what is I/O virtualization, exactly?
And what benefits can it bring to the data center? First of all, I/O virtualization is a valid form of virtualization and not just some vendors’ attempt to capitalize on the hot virtualization market. Beware of vendors claiming that their product also provides virtualization. In a lot of cases, the “new” virtualization is just marketing speak. I/O virtualization is a very new market with some very new players. Therefore, it makes it difficult to discuss real-world scenarios in which I/O virtualization has been used because there just aren’t that many. Two companies offering I/O virtualization products, 3Leaf Systems and Xsigo Systems are both very new companies, not too long out of stealth mode. Two more well-known companies, Cisco Systems and Brocade are also working in this space, but their products are not able to fully provide I/O virtualization services until some additional standards are defined. Let’s try to tackle what I/O virtualization is. In this context, I/O virtualization
