Host Logic IC for VM-to-FPGA Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud computing environments, providing customized hardware resources while maintaining security and privacy is challenging, as users can potentially cause denial-of-service or data corruption if their configurations malfunction or are malicious, affecting other users sharing the same computing resources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a host logic IC that encapsulates user-provided application logic within a configurable logic platform, restricting access to configuration resources and peripherals, and managing programming to prevent unauthorized reconfiguration, thereby isolating and securing hardware resources across multiple virtual machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users are provided with direct access to configurable logic platforms and programmable ICs for customized hardware resources, then adaptability and versatility are improved, but security and reliability deteriorate due to potential denial-of-service or data corruption from malicious or faulty configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a host logic IC as an intermediary component positioned between the virtual machine instance and the customer programmable logic. This host logic IC acts as a mediator that manages and controls access to the programmable logic, preventing direct uncontrolled access while still enabling customized hardware resources. The intermediary enforces protocol compliance and prevents malformed transactions, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and security.
2Productivity
If multiple customers share generic computing resources in a multi-tenant environment, then cost efficiency and productivity are improved, but security and isolation deteriorate as faulty or malicious configurations can affect other users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the computing system into distinct isolated components: virtual machine instances, host logic ICs, and customer programmable logic. Each customer's programmable logic is isolated through its own host logic IC interface, preventing cross-user interference. This segmentation allows multiple customers to share generic resources efficiently while maintaining security boundaries that prevent faulty or malicious configurations from affecting other users.
3Ease of operation
If users can directly configure and program hardware logic without restrictions, then ease of operation and adaptability are improved, but reliability and security worsen due to unauthorized reconfiguration and malformed transactions
Solution Approach 1:
The host logic IC serves as an intermediary that manages configuration and programming operations. It receives configuration requests from virtual machine instances and translates them into controlled programming operations on the customer programmable logic. This intermediary ensures protocol compliance by validating transactions before they reach the programmable logic, preventing malformed transactions while maintaining configuration flexibility for legitimate uses.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A multi-tenant environment is described with configurable hardware logic (e.g., a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)) positioned on a host server computer. For communicating with the configurable hardware logic, an intermediate host integrated circuit (IC) is positioned between the configurable hardware logic and virtual machines executing on the host server computer. The host IC can include management functionality and mapping functionality to map requests between the configurable hardware logic and the virtual machines. Shared peripherals can be located either on the host IC or the configurable hardware logic. The host IC can apportion resources amongst the different configurable hardware logics to ensure that no one customer can over consume resources.