Which type of hypervisor is installed directly on the hardware without a host operating system?

A Type 1 hypervisor is installed directly on the physical hardware of a host machine, which allows it to manage guest operating systems without the need for an underlying host operating system. This design provides better performance and efficiency because it can directly access the hardware resources, reducing overhead that comes from running an extra operating system layer.

In contrast, Type 2 hypervisors run on top of a host operating system, which means they depend on that OS to manage hardware resources, potentially leading to increased latency and resource contention. Since Type 1 hypervisors don't rely on a host OS, they are typically utilized in enterprise environments where performance is critical and resources need to be managed efficiently. This architecture also enhances security, as it minimizes the attack surface by reducing the software layers involved in virtualization.

This understanding of hypervisor types is essential for effective virtualization strategies and management in IT environments.