CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)Applications and SoftwareMedium
A technician is setting up a new virtual machine (VM) on a Windows 10 host using VirtualBox. The VM needs to run a separate operating system, such as Linux. Which type of hypervisor is VirtualBox, and how does it generally operate?
- AType 1, runs within a container.
- BType 2, runs directly on hardware.
- CType 2, runs on a host operating system.
- DType 1, runs directly on hardware.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Type 2, runs on a host operating system.
VirtualBox is a Type 2 hypervisor, also known as a hosted hypervisor. It runs as an application on top of an existing operating system (the host OS), which then manages the virtual machines. Type 1 hypervisors run directly on the hardware.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Containers are different from virtual machines and don't involve hypervisors in this context.
- B. This describes a Type 1 hypervisor, which VirtualBox is not.
- D. Type 1 hypervisors, like VMware ESXi or Microsoft Hyper-V (when installed directly on hardware), do not run on a host OS.
Type 2 Hypervisor
A hypervisor that runs as an application on a host operating system, providing virtualization services to guest operating systems.
- Also known as 'hosted hypervisor'.
- Relies on the host OS for hardware access.
- Examples include VirtualBox, VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion.
- Easier to set up for personal use or testing.
Memory trick: Type 1 is bare, Type 2 is a software layer there.