Hypervisor Resource Segmentation for Privileged Guest Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

In overcommitted resource environments managed by hypervisors, resource management adjustments can diminish the speed and efficiency of guest operating systems, particularly affecting privileged guests that run time-critical applications.

Innovation Solution

The hypervisor identifies privileged guests and allocates specific overcommitted resources to them, preventing resource management adjustments that would otherwise reduce their allocated resources, ensuring predictable performance for these critical applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the hypervisor over-commits resources to multiple guest operating systems to maximize resource utilization, then resource utilization is improved, but the speed and efficiency of guest operating systems deteriorates due to resource management adjustments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource utilizationVSAvoidspeed and efficiency of guest operating systems

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments resources into two distinct categories: overcommitted resources shared among multiple guests and pinned resources reserved exclusively for the privileged guest. This segmentation allows the hypervisor to manage overcommitted resources dynamically while protecting pinned resources from adjustment, thereby maintaining both high resource utilization and predictable performance for time-critical applications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different quality characteristics to different portions of resources. Overcommitted resources are allocated with flexible management characteristics allowing dynamic adjustment, while pinned resources are allocated with fixed characteristics preventing adjustment. This local differentiation enables the system to optimize overall resource utilization while ensuring dedicated performance guarantees for specific workloads.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If the hypervisor performs resource management adjustments to balance demands of guest operating systems in an overcommitted environment, then resource distribution is improved, but the performance of privileged guests deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource distribution flexibilityVSAvoidperformance predictability of privileged guests

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts pinned resources from the pool of overcommitted resources, removing them from dynamic management adjustment. This extraction creates a protected subset of resources that guarantees minimum performance levels for privileged guests, while the remaining overcommitted resources continue to be managed flexibly to balance overall system demands.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary allocation of pinned resources to the privileged guest before resource management adjustments are executed. By pre-allocating and protecting these resources in advance, the system ensures that time-critical applications have guaranteed resource availability regardless of subsequent dynamic adjustments made to balance overall system demands.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the hypervisor allocates overcommitted resources dynamically among guests, then resource efficiency is improved, but the consistency of resource allocation for time-critical applications deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource efficiencyVSAvoidresource allocation consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the resource allocation system into dynamic overcommitted resource management for general efficiency and static pinned resource allocation for consistency. This segmentation enables the hypervisor to maintain high resource efficiency through dynamic adjustments while simultaneously ensuring allocation consistency for time-critical applications through protected pinned resources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9183061B2Preserving, from resource management adjustment, portions of an overcommitted resource managed by a hypervisor

Publication Date: 2015.11.10 LENOVO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for preserving, from resource management adjustment, portions of an overcommitted resource managed by a hypervisor are provided. Embodiments include identifying, by the hypervisor, a privileged guest from among a plurality of guests of the hypervisor; identifying, by the hypervisor, portions of the overcommitted resource that are allocated to the privileged guest; and preventing, by the hypervisor, resource management adjustment to the identified portions of the overcommitted resource that are allocated to the privileged guest.