Paravirtualization

Term: Paravirtualization

Definition: A method where the guest OS is modified to be aware that it is virtualized and uses special “Hypercalls” to talk directly to the Hypervisor.

Context/Example: A Linux Kernel compiled with paravirtualization support can ask the Hypervisor for services instead of pretending it’s on bare metal, reducing overhead.

Related Concepts: Hypercall, full virtualization, drivers