Patent ID: 7757231
Filing Date: 2010-07-13
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer system to deprivilege components of a virtual machine monitor executing on a computing platform, comprising: a platform having a plurality of instruction set architecture (ISA) privilege levels, the platform including hardware virtualization support having a plurality of virtual machine (VM) privilege levels, the platform configured to transition among processes running in the VM privilege levels; a micro-hypervisor portion of a virtual machine monitor (VMM) to run at a highest one of the VM privilege levels on the platform, the highest one of the VM privilege levels being a root level privilege, wherein program execution on the platform is configured to automatically transfer to the micro-hypervisor in response to selected trapped events occurring in a virtual machine associated with the hardware virtualization support; and at least one service virtual machine (SVM) portion of the VMM to run at a lower VM privilege level than the VM privilege level operated in by the micro-hypervisor, the lower VM privilege level being a non-root level privilege, wherein the micro-hypervisor is to transfer program execution on the platform to the at least one SVM for handling of at least one of the selected trapped event events, and wherein the VMM is to run in different ones of the VM privilege levels independent of the ISA privilege levels.