VIRTUAL MACHINE SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR SHARING A GRAPHICS CARD AMONGST VIRTUAL MACHINES

• US 20080077917A1
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: CHEN, Jun, KE, Ke, LIU, Chunmei, LIU, Yongfeng
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

The present invention provides a virtual machine system and a method for sharing a graphics card amongst virtual machines. A VMM of the virtual machine system is provided with a resource-converting module, which converts data exchanged between a graphics card drive module of a GOS in the foreground and the graphics card based on a resource-converting table, and also intercepts accesses to the real graphics card by a GOS in the background and then responds to its operations on the graphics card. The VMM is further provided with a switching module, which alters a state of a VM based on a command for switching the VM, saves a graphics card state before the VM is switched to the background and restores the stored graphics card state to the graphics card when the VM is switched back to the foreground. Further, the GOSs each comprise a graphics card drive module corresponding to the real graphics card for accessing the real graphics card. The systems and the methods according to the present invention enable the GOSs to access the real graphics card, and also enable switching among a plurality of virtual machines.

Claims

1. A virtual machine system, comprising a Service Operating System (SOS), one or more Guest Operating Systems (GOSs), a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) and a graphics card, wherein,

the VMM is provided with a resource-converting module that converts data exchanged between a graphics card drive module of a GOS in the foreground and the graphics card based on a resource-converting table, and also intercepts accesses to the real graphics card by a GOS in the background and then responds to its operations on the graphics card;

the VMM is further provided with a switching module, which alters a state of a VM based on a command to switch the VM, saves a graphics card state before the VM is switched to the background and restores the stored graphics card state to the graphics card when the VM is switched back to the foreground; and

the GOSs each comprise a graphics card drive module corresponding to the real graphics card for accessing the real graphics card.

2. The virtual machine system according to claim 1, wherein the resource-converting module is further configured to modify the graphics card state data saved in the switching module accordingly based on the operations on the graphics card by the VM in the background.

3. The virtual machine system according to claim 2, wherein the resource-converting module is further configured to discard operations which do not effect a graphics card state register among the operations on the graphics card by the VM in the background.

4. The virtual machine system according to claim 1, wherein the VMM further comprises:

a communication module by which the SOS, the GOSs and the VMM communicate with each other.

5. The virtual machine system according to claim 1, wherein the SOS comprises:

Device Modules (DMs), which provide virtual PCI buses or PCI-E buses for the GOSs, and after receiving operations for scanning a PCI bus by the GOSs forwarded by the VMM, read information on the real graphics card from a PCI configuration space for the real graphics card, and register PCI devices or PCI-E devices containing the information on the real graphics card for the GOSs.

6. The virtual machine system according to claim 1, wherein the resource-converting table is saved in a space of the VMM, or is saved in a context environment of the GOS virtual machine.

7. The virtual machine system according to claim 6, wherein the resource-converting table comprises a virtual machine number, a device number, a Guest IO segment, a Guest MMIO segment, a Guest interrupt number, a Machine IO segment, a Machine MMIO segment, and a Machine interrupt number.

8. A method for sharing a graphics card amongst virtual machines, comprising:

converting data exchanged between a graphics card drive module of a GOS in the foreground and the graphics card based on a resource-converting table using a resource-converting module of a VMM;

intercepting accesses to the real graphics card by a GOS in the background and then responding to its operations on the graphics card; and

altering a state of a VM based on a command to switch the VM using a switching module of the VMM, saving a graphics card state before the VM is switched to the background and restoring the stored graphics card state to the graphics card when the VM is switched back to the foreground, wherein

the GOSs each comprise a graphics card drive module corresponding to the real graphics card.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the resource-converting module also modifies the graphics card state data saved in the switching module based on the operations on the graphics card by the VM in the background.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the switching module performs switching by invoking a standard BIOS, performing a VGA BIOS, or directly operating the graphics card so as to save the graphics card state of the GOS in the foreground to be switched to the background into the graphics card state data of the GOS and restoring the graphics card state data of the GOS in the background to be switched to the foreground to the real graphics card.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein whether the GOS is in the foreground or in the background is determined by an identification set for the VM to which the GOS is pertaining for identifying whether it is in the foreground or in the background.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the resource-converting table is saved in a space of the VMM, or is saved in a context environment of the GOS virtual machine.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the resource-converting table comprises a virtual machine number, a device number, a Guest IO segment, a Guest MMIO segment, a Guest interrupt number, a Machine IO segment, a Machine MMIO segment, and a Machine interrupt number.

14. A virtual machine system, comprising:

a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) comprising a resource-converting module;

a Service Operating System (SOS) comprising a display switching drive; and

Guest Operating Systems (GOSs) each comprising a display switching drive and a real graphics card drive;

wherein,

the real graphics card drives of the GOSs are configured to send graphics card accessing data of the GOSs to the resource-converting module of the VMM,

the resource-converting module of the VMM is configured to store correspondences between resources allocated for a graphics card by the SOS and those allocated for the graphics card by the GOSs therein, and converts Input/Output (IO) addresses and Memory Mapped Input/Output (MMIO) addresses of the graphics card accessing data from the GOSs based on the correspondences and then send them to the graphics card,

the display switching drive of the SOS is configured to send a message to switch to the foreground to the display switching drive of the GOS to be switched to the foreground by a communication module of the VMM on receipt of a display switching message, and

the display switching drives of the GOSs are configured to enable the virtual graphics card drives and disable the real graphics card drives on receipt of a message including an instruction to switch to the background, and disable the virtual graphics card drives and enable the real graphics card drives on receipt of the message to switch to the foreground sent by the display switching drive of the SOS through the communication module of the VMM.

