What is the primary function of a hypervisor in cloud infrastructure?

The primary function of a hypervisor within cloud infrastructure is to pull resources from physical servers. A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine manager, allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical server by creating a layer that abstracts the hardware resources. It manages the distribution of CPU, memory, storage, and network resources among the various VMs, enabling better utilization of the physical hardware. This resource pooling and management are essential for virtualization, as they allow for flexibility, scalability, and efficient resource allocation in a cloud environment.

While other options present functions that might relate to different roles within cloud infrastructure, they do not capture the central role of resource management performed by the hypervisor. For instance, creating network connections pertains more to networking components rather than the virtualization layer. Managing the inventory of applications is associated with application lifecycle management tools rather than hypervisors. Facilitating user authentication relates to identity management services, which operate at a different layer than where hypervisors function. Therefore, the correct answer emphasizes the critical role of hypervisors in efficiently managing and allocating physical server resources for virtualized environments.