Loading management hypervisors from user space

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12360795-B2
Application number	US-202217716083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2022
Priority date	Apr 8, 2022
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed are various examples of loading management hypervisors from user space. In some examples, a host device executes a first stage bootloader of a management hypervisor from within a host operating system. The first stage bootloader loads management hypervisor data and handoff instructions into a memory of the host device, and invokes a kernel execute call of the host operating system. The handoff instructions invoke a second stage bootloader that configures and launches the management hypervisor using the management hypervisor data.

First claim

Therefore, the following is claimed:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, cause at least one computing device to at least:
execute, by a host device and from within a host operating system, a first stage bootloader of a management hypervisor as a user space application of the host operating system, wherein the first stage bootloader builds at least one boot data handoff structure in user space of the host operating system based at least in part on files read from a file system of the host operating system;
load, by the first stage bootloader, management hypervisor data and handoff instructions into a memory of the host device;
invoke, by the first stage bootloader, a kernel execute call of the host operating system, the kernel execute call specifying a physical address of the handoff instructions; and
invoke, by the handoff instructions, a second stage bootloader that configures and launches the management hypervisor using the management hypervisor data.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the management hypervisor data comprises the at least one boot data handoff structure.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: a memory map of physical memory addresses of the memory of the host device.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: device tree data of the host device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: video framebuffer data of the host device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the management hypervisor data comprises a management hypervisor kernel of the management hypervisor.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the handoff instructions move or shift at least a portion of the management hypervisor data.

8. A system, comprising:
at least one computing device comprising at least one processor; and
a data store comprising executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one computing device to at least:
execute, by a host device and from within a host operating system, a first stage bootloader of a management hypervisor as a user space application of the host operating system, wherein the first stage bootloader builds at least one boot data handoff structure in user space of the host operating system based at least in part on files read from a file system of the host operating system;
load, by the first stage bootloader, management hypervisor data and handoff instructions into a memory of the host device;
invoke, by the first stage bootloader, a kernel execute call of the host operating system, the kernel execute call specifying a physical address of the handoff instructions; and
invoke, by the handoff instructions, a second stage bootloader that configures and launches the management hypervisor using the management hypervisor data.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the management hypervisor data comprises the at least one boot data handoff structure.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: a memory map of physical memory addresses of the memory of the host device.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: device tree data of the host device.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: video framebuffer data of the host device.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the management hypervisor data comprises a management hypervisor kernel of the management hypervisor.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the handoff instructions move or shift at least a portion of the management hypervisor data.

15. A method, comprising:
executing, by a host device and from within a host operating system, a first stage bootloader of a management hypervisor as a user space application of the host operating system, wherein the first stage bootloader builds at least one boot data handoff structure in user space of the host operating system based at least in part on files read from a file system of the host operating system;
loading, by the first stage bootloader, management hypervisor data and handoff instructions into a memory of the host device;
invoking, by the first stage bootloader, a kernel execute call of the host operating system, the kernel execute call specifying a physical address of the handoff instructions; and
invoking, by the handoff instructions, a second stage bootloader that configures and launches the management hypervisor using the management hypervisor data.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the management hypervisor data comprises the at least one boot data handoff structure.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: a memory map of physical memory addresses of the memory of the host device.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: device tree data of the host device.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one boot data handoff structure comprises: video framebuffer data of the host device.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the management hypervisor data comprises a management hypervisor kernel of the management hypervisor.

Assignees

• VMware LLC

Inventors

• Warkentin Andrei
• Kotian Sunil

Classifications

• G06F2009/45575

  Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F9/45545

  Guest-host, i.e. hypervisor is an application program itself, e.g. VirtualBox · CPC title

• G06F9/4401 Primary

  Bootstrapping (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F2009/45583

  Memory management, e.g. access or allocation · CPC title

• G06F2009/45587

  Isolation or security of virtual machine instances · CPC title