Patent ID: 7890665

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system, for migrating a domain from a first data processing device to a second data processing device, comprising: configuring the domain for direct access of a first physical input/output (I/O) device; reconfiguring the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device via an I/O virtualization mechanism in response to an event requiring migration of the domain, wherein reconfiguring the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device comprises generating a virtual device in the I/O virtualization mechanism that is logically the same as the first physical I/O device, wherein the virtual device comprises a virtual device frontend provided in the domain and a virtual device backend provided in the I/O virtualization mechanism, and wherein reconfiguring the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device further comprises: generating a queue point in the I/O virtualization mechanism associated with the virtual device backend; obtaining by the I/O virtualization mechanism, direct access to the first physical I/O device; and routing I/O operations from the domain via the virtual device frontend to the virtual device backend, though the queue point in the I/O virtualization mechanism, to the first physical I/O device; and migrating the domain from the first data processing device to the second dais processing device following reconfiguration of the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device.