Full Virtualization

Term: Full Virtualization

Definition: A virtualization method where the hypervisor fully simulates the hardware so the guest OS doesn’t need to know it’s virtualized.

Context/Example: Running an unmodified Windows ISO in VirtualBox; Windows thinks it owns real hardware, but it’s actually talking to virtual devices.

Related Concepts: Hardware-assisted virtualization, paravirtualization, Type 1/Type 2 hypervisors.