The virtualization engine failed to start. Android emulator BlueStacks: errors during installation and their correction

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Today we’ll talk about one wonderful utility - it’s called BlueStacks. The program is an emulator operating system Android for personal computers and laptops running operating systems Windows family. Surely, many of the users have already encountered this application before, or have certainly heard about it. But, as with any program, problems often arise with BlueStacks. Let's look at the main ones.

Checking the configuration

If any error occurs related to BlueStacks emulator, it is necessary to perform a number of preparatory and verification actions in order to facilitate your search for a solution to the problem that has arisen.

First of all, you need to make sure that configuration Your computer (laptop) is satisfied emulator.

CPU

Your processor must support virtualization technologies Intel® VT-x or AMD-V™. You can find out by studying. The model of the processor installed in your system can be found through device Manager(tab Processors). If you do not find your processor model in the list, the emulator will not start on your computer. It's time to think about purchasing a new PC.

Video card

Your video card must support the technology OpenGL version no lower than 2.0. You can find out which version of OpenGL your video card supports by looking at the OpenGL capabilities report: GL_VERSION. You can determine the model of the installed video adapter in device manager Windows partition Video adapters. If it turns out that your video card does not support OpenGL above 2.0, then you will have to purchase a more modern video card.

RAM

At the time of starting the emulator, the system must have at least free one gigabyte random access memory . Please pay Special attention: exactly operational, not hard drive space. Clearing the memory is very simple: close all unnecessary this moment applications, clean autorun from unnecessary applications(using the utility you simply disable unnecessary programs and processes), do not forget to reboot so that the changes made take effect. Monitoring the amount of free RAM is carried out using the task manager, on the tab Performance, key Resource Monitor, tab Memory. Everything is obvious in the diagram.

Drivers

The latest drivers for your video card must be installed. Drivers are downloaded from the official websites of video adapter manufacturers. There are three main video card manufacturers: Nvidia, AMD, Intel., AMD Graphics Drivers and Software , Intel Download Center . You just need to select your video card model, version of the installed operating system, including its bit depth, in the drop-down lists. Download drivers and install them manually.
Important: Do not use driver updates through the BlueStacks emulator.

BlueStacks version

You need to make sure that you have the latest version of the BlueStacks emulator installed. The latest version can always be downloaded from our.
Important: do not use the online installer, download full-fledged installer to avoid additional errors.

Windows Update

Install all the latest Windows updates (Windows 7 and 8), or service pack (Windows XP).

Additional packages

1. Install latest version libraries for your operating system.

2. Install the latest version.

3. Install the latest version of codecs.

System cleaning

With the help CCleaner utilities clean the system of temporary files, clean registry And startup.

This completes the first preparatory stage. In 90% of cases the cause of your problems becomes clear. It's either hardware incompatibility Your computer (get ready to upgrade), or outdated software(including drivers). If, after updating all the necessary software, provided that the hardware is compatible, the problem still persists, then the reason lies somewhere in your system. You can always reinstall Windows, but this is a drastic solution.

Special cases and less serious problems

1. 2 video cards

Let's say you have installed on your system two video cards: built-in And discrete. This may cause some games to refuse to launch. Let's look at the example of a video card from Nvidia. You need to go to the video card settings (open NVIDIA control panel).
Next we go to the menu 3D Settings → Managing 3D Settings. In global parameters, press the key " Restore", then select in the preferred High-speed NVIDIA processor.
In point Setting up PhysX configuration We set our discrete video card instead of auto-selection. Press the key " Apply". Don't forget to restart your computer for the changes we have made to take effect.

U AMD a similar remedy is called AMD Catalyst Control Center.

2. Endless loading

The BlueStacks emulator is often seen. If loading BlueStacks takes longer than 30 seconds (you can see running cubes), then it is enough to exit BlueStacks via the tray icon (exit) and restart the following services: BlueStacks Android Service And BlueStacks Log Rotator Service. Windows services are in the menu Start → Control Panel → Administration → Services(Windows 7). After that, simply restart BlueStacks.

It happens that the BlueStacks Android Service cannot be restarted. In this case, simply restart the computer completely.

