Virtual Machines: Versatile Platforms

for Systems and Processes

 INTRODUCTION

This material is based on the book, Virtual Machines: Versatile Platforms for
Systems and Processes, Copyright 2005 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
It has been used and/or modified with permission from Elsevier Inc.
Course Objectives
 Study VM architectures and applications
 Study key implementation technologies
 Focus on architecture and microarchitecture
aspects
 Cover significant case studies

Introduction 3
Introduction
Why are virtual machines interesting?

They allow transcending of interfaces

(which often seem to be an obstacle to innovation)

They enable innovation in flexible, adaptive software & hardware,

security, network computing (and others)

They involve computer architecture in a pure sense

Virtualization will be a key part of future computer systems

A fourth major discipline? (with HW, System SW, Application SW)

Introduction 4
Advantages of Standard Interfaces
 Major design tasks are decoupled
• In space and time
 Different hardware and software development
schedules
 Software can run on any machine
supporting a compatible interface

MacIntosh apps. Windows apps. Linux apps

MacOS Windows Linux

PowerPC x86 x86

Introduction 5
There are also disadvantages…
 Software compiled for one ISA will not run on hardware
with a different ISA
• Apple Mac (PowerPC) binaries on an x86?
 Even if ISAs are the same, OSes may differ
• Windows NT applications on a Solaris x86?
 Binary may not be optimized for the specific hardware
platform it runs on
• Intel Pentium 4 binaries on an AMD Athlon?

MacIntosh apps Windows apps.

MacOS
Linux

x86 x86

Introduction 6
Disadvantages (contd.)
 Innovation may be inhibited by fixed ISA
• Hard to add new instructions
OR remove obsolete ones
• What was the most recent (successful) new ISA?
Or new OS?
 Difficult for software to interact directly with
implementation
• Performance features
• Power management
• Fault tolerance
• Software is supposed to be implementation independent

Introduction 7
Hardware Resources
 Conventional system software manages
hardware resources directly
• An OS manages the physical memory of a specific
size
• I/O devices are managed as physical entities
 Difficult to share resources except through OS
• All users of hardware must use the same OS
• All users are vulnerable to attack from other users
sharing the resource (via security holes in OS)

Introduction 8
Abstraction
Software
 Computer systems are built Application
Programs
on levels of abstraction fileLibraries
file

 Higher level of abstraction abstraction

Operating System

hide details at lower levels Drivers

Memory
Manager
Scheduler

 Example: files are an Execution Hardware

abstraction of a disk Memory

Translation
System Interconnect
(bus)

Controllers Controllers

I/O devices
Main
and
Memory
Networking

Hardware

Introduction 9
Virtualization
 An isomorphism from guest to host
• Map guest state to host state
• Implement “equivalent” functions

e(Si )

Si Sj
Guest

V(Si ) V(Sj )

e'(Si')

Si' Sj'

Host

Introduction 10
Virtualization

 Similar to abstraction
Except
• Details not necessarily hidden virtualization

 Construct Virtual Disks file

file

• As files on a larger disk

• Map state
• Implement functions
 VMs: do the same thing
with the whole “machine”

Introduction 11
The “Machine”
 Different perspectives on
what the Machine is: Application
Programs
 OS developer
Libraries
 Compiler developer
 Application programmer Operating System

Instruction Set Architecture Execution Hardware

Memory
Application Program Interface System Interconnect
Translation

(bus)
• API
• User ISA + library calls I/O devices
Main
and
Memory
Networking

Introduction 12
The “Machine”
 Different perspectives on Application
Programs
what the Machine is:
Libraries
 OS developer
Operating System

Execution Hardware

Instruction Set Architecture Memory

Translation
• ISA System Interconnect
(bus)
• Major division between hardware
I/O devices
and software and
Main
Memory
Networking

Introduction 13
The “Machine”
 Different perspectives on Application
Programs
what the Machine is:
Libraries
 Compiler developer
Operating System

Execution Hardware

Application Binary Interface Memory

Translation
• ABI System Interconnect
(bus)
• User ISA + OS calls
I/O devices
Main
and
Memory
Networking

Introduction 14
The “Machine”
 Different perspectives on Application
Programs
what the Machine is:
Libraries
 Application programmer
Operating System

Execution Hardware

Application Program Interface Memory

Translation
System Interconnect
• API (bus)
• User ISA + library calls I/O devices
Main
and
Memory
Networking

Introduction 15
Virtual Machines
add Virtualizing Software to a Host platform
and support Guest process or system on a Virtual Machine (VM)

