What software layer creates and runs virtual machines by abstracting hardware?

What software layer creates and runs virtual machines by abstracting hardware?

• A. Hypervisor
• B. VM monitor
• C. BIOS
• D. Kernel

Answer: (A)

The concept is a hypervisor. It sits between the physical hardware and the virtual machines, abstracting the actual hardware resources (CPU, memory, storage, network) and presenting each VM with its own virtual hardware. This allows multiple VMs to run simultaneously while remaining isolated from one another. A VM monitor is sometimes used synonymously with a hypervisor, but the standard term for the software layer that creates and runs VMs by abstracting hardware is hypervisor. BIOS is firmware that initializes hardware at boot, and the kernel is the core part of an operating system; neither is the dedicated layer that manages virtualization.

The concept is a hypervisor. It sits between the physical hardware and the virtual machines, abstracting the actual hardware resources (CPU, memory, storage, network) and presenting each VM with its own virtual hardware. This allows multiple VMs to run simultaneously while remaining isolated from one another.

A VM monitor is sometimes used synonymously with a hypervisor, but the standard term for the software layer that creates and runs VMs by abstracting hardware is hypervisor. BIOS is firmware that initializes hardware at boot, and the kernel is the core part of an operating system; neither is the dedicated layer that manages virtualization.