3. Problems with antivirus or firewall

Sometimes, problems with launching the BlueStacks emulator arise due to the fact that the antivirus or firewall Just blocks important processes. We check whether the following processes are blocked:

BlueStacks Agent;
BlueStacks Apk Handler;
BlueStacks App Runner;
BlueStacks File System;
BlueStacks Frontend;
BlueStacks Log Rotator;
BlueStacks Network;
BlueStacks StartLauncher.

4. Reinstallation

Sometimes to solve a problem you need reinstall emulator
But it's important: Before this, BlueStacks must be removed using a special utility like cleaning the registry and system folders.

5. Keyboard layout

Sometimes there are problems with switching layouts keyboards. If the system has automatic switch layouts like Punto Switcher , then either add BlueStacks to the exception list, or disable Punto Switcher altogether while working in the emulator.

You can also use a special application for Android Russian Keyboard. Simply then you will need to select this keyboard in input settings BlueStacks.

6. Google Market

Sometimes it happens that the service is not yet installed in the emulator Google Market , or it doesn't work correctly. You need to download the latest version of the Google Market app and install it.

7. Cache programs or games

Very often necessary copy a number of files or cache for some game from a computer in the BlueStacks emulator. To perform such operations, you can use the wonderful Android Commander application.

Another option is possible. We place necessary files(on Windows) to a folder C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks\UserData\SharedFolder. Then in the BlueStacks emulator in any file manager looking for a folder mnt/sdcard/bstfolder/bstsharedfolder. It should contain the files we need.

8. Loading Channels

Quite often a problem arises: there is no Internet in BlueStacks. The problem may lie in the standard DNS servers 8.8.8.8 for certain providers. You should try installing one of the programs that changes the DNS server. For example, Set DNS. Using this program, you must try to install either the DNS addresses already present in it, or manually enter the addresses of your provider.

9. Android Sync

I also want to note one more useful point: if you have a separate android device(smartphone, tablet), that is, the ability to synchronize all applications from this device with the BlueStacks emulator (while saving all application data, such as saves in games, for example). And to do this you just need to install it on your Android device special application BlueStacks Cloud Connect. It won't be difficult for the average user to understand how it works. Unless you need to wait a while until all user data is synchronized. Also, especially with a large number installed applications, this process will consume a lot Internet traffic(important in cases where traffic consumption is limited, for example, in the workplace).

I hope you had the strength to read my article to the end. In it, I tried to present as clearly as possible, without unnecessary details, about many (not all, of course, not all) pitfalls that can await a user who wants to use this wonderful emulator of the Android operating system for Windows.

Memo

The mechanism of action in case of a problem is as follows. First of all, we find out whether your computer complies minimum system requirements devices. Then update All necessary programs and packages. May be required reinstallation emulator with pre-cleaning system files and registry. If, after performing all the steps described in this article, the problem still persists, it means that there will most likely not be a simple solution to the problem that has arisen. This is where the great Google comes to your aid.

So, if at startup, namely when starting the virtualization engine, then after rebooting the engine, go to the settings, they are next to the Close, Enlarge and Minimize buttons. So, in the Screen Section, set the DPI from high to low, if you set it to low, then don’t touch it. In the Engine section, select the graphics mode, DirectX or OpenGel, I personally set it to DirectX, and the most important thing is RAM, that is, we need to allocate a certain amount of computer memory for the program, personally I set it to 800 MB. (Default 768) Set RAM based on how many programs you have open, how powerful your machine is, and how much Memory you have in general (I checked, it’s better to set it to the maximum). And for CPU Cores, we set Maximum amount cores, I have 2, and I installed 2, you can have 2 or more. Then click the Accept button and it will reboot itself, if not, reboot yourself.

Date: 2018-06-23 Vasily

Rating: 3.7 out of 5
Votes: 7

Comments and reviews: 10

1.MrFMBALU
can you tell me how the old version or how the old bluestax can be reinstalled after the computer format?? I was in a hurry and didn’t make a backup and now I’ve been looking for a way to open the old one for 3-5 days - since I have games there without an account. At the end it doesn’t load completely so that bluestax can open. some path or some mechanism is interfering - I don’t know what exactly, but somehow I was able to open it and there I was able to go to the main bluestax and when I wanted to rename the clones, errors occurred and now I can’t re-login.

