What role do hypervisors play in virtualization?

Hypervisors are crucial components in virtualization technology, as they enable the efficient division and utilization of physical server resources. By creating and managing virtual machines (VMs), hypervisors allow multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single physical server. This division facilitates better resource management and optimization, as different VMs can share the underlying hardware while operating independently.

The primary function of a hypervisor is to abstract the underlying physical resources (such as CPU, memory, and storage) and allocate them to the virtual machines as needed. This capability not only maximizes hardware utilization but also streamlines application deployments and scalability, allowing organizations to run various workloads on a single physical server.

In contrast to the other roles listed, hypervisors do not run software applications directly, manage user access, or monitor network performance. Their specific focus is on partitioning server resources to create and maintain virtual environments, making them a foundational element of virtualization.