About HPE VME hypervisor type

[srai20]

Is HPE VM Essentials a type-1 or type-2 hypervisor? 

Is it type-2 hypervisor? because VME is installed on top of Ubuntu OS

[Moto_PK · Accepted solution]

It is Type 1 Hypervisor.

[srai20]

Thank you for the answer. We are pondering about shifting to HPE VME from vSphere and I have one more query.

Does it make less efficient in resource utilization or performance wise compared to type-1 hypervisors like vSphere ESXi, Hyper-v??

[Moto_PK]

By design the Type 1 Hypervisors consume lower amount of resources compared to Type 2 Hypervisors.

HPE VM Essentials virtualization solution can offer several advantages, including simplified management, improved data efficiency, and enhanced scalability. These solutions are designed to work with Type-1 hypervisors, ensuring that you do not lose out on the performance and resource utilization benefits that these hypervisors provide. Instead, you gain additional features that can enhance your virtual environment's overall efficiency and resilience.

Would recommend to reach out to your HPE sales person for a demo and a comprehensive discussion on the advantages. Can understand the complete landscape, and suggest accordingly.

[rbmorph]

This is not True. VME leverages KVM which is considered a type 1 hypervisor. Here is a good definition I found that may help better explain. 

Types of Hypervisors

There are 2 types of Hypervisors: Type 1 and Type 2.

• Type 1 is Bare-Metal Architecture – Runs directly on the host’s hardware and controls hardware as well as manages VMs

  Example: VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, and Oracle VM

• Type 2 is Hosted Architecture – Runs on top of the Operating System (OS). In this case, guest OS runs at the third level above the hardware.

  Example: VMware Workstation/Fusion, Oracle Virtualbox or Windows Virtual PC, etc

For example, Hyper-V and KVM work as a Server role, but it is still considered a bare metal, native Hypervisor since the Hypervisor has direct access to hardware and any VMs hosted by the Hypervisor.

[CalvinZito]

@rbmorph Stated that our HPE VME hypervisor is type-1. Indeed, by definition, KVM (which HPE VME is based on) is type-1. But I've seen where we need Ubuntu and that confused me so I went asking the question. Here's what I got back.  

KVM is implemented as part of the Linux kernel. We need Ubuntu to provide the Linux kernel. The manager also runs on Ubuntu.It's nuanced, as type 2 hypervisors have been defined as something that runs on top of an OS, which this seems like. However KVM uses the Linux kernel to access hardware directly. Here's RH's take:

Type 1 Hypervisor (bare-metal)

• Definition: A type 1 hypervisor, also referred to as a native or bare metal hypervisor, runs directly on the host's hardware to manage guest operating systems. It takes the place of a host operating system and VM resources are scheduled directly to the hardware by the hypervisor.
• Characteristics: More efficient because it has direct access to the hardware. Offers better performance, scalability, and security compared to Type 2 hypervisors. Examples: KVM, Microsoft Hyper-V, and VMware vSphere are examples of a type 1 hypervisor.

* NOTE: KVM was merged into the Linux kernel in 2007, so if you're using a modern version of Linux, you already have access to KVM.

Type 2 Hypervisor (hosted)

• Definition: A type 2 hypervisor is also known as a hosted hypervisor, and is run on a conventional operating system as a software layer or application.
• Characteristics: It works by abstracting guest operating systems from the host operating system. VM resources are scheduled against a host operating system, which is then executed against the hardware. Examples: VMware Workstation and Oracle VirtualBox. 

So to be clear, HPE VME is type 1 and leverages the Linux kernel (thus Kernel-based VM or KVM) .

[srai20]

@rbmorph @CalvinZito 

Thank you for the correction. Your explanation helped me understand that HPE VME is type-1 hypervisor.

With this, we can consider positively and plan our vSphere -> HPE VME migration without worries.