2. Ruslan Krajnyukov
I reinstalled Windows and installed the licensed one. installed all the drivers, and just decided to make twins in taiji panda. and what happens I download this emulator, install it from the website. and it tells me that it is not possible to start the virtualization engine. what should I do in this situation??? Maybe splash around the laptop with a tambourine??? it is not weak, i3 processor, Gefors 940m 2 gig video card, 6 gig RAM. fresh Windows 10 pro. what can you tell me? where will you send your links??

3. AleX6X
Vasya, I can’t start it at all. In general, I will soon become a schizo with attempts to eliminate these problems.
Not a single emulator has worked for more than 2 months without crashes, glitches or application crashes.
What's Bluestaks, what's Nox, what's MEMU, etc.
I still can’t revive Nox...there have already been 3 reinstallations.
The system is extremely productive, especially for emulators. 2x Xeon E5620, 32 GB DDR3 ecc.
Quadro 4000 card.

4. Kasper
I tried a lot of things, and did as told and it finally worked. In the BIOS, during the first installation, the VR mode was not enabled - I barely set it up since it was an AM4 platform. I launched the program to check the support and whether it was enabled, it said that I had everything turned on, but the emulator did not start, I did it as the author says here and it worked The video is worth praising the author

5. Artyom Kozlovsky
I have such a problem when I start bluestacks, 3 small windows pop up where it says “The BlueStacks Android Host program has stopped working.” Without paying attention to these windows, BlueStacks starts the virtualization engine and almost at the very end the loading line stops and that’s it.

6. Chira Prime
I thought you would show me how to make this window seem IMPOSSIBLE TO START THE VIRTUALITY ENGINE. did not appear again and the bluestack worked normally. Well, this window is constantly opening. according to you, I will have to reboot the PC without stopping

7. Elena Derzhavina
I did everything strictly according to the instructions, installed Revo, cleaned the registry, checked folders, rebooted the computer, reinstalled this hat = zero results. After Revo, I also checked the registry with CCleaner.

8. Kasper
By the way, there are still problems with the plugin on Windows (openGL or DirectX), for example, I have problems with openGL, I went into settings and engine and there was a choice between openGL and DirectX, I chose DirectX and the whole problem disappeared

9. Alex Alexx
Use Nox and you won't have any problems. Proofit. Bluestacks was still crap.
The removal instructions still won't work. Don't torture yourself, bluestacks is just broken at the end.

Answer:
Nox also has its problems. some applications refuse to work normally on it.

Emulator BlueStacks, creating virtual environment to run Android applications on Windows, the program is complex and “heavy”. When installing an emulator, you should be prepared for certain problems. And one of them is a complete failure, when the virtualization engine does not start at all. Let's talk about why this happens and how you can fix it.

Bluestacks 3 System Requirements

The basic parameters of your computer need to be checked before you start installing the emulator. It may turn out that the program simply will not install on your hardware.

So, what is required from the computer for BlueStacks to simply start? They are listed on the official website of the program. For

BlueStacks 3 it should be this configuration:

Central Intel processor or AND with virtualization technology.
Operational RAM memory minimum 2 GB.
Hard drive 4 GB of free space.
Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 and higher.
Administrator rights on the computer.
Fresh graphics drivers and DirectX library.

The developers emphasize that this is the minimum, which will only allow the emulator itself to start. They cannot guarantee that games will work on this configuration. The recommended requirements are:

CPU Intel Core i5 with virtualization technology included in the BIOS.
Windows 10
Intel HD 5200 graphics card or better.
RAM 6 GB.
HDD 40 GB.

Reboot Bluestacks

When the engine doesn't start, it will look something like this:

The download progress just stands still, that's all.

The simplest thing is to simply try rebooting the engine. For this purpose, a menu item is provided in the emulator interface itself.

If this doesn't help, then you can use universal method fight against any Windows problems: Reboot the entire computer.

Update

The next step is to update the emulator to the latest version. Go to Settings and select Update there. You may need to reboot after this procedure.

Troubleshooting if rebooting doesn't help

The first thing you need to do in this case is to make sure that the program has enough random access memory and hard drive space. Open Task Manager and check if there is any program running that is taking up all the memory.

If everything is in order here, then it’s time to check if it’s turned on on the computer virtualization technology. All modern processors they can do this, but the technology itself must be included in the BIOS. You can enable it there manually, or use special utilities, for example, TweakBIOS.

