System and method for graphics remapping in hypervisor

• US 8,013,804 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Cromer, Daryl Carvis, Zawacki, Jennifer Greenwood, Locker, Howard Jeffrey, Springfield, Randall Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): DHARIA, PRABODH M
• Application Number:
  US11/755,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/2.1, 345/501, 345/649, 345/506, 345/1.3, 345/530, 345/100, 463/31, 718/1, 718/104, 718/100, 718/105, 709/218, 709/204, 710/72, 713/2, 725/109
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

A hypervisor operating system instantiates a virtual video driver to a main operating system that supports only one type of graphics adapter. The virtual driver handles graphics remapping among plural different display drivers associated with plural different display monitors to enable a computer to output data on multiple different monitors even though the main O.S. supports only one type of display driver.

Claims

1. A hypervisor operating system implemented on a computer-readable medium for execution by a digital processor to:

present to a main operating system a single virtual video driver;

receive demanded display data from the main operating system representative of pixels; and

send first pixels to a first video driver associated with a first video display and send second pixels to a second video driver associated with a second video display, wherein the hypervisor operating system queries the main operating system for video monitor resolutions and/or desktop options supported by the main operating system, wherein the desktop options include one or more of mirroring, spanning, or cloning.

2. The hypervisor operating system of claim 1, wherein the hypervisor operating system acquires at least one specification from both of first and second graphics adapters respectively associated with the first and second displays.

3. The hypervisor operating system of claim 2, wherein the specification is a display resolution.

4. The hypervisor operating system of claim 2, wherein the specification is a display refresh rate.

5. The hypervisor operating system of claim 2, wherein the hypervisor operating system uses the specifications to generate a list of available specifications for provision thereof to the main operating system.

6. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least two displays configured to display data demanded by a main operating system executable by the processor; and

at least one computer readable medium bearing a hypervisor operating system executable by the processor to present to the main operating system one and only one display driver for receiving data from the main operating system and distributing the data to at least first and second display drivers transparently to the main operating system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the hypervisor operating system acquires at least one specification from both of first and second graphics adapters respectively associated with first and second displays.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the specification is a display resolution.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the specification is a display refresh rate.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the hypervisor operating system uses the specifications to generate a list of available specifications for provision thereof to the main operating system.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the hypervisor operating system queries the main operating system for video monitor resolutions and/or desktop options supported by the main operating system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the desktop options include one or more of mirroring, spanning, or cloning.

13. A method for presenting pixels demanded by a main operating system on at least first and second displays associated with respective first and second graphics adapters, comprising:

presenting one and only one virtual display driver on a hypervisor operating system to the main operating system; and

distributing pixel data sent to the virtual display driver to the first and second graphics adapters.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising acquiring at least one specification from both of the first and second graphics adapters.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the specification is a display resolution.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the specification is a display refresh rate.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising querying the main operating system for video monitor resolutions and/or desktop options supported by the main operating system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the desktop options include one or more of mirroring, spanning, or cloning.