15. The virtual machine system according to claim 14, wherein when Device Modules (DMs) of the virtual machine system receive the graphics card accessing data sent by the virtual graphics card drives through the communication module of the VMM, the DMs discard the graphics card accessing data.

16. The virtual machine system according to claim 14, wherein,

the resource-converting module of the VMM is further configured to receive interrupt requests (IRQs) from the graphics card, and convert the IRQs to interrupt numbers for the GOSs based on the stored correspondences and then send them to the real graphics card drives of the GOSs, and

the real graphics card drives of the GOSs are further configured to perform corresponding processing on the IRQs.

17. The virtual machine system according to claim 14, wherein,

the display switching message received by the display switching drive of the SOS is an externally triggered switching message;

and

the display switching drive of the SOS is further configured to send the message to switch to the background to the GOS to be switched to the background by the communication module of the VMM.

18. The virtual machine system according to claim 14, wherein,

the message including the instruction to switch to the background received by the display switching drives of the GOSs is a display switching message sent by applications of the GOSs, and

the display switching drives of the GOSs are further configured to send the display switching message to the display switching drive of the SOS by the communication module of the VMM.

19. The virtual machine system according to claim 14, wherein,

the SOS further comprises a saving/restoring module for a graphics card register for saving current values of the graphics card register and restoring the graphics card register values corresponding to the GOS to be switched to the foreground on receipt of a graphics card register saving/restoring signal, and

the display switching drive of the SOS is further configured to send the graphics card register saving/restoring signal to the saving/restoring module for the graphics card register on receipt of the display switching message.

20. The virtual machine system according to claim 14, wherein,

the SOS further comprises a saving/restoring module for a graphics card memory for saving current contents of the graphics card memory and restoring the graphics card memory contents corresponding to the GOS to be switched to the foreground on receipt of a graphics card memory saving/restoring signal, and

the display switching drive of the SOS is further configured to send the graphics card memory saving/restoring signal to the saving/restoring module for the graphics card memory on receipt of the display switching message.

21. The virtual machine system according to claim 14, wherein,

the display switching drive of each GOS is further configured to determine whether switching requirements are satisfied or not when the present GOS is in the foreground and the display switching is to be performed, and if the switching requirements are satisfied, the normal switching is performed, while if the switching requirements are not satisfied, the switching will not be performed.

22. A method for sharing a graphics card amongst virtual machines, comprising:

allocating the real graphics card to GOSs, also allocating virtual graphics cards to the GOSs, and loading corresponding real graphics card drives and virtual graphics card drives;

on display switching, disabling the real graphics card drive of a GOS in the background and enabling the virtual graphics card drive of the GOS in the background, as well as disabling the virtual graphics card drive of a GOS in the foreground and enabling the real graphics card drive of the GOS in the foreground;

the GOS in the background accessing the virtual graphics card by the virtual graphics card drive, and an SOS discarding graphics card accessing data of the GOS;

the GOS in the foreground accessing the real graphics card by the real graphics card drive, comprising the sub-steps of;

(a) sending graphics card accessing data of the GOS in the foreground to a VMM by the real graphics card drive; and

(b) the VMM converting IO addresses and MMIO addresses of the graphics card accessing data based on correspondences between resources allocated for the graphics card by the SOS and resources allocated for the graphics card by the GOS in the foreground, and then sending them to the graphics card.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, after the sub-step (b), it further comprises sub-steps of:

the VMM receiving IRQs from the graphics card, converting the IRQs to interrupt numbers for the GOS in the foreground based on the correspondences, and then sending them to the real graphics card drive of the GOS in the foreground, which in turn performs corresponding processing on the IRQs.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein, before the sub-step (a), it further comprises sub-steps of:

saving a displaying mode corresponding to the GOS in the foreground when the GOS in the foreground is switched to the background and restoring a displaying mode corresponding to the GOS in the background when the GOS in the background is switched to the foreground.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein, before the sub-step (a), it further comprises sub-steps of:

saving the graphics card memory contents corresponding to the GOS in the foreground when the GOS in the foreground is switched to the background and restoring the graphics card memory contents corresponding to the GOS in the background when the GOS in the background is switched to the foreground.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein, before the display switching, it further comprises:

the GOS in the foreground determining whether switching requirements are satisfied or not, and if the switching requirements are satisfied, the normal switching is performed, while if the switching requirements are not satisfied, the switching will not be performed.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein, the switching requirements are that:

none of applications of the present GOS uses the graphics card exclusively; and

/or

none of the applications of the present GOS uses displaying properties which are not supported by the virtual graphics card; and

/or

the virtual graphics card of the present GOS is properly loaded.