Transparent VMM-assisted user-mode execution control transfer

• US 8,261,265 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Xiaoxin, Waldspurger, Carl A., Subrahmanyam, Pratap, Garfinkel, Tal, Ports, Daniel R. K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Chun-Kuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEIB, BENJAMIN P
• Application Number:
  US12/261,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1009 using page tables, e.g. page table structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1036 for multiple virtual address spaces, e.g. segmentation G06F12/1045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/145 the protection being virtual, e.g. for virtual blocks or segments before a translation mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1483 using an access-table, e.g. matrix or list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/151 Emulated environment, e.g. virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/651 Multi-level translation tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/657 Virtual address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4486 Formation of subprogram jump address
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues

Abstract

A virtual-machine-based system provides a control-transfer mechanism to invoke a user-mode application handler from existing virtual hardware directly, without going through an operating system kernel running in the virtual machine. A virtual machine monitor calls directly to the guest user-mode handler and the handler transfers control back to the virtual machine monitor, without involving the guest operating system.

Claims

1. In a computer system comprising a virtual machine monitor (VMM) running on system hardware and supporting a virtual machine (VM) having a first application and a guest OS running therein, a method of transferring control to a first handler program associated with the first application, the method comprising:

the VMM receiving a first request from the first application;

the VMM attempting to access the first data needed to process the first request;

the VMM, upon determining that it cannot access the first data, suspending the first application and transferring control to the first handler program;

the first handler program providing the first data such that the first data can be accessed by the VMM and transferring control back to the VMM;

the VMM processing the first request and the first application resuming execution,

wherein at least one of;

the transfer of control between the VMM and the first handler program and execution of the first handler program is transparent to the guest OS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the VMM transferring control to the first handler program comprises:

storing state information of the suspended first application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

resuming operation of the first application as a function of the stored state information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein storing state information comprises:

storing state information to memory; and

modifying values in one or more registers of the virtual machine to run the first handler program.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising at least one of:

modifying a value of an instruction pointer; and

modifying a value of a stack pointer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request from the first application comprises a request for access to data associated with a first execution context of the first application, the method further comprising:

the VMM maintaining a cache of metadata for a plurality of execution contexts; and

the VMM determining that metadata necessary to process the request from the first execution context is not in the cache.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

the first handler program updating the cache with metadata for the first execution context,

wherein a second execution context, different from the first execution context, is associated with the first handler program.

8. In a computer system comprising a virtual machine monitor (VMM) running on system hardware and supporting a virtual machine (VM) having a guest OS running therein, a method of transferring control to a first handler program, the method comprising:

the VMM receiving a first request;

the VMM determining an execution context associated with the first request;

the VMM attempting to process the first request as a function of the associated execution context;

the VMM, upon determining that it cannot process the first request, transferring control to the first handler program;

the first handler program providing first data associated with the first execution context that can be accessed by the VMM and transferring control back to the VMM; and

the VMM accessing the first data and processing the first request,

wherein at least one of;

the transfer of control between the VMM and the first handler program and execution of the first handler program occurs transparently with respect to the guest OS.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the VMM transferring control to the first handler program comprises:

storing state information of a first application running in the VM from which the first request was received; and

suspending operation of the first application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

resuming operation of the first application as a function of the stored state information.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein storing state information comprises:

storing state information in memory; and

modifying values in one or more registers of the virtual machine to run the first handler program.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising at least one of:

modifying a value of an instruction pointer; and

modifying a value of a stack pointer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first request comprises a request for access to the first data associated with the first execution context, the method further comprising:

the VMM maintaining a cache of metadata for a plurality of execution contexts; and

the VMM determining that metadata necessary to process the request from the first execution context is not in the cache.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

the first handler program updating the cache with metadata for the first execution context,

wherein a second execution context, different from the first execution context, is associated with the first handler program.

15. In a computer system comprising a virtual machine monitor (VMM) running on system hardware and supporting a virtual machine (VM), a method comprising:

maintaining a metadata lookaside buffer (MLB), the MLB comprising at least one MLB entry mapping a virtual address range to corresponding resource data, each MLB entry associated with an application running within the VM;

maintaining a metadata cache (MDC), the MDC comprising at least one MDC entry mapping resource data to corresponding resource metadata, wherein the resource data in an MDC entry corresponds to resource data in an MLB entry;

receiving a request for access to a virtual address range from a requesting application running in the VM;

determining whether or not the requested virtual address range has an MLB entry for the requesting application;

if there is no MLB entry for the requested virtual address range for the requesting application;

suspending execution of the requesting application;

initiating execution of an MLB handler program that installs an MLB entry for the requested virtual address range; and

resuming execution of the requesting application,

wherein operation of the MLB handler program is transparent with respect to a guest OS application running in the VM.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein suspending execution of the requesting application comprises:

storing current register information representing a state of operation of the requesting application.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein resuming execution of the first application is a function of the stored state information.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the MLB handler is a program residing in a same address space as the requesting application.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the MLB handler program maintains a mapping for each resource used by the requesting application in the VM.

