Test Optimization Using Software Virtualization

Virtualization of operating systems has recently become a hype, although the concept is very old. Virtualization lets us group resources logically and thus abstract from the dependencies that physical implementations create. For operating systems, virtualization lets us reduce resource constraints and expenses for a multitude of interacting hardware and operating systems. This is helpful in scenarios with many such dependencies, such as testing. This article briefly introduces virtualization from a tester´s perspective. It summarizes experiences and compares different virtualization approaches: architectural, logical, and physical. Only the test itself remains a necessary reality