A computing real-time virtualization architecture and platform integrated with a network

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of computing and network integration real-time virtualization general architecture and platform, the real-time virtualization general architecture includes virtualization platform, transmission dispatcher, TSN API and TSN, when sending time sensitive network, application in virtual machine VM 1~VM n first carries out network communication with transmission dispatcher by TSN API, registers the information of time sensitive network stream to be sent, then actual time sensitive network stream is sent to transmission dispatcher using shared memory mechanism, transmission dispatcher receives time sensitive network stream, stores it in flow queue, then carries out unified scheduling and sends out;When virtualization platform receives time sensitive network stream, the destination of the network stream is parsed by transmission dispatcher in virtual machine VM 0, and then the network stream is directly sent to the corresponding virtual machine using network communication. The architecture solves the problem of difficult integration of virtualization platform and time sensitive network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of industrial field and vehicle computing, and relates to a real-time virtualization general architecture and platform that integrates computing and networking. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial settings, numerous and frequently changing applications increase system complexity. Different applications may have varying environmental requirements, yet they may share the same hardware platforms, which are often heterogeneous. In industrial environments, communication systems primarily rely on fieldbus technology, which plays a crucial role. Currently, there are approximately 50 different fieldbus technologies, and multiple fieldbuses are commonly used in industrial settings, leading to a greater variety and complexity of communication protocols. Furthermore, fieldbus transmission rates are relatively low, resulting in poor real-time performance and an inability to meet the ever-increasing communication demands.

[0003] In the automotive industry, applications are becoming increasingly complex. People not only demand safer and more comfortable basic transportation functions from cars, but also require entertainment and intelligence. As the functionality of modern cars increases, more and more ECUs are needed to perform these functions; now, a single car can have hundreds of ECUs, leading to increasingly complex hardware and communication systems. Furthermore, human-machine interaction applications in cars, such as the instrument panel (IC), in-vehicle infotainment system (IVI), and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), are becoming increasingly complex, and these applications have different real-time requirements. This necessitates placing these applications in different operating environments, allowing them to jointly call upon the underlying hardware and complete communication tasks with varying real-time requirements.

[0004] The increasing prevalence and complexity of modern applications in fields such as industrial sites and automobiles have driven the development of virtualization platforms. These platforms are typically built on heterogeneous devices, providing different operating environments for applications. Furthermore, virtualization platforms often need to connect to external devices, requiring real-time communication between the platform and these devices. Therefore, Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) technology can be chosen as the communication network. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems existing in industrial and automotive computing fields, this invention provides a general real-time virtualization architecture integrating computing and networking, and implements a Xen-based real-time virtualization integration platform using technologies such as Xen and OPC UA. This architecture integrates the virtualization platform and time-sensitive networking (TSN), solving the problem of difficult integration between the two, and enabling applications within virtual machines to communicate in real-time using TSN.

[0006] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0007] A general-purpose real-time virtualization architecture integrating computing and networking includes a virtualization platform, a transport scheduler, a TSNAPI, and a TSN, wherein:

[0008] The virtualization platform includes virtual machines VM 0 to VM n. VM 0 acts as a terminal that can send and receive time-sensitive network traffic. Other virtual machines VM 1 to VM n aggregate their respective time-sensitive network traffic into VM 0 and perform unified scheduling to send the network traffic. At the same time, VM 0 receives time-sensitive network traffic and sends it to the corresponding virtual machine.

[0009] The transmission scheduler refers to a software scheduler for VM 0 when sending and receiving time-sensitive network streams;

[0010] The TAN API is an interface API of the transport scheduler that allows applications in other virtual machines (VMs 1 to VMn) to call the transport scheduler.

[0011] When the virtualization platform sends time-sensitive network (TSN) data, the applications in virtual machines (VMs 1 to n) first communicate with the transport scheduler via the TSN API to register the information of the TSN stream to be sent. Then, the actual TSN stream is sent to the transport scheduler using a shared memory mechanism. The transport scheduler receives the TSN stream, stores it in the stream queue, and then performs unified scheduling and sends it out.

[0012] When the virtualization platform receives a time-sensitive network stream, the transmission scheduler in virtual machine VM 0 parses the destination of the network stream and then uses network communication to directly send the network stream to the corresponding virtual machine.

