Mapping guest pages to disk blocks to improve virtual machine management processes

A computer system comprising:

• a processor programmed to execute instructions for a virtual machine and a management process for the virtual machine;
• a system memory that includes guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine;
• a storage device that stores a virtual disk for the virtual machine;
• a first data structure that provides first mappings of a set of guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine to corresponding disk blocks of the virtual disk of the virtual machine that store the same contents as the set of guest physical memory pages;
• and
• a second data structure that provides second mappings of disk blocks of the virtual disk to guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine that have the same contents as the disk blocks,
• wherein the processor is configured to update the first and second data structures when any of the first and second mappings become invalid and to perform the management process on one or more guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine using the first data structure,
• wherein the management process includes transmitting for storage, (i) contents of other guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine, wherein the other guest physical memory pages do not include any of the guest physical memory pages in the set of guest physical memory pages, and (ii) the first mappings of the set of guest physical memory pages but not contents thereof.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

• a first data structure that provides first mappings of a set of guest physical memory pages of a virtual machine to corresponding disk blocks of a virtual disk of the virtual machine that store the same contents as the set of guest physical memory pages;
• a second data structure that provides second mappings of disk blocks of the virtual disk to guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine that have the same contents as the disk blocks;
• and
• instructions for causing a computer system to update the first and second data structures when any of the first and second mappings become invalid and to perform a management process on one or more guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine using the first data structure,
• wherein the management process includes transmitting for storage, (i) contents of other guest physical memory pages of the virtual machine, wherein the other guest physical memory pages do not include any of the guest physical memory pages in the set of guest physical memory pages, and (ii) the first mappings of the set of guest physical memory pages but not contents thereof.