Virtualization solution KVM will be in the next version of Linux

Linus Torvalds has included the virtualization environment KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine for Linux) in the tree leading to Linux kernel 2.6.20. In the case of KVM the kernel after loading a special module itself functions as a hypervisor for virtual machines. This approach however is predicated upon the cooperation of the virtualization functions of up-to-date x64 processors by Intel (VT: Vanderpool) or AMD (AMD-V: Pacifica/Presidio, Secure Virtual Machine/SVM). The support for AMD's technology, which was completed only recently, is part of the included source code; while the description taken from older patches apparently mistakenly talks of support for Intel CPUs only.

Thanks to its approach KVM already runs in the current kernel, without any extensive bouts of patching and compiling being required, after the fairly simple compilation of a module. Virtual machines that run unmodified operating systems are meant to appear in the host as a simple process and work independently of the host kernel. In a fashion comparable to that of Xen a modified QEMU is used for the supportive emulation of typical PC components of the virtual machines.