Computer system for controlling the execution of virtual machines
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
InventorsTadao Tanikawa, Katsushige Amano
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A computer system enables two virtual machines with use of two virtual CPUs. The computer system includes a CPU that is allocated to the virtual CPU when the virtual CPU performs computer processing of the virtual machine other than timer processing; a tick CPU that is dedicated to timer processing and is allocated to the virtual CPU upon receiving an interrupt request (tick interrupt) for causing the virtual CPU to perform timer processing of the virtual machine; and interrupt controller that issues the tick interrupt to the tick CPU.
Claims9
A computer system that causes a plurality of virtual processing units to execute a plurality of virtual machines, the plurality of virtual processing units including a first virtual processing unit and a second virtual processing unit, the plurality of virtual machines including a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, the computer system including:
- a first processing device comprising a physical processor that performs computer processing for the first processing device, the first processing device being allocated to (i) the first virtual processing unit when the first virtual processing unit performs first processing of the first virtual machine, and (ii) the second virtual processing unit when the second virtual processing unit performs first processing of the second virtual machine;
- a second processing device comprising a tick processor with a smaller scale computer architecture than the first physical processor and that performs computer processing for the second processing device, the second processing device being dedicated to second processing of the first virtual machine and to second processing of the second virtual machine, the second processing device being allocated to (i) the first virtual processing unit upon receiving a first interrupt request for causing the first virtual processing unit to perform the second processing of the first virtual machine, and (ii) the second virtual processing unit upon receiving a second interrupt request for causing the second virtual processing unit to perform the second processing of the second virtual machine;
- and
- an interrupt controller configured to issue one of the first interrupt request and the second interrupt request to the second processing device.
A processing method used in a computer system that causes a plurality of virtual processing units to execute a plurality of virtual machines, the plurality of virtual processing units including a first virtual processing unit and a second virtual processing unit, the plurality of virtual machines including a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, the computer system including:
- (i) a first processing device comprising a physical processor that performs computer processing, the first processing device being allocated to (a) the first virtual processing unit when the first virtual processing unit performs first processing of the first virtual machine, and (b) the second virtual processing unit when the second virtual processing unit performs first processing of the second virtual machine;
- (ii) a second processing device comprising a tick processor with a smaller scale computer architecture than the first physical processor and that performs computer processing for the second processing device, the second processing device being dedicated to second processing of the first virtual machine and to second processing of the second virtual machine, the second processing device being allocated to (a) the first virtual processing unit upon receiving a first interrupt request for causing the first virtual processing unit to perform the second processing of the first virtual machine, and (b) the second virtual processing unit upon receiving a second interrupt request for causing the second virtual processing unit to perform the second processing of the second virtual machine;
- and (iii) an interrupt controller configured to issue one of the first interrupt request and the second interrupt request to the second processing device, the processing method comprising:
- a processing device switching step of, when the interrupt controller issues the first interrupt request to the second processing device while the first processing device is allocated to the first virtual processing unit, (i) causing the first processing device to stop operating, (ii) cancelling the allocation of the first processing device to the first virtual processing unit, and (iii) allocating the second processing device to the first virtual processing unit.
An integrated circuit for a computer system that causes a plurality of virtual processing units to execute a plurality of virtual machines, the plurality of virtual processing units including a first virtual processing unit and a second virtual processing unit, the plurality of virtual machines including a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine, the integrated circuit comprising:
- a first processing device comprising a physical processor that performs computer processing, the first processing device being allocated to (i) the first virtual processing unit when the first virtual processing unit performs first processing of the first virtual machine, and (ii) the second virtual processing unit when the second virtual processing unit performs first processing of the second virtual machine;
- a second processing device comprising a tick processor with a smaller scale computer architecture than the first physical processor and that performs computer processing for the second processing device, the second processing device being dedicated to second processing of the first virtual machine and to second processing of the second virtual machine, the second processing device being allocated to (i) the first virtual processing unit upon receiving a first interrupt request for causing the first virtual processing unit to perform the second processing of the first virtual machine, and (ii) the second virtual processing unit upon receiving a second interrupt request for causing the second virtual processing unit to perform the second processing of the second virtual machine;
- and
- an interrupt controller configured to issue one of the first interrupt request and the second interrupt request to the second processing device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.