What is a virtual machine and how does it differ from a physical machine?

A virtual machine (VM) is a software emulation of a physical computer system, functioning as an independent operating system with its own resources. It is created using virtualization software, like VMware, which allows multiple VMs to run simultaneously on a single physical machine. The key difference between a virtual machine and a physical machine is that a physical machine is a tangible piece of hardware, while a virtual machine is a software-based replica of a physical machine. A physical machine has dedicated resources, such as CPU, memory, storage, and network interfaces, whereas a virtual machine shares the resources of a physical host. Multiple VMs can coexist, each isolated and running their own operating systems and applications, on one physical machine. The ability to consolidate multiple virtual machines on a single physical host greatly enhances resource utilization, facilitates efficient management, and enables flexible scalability for IT infrastructure.