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Chapter 1 The What and Why of Virtualization In This Chapter ▶ Virtualization defined ▶ How it all began ▶ Drivers and trends ▶ Why data centers go virtual T here's this scene in Matrix Reloaded where Neo is attacked by an endlessly propagating pack of Mr. Smith clones. Ten Smiths become hundreds, then thousands. They just keep coming, relentless and identical. It's a cool CGI effect. And not a bad metaphor for virtualiz- ation. In fact, if you take away the sunglasses and slow-mo body slams, you've got the basic idea behind managing a virtual data center: Endless numbers of virtual machines, created in software, cloning fast, and coming at you from every direction. If you manage a virtualized data center, you understand. According to Strategic Benchmarks 2014: Server Virtualization, a March 2014 Forrester Research, Inc. report, over 50 per cent of today's x86 workloads were virtualized in