Intel Corporation
I/O emulation with abortion in virtualized environments including transfer of portions of non-real time I/O emulation to work threads prior to switching contexts

Abstract:

A host machine includes a guest machine, a device emulator, and a hypervisor communicably coupled to the guest machine and the device emulator. The guest machine executes a non-real time thread that causes a non-real time I/O emulation by the device emulator. Responsive to receipt of a real time thread by the guest machine, the hypervisor determines whether the non-real time I/O emulation is abortable or non-abortable. If abortable, the hypervisor aborts the non-real time thread and causes the guest machine to execute the real time thread. Upon completing the execution of the real time thread, the hypervisor causes the guest machine to revert to a non-real time context based on a previous system snapshot. Upon establishing the non-real time context, the hypervisor causes the guest machine to execute the previously aborted non-real time thread.