Abstract: Techniques are presented for obfuscating programs of virtual machines. On a virtual machine hosted by a physical device, a program is run that is configured to execute one or more operations. At a virtual machine manager hosted by the physical device and configured to manage the virtual machine, execution of the program is monitored to detect a trapping event that causes the virtual machine manager to take over operation of the program. Upon detecting the trapping event, a specific operation of the program is performed that differs from an operation implied by static analysis of the program.

Abstract: Controlling access to at least one memory location by a transaction is provided in a multi-processor transactional execution environment. Included is: tracking execution progress of a transaction, the execution progress being a metric of work performed for the transaction which includes at least one of instructions processed or cycles elapsed; based on encountering a conflict with another process for a memory location, comparing execution process of the transaction and execution progress of the other process; and deciding whether to continue the transaction based on the comparing. For instance, based on the execution progress of the transaction being greater than the execution progress of the other process, the transaction is continued, and based on the execution progress of the transaction being less that the execution progress of the other process, then the transaction is aborted.

Abstract: Controlling access to at least one memory location by a transaction is provided in a multi-processor transactional execution environment. Included is: tracking execution progress of a transaction, the execution progress being a metric of work performed for the transaction which includes at least one of instructions processed or cycles elapsed; based on encountering a conflict with another process for a memory location, comparing execution process of the transaction and execution progress of the other process; and deciding whether to continue the transaction based on the comparing. For instance, based on the execution progress of the transaction being greater than the execution progress of the other process, the transaction is continued, and based on the execution progress of the transaction being less that the execution progress of the other process, then the transaction is aborted.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing virtual machines using input/output (I/O) device logging. For example, a system bus or other interface to a device may be monitored for traffic data elements. The traffic data elements may include, for example, transaction layer packets (TLPs) for communication across a PCI Express interface, or TCP/IP packets for communication over a network. These traffic data elements may be logged in an I/O device logging buffer. The I/O device logging buffer can then be used to ensure that all memory relating to a virtual machine is copied when transferring the virtual machine to another computing device. In addition, the I/O device logging buffer can be used to stop a virtual machine without waiting for the virtual machine to complete I/O processing.

Abstract: For increased destaging efficiency by smoothing destaging tasks to reduce long input/output (I/O) read operations in a computing environment, the ramp up of the destaging tasks is adjusted based on speed of disk drives when smoothing the destaging of storage tracks between a desired number of destaging tasks and a current number of destaging tasks by calculating destaging tasks according to one of a standard time interval and a variable recomputed destaging task interval.

Abstract: A heterogeneous computing system described herein has an energy-efficient architecture that exploits producer-consumer locality, task parallelism and data parallelism. The heterogeneous computing system includes a task frontend that dispatches tasks and updated tasks from queues for execution based on properties associated with the queues, and execution units that include a first subset acting as producers to execute the tasks and generate the updated tasks, and a second subset acting as consumers to execute the updated tasks. The execution units includes one or more control processors to perform control operations, vector processors to perform vector operations, and accelerators to perform multimedia signal processing operations. The heterogeneous computing system also includes a memory backend containing the queues to store the tasks and the updated tasks for execution by the execution units.

Abstract: The detection of whether a local application is managed by a management service is described. In one example, depending upon whether an installation token includes a unique token value, detection logic can determine whether an application is managed or unmanaged based on additional factors. The additional factors include whether a keychain installation token includes a unique token value, the value of the keychain installation token, and a value of a launched flag for the application. Various combinations of those factors and the identification of either a managed or unmanaged status for the application are described. Using the concepts described herein, an unmanaged application can proceed to execute with limited functionality, present a notification that it should be reinstalled by the management service, stop executing, or take other measures.

Abstract: A hypervisor identifies one or more interrupts of a networking device for a virtual machine. The hypervisor queues the interrupts and determines the execution state of at least one virtual processor of a virtual machine. Upon determining that the execution state of the virtual processor is active, the hypervisor continues queuing the interrupts of the networking device. Upon determining that the execution state of the virtual processor has changed to idle, the hypervisor provides the queued interrupts to the virtual machine.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide techniques for managing VM migrations that use relatively simple and uncomplicated commands or APIs that can be executed through scripts or applications. Configuration and preparation for the conversion may be addressed by one set of command-lets or APIs, while the conversion itself is handled by a separate set of command-lets or APIs, which allows the conversion command-lets to be uncomplex and to require little input. Moreover, the architecture-specific commands can be largely abstracted away, so that the configuration and conversion processes can be carried out through straightforward general commands, which automatically cause an interface (e.g., at the conversion server) to call upon any necessary architecture-specific functionality.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the management of migrations of virtual machine instances are provided. In response to a request to migrate a virtual machine instance, a migration manager may provide estimates regarding the requested migration before initiating the migration. During the migration process, the migration manager may report status or request instructions regarding the migration based on various determined migration events, thereby facilitating external control of the migration process.

