AMD Virtualization | Client Side Virtualization 

In client virtualization, a hypervisor or a virtual machine monitor (VMM) partitions the client device into multiple environments known as virtual machines (VMs). Each VM can then be loaded with its own operating system; for example, a user can run the Windows 7® operating system on one VM, Linux on a second, and Windows® XP on a third—all running in isolation on a single physical host computer.

Users can encapsulate different tasks, such as secure Web browsing, gaming, media processing, or data storage, in different VMs. For example, an instance of the Windows 7 operating system could be dedicated to running an enterprise desktop, while Windows XP runs legacy productivity applications in a virtualization technology called Virtual PC (more commonly referred to as XPMode). Alternately, one instance of Windows 7 could be locked down for sensitive corporate applications, while another could let users interact with personal applications such as gaming software.

Virtual PC or XP Mode?

XP Mode is a virtualization technology that allows for companies to support legacy Line of Business (LoB) applications as they migrate to this new platform. Many companies will find XP Mode to be helpful – from smaller companies with custom developed inventory tracking applications to large enterprises that have implemented large ERP systems incompatible with Windows 7.

XP Mode requires hardware assistance (HAV) from the underlying client platform. AMD-V is a set of unique on-chip features that help AMD processor-based clients run multiple operating systems and applications on a single machine by improving the efficiency of virtualization software. AMD-V™ technology allows you to better utilize your resources, which makes your client systems more effective.

Table 1 provides a listing of AMD processors and their associated virtualization. Additionally, users can run a utility to check for the enablement of AMD-V on their AMD based client platforms.

Table 1 Listing of AMD Processors and associated virtualization support