What is a characteristic of a Type 2 Hypervisor?

A Type 2 hypervisor, also known as a hosted hypervisor, operates atop a standard operating system. This means it relies on the host OS to manage hardware resources and provides virtualization services to guest operating systems. It creates a layer that allows multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single hardware platform, leveraging the capabilities of the existing operating system to interact with the hardware.

The nature of a Type 2 hypervisor being reliant on an underlying operating system distinguishes it from a Type 1 hypervisor, which runs directly on the hardware (referred to as bare metal). Performance can sometimes be less optimal with a Type 2 hypervisor, as it may introduce additional overhead due to this reliance on a host OS. Thus, candidates should focus on the operational structure and how it ties into the existing system environment to understand the implications of using a Type 2 hypervisor effectively.