A huge number of programs that appear every day make downloading and installing unknown software on a computer more and more dangerous for the system and important files on the computer. In addition, many programs that have the functions necessary for the work of programmers, artists and other PC users are available only for a small number of operating systems. If earlier you had to take a lot of risk, downloading a suspicious file from the Internet, or reinstall the system just for the sake of one necessary program, now there is such an OS for this as a virtual machine.
What is a virtual machine
Virtual machine- a special program that is installed on the user's native operating system and, when launched, begins to emulate, that is, reproduce, the functions of any other operating system specified in the settings. The main convenience of such programs is that there is no need to switch between OS and access to all the functions of the reproduced system. In addition, all actions performed inside the virtual machine will not affect the operation of the main system, which prevents possible computer failures.
At the moment, the developers of virtual machines have created programs that allow you to emulate any operating system, from early versions of Windows to Ubuntu, OS X and lesser known axes, and also work with ready-made servers, for example, Bitrix virtual machine.
There is one more, narrower, understanding of the term "virtual machine", which is widespread among musicians - virtual drum machine that plays the sounds of the drum kit. Such a program allows you to record parts of percussion instruments without using a live setup, but in special recording programs or "animating" a pre-recorded midi-track, putting the recorded samples of each beat under the electronic sound.
What is a virtual machine for?
The range of actions that can be performed using a virtual machine is actually very large.
The simplest thing you can do with it is to use programs that are not available for the user's operating system or even for a PC in principle. For example, the emulator of the Android operating system is essentially a virtual machine that people use to run applications or games.
In addition, virtual machines are often used by programmers to test written programs. For example, to check how correctly a written algorithm works in different versions of Windows. The same applies to the developers of applications for iOS and Android, who check the functionality of the development exactly inside the emulators. For this, there is a virtual machine on a flash drive, so that you can always check the functionality of the written code.
For such checks, machines are also used by less advanced users. The fact is that when emulating related operating systems, the machine can reproduce all the information that is contained on the computer. Therefore, if a user has to download a file from the Internet that may contain viruses, then he should first check it in a virtual machine. If it plays normally on it, then you can safely open it on your native OS.
In addition, they help in corporate work, say, Bitrix virtual machines.
If we talk about virtual drum machines, then they are used in order to record drum parts with high quality in conditions of a lack of funds, for example, for renting a studio. Of all the instruments, the drums are the most sensitive to recording, and it is on them that the most time is spent. In addition, the drummer may not have enough skill to play them exactly, which significantly increases the amount of rent money. In such a situation, the best way out is to record the part in the program and then play it back.
What are virtual machines
Virtual Machine for Windows 10
Especially for advanced users familiar with the concept of "virtual machine", Microsoft made built-in emulation of other operating systems -. Initially, its functionality is blocked, but its components are easily enabled through the Control Panel.
Go to the Control Panel and go to the subsection " Programs and Features". There in the window " Turning components on and off Check the box next to the Hyper-V service name. After that, the virtual machine will be installed on the PC, and in the future it will be possible to launch it through the menu “ Start».
Key benefits of Hyper-V:
- built into the system, no need to download and search for anything;
- has full functionality for emulating different versions of Windows, for example, 98 and other operating systems;
- supports Windows versions of different bit sizes;
- simple and intuitive interface.
In general, thanks to the presence of Hyper-V on Windows 10, users have no need for other similar programs. Although the utility does not require special configuration skills, you can read more about it in the related article.
Virtual Machine for Windows 7
The most popular virtual machine for Windows 7 users is Windows Virtual PC... Initially, its main functionality was intended to emulate Windows XP, so that developers could comfortably transfer programs developed for this OS to the new seven, which was just coming out at that time. In the future, its capabilities have expanded, and now Virtual PC is a separate platform that can reproduce almost all existing operating systems.
Like Hyper-V, this service is built into the system out of the box. In order to install it, you need to go to " Start"And the submenu" Programs". There you need to find a line with the name of the program, click on it. A window will open in which you can freely create, delete and perform other manipulations with the emulator of operating systems.
Virtual machines for Mac and other operating systems
In addition to the virtual machines built into the seventh and tenth Windows, third-party developers have created many other, independent utilities that have approximately the same capabilities, but differ in details. The most popular one is Oracle VirtualBox, which will be discussed in this part of the article.
This virtual machine can emulate all currently existing operating systems, and is also available for the most popular operating systems at the moment - Windows, OS X, Linux and Solaris. You can download it from the developer's website, having previously selected which system you need it for.
This Oracle program differs from its other counterparts in wide functionality, which includes support for USB ports and their launch from an emulated machine, the ability to save the state of the system for its instant rollback in case a critical error occurs. In fact, from the huge list of all supported features, we can conclude that by downloading Oracle VirtualBox, you can comfortably work with any operating system without any restrictions at all.
For most users, VirtualBox is a very good choice because of its practicality, reliability, and functionality.
After the distribution kit with the application is on your computer, double-click on it. This will launch the installer. In it, you will need to choose which features, in addition to the Oracle machine itself, are installed with it. The list includes: internal Python programming, customized Internet support, and USB port integration. After that, it is enough to follow the instructions of the installation file until the installation of Oracle VirtualBox is complete.
Virtual drum machines
Virtual drum machines are present in the form of additional plug-ins that are installed and run through the program for recording or writing music - FL Studio, Ableton, Cubase and others. The most popular drum machine emulators are Ez drummer and Addictive drums... In free access to them there are large libraries of samples for every taste, recorded by famous drummers.
Creating your own virtual machine
In addition, there is also a company VMWare, which also offers users programs to create their own virtual machines. The most famous of them is called Workstation and is distributed on a paid basis. However, there are tons of resources that offer free use of this virtual machine, both for Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu. It's worth noting that the company offers a ton of additional utilities that expand the capabilities of the base program, adding desktop management, broadcasting, and more. Let's consider why this virtual machine is needed.
Workstation allows you to create virtual machines that will be managed from a single center. For the most part, this tool is of interest to large companies that need to configure the same functionality of devices on a large number of computers.
One of the most important features that the VMWare virtual machine has, the so-called, vSphere, which allows not only to create and configure a virtual machine, but also to implement a whole infrastructure of such devices, interconnected. And if you have to choose, then such functionality will be very useful for large companies whose employees need to exchange data and information with each other.
All the functionality of the developed VMWare programs is based not on a single use of a virtual machine, but on the formation of a grid from them and a single place from where this network is controlled.
Virtualization 1C-Bitrix
Another program created for comfortable work with 1C-Bitrix products is Bitrix virtual machine, this time from domestic developers, which can also work with any PHP applications... In fact, this program is an emulation of the site server, which contains all settings for comfortable work... The finished machine can be opened at VMWare Player or other applications from this developer (there are also versions for VirtualBox and HyperV).
The program allows you to save time and get started immediately after the main platform is ready for use. At the same time, the Bitrix virtual machine is installed directly into the main emulation system, integrating into its functionality and operation, which allows you to start interacting with 1C projects immediately after installation and launch.
Which virtual machine to choose
There is no clear comparison here. It all depends on the user and his needs. For emulating games and checking third-party software, the usual Hyper-V services and the like, built into the operating system itself, are quite enough. A well tested, reliable and free option is VirtualBox. For organizations, the best virtual machines are definitely VMWare products or the Bitrix virtual machine, since they simplify business and employee interactions.