When configuring virtual machines on a desktop hypervisor, what is the most likely outcome of assigning more virtual CPUs and RAM to a guest than the host computer can physically supply?
There is no impact because the hypervisor automatically throttles any excess.
The host permanently loses access to the assigned resources even when the VM is powered off.
Resource contention can slow down the VM and other workloads running on the host.
The VM always runs faster because it has priority over the host operating system.
Over-allocating resources forces multiple guests (and the host OS) to compete for the same finite pool of physical CPU cycles and memory. This contention increases metrics such as CPU Ready time and can trigger swapping or ballooning, causing slower response times and instability for the overcommitted VM and other workloads. Optimal performance is achieved by allocating only the resources the workload actually needs, leaving headroom for the host and additional guests.
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