Next on the list to check is video card. She must support OpenGL versions not lower than 2.0. There are usually no problems with new devices, so check your machine's hardware configuration.

The next reason for failure to start may be antivirus. It may decide that the emulator is dangerous code and block it. It is recommended to immediately enter the executable BlueStacks file to his exclusion list.

Another reason, although quite rare: there is some kind of other virtual machine . For example, popular service VirtualBox from Oracle, or some other. In some cases they may conflict with each other. Then try removing the competitor, rebooting and running BS again.

Reinstallation

The most radical step if nothing else helps.

First, use the standard uninstaller. When it deletes all the files, you will need to clean the registry, otherwise the removal process cannot be considered complete. Find a registry cleaner on the Internet, such as Auslogics Registry Cleaner, TweakNow RegCleaner or any other. It will remove the keys left behind by BlueStacks.

After this, you need to check whether the file structure. These are the directories:

C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Bluestacks

They also need to be removed.

After this, you can download the emulator distribution and install it again. Try to download the program only from the official website.

Virtualization allows you to encapsulate internal organization operating systems or parts thereof within virtual hardware and software. In other words, create virtual space, which will be real, from the point of view of the operating system running in this space. This is exactly what virtual machines do for Windows 7, Linux and Mac OS X. Virtualization also allows you to simulate devices that are not even on your computer.

Note: In a sense, virtual machines allow you to create a computer within a computer.

There are two important aspects machine virtualization:

interaction between a physical host (computer) and a virtual host
interaction between the operating system running in the virtual space and the hardware used

Virtualization software, namely virtual machines for Windows 7 (Linux, Mac OS X), as a rule, is normal application or an operating system service that allows you to create hosts. A host is any physical machine (computer). Within virtualization software, the operating system runs on a host similar or identical to the actual host, called a virtual machine. For convenience, the operating system running in a virtual machine is called a guest operating system.

In addition, there are various ways virtualization, on which not only the implementation of applications for creating virtual machines depends, but also the capabilities provided for guest systems. There is conventional emulation, in which hardware and software calls pass through an intermediate layer. There is also para-virtualization, where part of the actions inside the virtual machine takes place on real hardware, while the other part passes through an intermediate layer. There is also virtualization at the system level, when each guest system boots in a special kernel, which allows you to run only similar versions of the operating system.

Some of these methods can be performed on the fly, without significant changes to the actual host and its operating system. Others require the host to be rebooted into a special instance of the operating system that supports virtualization. Others use special hosts that support and are designed for virtualization at the hardware device level. The latter are also known as bare metal virtualization methods (although this is not entirely true, since some software kernel is still used).

The virtualization software that manages the creation and operation of virtual machines, as well as the allocation and limitation of the resources provided, is often called a hypervisor. Some virtualization applications can also use special extensions processors to improve the performance of virtual machines. The presence of such extensions is called hardware support for virtualization. Examples of this support are VT-X (Intel) and AMD-V (AMD) technologies.

What is not virtualization and virtual machine?

Some people like to call virtualization programs ( virtual machines) anything that creates a layer of abstraction between the operating system and some of the running processes. For example, there is Sandboxie, which allows you to isolate browsers from the system (see browser protection utilities). Some programs allow you to freeze the state of the system so that it cannot be changed. Others also allow you to use the so-called shadow mode, in which all programs run normally, but any changes are canceled when you restart the computer.

Of course, all of these programs provide various benefits, but they are not considered virtualization technologies and do not represent virtual machines because they do not simulate system calls, and they do not allow guest operating systems to run on top of the current system. Such programs only create additional layers of separation, mainly to increase the level of security. If we continue the topic of security, then...

Why use virtualization and virtual machines?

If security comes first for you and is the first thing you think about in any situation, then virtualization (the use of virtual machines) can certainly help you with this. But don’t assume that virtualization is mainly used for security. Its initial goals are: testing, cost reduction, flexibility, legacy product support, and education. Increasing the level of security is only nice bonus, which has many of its pitfalls.

Note: Although virtualization allows you to isolate one operating system from another, there are still ways to get from the guest system to the main one.

What is needed to run virtualization technology and virtual machines?

