IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,353,727
Granted Patent B2
US 10,353,727 · App. 15/165,861 · Granted Jul 16, 2019

Extending trusted hypervisor functions with existing device drivers

Inventors: Juan J. Alvarez (Rochester, MN); Jesse P. Arroyo (Rochester, MN); Paul G. Crumley (Yorktown Heights, NY); Charles S. Graham (Rochester, MN); Joefon Jann (Ossining, NY); Timothy J. Schimke (Stewartville, MN); Ching-Farn E. Wu (Yorktown Heights, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
G06F9/45558G06F9/5077G06F2009/45579G06F2009/45587
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,353,727
App. No.
15/165,861
Granted
Jul 16, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation comprising executing a device driver in a private logical partition on a compute host, wherein the device driver is configured to execute in an environment different than an environment of a hypervisor of the compute host, establishing a communication channel between the private logical partition and an adjunct partition executing on the compute host, and configuring, responsive to a command sent by the adjunct partition to the device driver via the communication channel, a physical function of a single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) device of the host system.

Claims (56)

1. A method, comprising:

executing a device driver in a private logical partition on a compute host, wherein the device driver is configured to execute in an environment different than an environment of a hypervisor of the compute host;

establishing a communication channel between the private logical partition and an adjunct partition executing on the compute host;

receiving, by an application programming interface (API) of the adjunct logical partition, a request to configure a physical function of a single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) device of the compute host;

translating, by the API of the adjunct logical partition, the request to a command compatible with an API of the private logical partition;

providing, by the API of the private logical partition, the translated command received from the API of the adjunct logical partition to the device driver;

responsive to receiving the translated command, determining by a driver application, whether a control flow permits configuration of the physical function of the SR-IOV device; and

upon determining the control flow permits configuration of the physical function, configuring, by the device driver, the physical function of the SR-IOV device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

creating, by the device driver, a virtual function of the SR-IOV device; and

allocating, by the hypervisor, the virtual function of the SR-IOV device to one of a plurality of virtual machines executing on the host.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

using the virtual function of the SR-IOV device by a device driver executing on the one of the plurality of virtual machines executing on the host.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the API of the private logical partition is configured to invoke the device driver to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device of the host system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein ownership of the SR-IOV device is shared by the adjunct partition and the device driver.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a user specifies to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device via a hardware management console (HMC), wherein the HMC is configured to:

generate an indication of the request to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device; and

transmit the indication of the request to the adjunct partition.

7. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code executable by a processor to perform an operation comprising:

executing a device driver in a private logical partition on a compute host, wherein the device driver is configured to execute in an environment different than an environment of a hypervisor of the compute host;

establishing a communication channel between the private logical partition and an adjunct partition executing on the compute host;

receiving, by an application programming interface (API) of the adjunct logical partition, a request to configure a physical function of a single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) device of the compute host;

translating, by the API of the adjunct logical partition, the request to a command compatible with an API of the private logical partition;

providing, by the API of the private logical partition, the translated command received from the API of the adjunct logical partition to the device driver;

responsive to receiving the translated command, determining by a driver application, whether a control flow permits configuration of the physical function of the SR-IOV device; and

upon determining the control flow permits configuration of the physical function, configuring, by the device driver, the physical function of the SR-IOV device.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 , the operation further comprising:

creating, by the device driver, a virtual function of the SR-IOV device; and

allocating, by the hypervisor, the virtual function of the SR-IOV device to one of a plurality of virtual machines executing on the host.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , the operation further comprising:

using the virtual function of the SR-IOV device by a device driver executing on the one of the plurality of virtual machines executing on the host.

10. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the API of the private logical partition is configured to invoke the device driver to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device of the host system.

11. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein ownership of the SR-IOV device is shared by the adjunct partition and the device driver.

12. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein a user specifies to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device via a hardware management console (HMC), wherein the HMC is configured to:

generate an indication of the request to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device; and

transmit the indication of the request to the adjunct partition.

13. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, performs an operation comprising:

executing a device driver in a private logical partition on a compute host, wherein the device driver is configured to execute in an environment different than an environment of a hypervisor of the compute host;

establishing a communication channel between the private logical partition and an adjunct partition executing on the compute host;

receiving, by an application programming interface (API) of the adjunct logical partition, a request to configure a physical function of a single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) device of the compute host;

translating, by the API of the adjunct logical partition, the request to a command compatible with an API of the private logical partition;

providing, by the API of the private logical partition, the translated command received from the API of the adjunct logical partition to the device driver;

responsive to receiving the translated command, determining by a driver application, whether a control flow permits configuration of the physical function of the SR-IOV device; and

upon determining the control flow permits configuration of the physical function, configuring, by the device driver, the physical function of the SR-IOV device.

14. The system of claim 13 , the operation further comprising:

creating, by the device driver, a virtual function of the SR-IOV device; and

allocating, by the hypervisor, the virtual function of the SR-IOV device to one of a plurality of virtual machines executing on the host.

15. The system of claim 14 , the operation further comprising:

using the virtual function of the SR-IOV device by a device driver executing on the one of the plurality of virtual machines executing on the host.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the API of the private logical partition is configured to invoke the device driver to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device of the host system.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein ownership of the SR-IOV device is shared by the adjunct partition and the device driver, wherein a user specifies to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device via a hardware management console (HMC), wherein the HMC is configured to:

generate an indication of the request to configure the physical function of the SR-IOV device; and

transmit the indication of the request to the adjunct partition.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 26, 2016
From: ALVAREZ, JUAN J.; ARROYO, JESSE P.; CRUMLEY, PAUL G.; GRAHAM, CHARLES S.; JANN, JOEFON; SCHIMKE, TIMOTHY J.; WU, CHING-FARN E.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 038731/0833 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170344391A1 · Nov 30, 2017
Cited By (1)
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