Para-Virtualization is defined as an "enlighted" guest (a Microsoft term), or Hypervisor aware modified operating systems. An example of a para-virtualized OS is running SLES (Suse Linux Enterprise Server) or NetWare 6.5sp7 on a XEN hypervisor. Both OS's are "aware" of the fact that they are being run on a hypervisor, and have been modified to assert drivers that take advantage of this "enlightenment".

Microsoft uses the term "enlighted" to define Windows 2008 hypervisor guest operating system's knowledge about the guest's host. Note that Microsoft only supports virtualization of their own operating system and is still in BETA at the writing of this article.

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