly flexible – VMs can run different OSes on same hardware |
| Energy Efficiency | Less efficient – more hardware needed | More efficient – fewer physical servers |
| Management Tools | Basic hardware management tools | Advanced virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware, Hyper-V) |