Systems and methods for development of emulated devices in a virtual machine environment

• US 7,580,826 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Traut, Eric P., Vega, Rene Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Janakiraman; Nithya
• Application Number:
  US10/883,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 703/13, 703/6, 703/3, 703/21, 703/1, 703/24, 703/8, 718/1
• US Class Current: 703/24
• 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 discloses dynamically adding virtual devices to a virtual computing environment. The system described in the invention includes a virtualized computing system with a manifest, which further includes device lists and an external device directory, which provides users of the virtualized computing system with a directory for adding software plug-ins that contain specifications needed to add virtual devices to the virtual computing environment. Certain embodiments are specifically directed to providing a method of adding and configuring virtual devices. Certain embodiments are specifically directed to providing a method of operating a virtualized computing system wherein the host operating system and the virtual devices progress through a series of states, such as: initializing, powering up, loading a stored state, operating in normal state, saving state for future restoration, powering down, and tearing down and turning off.

Claims

1. A method for a virtual computing environment to dynamically add virtual hardware devices, said method comprising:

scanning, by a computer system, an external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties;

receiving, by the computer system, input selecting at least one new virtual hardware device and input selecting a specific set of properties from the plurality of properties, the specific set of properties defining operational characteristics of the virtual hardware device;

acquiring, by the computer system, said selected specific set of properties from the external service directory for the at least one new virtual hardware device;

storing, by the computer system, the specific set of properties for the virtual hardware device in the device listing;

presenting, by the computer system, said selected specific set of properties to a virtual machine operating in said virtual computing environment; and

utilizing, by the computer system, said specific set of selected properties to instantiate a new virtual hardware device having the specific set of properties.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining said device list in an emulation program.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing, by the computer system, a virtual machine monitor, the virtual machine monitor having access to a first virtual machine device list, a second virtual machine device list, and the external device directory;

executing, by the computer system, the first virtual machine, the first virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the first virtual machine device list, the first virtual machine effectuating a first guest operating system; and

executing, by the computer system, the second virtual machine, the second virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the second virtual machine device list, the second virtual machine effectuating a second guest operating system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein scanning, by the computer system, the external service directory further comprises:

scanning, by the virtual machine monitor, the external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second device lists are maintained by an emulation program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the new virtual hardware device includes a virtual hardware device based on a design for a physical hardware device.

7. A computer system configured to add a virtual hardware device to a virtual machine, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage medium operatively coupled to the processor, the computer readable storage medium including encoded instructions that are executable by the processor, the computer readable storage medium comprising;

instructions for scanning an external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties;

instructions for receiving input selecting at least one new virtual hardware device and input selecting a specific set of properties from the plurality of properties, the specific set of properties defining operational characteristics of the virtual hardware device;

instructions for acquiring said selected specific set of properties from the external service directory for the at least one new virtual hardware device;

instructions for storing the specific set of properties for the virtual hardware device in the device listing;

instructions for presenting said selected specific set of properties to a virtual machine operating in said virtual computing environment; and

instructions for utilizing said specific set of selected properties to instantiate a new virtual hardware device having the specific set of properties.

8. The computer system of claim 7, further comprising:

instructions for executing a virtual machine monitor, the virtual machine monitor having access to a first virtual machine device list, a second virtual machine device list, and the external device directory;

instructions for executing the first virtual machine, the first virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the first virtual machine device list, the first virtual machine effectuating a first guest operating system; and

instructions for executing the second virtual machine, the second virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the second virtual machine device list, the second virtual machine effectuating a second guest operating system.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein scanning the external service directory further comprises:

instructions for scanning, by the virtual machine monitor, the external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the first and second device lists are maintained by an emulation program.

11. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the new virtual hardware device includes a virtual hardware device based on a design for a physical hardware device.

12. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer executable instructions for adding a virtual hardware device to a virtual machine, the instructions that when executed, perform the following method:

scanning an external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties;

receiving input selecting at least one new virtual hardware device and input selecting a specific set of properties from the plurality of properties, the specific set of properties defining operational characteristics of the virtual hardware device;

acquiring said selected specific set of properties from the external service directory for the at least one new virtual hardware device;

storing the specific set of properties for the virtual hardware device in the device listing;

presenting said selected specific set of properties to a virtual machine operating in said virtual computing environment; and

utilizing said specific set of selected properties to instantiate a new virtual hardware device having the specific set of properties.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

executing a virtual machine monitor, the virtual machine monitor having access to a first virtual machine device list, a second virtual machine device list, and the external device directory;

executing a first virtual machine, the first virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the first virtual machine device list, the first virtual machine effectuating a first guest operating system; and

executing a second virtual machine, the second virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the second virtual machine device list, the second virtual machine effectuating a second guest operating system.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein scanning the external service directory further comprises:

scanning, by the virtual machine monitor, the external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first and second device lists are maintained by an emulation program.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the new virtual hardware device includes a virtual hardware device based on a design for a physical hardware device.

17. A hardware control device for adding a virtual hardware device to a virtual machine, the hardware control device comprising:

processor means for scanning an external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties;

processor means for receiving input selecting at least one new virtual hardware device and input selecting a specific set of properties from the plurality of properties, the specific set of properties defining operational characteristics of the virtual hardware device;

processor means for acquiring said selected specific set of properties from the external service directory for the at least one new virtual hardware device;

processor means for storing the specific set of properties for the virtual hardware device in the device listing;

processor means for presenting said selected specific set of properties to a virtual machine operating in said virtual computing environment; and

processor means for utilizing said specific set of selected properties to instantiate a new virtual hardware device having the specific set of properties.

18. The hardware control device of claim 17, further comprising:

processor means for executing a virtual machine monitor, the virtual machine monitor having access to a first virtual machine device list, a second virtual machine device list, and the external device directory;

processor means for executing the first virtual machine, the first virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the first virtual machine device list, the first virtual machine effectuating a first guest operating system; and

processor means for executing the second virtual machine, the second virtual machine having virtual devices listed in the second virtual machine device list, the second virtual machine effectuating a second guest operating system.

19. The hardware control device of claim 17, wherein scanning the external service directory further comprises:

processor means for scanning, by the virtual machine monitor, the external service directory having a plurality of virtual hardware devices, each virtual hardware device having a plurality of properties.

20. The hardware control device of claim 19, wherein the first and second device lists are maintained by an emulation program.

21. The hardware control device of claim 17, wherein the new virtual hardware device includes a virtual hardware device based on a design for a physical hardware device.