Virtualization is not a new concept to computer
scientists. Memory was the first among the computer
components to be virtualized. Memory was
an expensive part of the original computers,so
virtual memory concepts were developed in the
1970s. Study and comparison of various page
replacement algorithms was a popular research
topic then. Today’s computers have very sophisticated
and multiple levels of caching for memory.
Storage virtualization was a natural next step
with virtual disks, virtual compact disk (CD)
drives, leading to cloud storage today. Virtualization
of desktops resulted in thin clients, which
resulted in significant reduction of capital as well
as operational expenditure, eventually leading to
virtualization of servers and cloud computing.