Abstract: Techniques are described for providing graphics functionality. In a first partition, a software interface comprising graphics capabilities that are abstracted from capabilities of the graphics accelerator device is loaded. In a second partition loading, a graphics capturing and rendering process is loaded. The software interface on the first partition receives a request to render graphics. The request is based on the abstracted graphics capabilities. The graphics capturing and rendering process renders the requested graphics on the second partition. The abstracted graphics capabilities are effectuated in accordance with the capabilities of the graphics accelerator device. The capturing process executing on the second partition provides the rendered graphics to the first partition.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing domain, hull, and geometry shaders in a para-virtualized environment. As such, a guest application executing in a child partition is enabled use a programmable GPU pipeline of a physical GPU. A vGPU (executing in the child partition) is presented to the guest application. The vGPU exposes DDIs of a rendering framework. The DDIs enable the guest application to send graphics commands to the vGPU, including commands for utilizing a domain shader, a hull shader, and/or a geometric shader at a physical GPU. A render component (executing within the root partition) receives physical GPU-specific commands from the vGPU, including commands for using the domain shader, the hull shader, and/or the geometric shader. The render component schedules the physical GPU-specific command(s) for execution at the physical GPU.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing domain, hull, and geometry shaders in a para-virtualized environment. As such, a guest application executing in a child partition is enabled use a programmable GPU pipeline of a physical GPU. A vGPU (executing in the child partition) is presented to the guest application. The vGPU exposes DDIs of a rendering framework. The DDIs enable the guest application to send graphics commands to the vGPU, including commands for utilizing a domain shader, a hull shader, and/or a geometric shader at a physical GPU. A render component (executing within the root partition) receives physical GPU-specific commands from the vGPU, including commands for using the domain shader, the hull shader, and/or the geometric shader. The render component schedules the physical GPU-specific command(s) for execution at the physical GPU.

Abstract: A virtual graphics processing unit within a virtual machine may be restored by causing a reset to the virtual graphics processing unit. The state of the virtual graphics processing unit may not be saved during a migration or save and restore operation, but a reset of the virtual graphics processing unit may cause all applications with processes in the virtual graphics processing unit to re-start and thereby recreate the state of the virtual graphics processing unit. A hypervisor may include a separate graphics processor unit process that may present a virtual graphics processing unit to a virtual machine and communicate with a physical graphics processing unit in hardware. When a virtual machine may be restored after a save or migration, the hypervisor may cause the virtual graphics processor unit to reset and its state to be recreated.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for virtualizing a graphics accelerator such as a GPU. In one embodiment, a GPU can be paravirtualized. Rather than modeling a complete hardware GPU, paravirtualization may provide for an abstracted software-only GPU that presents a software interface different from that of the underlying hardware. By providing a paravirtualized GPU, a virtual machine may enable a rich user experience with, for example, accelerated 3D rendering and multimedia, without the need for the virtual machine to be associated with a particular GPU product.