Apparatus and method for adaptation of input/output interface in virtualization environment

• US 8,527,679 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2009
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Georgia Tech Research Corporation (University System of Georgia)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Georgia Tech Research Corporation (University System of Georgia)
• Inventors: Suh, Sang-bum, Song, Xiang, Hwang, Joo-young, Yoo, Jung-hyun, Mohapatra, Dushmanta, Ramachandran, Kishore
• Primary Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US12/485,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 710 8- 10, 710 72- 74
• US Class Current: 710/73
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/107 Terminal emulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for adapting an input/output interface. According to the exemplary method, a host system adapts an input/output interface of the guest system to an input/output unit capability of a host system so as to support a service supported by an input/output unit supporting the input/output unit capability of the guest system using the at least one input/output unit of the host system.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for a host system to adapt an input/output interface, the host system comprising a plurality of capability adaptors the capability adaptors included in a registry, each of which is configured to adapt an input/output unit capability to a different input/output unit capability, wherein

in response to a guest system migrating to the apparatus having the host system which controls at least one input/output unit, wherein the guest system has an input/output unit capability,

the host system adapts an input/output interface of the guest system to the input/output unit capability of the host system desired by the guest system so as to provide a service supported by the input/output unit capability of the guest system using the at least one input/output unit of the host system wherein the host system selects at least one capability adaptor from among the plurality of capability adaptors to adapt the capability of an input/output unit set up in the guest system to the capability of the input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the host system creates a virtual device interface according to a type of the input/output unit desired by the guest system, and connects the selected at least one capability adaptor to a frontend driver of the guest system through the virtual device interface, and to a backend driver of the host system corresponding to the at least one input/output unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guest system migrates to the apparatus having the host system through a portable storage.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of capability adaptors are dynamically changed so as to be newly registered and installed or uninstalled.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of capability adaptors comprise a capability adaptor to convert a first resolution to a second resolution.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to a type of the input/output unit supporting the input/output unit capability of the guest system being an input device supporting a keypad and the at least one input/output unit controlled by the host system being a touch panel, the at least one capability adaptor creates a virtual keypad on the touch panel so as to provide the virtual keypad to a user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the host system comprises:

a match maker configured to select at least one capability adaptor from among the plurality of capability adaptors to adapt the capability of an input/output unit set up in the guest system to the capability of the input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system; and

a connection manager configured to provide a virtual device interface connecting a frontend driver of the guest system to a backend driver of the host system corresponding to the input/output unit capability of the host system.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein in response to the connection manager receiving information on capability of the input/output unit set up in the guest system and information on capability of an input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system, the connection manager transfers the received information to the match maker, and connects the at least one capability adaptor selected by the match maker to the virtual device interface and the backend driver of the host system.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the registry uses a dynamic link library and the registry uninstalls a capability adaptor which is no longer needed.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of capability adaptors included in the registry are dynamically changed so as to be newly registered and installed or uninstalled.

9. A method for adapting an input/output interface of a guest system to an input/output interface desired by a guest system, wherein a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for a host system to control at least one input/output unit and the guest system desires to use the at least one input/output unit through the host system, the method comprising:

in response to the guest system migrating to an apparatus having the host system, adapting the input/output interface of the guest system to the input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system by selecting at least one capability adaptor from among a plurality of capability adaptors included in a registry, each adaptor being configured to adapt an input/output unit capability to an different input/output unit capability; and

providing a service supported by an input/output unit supporting the input/output unit capability of the guest system, through the at least one input/output unit controlled by the host system wherein the adapting of the input/output interface of the guest system comprises adapting the capability of the input/output unit set up in the guest system to the capability of the input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the adapting of the input/output interface of the host system further comprises creating a virtual device interface according to a type of input/output unit desired by the guest system, and connecting the selected at least one capability adaptor to a frontend driver of the guest system through the virtual device interface, and to a backend driver of the host system corresponding to the at least one input/output unit.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of capability adaptors are dynamically changed so as to be newly registered and installed or uninstalled.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of capability adaptors comprise a capability adaptor to convert a first resolution to a second resolution.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein in response to a type of the input/output unit supporting the input/output unit capability of the guest system being an input device supporting a keypad and the input/output unit controlled by the host system being is a touch panel, the at least one capability adaptor creates a virtual keypad on the touch panel so as to provide the virtual keypad to a user.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein:

wherein the registry includes the plurality of capability adaptors, and

the adapting of the input/output interface of the host system comprises;

creating by the connection manager a virtual device interface to connect a frontend driver of the guest system to a backend driver of the host system corresponding to the input/output unit capability of the host system;

receiving by the connection manager information on capability of the at least one input/output unit set up in the guest system and information one capability of an input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system, and transferring by the connection manager the received information to the match maker;

selecting by the match maker at least one capability adaptor from among the plurality of capability adaptors, each of which to adapt the capability of the input/output unit set up in the guest system to the capability of the input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system, based on the received information; and

connecting by the connection manager the at least one capability adaptor selected by the match maker to the virtual device interface and a backend driver of the host system corresponding to the at least one input/output unit.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method for adapting an input/output interface of a guest system to an input/output interface of the host system desired by a guest system, the host system controlling at least one input/output unit and the guest system desiring to use the at least one input/output unit through the host system, the method comprising:

in response to the guest system migrating to an apparatus having the host system, adapting the input/output interface of the guest system to the input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system by selecting at least one capability adaptor from among a plurality of capability adaptors included in a registry, each adaptor being configured to adapt an input/output unit capability to an different input/output unit capability; and

providing a service supported by an input/output unit supporting the input/output unit capability of the guest system, through the at least one input/output unit controlled by the host system wherein the adapting of the input/output interface of the guest system comprises adapting the capability of the input/output unit set up in the guest system to the capability of the input/output unit of the host system desired by the guest system.