Virtual Machines Companion

Virtual Machines are software programs that allow more than one operating system to run on a single computer. They provide a completely isolated virtual environment within a computer that can run a separate OS. The two major virtual machine software programs are Novell's VMWare product and Microsoft's Virtual PC product. Both are freely available on the Web. This book provides a clear introduction to each program, and detailed mechanical information about working with each. The text begins with overview of virtual computing, its history and its impact, and then provides an overview of the all the products that are available with the features of each one, to help readers choose the right one. This is a straightforward overview of virtual computing that can serve as a supplement in Networking courses or used as a standalone text for programs that offer a Virtual Computing course. This companion book is also written so it can be used by an average computer user at home to learn about virtualization software products. Home computer users can download free virtualization software from the Internet, install the software on their computer, and then use the software to perform essential tasks, such as creating and configuring virtual machine environments and running other operating systems on their desktop.