Hardware Virtualization Platform Using Proxy Machines for Early Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Developers face challenges in accessing physical hardware specifications for early development and testing due to limited availability and intellectual property concerns, leading to delayed product development and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for testing and training using a proxy physical hardware system that emulates the actual hardware through a virtualization platform, executing hardware system application software on a proxy virtual machine with a hardware abstraction software layer, allowing for early development and testing without requiring direct access to the physical hardware specifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If developers wait for physical hardware availability to begin development and testing, then hardware specifications and access are guaranteed, but product development time is significantly extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtualization platforms and emulated proxy hardware systems before the actual physical hardware is available. This preliminary action allows developers to begin software development, testing, and validation early in the product lifecycle, eliminating the waiting period while maintaining development fidelity through hardware abstraction layers that replicate the target hardware's behavior
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of the physical hardware system through emulated proxy hardware systems. These copies include virtual machines with hardware abstraction software layers that replicate the target hardware's specifications, interfaces, and behavior, allowing developers to work with accurate hardware models without needing the actual physical hardware present
2Manufacturing precision
If hardware suppliers provide detailed hardware specifications, then virtualization platforms can be constructed accurately, but intellectual property is exposed and licensing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces hardware abstraction software layers as intermediaries between the physical hardware and the virtualization platform. These abstraction layers expose standardized, controlled interfaces that provide sufficient detail for accurate virtual platform construction while hiding proprietary hardware implementation details. The abstraction layer acts as a mediator that translates between the virtual environment and the actual hardware without requiring full disclosure of sensitive specifications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal virtualization platform architecture that can work with multiple different hardware suppliers through standardized hardware abstraction interfaces. This universal approach allows the same virtual platform to be adapted to different hardware implementations without requiring each supplier to disclose their proprietary details, as the abstraction layer handles hardware-specific variations in a standardized manner
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for testing a physical hardware system by executing hardware system application software on a corresponding emulated proxy physical hardware system in a proxy virtual machine are presented. The techniques include: obtaining a proxy physical hardware system that matches aspects of the physical hardware system; constructing, in a virtualization system, the proxy virtual machine; emulating, using the virtualization system, hardware components of the proxy physical hardware system in the proxy virtual machine; executing a hardware abstraction software layer in the proxy virtual machine; executing, by the hardware abstraction software layer of the virtualization system, the hardware system application software in the proxy virtual machine on the proxy physical hardware system using a memory map at least one adapter; and testing, using the virtualization system, the physical hardware system by the executing the hardware system application software in the proxy virtual machine on the proxy physical hardware system.