Abstract: In one embodiment, a predefined behavior of a virtual machine monitor (VMM) with respect to one or more virtual machines (VMs) is identified, and processor-managed resources associated with the one or more VMs are utilized based on the predefined behavior of the VMM.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method of transitioning control to guest software in a virtual machine from a virtual machine monitor, receiving control following a transition from the virtual machine to the virtual machine monitor upon an event, and determining whether to modify a state of the guest code, a state of the virtual machine monitor or a state of controls. If such a determination is made, the state may be modified and control is transitioned back to the guest software.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a technique to invalidate entries in a translation lookaside buffer (TLB). A TLB in a processor has a plurality of TLB entries. Each TLB entry is associated with a virtual machine extension (VMX) tag word indicating if the associated TLB entry is invalidated according to a processor mode when an invalidation operation is performed. The processor mode is one of execution in a virtual machine (VM) and execution not in a virtual machine.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes transitioning control to a virtual machine (VM) upon receiving a request from a virtual machine monitor (VMM), determining that the request to transition control is associated with a request to be informed of an open event window, performing an event window check to determine whether an even window of the VM is open, and transitioning control to the VMM if the event window check indicates that the event window of the VM is open.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor mode is provided for guest software. The processor mode enables the guest software to operate at a privilege level intended by the guest software. When the guest software attempts to perform an operation restricted by the processor mode, the processor mode is exited to transfer control over the operation to a virtual-machine monitor, which runs outside this processor mode.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided to control transitions between a virtual machine (VM) and Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM). A processor uses state action indicators to load and/or store associated elements of machine state before completing the transition. The state action indicators may be stored in a Virtual Machine Control Structure (VMCS), predetermined, and/or calculated dynamically. In some embodiments, the values loaded can be directly acquired from the VMCS, predetermined and/or calculated dynamically. In some embodiments, the values stored may be acquired directly from machine state, predetermined and/or calculated dynamically.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves a system to deprivilege components of a virtual machine monitor and enable deprivileged service virtual machines (SVMs) to handle selected trapped events. An embodiment of the invention is a hybrid VMM operating on a platform with hardware virtualization support. The hybrid VMM utilizes features from both hypervisor-based and host-based VMM architectures. In at least one embodiment, the functionality of a traditional VMM is partitioned into a small platform-dependent part called a micro-hypervisor (MH) and one or more platform-independent parts called service virtual machines (SVMs). The micro-hypervisor operates at a higher virtual machine (VM) privilege level than any SVM, while the SVM and other VMs may still have access to any instruction set architecture (ISA) privilege level. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes transitioning control to a virtual machine (VM) upon receiving a request from a virtual machine monitor (VMM), determining that the request to transition control is associated with a request to be informed of an open event window, performing an event window check to determine whether an even window of the VM is open, and transitioning control to the VMM if the event window check indicates that the event window of the VM is open.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes transitioning control to a virtual machine (VM) upon receiving a request from a virtual machine monitor (VMM), determining that the request to transition control is associated with a request to be informed of an open event window, performing an event window check to determine whether an even window of the VM is open, and transitioning control to the VMM if the event window check indicates that the event window of the VM is open.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for handling privileged events in a virtual machine environment includes detecting an occurrence of a privileged event, determining which one of multiple virtual machine monitors (VMMs) is to handle the privileged event, and transitioning control to this VMM.

Abstract: Methods and systems to provide support for single stepping a virtual machine in a virtual machine environment are disclosed. An exemplary method may include receiving a request to transition control to a virtual machine (VM) from a virtual machine monitor (VMM), determining that a single-stepping indicator is set to a single stepping value, and transitioning control to the VM. Further, if an execution of a first instruction in the VM completes successfully, control is transitioned to the VMM following the successful completion of the execution of the first instruction.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided to control the execution of a virtual machine (VM). A VM Monitor (VMM) accesses VM Control Structures (VMCS) indirectly through access instructions passed to a processor. In one embodiment, the access instructions include VMCS component identifiers used by the processor to determine the appropriate storage location for the VMCS components. The processor identifies the appropriate storage location for the VMCS component within the processor storage or within memory.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for supporting address translation in a virtual-machine environment includes creating a guest translation data structure to be used by a guest operating system for address translation operations, creating an active translation data structure based on the guest translation data structure, and periodically modifying the content of the active translation data structure to conform to the content of the guest translations data structure. The content of the active translation data structure is used by a processor to cache address translations in a translation-lookaside buffer (TLB).

Abstract: In one embodiment, information pertaining to a first fault occurring during operation of a virtual machine (VM) is stored in a first field. A second fault is detected while delivering the first fault to the VM, and a determination is made as to whether the second fault is associated with a transition of control to a virtual machine monitor (VMM). If this determination is positive, information pertaining to the second fault is stored in a second field, and control is transitioned to the VMM.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a set of multiplex blocks coupled with an interrupt controller and multiple interrupt request lines, and a virtual machine monitor block (VMM) coupled to the set of multiplex blocks. Each multiplex block corresponds to a distinct interrupt request line. Each multiplex block is to route the interrupt request signal received via the corresponding interrupt request line either to the interrupt controller or the VMM block depending on a current configuration value of this multiplex block.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a request to transition control to a virtual machine (VM) is received from a virtual machine monitor (VMM) and a determination is made as to whether the VMM has requested a delivery of a fault to the VM. If the determination is positive, the fault is delivered to the VM when control is transitioned to the VM.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for constructing host processor soft devices independent of the host processor operating system are provided. In one embodiment, a driver of a soft device is implemented in a virtual machine monitor (VMM), and the soft device is made available for use by one or more virtual machines coupled to the VMM. In an alternative embodiment, a software component of a soft device is implemented in a first virtual machine that is coupled to a VMM, and the soft device is made available for use by a second virtual machine coupled to the VMM.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes recognizing an interrupt pending during an operation of guest software, determining that the interrupt is to cause a transition of control to a virtual machine monitor (VMM), determining whether the interrupt is to be acknowledged prior to the transition of control to the VMM, and if the interrupt is to be acknowledged, acknowledging the interrupt and transitioning control to the VMM.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for providing power management via virtualization includes monitoring the utilization of a host platform device by one or more virtual machines and managing power consumption of the host platform device based on the results of monitoring.

Abstract: Transitions among schedulable entities executing in a computer system are tracked in computer hardware or in a virtual machine monitor. In one aspect, the schedulable entities are operating system processes and threads, virtual machines, and instruction streams executing on the hardware. In another aspect, the schedulable entities are processes or threads executing within the virtual machines under the control of the virtual machine monitor. The virtual machine monitor derives scheduling information from the transitions to enable a virtual machine system to guarantee adequate scheduling quality of service to real-time applications executing in virtual machines that contain both real-time and non-real-time applications. In still another aspect, a parent virtual machine monitor in a recursive virtualization system can use the scheduling information to schedule a child virtual machine monitor that controls multiple virtual machines.