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| title | description | published | date | tags | editor | dateCreated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | true | 2021-11-12T15:31:30.659Z | markdown | 2021-11-12T15:31:30.659Z |
[]{#anchor-31}Purpose
Why would one prefers to use an operating system installed on virtual hardware ?
Adding a layer of abstraction between the operating system and the virtualization-friendly hardware allows for support of newer operating systems, beyond what the physical hardware can support.
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By using Phyllome OS on Apple hardware that do not support the latest iteration of macOS, one could create a virtual machine and install the latest iteration of macOS anyway, further extending the life of hardware.
- Note: Phyllome OS does not and will not support running macOS on anything but Apple hardware, as it is -- sadly -- not allowed by Apple.
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Windows 11 requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). By using a virtual machine alongside a virtual TPM on unsupported hardware, one could still run Windows 11. The passthrough of a real TPM may also be supported.
[]{#anchor-32}Advantages
More generally, a software-based/backed computer, or simply a virtual machine, has many advantages over a silicon-based computer :
- Cost : the cost of creating a virtual machine tends to zero
- Flexibility : a software-backed computer, alongside its operating system, can be migrated to new physical hosts. In other words, when a user acquires a new physical computer, the entire computing environment may be copy/pasted to the new machine.
- Compatibility : contrary to silicon-based computers, which tend to be optimized to work at most with only a handful operating systems, a virtual machine can be designed to work with most operating systems.
[]{#anchor-33}Limitations
Alas, it also comes with limitations, including but not limited to :
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Limited out-of-the box hardware support : hardware-assisted virtualization is available on many computers but rarely activated by default and not always correctly implemented. Users remain a the mercy of good platform firmware and may have to explicitly activate hardware-assisted virtualization in the BIOS/UEFI. Hardware components are often not correctly isolated in IOMMU groups.
- Offering first-class support for only a handful of curated computers might provide an answer, at the price of compatibility.
- When it comes to IOMMU groups, a workaround[^30] might have to be used for models that do not offer well-isolated IOMMU groups, a workaround that has security implications.
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**Reliance on devices or controllers passthrough to cover edge cases **: virtual hardware do not cover all features a user may expect to have, including out of the box support for Bluetooth, wireless, or sound adapters. For those cases, USB or PCI Passthrough might be used.
- Again, offering first-class support for only a handful of curated computers might provide an answer, at the price of compatibility.
- New virtual hardware are expected, including paravirtualized sound cards, which will improve the situation.