CPU - Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) in a Laptop

Question

I have a Dell laptop I bought in 2006 and it has Virtualization Technology option in the BIOS.

My CPU is an Intel T7200.

For me, the VT option is used to use ESXi or Hyper-V on a machine, but on a laptop?

What does the VT option does in a laptop?

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 12 '11 at 14:27

On a Notebook it is useful if you want to run virtual machines, like Virtualbox, KVM or similar. Of course it would make no sense to run a production Hyper-V on a notebook, but for presentation reasons it might come handy. But simple virtualization is commonplace nowadays, if only for safe(r) web browsing.

With the drive towards greener IT, it can make sense in certain instances to use a mobile CPU in a low power virtualization server.

The cpu uses exactly the same technology as in server technology: Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x). This technology is in just about every Intel CPU by now.

Not integrating VTX into the mobile CPUs would be a major effort for the cpu producers: They would have to have entirely different development branches for mobile and desktop cpus, while they try to keep the cpus as coherent as possible to minimize development issues. In short, it is cheaper to have it in than to leave it out.

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 12 '11 at 14:13

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It would allow you to run a hypervisor such as Hyper-V or ESX.

answered Dec 12 '11 at 14:13

DanBig

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Who the hell would install ESXi on a laptop? o_O – Jonathan Rioux Dec 12 '11 at 14:14
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To be able to demonstrate a multi server platfrom for clients? you know the most requested featuer in windows by programmers? CLIENT HYPER-V - which Windows 8 gets. Many developers use a hypervisor to carry around small networks, and a lot of sales people use a hypervisor to demonstrate software without installation. – TomTom Dec 12 '11 at 14:16
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It is a CPU _feature_. You could use it but you are not forced to use it. – duenni Dec 12 '11 at 14:22

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 12 '11 at 14:13

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In short, when dong virtualization, adds hardware acceleration making the VMs preform better.

I think it might also add in some other virtualization features like better access to physical hardware but I'm not sure about that

answered Dec 12 '11 at 14:13

TheLQ

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score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 12 '11 at 14:30

I think soon visualization will go to desktop and laptop computers. It will be a core part of new operating systems. This will allow to have a more secure computer where you run your banking in a VM and the entertainment in a different VM. And if you want to reinstall your games VM it will not affect your development VM.

We have all ingredients for this. OS that are aware of virtualization (paravirtualized drivers). We have support from hardware (VTx, IOMMU...).

Virtualization as decoupling is not something new eve in the PC era. Think of memory segmentation and CPU rings as the precursors of the virtualization.

CPU - Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) in a Laptop

4 Answers4