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Definition: bare metal


(1) Hardware. A "bare metal computer" is generally one without any software (OS or applications). However, when contrasted with a virtualized server environment, bare metal may imply a regular, non-virtual server that does include an OS. See bare bones system and bare-metal server.

(2) A "bare metal" virtual machine monitor, correctly called a "hypervisor," directly controls the hardware without using device drivers from another operating system (see virtual machine). See bare-metal switch.