Virtual machine control method and program thereof

• US 20060294519A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsushima, Yuji, Moriki, Toshiomi, Hattori, Naoya
• Application Number:
  US11/472,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294519A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Disclosed is a virtual machine control method for switching and executing multiple programs jointly shared between at least one CPU and memory. The method is comprised of a process for setting a first memory protection table for defining a memory area accessible by a first program executed on the CPU, a process for setting a second memory protection table for defining a memory area accessible by a second program executed on the CPU, a process for detecting the start of execution of the first or the second program, a process for selecting and switching to either of a first or the second memory protection table according to the detected first or the second program, and a process for checking the first or the second memory protection table with the memory management unit for the CPU, and protecting the memory area defined in the first or the second memory protection table.

Claims

1. A control method for a virtual machine provided by switching and executing multiple programs jointly shared between at least one CPU and memory, the method comprising:

a process for setting a first memory protection table for defining a memory area accessible by a first program executed on the CPU,

a process for setting a second memory protection table for defining a memory area accessible by a second program executed on the CPU,

a process for detecting the start of execution of the first or the second program,

a process for selecting and switching to either of a first or the second memory protection table according to the detected first or the second program, and

a process for checking the first or the second memory protection table with the memory management unit for the CPU, and protecting the memory area defined in the first or the second memory protection table.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the first program is a virtual machine monitor for monitoring the virtual machine,

the second program is a guest program operating on the virtual machine, and

the virtual machine monitor itself performs the detection and switching.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the first program is a guest OS operating on the virtual machine,

the second program is a guest application operating on the virtual machine, and

the virtual machine monitor managing the virtual machine performs the detection and the switching.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the CPU contains a device for switching the guest program operated on the virtual machine, and a virtual machine monitor for managing the virtual machine, and

the process for detecting the start of the first or the second program execution detects the start of either the first or the second program execution when a command for switching control of the virtual machine was detected from the virtual machine monitor or the guest program.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the CPU contains a register for showing the position in the memory on the first or the second memory protection table, and

the procedure for protecting the memory area sets the position of the selected first or the second memory protection table in the register.

6. A program of instructions executable by a physical computer to perform a function for providing virtual machine by switching multiple programs jointly using at least one CPU and memory on the physical computer, the function comprising:

a procedure for setting a first memory protection table for defining a memory area accessible by a first program executed by the CPU,

a procedure for setting a second memory protection table for defining a memory area accessible by a second program executed by the CPU,

a procedure for detecting the start of the first or the second program execution,

a procedure for selecting and switching either the first or the second memory protection table according the detected first or the second program, and

a procedure for checking the selected first or the second memory protection table in the memory management unit of the CPU, and protecting the memory area defined in the selected first or the second memory protection table.

7. The program according to claim 6, wherein

the first program is a virtual machine monitor that manages the virtual machine, and

the second program is a guest program that operates on the virtual machine.

8. The program according to claim 6, wherein

a first program is a guest OS operating on the virtual machine, and

the second program is a guest application operating on the virtual machine.

9. The program according to claim 7, wherein:

the CPU includes a device for switching the guest program operating on the virtual machine, and a virtual machine monitor for managing the virtual machine; and

the procedure for detecting the start of the first or the second program execution detects the start of either the first or the second program execution when a command was detected from the virtual machine monitor or the guest program for switching control of the virtual machine.

10. The program according to claim 6, wherein:

the CPU contains a register for showing the position in the memory on the first or the second memory protection table;

the procedure for protecting the memory area sets the position of a selected first or the second memory protection table in the register.

11. A virtual machine system including a virtual machine monitor to provide a virtual machine, by switching multiple programs jointly using at least one CPU and memory on a physical computer containing a CPU and memory, the system comprising:

the virtual machine that contains a first program, and a second program;

the virtual machine monitor that includes;

a memory protection table setting unit for setting a first memory protection table for defining the memory area accessible by a virtual machine monitor and a memory area accessible by a first program forming the virtual machine and, a second memory protection table for defining the memory area accessible by the virtual machine monitor and a memory area accessible by a second program,

an execution start detector unit for detecting the start of the first or the second program execution, and

a memory protection table switching unit for selecting and switching either of the first or the second memory protection tables corresponding to the detected first or the second program, and

a memory protection command unit for commanding the selected first or the second memory protection table in the CPU; and

the CPU that includes a memory management unit for protecting the memory area defined in the commanded first or the second memory protection tables.

12. A virtual machine system including a virtual machine monitor to provide a virtual machine, by switching multiple programs jointly using at least one CPU and memory on a physical computer containing a CPU and memory, comprising:

the virtual machine that contains a guest program;

the virtual machine monitor that includes;

a memory protection table setting unit for setting a first memory protection table for defining the memory area accessible by a guest program, and a second memory protection table for defining a memory area accessible by the virtual machine monitor,

an execution start detector unit for detecting the start of the guest program or the virtual machine monitor execution,

a memory protection table switching unit for selecting and switching either of the first or the second memory protection tables corresponding to the detected guest program or the virtual machine monitor, and

a memory protection command unit for commanding the selected first or the second memory protection table in the CPU; and

CPU that includes

a memory management unit for protecting the memory area defined in the commanded first or the second memory protection tables, and

a switching device for switching the guest program operating on the virtual machine and the virtual machine monitor, based on the start or the termination of the guest program execution.