The first thing to consider is the physical host. Depending on the type of virtualization software (virtual machines), completely different hardware and operating systems may be required. Virtualization does not imply any single solution that will run wherever needed. Virtual machines need to be selected for the system (Windows, Linux, Mac) and for the hardware (hardware). In addition, the host must have the necessary .

So if you are going to run guest operating systems on top of your system, you will need additional resources to run them, such as a processor and RAM. For example, if your computer only has 2 GB of RAM and you want to run guest system on Windows 7, you will have to severely limit resource usage on the real system in order for the virtual machine to function properly. Unless, of course, you're trying to run Windows XP with 256 MB of memory. However, if you have 16 GB of RAM, then you can run more than one guest system without experiencing any shortage of resources.

Pros: Easy to install and use.

Cons: Limited functionality. Does not support snapshots and general access to catalogs.

Virtual machine for Windows 7, Linux and Mac OS X - VirtualBox

VirtualBox is another cross-platform program for creating virtual machines for Windows 7 and higher, as well as Linux and Mac systems, currently owned by Oracle. VirtualBox is similar to VMware Player, but has more features, including more advanced network stack, unlimited number of pictures (snapshots), some OpenGL support and DirectX, as well as much more. The app is easy to install and just as easy to use. You can also use the command line for automatic deployment. VirtualBox also supports USB and shared directories. In addition, there is a portable VirtualBox version. However, there are also disadvantages. You cannot take screenshots of guest systems. Disk management is a bit confusing.

Audience: beginners and experienced users.

Pros: Easy to install and use, many features.

Cons: No support for screenshots, importing existing machines is difficult, disk management is not intuitive.

VMware ESXi hypervisor for creating virtual machines

ESXi is a bare metal hypervisor with reduced functionality compared to ESX. The app requires a host and can be controlled from the console (the console is locked by default, but you can enable it manually). You will not be able to take screenshots or record video of the screen of your virtual machines. Transferring and cloning guest systems can only be done manually. But you succeed sharing memory for increased efficiency use of RAM, powerful monitoring and management, and command line access via SSH (when unlocked). You can also install VMware Tools to improve the performance of virtual machines. Para-virtualization is also supported by ESXi.

Pros: Powerful, advanced virtual machine capabilities.

Cons: Requires a host and a lot of resources. Not easy to install and run.

Virtual machine for Unix/Linux - Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM)

KVM supports virtualization only for UNIX-like operating systems (Linux). The application can be run on any hardware or in emulation mode, but without processor extensions the performance will be terrible. KVM is designed to be used via a console. But, it has a decent management interface that allows you to start and stop virtual machines, take screenshots and much more. The interface is known as the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) and is also used to manage Xen virtual machines (see below). Local and remote control. There is a known conflict with VirtualBox, but it can be resolved relatively easily

Audience: advanced users and professionals.

Pros: Full control and flexibility, very high performance, under the right conditions.

Cons: Only UNIX-like systems. Requires hardware virtualization extensions for normal execution. Emphasis on the command line. Not easy to install and run.

Virtual machine for Unix/Linux - Xen

Xen is another application for virtualizing UNIX-like operating systems (Linux). It must boot in its own kernel instance. The emphasis is on the command line. But, you can also use VMM. Officially, Xen has been supported by OpenSUSE for many years and was recently added to the main kernel release branch. Xen can run in hardware-assisted or para-virtualization mode. However, for Xen's para-virtualization highest degree problematic in terms of installation and launch. Additionally, Xen has limited CD-ROM support and network devices. The program is also available as a bare metal virtualization hypervisor on a Live CD. There are numerous third party extensions for managing Xen.

Audience: advanced users and professionals.

Pros: Full control and flexibility, very good performance, native kernel support.

Cons: UNIX-like systems only. Para-virtualization mode is buggy. Emphasis on the command line. Several utilities command line which may be misleading. Not easy to install and run. You must boot your own instance of the kernel.

A few words about virtualization programs

This review will be useful not only for novice users, but also for experts. The listed products cover a wide range of virtualization technologies at all levels. All solutions described are free for personal use. Choose what you want or need based on what you have hardware, requirements for ease of setup and launch, as well as the availability of the necessary set of functions.

Typically, most people start learning virtualization with VMware Player or VirtualBox. Linux users may prefer KVM and perhaps Xen. Advanced users might want to take a look at ESXi.

