VM (Virtual Machine)

A virtual machine (VM) is a software emulation of a physical computer, running an operating system and applications as if it were a real computer. VMs are created and run within a host system, allowing multiple VMs to operate on a single physical machine, each with its own virtual hardware, such as CPUs, memory, and storage. This setup enables the efficient use of resources, isolation for security and testing purposes, and flexibility in running different operating systems or configurations on the same hardware. Virtualization technology, managed by a hypervisor, separates the VMs from the host, allocating resources as needed and ensuring that activities in one VM do not interfere with others or the host system[1][2][3][4][5].

See also: vGPU (virtual Graphics Processing Unit), vCPU (virutal Central Processing Unit)

Citations:

[1] https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/cloud-computing-dictionary/what-is-a-virtual-machine

[2] https://www.vmware.com/topics/glossary/content/virtual-machine.html.html

[3] https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-a-virtual-machine

[4] https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-is-a-virtual-machine

[5] https://www.ibm.com/topics/virtual-machines

[6] https://www.solarwinds.com/resources/it-glossary/virtual-machine

[7] https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/computing/what-is-a-virtual-machine.html

[8] https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/definition/virtual-machine-VM