Hypervisor Hardware Accelerator Offload for VM Exit Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional virtualized information handling systems face performance limitations due to low data throughput and high latency when communicating with applications executing on neighboring virtual machines, particularly in storage operations, due to constraints in hypervisor driver stacks and varying I/O architectures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hardware accelerator device that offloads processing instructions triggered by virtual machine exits, utilizing a virtual machine exit handler to determine if an instruction should be handled by the hardware accelerator, thereby improving data throughput and reducing processor workload through direct memory access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a hardware accelerator device is introduced to improve data throughput and reduce latency, then storage resource access performance is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hardware accelerator device as an intermediary component between the virtual machine and storage resources. This accelerator handles I/O operations specifically, acting as a mediator that offloads processing from the main processor and hypervisor driver stack, thereby improving data throughput while managing system complexity through specialized hardware assistance
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional components: the hypervisor layer, the hardware accelerator device, and the virtual machine. By dividing the I/O processing function into separate dedicated hardware (accelerator) versus general-purpose processing (processor), the system achieves improved throughput for storage operations without overwhelming the overall system complexity
2Loss of time
If a hardware accelerator device is introduced to reduce latency in storage operations, then response time is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hardware accelerator serves as a dedicated intermediary for time-critical I/O operations, providing fast-path processing that reduces latency. By handling storage operations in specialized hardware rather than through the general-purpose processor and hypervisor software stack, the system achieves lower latency while containing complexity in the accelerator component
Solution Approach 2:
The hardware accelerator is pre-configured and ready to handle I/O operations immediately when needed, eliminating the need for software processing delays. By having dedicated hardware circuits prepared in advance for specific storage operations, the system reduces latency without requiring complex runtime decision-making or software intervention
3Productivity
If processing is offloaded to a hardware accelerator device, then processor workload is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts specific I/O processing functions from the main processor and hypervisor software stack, moving them to a dedicated hardware accelerator device. This extraction removes the burden of storage I/O processing from the general-purpose processor, improving processor efficiency while isolating the added complexity into the specialized accelerator component
Solution Approach 2:
The hardware accelerator device provides self-service capabilities by autonomously handling I/O operations without requiring continuous processor intervention. The accelerator manages its own operation, including data transfer and storage access, which reduces processor workload while the fixed-functionality of the accelerator contains the complexity increase
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include responsive to issuance of, by an application executing on a virtual machine of a hypervisor executing on a processor subsystem of an information handling system, an instruction triggering a virtual machine exit of the virtual machine, invoking a virtual machine exit handler of the hypervisor to handle the instruction. The method may also include determining by the virtual machine exit handler whether the instruction has a characteristic indicating that the instruction should be handled by a hardware accelerator device of the information handling system communicatively coupled to the processor subsystem and responsive to determining that the instruction has a characteristic indicating that the instruction should be handled by the hardware accelerator device, offloading by the virtual machine exit handler processing of the instruction to the hardware accelerator device.