Archives de Catégorie: Ubuntu

Virtualization Tools Aren’t Just for Geeks

Virtualization software helps you run multiple operating systems on the same computer. For instance, you can use a virtualization tool like Apple Boot Camp or Parallels to run Windows on your Mac computer or you may use the free Virtual PC program from Microsoft to run Linux, DOS or even multiple Windows environments inside your Windows PC.

You may use these programs to try out other operating systems on your computer without disturbing the existing setup. Or, if you have upgraded to a newer OS, you can create a virtual machine of your previous OS and use it to run older programs that aren’t supported in your new OS. Or if you want to run multiple versions of the same software (like Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS5), you can install one of them on your main OS and the other inside a virtual machine.

What is Disk Defragmentation?

Disk defragmentation describes the process of consolidating fragmented files on your computer’s hard disk.

Fragmentation happens to a hard disk over time as you save, change, or delete files. The changes that you save to a file are often stored at a location on the hard disk that’s different from the original file. Additional changes are saved to even more locations. Over time, both the file and the hard disk itself become fragmented, and your computer slows down as it has to look in many different places to open a file.

Disk Defragmenter is a tool that rearranges the data on your hard disk and reunites fragmented files so your computer can run more efficiently. In this version of Windows, Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule so you don’t have to remember to run it, although you can still run it manually or change the schedule it uses.

Server Virtualization

Server virtualization or Hardware virtualization or platform virtualization refers to the creation of a virtual machine that acts like a real computer with an operating system.

Virtual machines are based on the host/guest paradigm. Each guest runs on a virtual imitation of the hardware layer. This approach allows  creation of guests that use different operating systems. The guest has no knowledge of the host’s operating system because it is not aware that it’s not running on real hardware. It does, however, require real computing resources from the host. Those resources can then be allocated on the guest machines (# of CPUs, memory, disk space, network adapters and more…)

Some of the most popular virtualization software include Microsoft Hyper-V, VMWare VSphere, Citrix Xenserver and VirtualBox.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on Linux Kernel and is distributed as a free and open-source software. The word « Ubuntu » is an old African word meaning « humanity”. Ubuntu can be used on all types of PCs and can be downloaded  free of charge on the Ubuntu website. Ubuntu is very stable and secure; it has its own browser (Firefox), its own office application (OpenOffice), its own music player and much more. The Ubuntu Software Centre gives you instant access to thousands of open-source and carefully selected free applications.