1. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Architecture
The various components work seamlessly together to enable the system administrator to set up, configure, and maintain the virtualized environment through an intuitive graphical interface.
1.1.1. About the Components
Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization platform consists of one or more hosts (either Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 and higher systems) and at least one manager. The virtual machines are installed on the hosts. The system and all its components are managed through a centralized management system.
Hosts run the user's Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 7, or Linux virtual machines on Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor or Red Hat Enterprise Linux (5.5 and higher) and KVM virtualization technology (Kernel-based Virtual Machine). The hypervisor also includes a resource optimization layer that allows for better desktop interactivity and management.
The Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager is a service running on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 server that provides interfaces for controlling the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization platform. It manages provisioning, connection protocols, user session logons and logoffs, virtual desktop pools, virtual machine images, and the high availability and clustering systems. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager requires Windows to remotely access the Administration Portal, but the Manager itself is hosted on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux server.
1.1.2. About the Virtual Machines
Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization platform enables you to create virtual machines that perform the same functions as physical machines. Using a standard Web browser, users can run virtual machines that behave like physical desktops. Multiple levels of permissions allow users with different roles to manage virtual machines to meet the requirements of the enterprise.
The SPICE protocol, which is installed on the client machine and runs on the client machine, allows you to experience PC-like graphics performance while connected to your virtual machine's computing desktop environment. It supplies video at more than 30 frames per second, bi-directional audio (for soft-phones/IP phones), bi-directional video (for video telephony/video conferencing) and USB redirection from the client’s USB port into the virtual machine. SPICE also supports connection to multiple monitors with a single virtual machine. SPICE Client is installed on the client machine by ActiveX when the virtual machine is accessed through a browser from the Admin Portal or the User Portal.