Virtualization

TrackTrack 1 (Auditorium 1)
DateWednesday, 19 September 2012
Time12:00 - 13:30
Description"Virtualization" describes the process of separating the functional service characteristics of an environment or service from the physical hardware over which that environment or service is constructed.   These virtual environments often retain key characteristics of the underlying hardware so that they are functionally indistinguishable from the conventional hardware based services - thus giving the service consumer the look and feel that they have full dedicated access to the environment.   Established examples of virtualization technology include multi-programming operating systems, virtual memory and file systems, virtual LANs, and virtual private networks.  Emerging notions of virtualization are melding these "species-specific" areas into "multi-species", or heterogeneous, virtual environments, and often moving the service model away from hardware based service concepts altogether to novel concepts such as cloud based virtual services.  Such environments incorporate elements of computational processing, virtual/"cloud based" storage, data acquisition through sensors and instruments, display systems, and network resources.   The emerging R&E needs for virtual environments include requirements for predictable and consistent performance with global reach and multi-domain inter-operability.    
 
This session will explore several initiatives - some still research, some early commercialization - to understand, formalize, and/or deliver these virtualized services and environments to the R&E consumer.