VM INTER-PROCESS COMMUNICATION

• US 20160314076A1
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: WIBLING, Gustav Seth, KRISHNAN, Jagannath Gopal
• Granted Patent: US 9,940,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/109 for multiple virtual address spaces, e.g. segmentation G06F12/1036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1008 Correctness of operation, e.g. memory ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/152 Virtualized environment, e.g. logically partitioned system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/656 Address space sharing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/657 Virtual address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

A method is described for enabling inter-process communication between a first application and a second application, the first application running within a first virtual machine (VM) in a host and the second application running within a second VM in the host, The method includes receiving a request to attach a shared region of memory to a memory allocation, identifying a list of one or more physical memory pages defining the shared region that corresponds to the handle, and mapping guest memory pages corresponding to the allocation to the physical memory pages. The request may be received by a framework from the second application and includes a handle that uniquely identifies the shared region of memory as well as an identification of at least one guest memory page corresponding to the memory allocation.

Claims

1. A method for enabling inter-process communication between a first application and a second application, the first application running within a first virtual machine (VM) in a host and the second application running within a second VM in the host, the method comprising:

receiving a request to create a shared memory region in physical memory;

as a response to the request, creating the shared memory region in physical memory for access during execution of the first application, the shared memory region being associated with a handle and being mapped to guest memory of the first VM, the guest memory of the first VM being virtualized memory of the physical memory of the host for the first VM;

receiving a request to attach the shared region of memory to guest memory of the second VM for access during execution of the second application, the guest memory of the second VM being virtualized memory of the physical memory of the host for the second VM, the request being received by a framework from the second application, the request including the handle that uniquely identifies the shared region of memory and including an identification of the guest memory of the second VM, the framework being a component of a virtualization software in the host;

identifying a first list of physical memory pages in the physical memory as a first portion of the shared memory region that corresponds to the guest memory of the first VM;

identifying a second list of physical memory pages in the physical memory as a second portion of the shared memory region that corresponds to the guest memory of the second VM; and

mapping a portion of the guest memory of the second VM to the shared memory region in the physical memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the first list of physical pages comprises accessing a registry.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to create a shared memory region and creating the shared memory region include:

receiving a request from the first application to create the shared memory region, the request being received by the framework from the first application, the request including an identification of a plurality of pages of virtualized guest memory;

identifying one or more physical pages of the physical memory that correspond with a list of virtualized guest memory pages provided with the request, the one or more physical pages defining the shared region;

creating the handle; and

returning the handle to the first application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the framework binds the handle uniquely identifying the shared region with an identifier that is available to both the first application and the second application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to attach the shared region of memory to the guest memory of the second VM is received through a hypercall, which is a call made from a VM to the virtualization software.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the guest memory of the second VM is pinned.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying program instructions for causing a computer to perform a method for enabling inter-process communication between a first application and a second application, the first application running within a first virtual machine (VM) in a host and the second application running within a second VM in the host, the method comprising:

receiving a request to create a shared memory region in physical memory;

as a response to the request, creating the shared memory region in physical memory for access during execution of the first application, the shared memory region being associated with a handle and being mapped to guest memory of the first VM, the guest memory of the first VM being virtualized memory of the physical memory of the host for the first VM;

receiving a request to attach the shared region of memory to guest memory of the second VM for access during execution of the second application, the guest memory of the second VM being virtualized memory of the physical memory of the host for the second VM, the request being received by a framework from the second application, the request including the handle that uniquely identifies the shared region of memory and including an identification of the guest memory of the second VM, the framework being a component of a virtualization software in the host;

identifying a first list of physical memory pages in the physical memory as a first portion of the shared memory region that corresponds to the guest memory of the first VM;

identifying a second list of physical memory pages in the physical memory as a second portion of the shared memory region that corresponds to the guest memory of the second VM; and

mapping a portion of the guest memory of the second VM to the shared memory region in the physical memory.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the identifying of the first list of physical pages comprises accessing a registry.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein receiving the request to create a shared memory region and creating the shared memory region include:

receiving a request from the first application to create the shared memory region, the request being received by the framework from the first application, the request including an identification of a plurality of pages of virtualized guest memory;

identifying one or more physical pages of the physical memory that correspond with a list of virtualized guest memory pages provided with the request, the one or more physical pages defining the shared region;

creating the handle; and

returning the handle to the first application.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the framework binds the handle uniquely identifying the shared region with an identifier that is available to both the first application and the second application.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the request to attach the shared region of memory to the guest memory of the second VM is received through a hypercall, which is a call made from a VM to the virtualization software.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the guest memory of the second VM is pinned.