Parallel Accelerated Processor Metrics via Secure Host Drivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems fail to provide virtual machines with direct access to power management metrics of parallel accelerated processors due to security restrictions, preventing effective management and utilization of hardware resources.
Innovation Solution
A host driver is implemented to facilitate communication between virtual machines and a system management unit, allowing virtual functions to request and receive power management metrics through a host request, while ensuring security by validating guest requests and maintaining identifier tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual machines are restricted from directly accessing hardware components for security reasons, then system security is improved, but access to power management metrics is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
A host driver is introduced as an intermediary component between the virtual machine and the parallel accelerated processor. The host driver receives power management metric requests from the virtual machine, validates them against security policies, and forwards approved requests to the processor while blocking unauthorized access. This mediator enables secure information flow without compromising system security.
2Ease of operation
If direct access to power management metrics is enabled for virtual machines, then resource management capability is improved, but system security is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The host driver serves as a security gateway that intermediates between the virtual machine and the parallel accelerated processor. It validates resource management requests against predefined security policies before allowing access to power management metrics, thus enabling operational capability while maintaining security through controlled authorization.
3Reliability
If a host driver is introduced to mediate access requests, then security validation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The host driver is designed as a multi-functional component that handles multiple operations: receiving power management metric requests from virtual machines, validating requests against security policies, tracking virtual function identifiers, and forwarding approved requests to the processor. By consolidating these functions into a single driver module, the system achieves comprehensive security validation without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes one or more processors and one or more parallel accelerated processors. Additionally, a system management unit is configured to monitor the one or more parallel accelerated processors and to obtain one or more power management metrics for a parallel accelerated processor. A host driver included in the device is configured to receive a guest request for one or more power management metrics of the parallel accelerated processor from a virtual function of a virtual machine executing on the device, to transmit a host request for the one or more power management metrics from the host driver to the system management unit in response to receiving the guest request, to receive the one or more power management metrics from the system management unit at the host driver, and to transmit the one or more power management metrics from the host driver to the virtual machine.