The Functionality of Virtual Machines

C.

C. The hypervisor can virtualize physical components including CPU, memory, and storage.

Virtual machines (VMs) are essentially software programs that mimic the functionality of physical machines. They operate within a virtualized environment created by a hypervisor, which is responsible for managing the resources of the physical server and allocating them to the VMs.

The hypervisor is a layer of software that runs directly on the physical server and allows multiple VMs to operate independently of each other. It also provides the VMs with a virtualized set of hardware resources, including CPU, memory, storage, and network interfaces.

Option A is incorrect because the hypervisor operates on Layer 1 (hardware layer) and Layer 2 (data link layer) of the OSI model, not Layer 3 (network layer). Additionally, the hypervisor does require additional resources to operate.

Option B is incorrect because a single hypervisor can support multiple VMs, not just one, and can also support multiple software switches.

Option D is incorrect because the efficiency of virtualized servers is not dependent on their physical connection to a separate switch. Rather, it is determined by the efficiency of the hypervisor and the allocation of resources to the VMs.

Therefore, the correct answer is C, which accurately identifies the functionality of virtual machines and the hypervisor.