Hardware Resource Controller for Virtual Machine Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current virtualization technologies face performance declines and increased complexity due to software-based resource management, leading to inefficient resource allocation and reduced performance in virtual machines compared to physical machines.

Innovation Solution

Implement resource access by a hardware-based resource controller that translates resource virtual addresses into physical addresses using identifiers, reducing intermediate processing layers and improving performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If software-only virtualization solution is used, then resource management capability is improved, but system complexity increases and performance declines

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource management capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the software-based VMM layer with hardware-based virtualization support in the CPU. The CPU includes a VMM that can directly manage virtual machine resources through hardware instructions, eliminating the need for software binary translation and reducing system complexity while maintaining resource management capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a hardware-based VMM as an intermediary layer between the guest operating system and physical hardware. This hardware VMM uses dedicated CPU instructions and data structures (like the virtual machine descriptor structure) to mediate resource access, reducing the complexity compared to full software virtualization while providing better performance than software-only solutions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of energy

If hardware-assisted virtualization is used, then performance overhead is reduced, but program performance still declines compared to physical machine

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveperformance overheadVSAvoidprogram performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the virtualization functionality into dedicated hardware components within the CPU, including separate virtual machine descriptor structures, hardware VMM instructions, and specific register sets for virtual machine management. This segmentation allows efficient handling of virtual machine operations without the performance penalty of software interpretation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the fundamental parameters of virtualization by implementing hardware-level support for virtual machine contexts, including dedicated cache structures, translation lookaside buffers for virtual address translation, and hardware-enforced memory management. These parameter changes enable near-physical-machine performance by eliminating software translation overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If VMM is compiled using software, then flexibility is improved, but hardware resource occupation increases and performance declines

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveVMM flexibilityVSAvoidhardware resource occupation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces software-based VMM compilation and execution with hardware-based virtualization instructions embedded in the CPU. The CPU includes dedicated instruction sets for virtual machine creation, switching, and management, eliminating the need for software VMM layers that consume significant hardware resources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The hardware-based VMM enables the CPU to self-manage virtual machine contexts through dedicated registers and instructions. The processor can automatically switch between virtual machine contexts using hardware-supported context switching mechanisms, reducing the need for external software management and minimizing hardware resource occupation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3467663B1Resource access method applied to computer, and computer

Publication Date: 2025.10.15 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

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AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a resource access method applied to a computer, and a computer. The resource access method includes: receiving, by a resource controller, a resource access request of a virtual machine for a resource, where the resource access request carries a resource virtual address and an identifier of the virtual machine; translating, by the resource controller, the resource virtual address into a resource physical address by using the identifier of the virtual machine and based on a preset resource information mapping relationship; updating, by the resource controller, the resource virtual address in the resource access request by using the resource physical address; and sending, by the resource controller, an updated resource access request to a to-be-accessed resource corresponding to the resource physical address, so as to access the to-be-accessed resource. In the present invention, the resource controller in the computer is used to implement resource virtualization, improving running performance of the virtual machine.