What requirement must processors meet to install guests on a hypervisor host?

For a hypervisor to successfully install and manage guest operating systems, the processors must support virtualization. This capability allows the hardware to facilitate the virtualization process, enabling multiple guest instances to share the physical resources of the host system effectively.

Virtualization support often includes features such as hardware-assisted virtualization (for example, Intel VT-x or AMD-V). These features enable better performance and isolation between virtual machines by allowing the hypervisor to directly use the processor's resources rather than relying solely on software emulation. Without this support, running virtual machines would be inefficient and could lead to performance degradation or even failure to launch guest operating systems.

The other options, while potentially beneficial for performance or functionality, are not strict requirements for running virtual machines on a hypervisor. Processors with multiple cores enhance multitasking and parallel processing capabilities, but a single-core processor with virtualization support could still run guests. Cache size and hyperthreading contribute to the overall performance and efficiency of processing tasks but do not provide the essential functionality required to enable virtualization features critical for hosting guests on a hypervisor.