Abstract: A service provider network includes functionality for allowing a customer to influence the placement of virtual machine instances on server computers by specifying a placement strategy. Placement strategies may be shared among customers of the service provider network, and the placement strategies and the publishers of the placement strategies might be rated. Vendor-agnostic placement strategies might also be utilized to identify a service provider network for executing a virtual machine instance. A placement strategy that includes dynamically evaluated parameters might also be utilized to modify virtual machine instances in a customer fleet on an ongoing basis.

Abstract: At least one target virtual disk descriptor that describes at least one virtual disk associated with an existing target virtual machine in a target virtualized environment is merged with at least one source virtual disk descriptor that describes at least one virtual disk associated with a source. The merging is carried out to obtain at least one merged virtual disk descriptor compatible with the target virtualized environment. The at least one virtual disk associated with the existing target virtual machine in the target virtualized environment is replaced with the at least one virtual disk associated with the source, in accordance with the at least one merged virtual disk descriptor.

Abstract: Processes in a message passing system may be launched when messages having data patterns match a function on a receiving process. The function may be identified by an execution pointer within the process. When the match occurs, the process may be added to a runnable queue, and in some embodiments, may be raised to the top of a runnable queue. When a match does not occur, the process may remain in a blocked or non-executing state. In some embodiments, a blocked process may be placed in an idle queue and may not be executed until a process scheduler determines that a message has been received that fulfills a function waiting for input. When the message fulfills the function, the process may be moved to a runnable queue.

Abstract: One of first and second computers computes a first time taken to transfer first data, which is stored by an application process that is executed and suspended by the second computer and to be executed by the first computer, from the second computer to the first computer. The one computes a second time on basis of a transfer time and an elapsed execution time. The transfer time is taken to transfer second data from a storage area to the first computer. The second data is used to execute the process from beginning. The elapsed execution time is taken to execute the process up to a suspend point. The one determines to resume the process from the suspend point when the first time is shorter than the second time, and re-execute the process from the beginning when the second time is shorter than the first time.

Abstract: In a method for communicating in a computing environment, a first computer establishing communication with a first virtual computer through a first virtual port using a primary port name for the first virtual port, wherein the first virtual computer is executing on a second computer. The first computer acquires an alternate port name for the first virtual port from the first virtual computer executing on the second computer. The first computer determines that the first virtual computer is not accessible using the primary port name for the first virtual port, wherein the first virtual computer is migrated to execute on a third computer. The first computer establishes communication with the first virtual computer executing on the third computer using the alternate port name of the first virtual port.

Abstract: In a method for communicating in a computing environment, a first computer establishing communication with a first virtual computer through a first virtual port using a primary port name for the first virtual port, wherein the first virtual computer is executing on a second computer. The first computer acquires an alternate port name for the first virtual port from the first virtual computer executing on the second computer. The first computer determines that the first virtual computer is not accessible using the primary port name for the first virtual port, wherein the first virtual computer is migrated to execute on a third computer. The first computer establishes communication with the first virtual computer executing on the third computer using the alternate port name of the first virtual port.

Abstract: Embodiments of an invention for virtualization exceptions are disclosed. In one embodiment, a processor includes instruction hardware, control logic, and execution hardware. The instruction hardware is to receive a plurality of instructions, including an instruction to enter a virtual machine. The control logic is to determine, in response to a privileged event occurring within the virtual machine, whether to generate a virtualization exception. The execution hardware is to generate a virtualization exception in response to the control logic determining to generate a virtualization exception.

Abstract: It is provided a computer system comprising a management computer to be coupled to a management subject resource managed by the management computer, which includes at least one of a server apparatus, a storage apparatus or a network apparatus, and a display computer coupled to the management computer. The management computer includes a memory storing at least one workflow program including a work procedure, and a CPU configured to execute the at least one workflow program. The work procedure changes a configuration of the management subject resource, and acquires information from the management subject resource. The CPU executes prior verification processing of verifying an operation environment of the management subject resource to operate the work procedure included in the at least one workflow program before execution of the at least one workflow program, and displays an execution result of the prior verification processing on the display computer.

Abstract: A method of migrating a data compute node (DCN) in a datacenter comprising a plurality of host physical computing devices, a compute manager, and a network manager is provided. The method by the network manager configures a plurality of logical networks and provides a read-only configuration construct of at least one of the plurality of logical networks to the virtualization software of each host. The construct of each logical network includes a unique identification of the logical network. The method by the compute manager obtains the unique identification of one or more of the logical networks, determining that a particular logical network is available on first and second hosts based on the unique identification of the particular logical network, and configures a first DCN to move from the first host to the second host based on the determination that the first and second hosts are on the particular logical network.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation, the operation comprising processing a first logical partition on a shared processor for the duration of a dispatch cycle, issuing, by a hypervisor, at a predefined time prior to completion of the dispatch cycle, a lightweight hypervisor decrementer (HDEC) interrupt specifying a cache line address buffer location in a virtual processor, and responsive to the lightweight HDEC, writing, by the shared processor, a set of cache line addresses used by the first logical partition to the cache line address buffer location in the virtual processor.