Virtual Machine Configuration for Real-Time Response Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtualized computer systems, real-time responses are compromised due to the inability of the host operating system to recognize real-time priorities within virtual machines, and the sharing of physical processors among virtual processors leads to delays, making it difficult to guarantee real-time performance.
Innovation Solution
The system partitions physical processors into real-time and non-real-time categories, allowing for the automated configuration of virtual machines with dedicated virtual processors for real-time tasks, ensuring that these tasks are assigned to dedicated physical processors, thereby isolating them from non-real-time tasks and reducing delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If physical processors are shared among virtual processors in a virtualized system, then resource utilization and flexibility are improved, but real-time response time cannot be guaranteed due to scheduling delays and lack of priority recognition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments physical processors into dedicated real-time processor groups and non-real-time processor groups. Real-time virtual processors are bound to specific real-time physical processors, creating isolated execution environments that guarantee deterministic response times while maintaining virtualization benefits for non-real-time workloads.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different processor groups: real-time physical processors provide guaranteed response times and deterministic scheduling for time-critical tasks, while non-real-time physical processors offer flexible resource sharing and high utilization for non-critical workloads.
2Ease of operation
If the host operating system manages virtual machines with shared physical processors, then ease of operation and resource management are improved, but the host OS cannot recognize real-time priorities within virtual machines leading to performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments processor management into two distinct pathways: real-time physical processors with dedicated real-time scheduling for guaranteed performance, and non-real-time physical processors with flexible sharing for ease of management. This segmentation allows the host OS to manage virtual machines efficiently while real-time tasks receive deterministic scheduling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces real-time physical processors as an intermediary layer between the host OS and real-time virtual processors. This intermediary provides the necessary real-time scheduling and priority recognition that the host OS cannot provide, while maintaining compatibility with the existing virtualization management framework.
3Productivity
If virtual processors share physical processors dynamically, then productivity and resource efficiency are improved, but delays occur making it difficult to guarantee real-time task completion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments physical processors into real-time and non-real-time categories, with real-time virtual processors bound to dedicated real-time physical processors. This ensures that time-critical tasks complete within guaranteed timeframes while non-critical tasks utilize shared non-real-time processors for high resource efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the scheduling parameter from dynamic shared access to static dedicated assignment for real-time processors. This parameter change guarantees that real-time tasks experience no scheduling delays while maintaining high overall system productivity through efficient utilization of non-real-time processors.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and methods are disclosed for configuring a virtualized system for real-time response from virtual machines (VMs). In accordance with one embodiment, a VM request is received, where the request specifies a number N of virtual processors for executing real-time tasks, and where N is a positive integer. In response to the VM request, a plurality of physical processors are partitioned into a first subset dedicated to real-time tasks and a second subset dedicated to non-real-time tasks, the first subset having at least N physical processors, and one or more commands are submitted to one or both of a hypervisor and a guest OS of a first VM to configure the first VM to have N virtual processors dedicated to real-time tasks and a set of additional virtual processors dedicated to non-real-time tasks.