The transition from legacy systems to modern infrastructure architectures requires systematic technical evaluation of virtualization options. This analysis examines the technical considerations, architectural requirements, and implementation specifications for both virtual machine and container-based approaches.
Virtual Machine Architecture:
- Full hardware virtualization layer
- Complete OS isolation per instance
- Dedicated resource allocation
- Traditional security boundaries
Container Architecture:
- OS kernel sharing mechanism
- Application-level isolation
- Dynamic resource allocation
- Container runtime requirements
Virtual Machine Specifications:
- Memory: Full OS memory allocation
- Storage: Complete OS image storage
- CPU: Hypervisor overhead consideration
- Network: Virtual network adapter requirements
Container Specifications:
- Memory: Application-level allocation
- Storage: Layer-based image system
- CPU: Minimal virtualization overhead
- Network: Shared network stack utilization
Virtual Machine Implementation:
- Hypervisor platform selection
- Host resource calculation
- Network topology design
- Storage architecture planning
Container Implementation:
- Runtime environment selection
- Orchestration platform requirements
- Image repository architecture
- Network overlay specifications
Virtual Machine Performance Factors:
- Hardware-level virtualization impact
- Memory page allocation efficiency
- Storage I/O considerations
- Network virtualization overhead
Container Performance Factors:
- Kernel sharing efficiency
- Container density impact
- Storage driver performance
- Network namespace overhead
Virtual Machine Security Architecture:
- Hardware-level isolation boundaries
- Virtual network security zones
- Resource access controls
- Compliance architecture requirements
Container Security Architecture:
- Namespace isolation mechanisms
- Container runtime security
- Image security requirements
- Network policy implementation
Technical Prerequisites:
- Infrastructure capacity planning
- Network bandwidth requirements
- Storage performance specifications
- Monitoring system architecture
Migration Process Architecture:
- Environment replication methodology
- Data migration procedures
- Network configuration mapping
- Service continuity requirements
Virtual Machine Operations:
- Backup system requirements
- Update management procedures
- Resource scaling specifications
- Monitoring architecture design
Container Operations:
- Orchestration management requirements
- Image lifecycle procedures
- Configuration management specifications
- Service discovery architecture
Assessment Criteria:
- Application architecture compatibility
- Resource utilization efficiency
- Operational complexity factors
- Scalability requirements analysis
Implementation Requirements:
- Infrastructure preparation specifications
- Migration procedure documentation
- Testing methodology requirements
- Validation criteria definition
Additional technical specifications and documentation: