Application-driven shared device queue polling in a virtualized computing environment

• US 9,009,702 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat Israel Ltd. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat Israel Ltd. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsirkin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): CAO, DIEM K
• Application Number:
  US13/308,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20130139156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/548 Queue
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

Methods and systems for application-driven polling of shared device queues are provided. One or more applications running in non-virtualized or virtualized computing environments may be adapted to enable methods for polling shared device queues. Applications adapted to operate in a polling mode may transmit a request to initiate polling of shared device queues, wherein operating in the polling mode disables corresponding device interrupts. Applications adapted to operate in a polling mode may be regulated by one or more predefined threshold limitations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

engaging a hypervisor to process a request at a host operating system, said request received from an application, identifying one or more sockets associated with said application, and providing instructions to poll for messages;

in response to said request, determining whether a message, having an association with a first one of said one or more sockets, is stored in a memory space associated with said host operating system, wherein said message when stored in said memory space is to be passed to said application via said hypervisor;

identifying, by a processing device, a shared device queue of at least one device having previously stored messages for a second one of said one or more sockets associated with said application;

transmitting said instructions to said at least one device to enable polling of said shared device queue;

in response to said instructions to enable polling, determining whether a second message is stored in said shared device queue; and

determining whether said second message has an association with the second one of said sockets associated with said application, wherein said second message when stored in said shared device queue is to be passed to said application via said hypervisor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a threshold value associated with said polling of said shared device queue, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled when a determination is made that said threshold value has been met or exceeded.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said instructions are

generated at said host operating system, or at said hypervisor and communicated to said host operating system, and

transmitted to said at least one device upon determining said threshold value has been met or exceeded to disable said polling of said shared device queue.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said request received at said host operating system further comprises identifying said threshold value.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said threshold value is representative of a time period permitted for polling said shared device queue.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said threshold value is representative of a data allowance limit permitted for polling said shared device queue.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said threshold value is representative of a time period in which a message intended for a socket, not included in said one or more sockets associated with said application, is permitted to remain in said shared device queue during said polling.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein said threshold value is representative of a total number of messages for different sockets, not included in said one or more sockets associated with said application, permitted in said shared device queue during said polling.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said polling of said shared device queue for messages follows a determination that there are no messages for said one or more sockets associated with said application in said memory space.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled upon a determination made by a guest operating system to stop running the application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled upon a determination made by said host operating system to stop running at least a part of said hypervisor, said part of said hypervisor being responsible for running said application, or said part of said hypervisor being responsible for passing messages from said shared device queues to said application.

12. A computer system, comprising:

a memory;

a processing device, coupled to said memory; and

a host operating system hosted by said computer system, having access to said memory and use of said processing device, said host operating system to communicate, via a hypervisor, with a guest operating system of a virtual machine, said host operating system to;

engage the hypervisor to process a request at the host operating system, said request received from an application, identifying one or more sockets associated with said application, and providing instructions to poll for messages;

in response to said request, determine whether a message, having an association with a first one of said one or more sockets, is stored in a memory space associated with said host operating system, wherein said message when stored in said memory space is to be passed to said application via said hypervisor;

identify a shared device queue of at least one device having previously stored messages for a second one of said one or more sockets associated with said application;

transmit said instructions to said at least one device to enable polling of said shared device queue;

in response to said instructions to enable polling, determine whether a second message is stored in said shared device queue; and

determine if said second message has an association with the second one of said sockets associated with said application, wherein said second message when stored in said shared device queue is to be passed to said application via said hypervisor.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said host operating system is further to define a threshold value associated with said polling of said identified shared device queue, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled when a determination is made that said threshold value has been met or exceeded.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said instructions are

generated at said host operating system, or at said hypervisor and communicated to said host operating system, and

transmitted to said at least one device upon determining said threshold value has been met or exceeded to disable said polling of said shared device queue.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said request received at said host operating system further comprises identifying said threshold value.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said threshold value is representative of a time period permitted for polling said shared device queue.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said threshold value is representative of a data allowance limit permitted for polling said shared device queue.

18. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said threshold value is representative of a time period in which a message intended for a socket, not included in said one or more sockets associated with said application, is permitted to remain in said shared device queue during said polling.

19. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said threshold value is representative of a total number of messages for different sockets, not included in said one or more sockets associated with said application, permitted in said shared device queue during said polling.

20. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said polling of said shared device queue for messages follows a determination that there are no messages for said one or more sockets associated with said application in said memory space.

21. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled upon a determination made by a guest operating system to stop running the application.

22. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled upon a determination made by said host operating system to stop running at least a part of said hypervisor, said part of said hypervisor being responsible for running said application, or said part of said hypervisor being responsible for passing messages from said shared device queues to said application.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium programmed to include instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

engaging a hypervisor to process a request at a host operating system, said request received from an application, identifying one or more sockets associated with said application, and providing instructions to poll for messages;

in response to said request, determining whether a message, having an association with a first one of said one or more sockets, is stored in a memory space associated with said host operating system, wherein said message when stored in said memory space is to be passed to said application via said hypervisor;

identifying, by the processing device, a shared device queue of at least one device having previously stored messages for a second one of said one or more sockets associated with said application;

transmitting said instructions to said at least one device to enable polling of said shared device queue;

in response to said instructions to enable polling, determining whether a second message is stored in said shared device queue; and

determining whether said second message has an association with the second one of said sockets associated with said application, wherein said second message when stored in said shared device queue is to be passed to said application via said hypervisor.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprises defining a threshold value associated with said polling of said shared device queue, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled when a determination is made that said threshold value has been met or exceeded.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said instructions are

generated at said host operating system, or at said hypervisor and communicated to said host operating system, and

transmitted to said at least one device upon determining said threshold value has been met or exceeded to disable said polling of said shared device queue.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said request received at said host operating system further comprises identifying said threshold value.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said threshold value is representative of a time period permitted for polling said shared device queue.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said threshold value is representative of a data allowance limit permitted for polling said shared device queue.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said threshold value is representative of a time period in which a message intended for a socket, not included in said one or more sockets associated with said application, is permitted to remain in said shared device queue during said polling.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said threshold value is representative of a total number of messages for different sockets, not included in said one or more sockets associated with said application, permitted in said shared device queue during said polling.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein said polling of said shared device queue for messages follows a determination that there are no messages for said one or more sockets associated with said application in said memory space.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled upon a determination made by a guest operating system to stop running the application.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein said polling of said shared device queue is disabled upon a determination made by said host operating system to stop running at least a part of said hypervisor, said part of said hypervisor being responsible for running said application, or said part of said hypervisor being responsible for passing messages from said shared device queues to said application.