Virtualization

Virtualizing the CPU — The Process The Core Idea The OS virtualizes the CPU by running one process, stopping it, running another, and so on. Done fast enough, this creates the illusion that many programs run simultaneously on what might be a single CPU core. The abstraction the OS exposes for this is the Process — simply put, a running program. A program is a lifeless set of instructions sitting on disk. A process is that program, brought to life by the OS. ...

Virtualization of CPU What is Virtualization? Virtualization is the OS’s core trick: take a physical resource and transform it into a more general, powerful, and easy-to-use virtual form of itself. Think of it like a hotel. There is one building (physical resource), but every guest gets their own “private” room with its own key, space, and sense of ownership — completely unaware of the others. The hotel management (OS) handles the illusion. ...