Chapter 4 of 5 · CompTIA A+ 220-1201
Virtualization and Cloud Computing
Hypervisors, virtual machines, containers, service models and cloud traits.
- 4topics
- 18 minfast track
- 5diagrams and exhibits
- 11%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Virtual Machines and HypervisorsUnderstand virtual machines, hypervisor types, host and guest roles, snapshots, virtual networking and the hardware resources…Diagram5 min
- 2Virtualization Uses and ContainersSee why virtualization is used: sandboxes, test labs, legacy support, cross platform work, virtual desktops, application…Diagram4 min
- 3Cloud Service and Deployment ModelsCompare IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and desktop as a service, and tell public, private, hybrid and community clouds apart, with the shared…Diagram4 min
- 4Cloud CharacteristicsLearn cloud traits: shared resources, rapid elasticity, scalability, metered use, high availability, on demand access and file…Diagram5 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
Virtualization and cloud computing are about running workloads on shared, flexible resources. A single computer can host many virtual computers, and a provider can rent computing power over the internet.
It follows the fourth domain of the CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 outline. There are two outline topics, and they are covered by four pages.
How the topics fit together
Virtualization is the technology that makes the cloud practical.
- Hypervisors and virtual machines share one physical computer among many guests.
- Uses and containers explain why people virtualize and how containers differ from virtual machines.
- Service and deployment models describe what you rent in the cloud, such as infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS), and who shares it.
- Cloud characteristics describe how clouds grow, shrink, are billed and stay available.
When a question describes how a cloud behaves, such as growing in a rush, being billed by use or surviving a failure, match it to a named trait rather than to a service model.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with diagrams and tables.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
This chapter is mostly vocabulary. Make small comparison lists, such as type 1 against type 2, and virtual machine against container, and test yourself on them.
Ready for more practice?
The full CompTIA A+ 220-1201 question bank has 856 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
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