Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for executing a protected function are provided. A computer-implemented method may include storing a first virtual machine function instruction as the last instruction on the first trampoline page that is executable to configure access privileges according to a trampoline view, storing a page table setup instruction on the second trampoline page, and storing a second virtual machine function instruction as a last instruction on the second trampoline page that is executable to configure access privileges according to a protected view.

Abstract: An application associated with a virtual processor running on a physical processor reads a first value of a counter and a second value of the counter. The counter is indicative of a migration status of the virtual processor with respect to the physical processor. Responsive to determining that the first value of the counter does not equal the second value of the counter, the application ascertains whether a value of a hardware parameter associated with the physical processor has changed during a time interval. The migration status indicates a count of the number of times the virtual processor has migrated a first physical processor to a second physical processor. The application determines the validity of a value of a performance monitoring unit derived from the hardware parameter in view of the application ascertaining whether the value of the hardware parameter has changed during the time interval.

Abstract: An application associated with a processor reads a first value of a counter and a second value of the counter. The counter is indicative of a migration status of the application with respect to the processor. Responsive to determining that the first value of the counter does not equal the second value of the counter, the application ascertains whether a value of a hardware parameter associated with the processor has changed during a time interval. The migration status indicates a count of the number of times the application has migrated from one processor to another processor. The application determines the validity of a value of a performance monitoring unit derived from the hardware parameter in view of the application ascertaining whether the value of the hardware parameter has changed during the time interval.

Abstract: A system and method for ballooning with assigned devices includes inflating a memory balloon, determining whether a first memory page is locked based on information associated with the first memory page, when the first memory page is locked unlocking the first memory page and removing first memory addresses associated with the first memory page from management by an input/output memory management unit (IOMMU), and reallocating the first memory page. The first memory page is associated with a first assigned device.

Abstract: A hypervisor associates a combined register space with a virtual device to be presented to a guest operating system of a virtual machine, the combined register space comprising a default register space and an additional register space. Responsive to detecting an access of the additional register space by the guest operating system of the virtual machine, the hypervisor performs an operation on behalf of the virtual machine, the operation pertaining to the access of the additional register space.

Abstract: A method performed by a physical computing system includes detecting an interrupt signal sent to a virtual processor being managed by the hypervisor, creating a map between the virtual processor and an Input/Output (I/O) thread associated with the interrupt signal, determining that the virtual processor is idle, finding the I/O thread associated with the idle virtual processor based on the map, and moving the I/O thread associated with the idle virtual processor up in a processing queue, the processing queue being for processes to be executed on a physical processor.

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: A system and method for ballooning with assigned devices includes inflating a memory balloon, determining whether a first memory page is locked based on information associated with the first memory page, when the first memory page is locked unlocking the first memory page and removing first memory addresses associated with the first memory page from management by an input/output memory management unit (IOMMU), and reallocating the first memory page. The first memory page is associated with a first assigned device.

Abstract: According to one example, a method performed by a physical computing system includes, with a hypervisor, detecting that a guest system running on a virtual machine has executed a halt instruction for a virtual processor of the virtual machine. The method further includes, with a physical processor, switching from a context of the virtual machine to a context of the hypervisor. The method further includes re-entering the context of the virtual machine in response to determining that there are no tasks pending for processes outside the context of the virtual machine, the processes being for execution by the physical processor.

Abstract: An application associated with a virtual processor running on a physical processor reads a first value of a counter and a second value of the counter. The counter is indicative of a migration status of the virtual processor with respect to the physical processor. Responsive to determining that the first value of the counter does not equal the second value of the counter, the application ascertains whether a value of a hardware parameter associated with the physical processor has changed during a time interval. The migration status indicates a count of the number of times the virtual processor has migrated a first physical processor to a second physical processor. The application determines the validity of a value of a performance monitoring unit derived from the hardware parameter in view of the application ascertaining whether the value of the hardware parameter has changed during the time interval.

Abstract: According to one example, a method includes with a hypervisor, detecting that a guest has executed a memory monitor command for a virtual processor, making a copy of a memory address associated with the memory monitor command, the copy being placed in hypervisor memory, and with the hypervisor, in response to detecting that the guest system has executed a wait command, executing a loop until the copy is different than the data stored in the memory address.

Abstract: An application associated with a processor reads a first value of a counter and a second value of the counter. The counter is indicative of a migration status of the application with respect to the processor. Responsive to determining that the first value of the counter does not equal the second value of the counter, the application ascertains whether a value of a hardware parameter associated with the processor has changed during a time interval. The migration status indicates a count of the number of times the application has migrated from one processor to another processor. The application determines the validity of a value of a performance monitoring unit derived from the hardware parameter in view of the application ascertaining whether the value of the hardware parameter has changed during the time interval.

Abstract: A snapshot manager in a virtual machine monitor receives a write request comprising data from a guest operating system of a virtual machine, wherein the write request is directed to a sector of a virtual disk associated with the virtual machine. The snapshot manager writes the data from the guest operating system of the virtual machine to the sector in a base image of the virtual disk, the base image comprising a current version of the virtual disk, wherein the virtual disk comprises the base image and a overlay image, the overlay image comprising a snapshot of the base image at a previous point in time.

Abstract: In a process for migrating a virtual machine's storage from a source disk to a destination disk, a virtual machine monitor (VMM) records a source-generation count representing contents on the source disk, a writes-mirrored value representing a number of writes replicated from the source disk to the destination disk at a time contents of the disks were equal, a flush-request value representing the source-generation count at a time a flush is requested by a guest operating system of the virtual machine, and a writes-flushed value representing the writes-mirrored value at a time of a last flush of the destination disk. Upon identification of a steady state, the VMM sets the writes-mirrored value to the recorded source-generation count.

Abstract: A system and method for ballooning with assigned devices includes inflating a memory balloon, determining whether a first memory page is locked based on information associated with the first memory page, when the first memory page is locked unlocking the first memory page and removing first memory addresses associated with the first memory page from management by an input/output memory management unit (IOMMU), and reallocating the first memory page. The first memory page is associated with a first assigned device.

Abstract: In a process for migrating a virtual machine's storage from a source disk to a destination disk, during a steady state (i.e., wherein the contents of the virtual machine stored on the source disk and the destination disk are equal), a virtual machine monitor receives a set of write requests from a guest operating system (“guest”) of the virtual machine, provides confirmation of the completion of the set of writes to the source disk, and asynchronously replicates the set of write requests to the destination disk. Upon receipt of a flush request from the guest, the virtual machine monitor confirms completion of the flushing of the destination disk following replication of the write requests to the destination disk. Upon receipt of a switch request from a virtual machine manager, the virtual machine monitor switches the virtual machine to the destination disk and issues subsequent write requests to the destination disk.

Abstract: In a process for migrating a virtual machine's storage from a source disk to a destination disk, a virtual machine monitor (VMM) records a source-generation count representing contents on the source disk, a writes-mirrored value representing a number of writes replicated from the source disk to the destination disk at a time contents of the disks were equal, a flush-request value representing the source-generation count at a time a flush is requested by a guest operating system of the virtual machine, and a writes-flushed value representing the writes-mirrored value at a time of a last flush of the destination disk. Upon identification of a steady state, the VMM sets the writes-mirrored value to the recorded source-generation count.