Methods and systems to control virtual machines

US7318141B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• Steve Bennett · Hillsboro, US
• Gilbert Neiger · Portland, US
• Erik Cota-Robles · Portland, US
• Stalinselvaraj Jeyasingh · Portland, US
• Alain Kagi · Portland, US
• Michael Kozuch · Beaverton, US
• Richard Uhlig · Hillsboro, US
• Larry Smith · Beaverton, US
• Dion Rodgers · Hillsboro, US
• Andrew F. Glew · Hillsboro, US
• Erich Boleyn · Portland, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 17, 2002
• Grant date: Jan 8, 2008
• Expiry date: Oct 29, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2009/45591
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

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.