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== Introduction ==
[[Image:hostmachine.png|thumb|right|300px|The c7host Linux server will run virtualization software to install and run 3 virtual machines (installed in lab2). ]]
'''In this lab, you will create three virtual machines'''. This also gives you an opportunity to experiment with different ways of installing CentOS.
A '''virtual machine''' is a software simulation of a computer which can be used as though it were actual hardware. It's possible to run multiple virtual machines on one computer, reducing hardware requirements and introducing flexibility. Some common uses of virtualization include:
:* '''Server consolidation''' -- Reducing the number of physical servers in a network by moving physical machines to virtual machines. This saves hardware, administration, cooling, and electricity costs, and it can increase the utilization of hardware (by ensuring that the hardware is not under-loaded).
:* '''Load-balancing and disaster recovery''' -- It is possible to migrate virtual machines between different physical machines, to ensure that a workload is balanced across multiple computers, to allow routine hardware maintenance and upgrading, and to compensate for hardware failure or other disasters.
