Systems and methods for exposing processor topology for virtual machines

• US 20060136653A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Traut, Eric P., Vega, Rene Antonio
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5066 Algorithms for mapping a plurality of inter-dependent sub-tasks onto a plurality of physical CPUs mappping at compile time, see G06F8/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

The present invention is directed to making a guest operating system aware of the topology of the subset of host resources currently assigned to it. At virtual machine boot time a Static Resource Affinity Table (SRAT) will be used by the virtualizer to group guest physical memory and guest virtual processors into virtual nodes. Thereafter, in one embodiment, the host physical memory behind a virtual node can be changed by the virtualizer as necessary, and the virtualizer will provide physical processors appropriate for the virtual processors in that node.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing performance of an operating system executing on a computer system, said computer system having a dynamic virtual processor topology, said method comprising updating said operating system after startup with at least one update to reflect at least one change in said virtual processor topology.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating system is a guest operating system, said computer system is a virtual machine, and said virtual machine having a dynamic virtual processor topology based on changes to a set of resources dynamically allocated by a host computer system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of updating is accomplished by a virtualizer associated with said virtual machine directly updates at least one internal table of said guest operating system.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of updating is accomplished by a virtualizer associated with said virtual machine updating a shared memory location with a disclosure, and said guest operating system subsequently accessing said shared memory location, retrieving the disclosure, and applying said disclosure.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of said guest operating system subsequently accessing said shared memory location is performed in accordance with a schedule or is performed in response to an interrupt generated by said emulator in said virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said guest operating system provides a hint to said virtualizer by updating a shared memory location with a hint, and said virtualizer subsequently accessing said shared memory location, retrieving the hint, and applying said hint.

7. The method of claim 2 implemented by a hardware control device, said hardware control device comprising means for implementing each element of said method.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions for optimizing performance of an operating system executing on a computer system, said computer system having a dynamic virtual processor topology, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for updating said operating system after startup with at least one update to reflect at least one change in said virtual processor topology.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein said operating system is a guest operating system, said computer system is a virtual machine, and said virtual machine having a dynamic virtual processor topology based on changes to a set of resources dynamically allocated by a host computer system.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 further comprising instructions whereby said step of updating is accomplished by a virtualizer associated with said virtual machine directly disclosures at least one internal table of said guest operating system.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 further comprising instructions whereby said step of updating is accomplished by a virtualizer associated with said virtual machine updating a shared memory location with a disclosure, and said guest operating system subsequently accessing said shared memory location, retrieving the disclosure, and applying said disclosure.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions whereby the step of said guest operating system subsequently accessing said shared memory location is performed in accordance with a schedule or is performed in response to an interrupt generated by said emulator in said virtual machine.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions whereby said guest operating system provides a hint to said virtualizer by updating a shared memory location with a hint, and said virtualizer subsequently accessing said shared memory location, retrieving the hint, and applying said hint.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein said computer-readable medium is an electromagnetic carrier signal transmitted through a communications medium.

15. A system for optimizing performance of an operating system executing on a computer system, said computer system having a dynamic virtual processor topology, said system comprising at least one subsystem for updating said operating system after startup with at least one update to reflect at least one change in said virtual processor topology.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said operating system is a guest operating system, said computer system is a virtual machine, and said virtual machine having a dynamic virtual processor topology based on changes to a set of resources dynamically allocated by a host computer system.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising at least one subsystem whereby said step of updating is accomplished by a virtualizer associated with said virtual machine directly disclosures at least one internal table of said guest operating system.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising at least one subsystem whereby said step of updating is accomplished by a virtualizer associated with said virtual machine updating a shared memory location with a disclosure, and said guest operating system subsequently accessing said shared memory location, retrieving the disclosure, and applying said disclosure.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising at least one subsystem whereby the step of said guest operating system subsequently accessing said shared memory location is performed in accordance with a schedule or is performed in response to an interrupt generated by said emulator in said virtual machine.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising at least one subsystem whereby said guest operating system provides a hint to said virtualizer by updating a shared memory location with a hint, and said virtualizer subsequently accessing said shared memory location, retrieving the hint, and applying said hint.