Which feature in virtualization allows multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a single host?

The feature that enables multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a single host is called a hypervisor. A hypervisor acts as a virtualization layer that sits between the hardware and the virtual machines (VMs), efficiently managing and allocating the physical resources of the host to each of the VMs. This allows each operating system to operate independently as if it were running on its own dedicated hardware.

Hypervisors come in two types: Type 1, which runs directly on the hardware, and Type 2, which runs on a host operating system. Both types facilitate the execution of multiple environments concurrently, making them central to virtualization technology.

Containerization, while related to virtualization, does not run full operating systems but rather isolates applications and their dependencies in containers that share the host OS kernel. Snapshots are useful for capturing the state of a VM at a specific point in time, allowing for easy backup and recovery, but do not directly affect the ability to run multiple operating systems. Clustering refers to joining multiple servers to work together for high availability and performance but does not specifically provide the capability for running multiple operating systems on a single host.