[0013] A real-time virtualization integration platform based on Xen, based on the aforementioned general architecture for real-time virtualization integrating computing and networking, uses Xen as the underlying framework and the open62541 open source project of OPC UA as the main framework, wherein:

[0014] In Xen, Dom 0 is selected as VM 0, and Dom U is selected as VM 1~VM n;

[0015] The Open62541, as an implementation of TSN, utilizes the pub / sub method for time-sensitive network transmission and provides a client / server communication architecture.

[0016] An OPC UA Server is created in Dom 0 to act as a TSN Pub and TSN Sub. A message structure is created on the OPC UA Server for sending and receiving time-sensitive network streams, and a transport scheduler is created on the OPC UA Server.

[0017] Network communication between DOM U and DOM 0 can utilize socket communication for control information communication when sending time-sensitive network (TSN) messages and message transmission when receiving them. Alternatively, it can utilize the OPC UA protocol. An OPC UA Client is created in DOM U, and the Register_Message() and Get_Message() methods are created on the OPC UA Server for the OPC UA Client to call, enabling the transmission of TSN stream messages. When sending TSN messages, DOM 0 and DOM U communicate using shared memory in the Xen Hypervisor layer to transmit message data. The UDP Server, UDP Client, or UDP Client created on DOM U serves as the TSN API in the architecture.

[0018] The OPC UA Server in Dom 0 collects time-sensitive network streams from Dom U, stores them in a message queue, and then selects the appropriate time-sensitive network stream to send out according to a comprehensive scheduling algorithm based on priority and deadline. When receiving a time-sensitive network stream, it directly uses socket communication to send the specific information to the corresponding Dom U.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0020] 1. This invention integrates a virtualization platform and a real-time network, proposing a general architecture for real-time virtualization that integrates computing and networking. In industrial environments and in-vehicle computing, applications within virtual machines are complex and require real-time communication, but these applications have different real-time requirements. Through this architecture, these applications can define network flows of different real-time levels using time-sensitive networking and perform real-time communication according to their needs.

[0021] 2. This invention utilizes Xen and OPC UA technologies to successfully build a real-time virtualization integration platform based on Xen, providing an example of this general architecture and demonstrating its feasibility. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 A general architecture diagram for real-time virtualization integration of computing and networking;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the architecture of a real-time virtualization integration platform based on Xen. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it is not limited thereto. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solution of the present invention that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] This invention provides a general architecture for real-time virtualization that integrates computing and networking, such as... Figure 1 As shown, this architecture selects a virtual machine VM 0 on the virtualization platform as the endpoint capable of sending and receiving time-sensitive network (TSN) streams. Other virtual machines VM1 through VMn aggregate their respective TSN streams into VM 0 and perform unified scheduling for sending the network streams. Simultaneously, VM 0 can also receive TSN streams and send them to the corresponding virtual machines.

[0026] In virtualization platforms, communication between different virtual machines generally falls into two categories: communication using virtual bridges (networks) and communication using shared memory. This architecture defines several Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) APIs, which applications within virtual machines can use to communicate with the transport scheduler in virtual machine VM 0. When sending time-sensitive network (TSN) streams, the TSN API first communicates with the transport scheduler to register the information of the TSN stream to be sent, and then uses the shared memory mechanism to send the actual TSN stream to the transport scheduler. The transport scheduler receives the TSN stream, stores it in a stream queue, and then performs unified scheduling and sends it out. When the virtualization platform receives a TSN stream, the transport scheduler in virtual machine VM 0 parses the destination of the network stream and then directly sends the network stream to the corresponding virtual machine using network communication.

[0027] This invention also provides a real-time virtualization integration platform based on Xen, such as... Figure 2As shown, this platform, based on the aforementioned architecture, uses Xen as the underlying framework and the open62541 open source project for OPC UA as the main framework. In Xen, only Dom 0 can actually utilize the network interface card to send time-sensitive network (TSN) streams; therefore, Dom 0 is chosen as VM 0. The Open62541 open source project integrates TSN, so this platform utilizes Open62541 as the specific implementation of TSN.

