Methods and systems to manage machine state in virtual machine operations

US7793286B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• Steven M. 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

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 19, 2002
• Grant date: Sep 7, 2010
• Expiry date: Sep 27, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2009/4557
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

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.