VIOS

VIOS (Virtual I/O Server) is a software component of IBM’s Power Systems servers that provides virtualization capabilities for I/O devices, such as network adapters, storage devices, and DVD-ROM drives.

VIOS acts as a bridge between the physical I/O devices and the virtualized environments created by PowerVM, which is IBM’s virtualization technology for its Power Systems servers. By virtualizing I/O devices, VIOS enables multiple virtual machines to share the same physical I/O resources, which can lead to greater efficiency and reduced costs.

VIOS provides a number of features and capabilities that make it well-suited for virtualized environments, including support for live partition mobility, which allows running virtual machines to be moved between physical servers with little or no disruption to the application. VIOS also supports virtual SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), which allows virtual machines to share storage devices as if they were directly attached.

Overall, VIOS plays a critical role in enabling virtualization on IBM Power Systems servers and is an essential component of IBM’s virtualization and cloud computing strategy.