[0028] Open62541 utilizes a pub / sub approach for time-sensitive network (TSN) transmission and also provides a client / server (C / S) communication architecture. An OPC UA Server is created in DOM0, which can act as both a TSN Pub and a TSN Sub. A message structure is created on the OPC UA Server, including message number, domain number, priority, due date, and message details, for sending and receiving TSN streams. Network communication between DOMU and DOM0 can utilize ordinary socket communication; control information is communicated when sending TSN streams, and message transmission is performed when receiving them. Since Open62541 provides a C / S communication architecture, this platform recommends using the OPC UA protocol for communication. An OPC UAClient is created in DOMU, and the Register_Message() and Get_Message() methods are created on the OPC UA Server to pass TSN stream messages. When sending TSN streams, DOM0 and DOMU also communicate using the shared memory of the XenHypervisor layer for message data transmission. Xen's shared memory is page-based and resides in kernel space, while applications reside in user space. Therefore, communication using shared memory requires ioctl for translation.

[0029] The OPC UA Server in DOM 0 collects time-sensitive network streams from DOM U, stores them in a message queue, and then selects the appropriate time-sensitive network stream to send out based on a comprehensive scheduling algorithm that combines priority and deadline. When receiving a time-sensitive network stream, it directly uses socket communication to send the specific information to the corresponding DOM U.

Claims

1. A general-purpose real-time virtualization system integrating computing and networking, characterized in that... The real-time virtualization general system includes a virtualization platform, a transport scheduler, a TSN API, and a TSN, wherein: The virtualization platform includes virtual machines VM 0 to VM n. VM 0 acts as the terminal for sending and receiving time-sensitive network traffic. Other virtual machines VM 1 to VM n aggregate their respective time-sensitive network traffic into VM 0 and perform unified scheduling to send the network traffic. At the same time, VM 0 receives time-sensitive network traffic and sends it to the corresponding virtual machine. The transmission scheduler refers to a software scheduler for VM 0 when sending and receiving time-sensitive network streams; The TSN API is an interface API of the transport scheduler that allows applications in other virtual machines (VMs 1 to VMn) to call the transport scheduler. When the virtualization platform sends time-sensitive network streams, the applications in virtual machines VM 1 to VM n first communicate with the transport scheduler via TSNAPI to register the information of the time-sensitive network stream to be sent, and then use the shared memory mechanism to send the actual time-sensitive network stream to the transport scheduler. The transport scheduler receives the time-sensitive network stream, stores it in the stream queue, and then performs unified scheduling and sends it out. When the virtualization platform receives a time-sensitive network stream, the transmission scheduler in virtual machine VM 0 parses the destination of the network stream and then uses network communication to directly send the network stream to the corresponding virtual machine.

2. A real-time virtualization integration platform based on Xen, characterized in that... The real-time virtualization integration platform is based on the real-time virtualization general system integrating computing and networking as described in claim 1, using Xen as the underlying framework and the open-source OPC UA project Open62541 as the main framework, wherein: In Xen, Dom 0 is selected as VM 0, and Dom U is selected as VM 1~VM n; The Open62541, as an implementation of TSN, utilizes the pub / sub method for time-sensitive network transmission and provides a client / server communication architecture. An OPC UA Server is created in Dom 0 to act as a TSN Pub and TSN Sub. A message structure is created on the OPC UA Server for sending and receiving time-sensitive network streams, and a transport scheduler is created on the OPC UA Server. When the network communication between DOM U and DOM 0 utilizes socket communication, control information is communicated when sending time-sensitive network (TSN) messages, and message transmission is performed when receiving TSN messages. When communicating using the OPC UA protocol, an OPC UA Client is created in DOM U, and the Register_Message() and Get_Message() methods are created on the OPC UA Server for the OPC UA Client to call to pass TSN stream messages. When sending TSN messages, DOM 0 and DOM U communicate using the shared memory of the Xen Hypervisor layer to transmit message data. The UDP Server or UDP Client created on DOM U serves as the TSN API in the architecture. The OPC UA Server in DOM 0 collects time-sensitive network streams from DOM U, stores them in a message queue, and then selects the appropriate time-sensitive network stream to send out according to a comprehensive scheduling algorithm based on priority and deadline. When receiving a time-sensitive network stream, it directly uses socket communication to send the specific information to the corresponding DOM U.

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