20. A computer program product for use with a virtual machine monitor (VMM) running on system hardware and supporting a virtual machine (VM) having a first application and a guest OS running therein, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon for performing a method of transferring control to a first handler program associated with the first application, the method comprising:

the VMM receiving a first request from the first application;

the VMM attempting to access the first data needed to process the first request;

the VMM, upon determining that it cannot access the first data, suspending the first application and transferring control to the first handler program;

the first handler program providing the first data such that the first data can be accessed by the VMM and transferring control back to the VMM;

the VMM processing the first request and the first application resuming execution,

wherein at least one of;

the transfer of control between the VMM and the first handler program and execution of the first handler program is transparent to the guest OS.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the VMM transferring control to the first handler program comprises:

storing state information of the suspended first application.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, the method further comprising:

resuming operation of the first application as a function of the stored state information.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein storing state information comprises:

storing state information to memory; and

modifying values in one or more registers of the virtual machine to run the first handler program.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, the method further comprising at least one of:

modifying a value of an instruction pointer; and

modifying a value of a stack pointer.

25. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the first request from the first application comprises a request for access to data associated with a first execution context of the first application, the method further comprising:

the VMM maintaining a cache of metadata for a plurality of execution contexts; and

the VMM determining that metadata necessary to process the request from the first execution context is not in the cache.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, the method further comprising:

the first handler program updating the cache with metadata for the first execution context,

wherein a second execution context, different from the first execution context, is associated with the first handler program.

27. A computer program product for use with a virtual machine monitor (VMM) running on system hardware and supporting a virtual machine (VM) having a guest OS running therein, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon for performing a method of transferring control to a first handler program, the method comprising:

the VMM receiving a first request;

the VMM determining an execution context associated with the first request;

the VMM attempting to process the first request as a function of the associated execution context;

the VMM, upon determining that it cannot process the first request, transferring control to the first handler program;

the first handler program providing first data associated with the first execution context that can be accessed by the VMM and transferring control back to the VMM; and

the VMM accessing the first data and processing the first request,

wherein at least one of;

the transfer of control between the VMM and the first handler program and execution of the first handler program occurs transparently with respect to the guest OS.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the VMM transferring control to the first handler program comprises:

storing state information of a first application running in the VM from which the first request was received; and

suspending operation of the first application.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, the method further comprising:

resuming operation of the first application as a function of the stored state information.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein storing state information comprises:

storing state information in memory; and

modifying values in one or more registers of the virtual machine to run the first handler program.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, the method further comprising at least one of:

modifying a value of an instruction pointer; and

modifying a value of a stack pointer.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the first request comprises a request for access to the first data associated with the first execution context, the method further comprising:

the VMM maintaining a cache of metadata for a plurality of execution contexts; and

the VMM determining that metadata necessary to process the request from the first execution context is not in the cache.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, the method further comprising:

the first handler program updating the cache with metadata for the first execution context,

wherein a second execution context, different from the first execution context, is associated with the first handler program.

34. A computer program product for use with a virtual machine monitor (VMM) running on system hardware and supporting a virtual machine (VM), the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon for performing a method comprising:

maintaining a metadata lookaside buffer (MLB), the MLB comprising at least one MLB entry mapping a virtual address range to corresponding resource data, each MLB entry associated with an application running within the VM;

maintaining a metadata cache (MDC), the MDC comprising at least one MDC entry mapping resource data to corresponding resource metadata, wherein the resource data in an MDC entry corresponds to resource data in an MLB entry;

receiving a request for access to a virtual address range from a requesting application running in the VM;

determining whether or not the requested virtual address range has an MLB entry for the requesting application;

if there is no MLB entry for the requested virtual address range for the requesting application;

suspending execution of the requesting application;

initiating execution of an MLB handler program that installs an MLB entry for the requested virtual address range; and

resuming execution of the requesting application,

wherein operation of the MLB handler program is transparent with respect to a guest OS application running in the VM.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein suspending execution of the requesting application comprises:

storing current register information representing a state of operation of the requesting application.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein resuming execution of the first application is a function of the stored state information.

37. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the MLB handler is a program residing in a same address space as the requesting application.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the MLB handler program maintains a mapping for each resource used by the requesting application in the VM.