Virtualization event processing in a layered virtualization architecuture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9405565-B2
Application number	US-201213595838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2012
Priority date	Jul 27, 2005
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments of apparatuses and methods for processing virtualization events in a layered virtualization architecture are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a event logic and evaluation logic. The event logic is to recognize a virtualization event. The evaluation logic is to determine whether to transfer control from a child guest to a parent guest in response to the virtualization event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a hardware processor including
event logic to recognize a virtualization event, and
evaluation logic to determine whether to transfer control of the apparatus from a child guest to a parent guest in response to the virtualization event, wherein the child guest and parent guest each include a bit per virtualization event to indicate whether the parent guest is to gain control when the virtualization event occurs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation logic is also to determine whether to transfer control from the child guest to a host of the parent guest when the evaluation logic determines not to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation logic is also to determine whether to transfer control from the child guest to a root mode host when the evaluation logic determines not to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation logic is also to determine whether to transfer control from the child guest to a host of the parent guest before determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation logic is also to determine whether to transfer control from the child guest to a root mode host before determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the parent guest is a virtual machine monitor.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a hardware processor including;
top-down event logic to recognize a top-down virtualization event;
bottom-up event logic to recognize a bottom-up virtualization event;
top-down evaluation logic to determine whether to transfer control of the apparatus from a child guest to a parent guest in response to the top-down virtualization event; and
bottom-up evaluation logic to determine whether to transfer control of the apparatus from the child guest to a host of the parent guest in response to the bottom-up virtualization event, wherein the child and parent guest each include a bit per virtualization event to indicate whether the parent guest is to gain control when the virtualization event occurs.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:
the top-down evaluation logic is also to determine whether to transfer control from the child guest to a host of the parent guest when the top-down evaluation logic determines not to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest; and
the bottom-up evaluation logic is also to determine whether to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest if the bottom-up evaluation logic determines not to transfer control from the child guest to the host of the parent guest.

9. A method comprising:
recognizing a virtualization event; and
determining whether to transfer control from a child guest to a parent guest in response to the virtualization event, wherein the child guest and parent guest each include a bit per virtualization event to indicate whether the parent guest is to gain control when the virtualization event occurs.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to a host of the parent guest when control is not transferred from the child guest to the parent guest.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to a root mode host when control is not transferred from the child guest to the parent guest.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to a host of the parent guest before determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to a root mode host before determining whether to transfer control from the child guest to the parent guest.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the virtualization event is one of a top-down event and a bottom-up event, further comprising:
checking the child guest's control structure before checking the parent guest's control structure when the virtualization event is a top-down event; and
checking the parent guest's control structure before checking the child guest's control structure when the virtualization event is a bottom-up event.

Assignees

• Bennett Steven M
• Anderson Andrew V
• Neiger Gilbert
• Rodgers Dion
• Uhlig Richard A
• Smith Lawrence O
• Huntley Barry E
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Bennett Steven M
• Anderson Andrew V
• Neiger Gilbert
• Rodgers Dion
• Uhlig Richard A
• Smith Lawrence O
• Huntley Barry E

Classifications

• G06F13/24

  using interrupt (G06F13/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F9/542

  Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications · CPC title

• G06F9/4812

  by interrupt, e.g. masked · CPC title

• G06F2009/45566

  Nested virtual machines · CPC title

• G06F9/45533 Primary

  Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors · CPC title