Virtual Server Hosting – Inside the Matrix

Virtual server hosting sounds like science fiction – it’s even been compared to the movie The Matrix.

When it comes to explaining what exactly virtual server hosting is, the Guardian newspaper decided to plumb for a comparison with the science fiction hit, The Matrix. It’s an interesting reference that points to a wider philosophical phenomenon in IT – how virtualisation and virtual worlds could change how we perceive the world around us.

Virtual Server Hosting – The Virtual Revolution

Of course virtual server hosting is a practical and efficient alternative to traditional servers in the physical world. Virtual server hosting not only saves on power and space but eliminates the potential risk of lost profits as a direct result of server downtime. But the concept of virtual server hosting raises a range of philosophical questions. Technology has evolved to create virtual realities. In a sense, being online – especially via social networking sites – creates a kind of virtual reality. We project an idea of who we are into this virtual reality. We can tweak our best bits, post only the good photos, edit out our bad sides and communicate in ways with other virtual entities in a way we wouldn’t necessarily do in the real world. In fact, it gives us the opportunity to create an idealised self, an alter ego. This is taken a step further in the virtual world of games like Second Life where players create avatars and new identities, and build their own virtual life in an entire virtual world.

Virtual Worlds - A Reality?

Virtual server hosting is an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional servers. Virtual server hosting of course is not about creating virtual realities, it’s about improving business efficiency - but the technology does draw on similar ideas. So how do virtual servers work? The Matrix analogy works like this – the web server doesn’t exist physically. Companies such as VMware use a ‘virtual machine’ (VM) made of software. This virtualisation trend uses software which pretends to be an operating system that is a physical machine. The virtual server hosting systems means the operating system can’t tell the difference as it functions in a way that is consistent with running inside its own physical machine. Which is where the Guardian newspaper pulls in The Matrix comparison, it states: “It's like the question posed by the film The Matrix: how would you know if everything you experienced were being fed directly to your brain, rather than through your physical body? How does the operating system or application know whether it's running inside another program, or its own physical machine?”

The fact that virtual server hosting is more efficient, greener and money-saving means the virtualisation revolution is here to stay.

If you are looking to save money, increase efficiency and improve your carbon emissions, contact Commensus on 0208 661 4650 and see how we can improve the way you work.