Virtual machine management using processor state information

• US 7,415,708 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2003
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Knauerhase, Robert C., Tewari, Vijay
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kawsar; Abdullah Al
• Application Number:
  US10/609,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20040268347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 718 1-108
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for virtual machine management. According to one embodiment, processor state information associated with a processor is evaluated, and the processor state information is used to manage one or more virtual machines.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

gathering information relating to a processor, wherein the information comprises processor state information having one or more of characteristics of the processor, history of the processor, characteristics of a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, history of the first and second virtual machines, and event monitoring data;

evaluating the information relating to the processor; and

managing the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine via the information, the managing of the first and second virtual machines including managing a predetermined processing time allocated to each of the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine, the managing further including dynamically allocating resources including extending, suspending, increasing, or decreasing the predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine and/or the second virtual machine, wherein the dynamically allocating resources further includes switching tasks being performed on the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine when the second virtual machine is determined to be better at performing the tasks than the first virtual machine based on the information, suspending the predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine and extending a predetermined processing time allocated to the second virtual machine by granting the suspended predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine, wherein the predetermined processing time is allocated by a central processing unit to perform the tasks.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the processor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the managing of the first and second virtual machines is performed by a virtual machine manager (VMM) comprising a state management unit.

4. A system comprising:

a storage medium to store information relating to a processor coupled with the storage medium; and

a processor having a virtual machine manager (VMM), wherein the VMM to gather information relating to the processor, wherein the information comprises processor state information having one or more of characteristics of the processor, history of the processor, characteristics of a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, history of the first and second virtual machines, and event monitoring data,

evaluate the information relating to the processor, and

manage a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine via the information, the managing of the first and second virtual machines including managing a predetermined processing time allocated to each of the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine, the managing further including dynamically allocating resources including extending, suspending, increasing, or decreasing the predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine and/or the second virtual machine, wherein the dynamically allocating resources further includes switching tasks being performed on the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine when the second virtual machine is determined to be better at performing the tasks than the first virtual machine based on the information, suspending the predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine and extending a predetermined processing time allocated to the second virtual machine by granting the suspended predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine, wherein the predetermined processing time is allocated by a central processing unit to perform the tasks.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the VMM comprises a state management unit to monitor the processor.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor comprises one or more of microprocessors, hyperthreaded processors, digital signal processors, and microcontrollers.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the first and second virtual machines comprise guest software, the guest software having one or more of an operating software and a software application.

8. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed cause a machine to:

gather information relating to a processor, wherein the information comprises processor state information having one or more of characteristics of the processor, history of the processor, characteristics of a first virtual machines, and a second virtual machine, history of the first and second virtual machines, and event monitoring data;

evaluate the information relating to the processor; and

manage a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine via the information, the managing of the first and second virtual machines including managing a predetermined processing time allocated to each of the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine, the managing further including dynamically allocating resources including extending, suspending, increasing, or decreasing the predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine, wherein dynamically allocating resources further includes switching tasks being performed on the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine when the second virtual machine is determined to be better at performing the tasks than the first virtual machine based on the information, suspending the predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine and extending a predetermined processing time allocated to the second virtual machine by granting the suspended predetermined processing time allocated to the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine, wherein the predetermined processing time is allocated by a central processing unit to perform the tasks.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions which, when executed, further cause the machine to monitor the processor.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the managing of the first and second virtual machines is performed by a virtual machine manager (VMM) comprising a state management unit.