Recently, users are increasingly hearing about such a concept as “virtualization”. It is believed that its use is cool and modern. But not every user clearly understands what virtualization is in general and in particular. Let's try to shed light on this issue and touch on server virtualization systems. Today, these technologies are cutting-edge because they have many advantages both in terms of security and administration.

What is virtualization?

Let's start with the simplest thing - the definition of the term that describes virtualization as such. Let us note right away that on the Internet you can find and download some manual on this issue, such as the “Server Virtualization for Dummies” reference book in PDF format. But when studying the material, an unprepared user may encounter a large number of incomprehensible definitions. Therefore, we will try to clarify the essence of the issue, so to speak, on the fingers.

First of all, when considering server virtualization technology, let's focus on the initial concept. What is virtualization? Following simple logic, it is not difficult to guess that this term describes the creation of a certain emulator (similarity) of some physical or software component. In other words, this is an interactive (virtual) model that does not exist in reality. However, there are some nuances here.

Main types of virtualization and technologies used

The fact is that in the concept of virtualization there are three main directions:

representation;
applications;
servers.

To understand, the simplest example would be the use of so-called ones that provide users with their own computing resources. User program it is executed exactly and the user sees only the result. This approach makes it possible to reduce system requirements for the user terminal, the configuration of which is outdated and cannot cope with the given calculations.

For applications, such technologies are also used quite widely. For example, this could be virtualization of a 1C server. The essence of the process is that the program runs on one isolated server, and a large number of people have access to it. remote users. The software package is updated from a single source, not to mention highest level security of the entire system.

Finally, it implies the creation of an interactive computer environment in which server virtualization completely replicates the real configuration of its “hardware” counterparts. What does this mean? Yes, that, by and large, on one computer you can create one or more additional ones that will work in real time, as if they existed in reality (server virtualization systems will be discussed in more detail a little later).

In this case, it does not matter at all what operating system will be installed on each such terminal. By and large, this does not have any effect on the main (host) OS and the virtual machine. This is similar to the interaction of computers with different operating systems in local network, but in in this case virtual terminals may not be connected to each other.

Equipment selection

One of the clear and undeniable advantages of virtual servers is the reduction of material costs for creating a fully functional hardware and software structure. For example, there are two programs that normal operation require 128 MB of RAM, but they cannot be installed on the same physical server. What to do in this case? You can purchase two separate servers of 128 MB each and install them separately, or you can buy one with 128 MB of RAM, create two virtual servers on it and install two applications on them.

If anyone has not yet understood, in the second case the use of RAM will be more rational, and material costs will be significantly lower than when purchasing two independent devices. But the matter does not stop there.

Security benefits

As a rule, the server structure itself implies the presence of several devices to perform certain tasks. In terms of security system administrators install domain controllers Active Directory and Internet gateways are not on one, but on different servers.

In the event of an external intervention attempt, the gateway is always the first to be attacked. If a domain controller is also installed on the server, then the likelihood of damage to AD databases is very high. In a situation with targeted actions, attackers can take possession of all this. And restoring data from a backup is quite a troublesome task, although it takes relatively little time.

If we approach this issue from the other side, we can note that server virtualization allows you to bypass installation restrictions, as well as quickly restore the desired configuration, because the backup is stored in the virtual machine itself. True, it is believed that server virtualization with Windows Server(Hyper-V) looks unreliable in this view.

In addition, the issue of licensing remains quite controversial. So, for example, for Windows Server 2008 Standard it is possible to run only one virtual machine, for Enterprise - four, and for Datacenter - a generally unlimited number (and even copies).

Administration issues

The advantages of this approach, not to mention the security system and cost reduction, even when virtualizing servers with Windows Server, should first of all be appreciated by system administrators who maintain these machines or local networks.

Very often the creation becomes backup copies systems. Usually, when creating a backup, third-party software is required, and reading from optical media or even from the Internet takes longer time, compared to the speed of the disk subsystem. Cloning the server itself can be done in just a couple of clicks, and then quickly deployed working system even on “clean” hardware, after which it will work without failures.

In VMware vSphere, server virtualization allows you to create and save so-called snapshots of the virtual machine itself (snapshots), which are special images of its state at a certain point in time. They can be represented in a tree structure within the machine itself. Thus, restoring the functionality of the virtual machine is much easier. In this case, you can arbitrarily select restore points, rolling the state back and then forward (Windows systems can only dream of this).

