Network Infrastructure and Demon-Slaying: Virtualization Expands What a Desktop Can Do
1 min read
Summary
While it’s possible to buy a dedicated router with exciting functionality, there’s an alternative for those that enjoy tinkering with their hardware – using a regular computer as the backbone of your network.
Modern iterations of the classic DOOM game need a lot of grunt, meaning most off-the-shelf routers won’t have the necessary grunt to play them.
With a specialized distribution of Debian Linux called Proxmox, it is possible to run modern games on a router, opening up the potential for gameplay on your network infrastructure while maintaining a minimal impact on the desktop experience.
Via virtualization, it is possible to split multi-core processors into groups that can act as computers in their own right.
These virtual machines can then utilize reserved sections of the memory as well as other hardware such as peripherals and hard drives, meaning that an old router can be used for far more than simply routing.
With modern processor technology, it is possible to not only assign cores to a router but also over-assign them, too.
This also allows other hardware such as graphics cards andÇ peripherals to be passed through to virtual machines, too.