Example: System Virtual Machine

Applications Applications

Guest
OS OS

Virtualizing
VMM Software
Virtual
Machine
Hardware
Host "Machine"

Introduction 16
The Family of Virtual Machines
 Lots of things are called “virtual machines”
IBM VM/370
Java
VMware

Some things not called “virtual machines”, are virtual machines

IA-32 EL

Introduction 17
Taking a Unified View

“The subjects of virtual machines and

emulators have been treated as entirely
separate. … they have much in common. Not
only do the usual implementations have many
shared characteristics, but this commonality
extends to the theoretical concepts on which
they are based”
-- Efrem G. Wallach, 1973

Introduction 18
Major Program Interfaces
 ISA Interface -- supports all conventional
software
Application Software
System Calls

Operating System

System ISA User ISA

ISA

 Application Binary Interface (ABI)

-- supports application software only
Application Software
System Calls

Operating System

System ISA User ISA

ABI
Introduction 19
System Virtual Machines

 Provide a system
guest
environment guest guest guest guest guest
process process process
process process process
 Constructed at ISA Guest OS2
Guest OS
level
 Persistent VMM VMM

 Examples: IBM
VM/360, VMware, HOST PLATFORM
Transmeta Crusoe

virtual
network communication

Introduction 20
System Virtual Machines

 Native VM System Virtual

Virtual
• VMM privileged mode Machine
Machine
Virtual
• Guest OS user mode Machine Non-privileged
VMM modes
VMM
• Example: classic IBM
VMs HostHost
OS OS
VMM Privileged
 User-mode Hosted VM Mode

Hardware
• VMM runs as user Hardware
Hardware

application
 Dual-mode Hosted VM
• Parts of VMM privileged;
parts non-
privileged
• Example VMware
Introduction 21
Process VMs
 Execute application binaries with an ISA different from
hardware platform
 Couple at ABI level via Runtime System
 Examples: IA-32 EL, FX!32

Guest Application Process Application Process

Runtime Virtualizing
Software

OS Virtual
Machine
Host Machine

Hardware

Introduction 22
Process Virtual Machines
 Constructed at ABI level
 Runtime manages guest
process host guest
 Not persistent process process

 Guest processes may runtime

intermingle with host guest guest

process host
processes process
process
 As a practical matter, guest runtime
runtime
create
and host OSes are often
the same HOST OS
 Dynamic optimizers are a
special case file sharing
Disk
 Examples: IA-32 EL, FX!32, network communication
Dynamo
Introduction 23
Same-ISA Dynamic Binary Optimizers
 Optimize Binary at Runtime HP Apps
 An ABI level optimization
 A type of Process VM UNIX
 Example HP Dynamo
• Can optimize for dynamic
properties of program HP PA

• Can optimize for a specific

processor implementation

Introduction 24
HLL VMs
 Java and CLI are recent examples
 Binary class files are distributed
 “ISA” is part of binary class format
 OS interaction via APIs (part of VM platform)

Java Binary Classes

Java VM
Architecture

VM VM VM
implementation implementation implementation

Sparc x86 Apple

Workstation PC Mac

Introduction 25
High Level Language Virtual Machines
 Raise the level of abstraction
• User higher level virtual ISA
• OS abstracted as standard libraries
 Process VM (or API VM)

HLL Program HLL Program

Compiler front-end Compiler

Intermediate Code Portable Code

( Virtual ISA )
Compiler back-end

Object Code VM loader

(ISA) Virt. Mem. Image

Loader VM Interpreter/Translator
Memory Image Host Instructions

Traditional HLL VM

Introduction 26
Co-Designed VMs
 Perform both translation and
optimization X86 Apps
 VM provides interface between
standard ISA software and Windows
implementation ISA
 Primary goal is performance or
power efficiency
 Use proprietary implementation ISA
VLIW
 Transmeta Crusoe and IBM Daisy
best-known examples

Introduction 27
Composition

apps 1

OS 1
apps 2

OS 1

ISA 2

Introduction 28
Composition: Example

Java application
JVM

Linux x86
VMware
Windows x86

Code Morphing
Crusoe VLIW

Introduction 29
Summary (Taxonomy)
VM type (Process or System)
Host/Guest ISA same or different

Process VMs System VMs

different different
same ISA same ISA
ISA ISA

Multiprogrammed IA-32 EL IBM VM/370 Virtual PC

Systems FX!32 for Mac
VMware
HP
Dynamo Transmeta
Java VM
Crusoe
MS CLI

Introduction 30