Well, you must have heared about “Virtualization”. Sometimes in advertisement also, Intel and AMD use this term. They advertise their some processors as “supports Virtualization”. So lets learn what this Virtualization feature is and how it helps.
Basically, this Virtualization feature in Processors, enables a CPU to act as if there are several CPU’s working in parallel. This is to achieve the task of running several OS (operating systems) at the same time and in the same machine. Virtualization means you can run several operatinng systems in parallel at the same time and each running with several different programs. Each of the operating system runs on a “virtual machine” or a “virtual CPU”.
You must have heared about a software called VMware. Even if your processor does not support Virtualization, still you can use this software and run multiple operating systems at the same time, and each running a different program. You may ask, that if there is VMware, then why do we require this “Virtualization” feature in processor. The answer is also quite simple. Processor’s that has this Virtualization technology have some new and improved instructions to control Virtualization.
Now talking about Intel and AMD. Intel uses the term “Intel Virtualization Technology for x86 (Intel VT)” and AMD uses the term “AMD virtualization (AMD-V)” . E.g. AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE supports Virtualization. This processor costs around 5500 INR (110 $). So if you’re thinking to upgrade and want to have this Virtualization feature then I recommend to go with this one. Ofcourse there are many other processors also from Intel and AMD that supports Virtualization, for a list of them, visit here, however this list is also not complete.
Another popular Virtualization software is “VirtualBox”. Download it from here
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A really interesting green computer technology I found is Userful Multiplier. It’s where multiple people can use the same computer at the same time each with their own monitor, mouse and keyboard. This saves a lot of electricity and e-waste. A company called Userful recently set a virtualization world record by delivering over 350,000 virtual desktops to schools in Brazil. They have a free 2-user version for home use too. Check it out: http://www.userful.com