Hardware Isolation Domain for VM Direct Attachment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional virtualization solutions overload computational resources of Virtual Machines (VMs) due to inadequate hardware access management, leading to diminished advantages of virtualization.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a direct attachment architecture where hardware devices are exclusively dedicated to specific VMs, allowing reassignment when the VM is not activated, and using stopper drivers to mask devices from the host OS, ensuring direct access and management by the guest OS.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional virtualization solutions are used to run multiple VMs on the same physical machine, then resource sharing and virtualization benefits are achieved, but computational resources become overloaded and hardware access efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource sharing capabilityVSAvoidhardware access efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments hardware resources by creating separate hardware isolation domains for each VM. Each domain has its own hardware resources (memory, storage, network interfaces) that are physically isolated from other VMs and the host OS, preventing resource contention and overload while maintaining virtualization benefits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a hardware isolation domain as an intermediary layer between the physical hardware and the VMs. This domain acts as a mediator that provides direct hardware access to VMs without routing through the host OS, thereby improving hardware access efficiency while maintaining resource sharing capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If hardware devices are made accessible to VMs through virtual device drivers, then VM functionality is improved, but computational overhead increases to unacceptable degrees

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveVM hardware access capabilityVSAvoidcomputational overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the hardware access path from the virtual device driver layer by creating direct hardware access channels within the hardware isolation domain. This removes the unnecessary computational overhead of virtual drivers while maintaining ease of hardware access for VMs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The hardware isolation domain enables VMs to self-access hardware devices directly without requiring host OS intervention or virtual driver mediation. Each VM can independently access its allocated hardware resources through the isolation domain, eliminating computational overhead while maintaining operational capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If Intel Vt-x and Vt-d technologies are used for direct hardware access, then hardware access efficiency is improved, but costs increase and computational resources remain overloaded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware access efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity and cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal hardware isolation domain architecture that can be implemented across different hardware platforms without requiring expensive specialized technologies like Vt-x or Vt-d. The same isolation domain structure provides direct hardware access efficiency on standard hardware, reducing system complexity and cost while maintaining productivity benefits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Adaptability or versatility

If Xen architecture is used with hardware resource distribution, then hardware sharing between hosts is enabled, but host OS cannot properly manage or isolate hardware devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware resource distributionVSAvoidhost OS hardware discovery capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments hardware visibility by creating separate hardware isolation domains that are invisible to the host OS. Each domain contains its own hardware resources that are isolated from host OS detection, allowing hardware distribution to VMs while preventing host OS from discovering or interfering with these devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The hardware isolation domain serves as an intermediary that manages hardware resources for VMs independently from the host OS. This mediator structure enables hardware resource distribution to multiple VMs while maintaining complete isolation from host OS hardware detection and management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9069591B1Patching host OS structures for hardware isolation of virtual machines

Publication Date: 2015.06.30 PARALLELS INT GMBH

AI summary

A system and method for implementing direct attachment of VMs, implemented on a computer system, to hardware devices attached to the computer system. Direct attachment architecture is implemented. The direct attachment is an exclusive dedication of a hardware device to a VM, where a particular hardware device is assigned to a particular VM. When the VM is not activated, the hardware device can be re-assigned to another VM. At system start up, hardware devices are masked from a host OS of a computer system and are automatically attached to the assigned VMs.