Field-programmable gate array virtualization

A host device to provide services, the host device comprising:

• a plurality of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are programmable to have different hardware functions;
• a hardware processor;
• and
• computer-readable storage hardware having instructions stored thereon that are executable by the hardware processor to implement an FPGA virtualization manager to perform operations comprising:
• receiving a request from a virtual machine (VM) associated with the client device, the request comprising a device identifier corresponding to and uniquely identifying a non-virtual physical device that is not available from the host device and which is associated providing the hardware functions;
• based on the device identifier, finding and selecting, among device drivers on the host device, a device driver that is associated with the device identifier, the device driver configured to program the plurality of FPGAs with an FPGA program configured to program the plurality of FPGAs to provide the hardware functions;
• determining that the FPGA program is allowed to be loaded to program the plurality of FPGAs according to one or more security policies of the host device, the one or more security policies controlling (i) which devices are allowed to have respective programs loaded into the FPGA and/or (ii) which device drivers are allowed to program the FPGAs;
• responsive to a determination that the FPGA program is allowed to be loaded to program the FPGAs, loading, by the found device driver, the FPGA program to program an allocated portion of the plurality of FPGAs, the FPGA program configuring the allocated portion to have the hardware functions of the unavailable non-virtual physical device;
• generating a virtual device configured to provide at least one of hardware access paths or software access paths, the generated virtual device configured to furnish the one or more hardware functions of the programmed allocated portion to virtual machines hosted by the host device by relaying data between the virtual machines and the programmed allocated portion;
• and
• outputting, by the virtual device, output data to the virtual machines.

A method implemented by a host device comprising field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), the method comprising:

• receiving a request from a virtual machine requesting a hardware function furnished by a non-virtual physical device that is not available on the host device, the request comprising a unique device identifier of the device uniquely identifying the unavailable non-virtual physical device, the unavailable non-virtual physical device associated with providing the hardware function;
• selecting, according to the device identifier a device driver that corresponds to the device identifier and that is configured to program the FPGAs;
• providing, by the device driver, an FPGA program configured to enable a portion of the FPGAs to be programmed to furnish the requested hardware function of the unavailable non-virtual physical device;
• determining that the FPGA program is allowed to be loaded to program the FPGAs according to one or more security policies of the host device, the one or more security policies comprising criteria to identify allowed or prohibited devices and/or to identify allowed or prohibited device drivers;
• responsive to a determination that the FPGA program is allowed to be loaded to program the FPGAs, loading, by the selected device driver, the FPGA program to program an allocated portion of the FPGAs;
• instantiating a virtual device to intermediate exchanges between the programmed device portion of the FPGAs and virtual machines that include the virtual machine, the virtual device configured to provide at least one of hardware access paths or software access paths to exchange data between the virtual machines and the programmed portion of the FPGAs;
• obtaining, by the virtual device, output data from the programmed portion of the FPGAs;
• and
• outputting, by the virtual device, the output data to the virtual machines.