Server virtualization programs

If we talk about software, there are a huge number of applications that can be used to create virtual machines. In the very simple case native tools of Windows systems are used, with the help of which server virtualization can be performed (Hyper-V is a built-in component).

However, this technology also has some disadvantages, so many prefer software packages like WMware, VirtualBox, QUEMI or even MS Virtual PC. Although such applications have different names, the principles of working with them are not particularly different (except in details and some nuances). Some versions of applications can also be virtualized Linux servers, but these systems will not be considered in detail, since most of our users still use Windows.

Server virtualization on Windows: the simplest solution

Since the release of the seventh Windows versions it added a built-in component called Hyper-V, which made it possible to create virtual machines own funds systems without using third-party software.

As in any other application of this level, in this package you can simulate the future by specifying the size hard drive, amount of RAM, availability optical drives, desired graphical or sound chip- in general, everything that is available in the hardware of a regular server terminal.

But here you need to pay attention to the inclusion of the module itself. Hyper-V server virtualization cannot be performed without first enabling this component in the Windows system itself.

In some cases, it may be necessary to activate support for the corresponding technology in the BIOS.

Use of third party software products

Nevertheless, even despite the means by which Windows servers can be virtualized, many experts consider this technology to be somewhat ineffective and even overly complicated. It is much easier to use a ready-made product, in which similar actions are performed on the basis automatic selection parameters, and the virtual machine has great capabilities and flexibility in management, configuration and use.

We are talking about using such software products, like Oracle VirtualBox, VMware Workstation (VMware vSphere) and others. For example, a VMware virtualization server can be created in such a way that computer analogues made inside a virtual machine work separately (independently of each other). Such systems can be used in training processes, testing any software, etc.

By the way, it can be separately noted that when testing software in a virtual machine environment, you can even use programs infected with viruses that will only show their effect in the guest system. This will not affect the main (host) OS in any way.

As for the process of creating a computer inside a machine, in VMware vSphere server virtualization, as well as in Hyper-V, is based on the “Wizard”, however, if you compare this technology with Windows systems, the process itself looks somewhat simpler, since the program itself can offer some kind of templates or automatically calculate the necessary parameters of the future computer.

The main disadvantages of virtual servers

But, despite how many advantages server virtualization gives the same system administrator or end user, such programs also have some significant disadvantages.

Firstly, you can’t jump over your head. That is, the virtual machine will use resources physical server(computer), and not in full, but in a strictly limited volume. Thus, for the virtual machine to work properly, the initial hardware configuration must be powerful enough. On the other hand, buying one powerful server will still be much cheaper than purchasing several with a lower configuration.

Secondly, although it is believed that several servers can be combined into a cluster, and if one of them fails you can “move” to another, this cannot be achieved in Hyper-V. And this looks like a clear disadvantage in terms of fault tolerance.

Thirdly, the issue of transferring resource-intensive DBMS or systems like Mailbox Server into virtual space will be clearly controversial. Exchange Server etc. In this case, obvious inhibition will be observed.

Fourthly, for correct operation Such an infrastructure cannot use only virtual components. In particular, this applies to domain controllers - at least one of them must be “hardware” and initially accessible on the Internet.

Finally, fifthly, server virtualization is fraught with another danger: failure of the physical host and the host operating system will entail automatic shutdown all related components. This is the so-called single point of failure.

Summary

However, despite some disadvantages, such technologies clearly have more advantages. If you look at the question of why server virtualization is needed, there are several main aspects:

reducing the amount of hardware equipment;
reduction of heat generation and energy consumption;
reduction of material costs, including the purchase of equipment, payment for electricity, acquisition of licenses;
simplification of maintenance and administration;
the ability to “migrate” the OS and the servers themselves.

Actually, the advantages of using such technologies are much greater. Although it may seem that there are some serious disadvantages, when proper organization the entire infrastructure and the necessary controls in place to ensure smooth operation, in most cases such situations can be avoided.

Finally, for many, the question of choosing software and practical implementation of virtualization remains open. But here it is better to turn to specialists for help, since in this case we were faced solely with the question of general familiarization with server virtualization and the feasibility of implementing the system as such.