Resource Sharing Manager for Virtual Server CPU Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data centers face low resource utilization as existing resource sharing methods, such as hypervisor-based virtualization, introduce overhead and limit CPU resource sharing across servers, leading to inefficient utilization and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A resource sharing manager dynamically allocates and manages central processing units (CPUs) between virtual servers based on ownership and sharable status, allowing direct OS communication and eliminating the need for a hypervisor layer, thereby enabling efficient CPU sharing and utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hypervisor-based virtualization is used to share CPU resources, then resource sharing capability is improved, but system overhead increases and performance degradation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the hypervisor layer from the system architecture. Instead of using traditional hypervisor-based virtualization to manage CPU sharing, the invention directly enables CPU sharing between virtual machines through the host operating system's scheduling mechanisms, thereby eliminating the overhead introduced by the hypervisor while maintaining resource sharing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an asymmetric architecture where different virtual machines have different levels of CPU access rights. Some VMs are granted direct access to physical CPUs while others share through the host OS, allowing optimized performance paths for specific workloads while maintaining overall system flexibility and resource sharing
2Productivity
If traditional virtualization is employed to consolidate servers, then resource utilization is improved, but execution efficiency deteriorates due to interleaved hypervisor execution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous execution of virtual machine processes by allowing direct CPU access without hypervisor intervention. The host operating system's scheduler continuously manages CPU allocation between VMs and physical processes, eliminating the periodic context switching and execution interruptions caused by hypervisor layers, thereby maintaining high resource utilization while preserving execution efficiency
3Productivity
If CPU resources are dynamically shared among virtual servers, then resource utilization is improved, but system complexity and management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service CPU sharing where the host operating system's built-in scheduling mechanisms automatically manage CPU allocation and sharing between virtual machines without requiring external management software. The OS scheduler dynamically adjusts CPU time slices and priorities based on workload demands, enabling high CPU utilization while keeping management complexity low by leveraging existing OS capabilities
Data Source
AI summary
It is disclosed a resource sharing manager, RSM, operative to provide efficient utilization of central processing units, CPUs, within virtual servers, each virtual server having an operating system, OS. The RSM dynamically obtains (902) information about ownership and sharable status of said CPUs, and dynamically determines (904) which CPUs are sharable to which virtual servers. The RSM obtains (906) information about that one or more sharable CPUs are available; and obtains (908) information about that one or more virtual servers require more processing resources. The RSM also assigns (910) a first CPU of said sharable CPUs when available, to a first virtual server of said virtual servers. Information about ownership and sharable status of the first CPU, is hence provided to the OS of the first virtual server. Overhead is reduced by circumventing a hypervisor when sharing CPUs in virtual servers. An increase in efficiency of task execution is provided.