CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)Applications and SoftwareHard
A technician is setting up a new virtual machine (VM) on a Windows 10 host using VirtualBox. The VM will run a different operating system (e.g., Linux) for testing purposes. Which type of hypervisor is VirtualBox, and how does it interact with the host OS?
- AType 2; runs on top of a host OS
- BContainer; shares host OS kernel
- CType 1; runs directly on hardware
- DBare-metal; no host OS required
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Type 2; runs on top of a host OS
VirtualBox is a Type 2 hypervisor, also known as a hosted hypervisor. It runs as an application on an existing operating system (the host OS), which then hosts the virtual machines. This differs from Type 1 (bare-metal) hypervisors that run directly on the hardware.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Containers (like Docker) virtualize at the OS level, sharing the host kernel, which is different from a hypervisor that virtualizes hardware.
- C. Type 1 hypervisors run directly on hardware, without a host OS, which is not the case for VirtualBox.
- D. Bare-metal is another term for a Type 1 hypervisor, which VirtualBox is not.
Type 2 Hypervisor (Hosted Hypervisor)
A hypervisor that runs as an application on a conventional operating system (the host OS).
- Examples include VirtualBox, VMware Workstation, Parallels Desktop.
- Easier to set up for personal or testing use.
- Performance can be slightly lower than Type 1 due to host OS overhead.
Memory trick: Type 2 hypervisors are Hosted on an OS.