Memory space mapping techniques for server based graphics processing

• US 9,542,715 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Diard, Franck
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ricks, Donna J
• Application Number:
  US14/066,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20140063028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45545 Guest-host, i.e. hypervisor is an application program itself, e.g. VirtualBox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining

Abstract

The server based graphics processing techniques, describer herein, include loading a given instance of a guest shim layer and loading a given instance of a guest display device interface that calls back into the given instance of the guest shim layer, in response to loading the given instance of the guest shim layer, wherein the guest shim layer and the guest display device interface are executing under control of a virtual machine guest operating system. The given instance of the shim layer requests a communication channel between the given instance of the guest shim layer and a host-guest communication manager (D3D HGCM) service module from a host-guest communication manager (HGCM). In response to the request for the communication channel loading, the D3D HGCM service module is loaded and a communication channel between the given instance of the shim layer and the D3D HGCM service module is created by the HGCM. The given instance of the shim layer maps the graphics buffer memory space of a host D3D DDI binary executing under control of a host operating system. Thereafter, function calls are sent from the given instance of the guest shim layer through the communication channel to the D3D HGCM service module utilizing the graphics buffer memory space mapping.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

delivering hardware resources, software and information of a computing platform to a plurality of user devices as a utility delivered over a network, wherein rendering display frames output on a display of a given user device by the hardware resources, software and information on the computing platform includes,

loading a given instance of a guest shim layer;

loading a given instance of a guest display device interface that calls back into the given instance of the guest shim layer, in response to loading the given instance of the guest shim layer, wherein the guest shim layer and the guest display device interface are executing under control of a virtual machine guest operating system;

requesting, by the given instance of the shim layer to a host-guest communication manager (HGCM), a communication channel between the given instance of the guest shim layer and a host-guest communication manager (D3D HGCM) service module, in response to loading the given instance of the guest shim layer;

loading the D3D HGCM service module and creating a communication channel between the given instance of the shim layer and the D3D HGCM service module, by the HGCM, in response to the request for the communication channel;

mapping graphics buffer memory space, by the given instance of the shim layer, from a host stack binary executing under control of a host operating system; and

sending one or more function calls, utilizing the graphics buffer memory space mapping, from the given instance of the guest shim layer through the communication channel to the D3D HGCM service module.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the guest shim layer is not a display device interface user mode driver of a virtual machine manager including the HGCM.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the guest display device interface is not a display device interface user mode driver of a virtual machine manager including the HGCM.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the HGCM comprises a software development kit (SDK) of VirtualBox.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

loading the given instance of a guest shim layer in response to a given instance of a runtime application programming interface receiving a first graphics command from a given application;

loading the D3D HGCM service module and creating a communication channel between the given instance of the shim layer and the D3D HGCM service module, by the HGCM, in response to the request for the communication channel;

passing the graphics commands from the given instance of the runtime application programming interlace through the given instance of the guest shim layer to the given instance of the guest display device interface;

calling, back from the given instance of the guest display device interface into the given instance of the guest shim layer with one or more function calls based on a set of the graphics commands; and

sending the one or more function calls from the given instance of the guest shim layer through the communication channel to the D3D HGCM service module.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the HGCM registers that the D3D HGCM service module is callable by the given instance of the shim layer.

7. One or more non-transitory computing device readable media storing one or more sets of computing device executable instructions which when executed by one or more processing units perform a process comprising:

loading a given instance of a guest shim layer;

loading a given instance of a guest display device interface that calls back into the given instance of the guest shim layer, in response to loading the given instance of the guest shim layer, wherein the guest shim layer and the guest display device interface are executing under control of a virtual machine guest operating system;

requesting, by the given instance of the shim layer to a host-guest communication manager (HGCM), a communication channel between the given instance of the guest shim layer and a host-guest communication manager (D3D HGCM) service module, in response to loading the given instance of the guest shim layer;

loading the D3D HGCM service module and creating a communication channel between the given instance of the shim layer and the D3D HGCM service module, by the HGCM, in response to the request for the communication channel;

requesting, by the given instance of the shim layer from the HGCM, a copy of a host D3D DDI binary executing under control of a host operating system;

determining, by the given instance of the shim layer, one or more entry points of the host D3D DDI binary; and

sending one or more function calls, according to the determined one or more entry points, from the given instance of the guest shim layer through the communication channel to the D3D HGCM service module.

8. The one or more non-transitory computing device readable media according to claim 7, further comprising:

loading the given instance of a guest shim layer in response to a given instance of a runtime application programming interface receiving a first graphics command from a given application;

loading the D3D HGCM service module and create a communication channel between the given instance of the shim layer and the D3D HGCM service module, by the HGCM, in response to the request for the communication channel;

passing the graphics commands from the given instance of the runtime application programming interface through the given instance of the guest shim layer to the given instance of the guest display device interface;

calling back from the given instance of the guest display device interface into the given instance of the guest shim layer with one or more function calls based on a set of the graphics commands; and

sending the one or more function calls from the given instance of the guest shim layer through the communication channel to the D3D HGCM service module.

9. The one or more non-transitory computing device readable media according to claim 7, wherein the given instance of the guest shim layer is loaded by an injected application initialization routine that changes a search path for the runtime application programming interface to point to the guest shim layer.

10. The one or more non-transitory computing device readable media according to claim 7, wherein the guest shim layer is not a display device interface user mode driver of a virtual machine manager including the HGCM.

11. The one or more non-transitory computing device readable media according to claim 7, wherein the guest display device interface is not a display device interface user mode driver of a virtual machine manager including the HGCM.

12. The one or more non-transitory computing device readable media according to claim 7, wherein the HGCM comprises a software development kit (SDK) of VirtualBox.