Virtualization without host os?
 

Is there such a thing as virtualization without a host os? I don't even know how it would be called but I am going to to try to explain what I mean. I am talking about a mini OS that would let you switch between operating systems in real time, and perhaps divide a quad core processor with four gigabytes of ram to run four different operating systems at the same time and be able to switch back and forth without the need of a host OS. I did not find another forum where to post so I decided to post it here.

well you do have things like LPAR on IBM Z series platforms and such, it's actually a pretty old concept, but not something that exists under x86 architecture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LPAR

well I am probably wrong but what I think you are asking has nothing to do with virtual machines.

all vms need a host. You boot the normal system = host then start the vms.

2) so what I think you are asking is some kind of multiboot system.....maybe governed by a unusual bios? that can boot 4 systems at once.

how to swap to each I have no idea....but is that more like what you are wanting?

Yes exactly, I think this would be better than to have a host os

I read about this in wikipedia and sounds pretty similar to what I am asking about.

thanks for replying to my post.

Note the reference to PR/SM - this is a hiper-visor, and manages the dispatching of LPARs.
Not an operating system per se, but has sufficient logic to facilitate dynamic dispatching and (LPAR) load balancing. Think of it as a microcode layer.

After-thought Hitachi have done this on blades as well - google virtage.

I could not understand but thanks for the information.