In-kernel virtual machine for low overhead startup and low resource usage
First Claim
1. A method of starting applets on a computer, the method executed by a processor of the computer, the method comprising:
- accessing, by the processor, hardware of the computer through a kernel of an operating system, wherein a kernel component of a virtual machine resides in a kernel space of the operating system and maintains a cache in the kernel space, the cache being configured to store executable applet code that is shared among the applets;
creating a first address space for a first applet in a user space provided by the operating system, wherein executable applet code for the first applet is stored in the cache in the kernel space by the kernel component and wherein the executable applet code is a shared copy of executable code that resides in identical locations of a shared portion of a physical memory associated with the kernel component;
executing a first user component of the virtual machine in the first address space; and
mapping the first user component to the kernel component, wherein the kernel component provides the executable applet code stored in the cache for the first applet to the first user component and the first user component executes the first applet in the first address space.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention provide an architecture for efficiently loading and executing byte code generated from a general programming language. In particular, a byte code interpreter implements a virtual machine that executes the byte code and is divided into a kernel component and one or more user components. The kernel component of the virtual machine is integrated into the operating system kernel. The user component runs in the same virtual address space as the applet, provides support for executing an applet and couples the applet to the operating system. In addition, the kernel component of the virtual machine may share code with multiple user components.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of starting applets on a computer, the method executed by a processor of the computer, the method comprising:
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accessing, by the processor, hardware of the computer through a kernel of an operating system, wherein a kernel component of a virtual machine resides in a kernel space of the operating system and maintains a cache in the kernel space, the cache being configured to store executable applet code that is shared among the applets; creating a first address space for a first applet in a user space provided by the operating system, wherein executable applet code for the first applet is stored in the cache in the kernel space by the kernel component and wherein the executable applet code is a shared copy of executable code that resides in identical locations of a shared portion of a physical memory associated with the kernel component; executing a first user component of the virtual machine in the first address space; and mapping the first user component to the kernel component, wherein the kernel component provides the executable applet code stored in the cache for the first applet to the first user component and the first user component executes the first applet in the first address space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer comprising:
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a processor; an operating system coupled to the processor and comprising a kernel; a cache residing in a kernel space of the operating system; a kernel component of a virtual machine residing in the kernel space and configured to load executable applet code for a plurality of applets into the cache in the kernel space, wherein the cache is configured to store the executable applet code and that is shared among the plurality of applets and wherein the executable applet code is a shared copy of executable code that resides in identical locations of a shared portion of a physical memory associated with the kernel component; and a non-kernel component of the virtual machine coupled to the kernel component and residing in an address space separate from the kernel space, wherein the non-kernel component accesses hardware of the computer through the kernel and is configured to execute the shared executable applet code received from the kernel component in the address space. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:
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instructions stored in a cache residing in a kernel space of an operating system; instructions stored in a kernel component of a virtual machine residing in the kernel space and configured to load executable applet code for a plurality of applets into the cache in the kernel space, wherein the cache is configured to store the executable applet code and that is shared among the t-he plurality of applets and wherein the executable applet code is a shared copy of executable code that resides in identical locations of a shared portion of a physical memory associated with the kernel component; and instructions stored in a non-kernel component of the virtual machine coupled to the kernel component and residing in an address space separate from the kernel space, wherein the non-kernel component accesses hardware of the computer through a kernel of the operating system and is configured to execute the shared executable applet code received from the kernel component in the address space. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification