公开(公告)号：US09952990B2

公开(公告)日：2018-04-24

申请号：US14876845

申请日：2015-10-07

Applicant: VMWARE, INC.

Inventor： Andrei Warkentin ,  Irfan Ulla Khan ,  Cyprien Laplace ,  Harvey Tuch ,  Alexander Fainkichen

IPC: G06F13/24 ,  G06F13/00 ,  G06F13/26

CPC classification number: G06F13/26

Abstract: A method is provided for handling interrupts in a processor, the interrupts including regular interrupts having a range of priorities and a pseudo non-maskable interrupt (PNMI) that is of a higher priority than any of the regular interrupts. The method includes obtaining an interrupt vector corresponding to a received interrupt, and if the received interrupt is a PNMI, executing a PNMI interrupt handler. If the received interrupt is a regular interrupt, the method further comprises reading a mask flag that indicates whether regular interrupts are enabled in an interrupt controller and further: if the mask flag indicates that regular interrupts are enabled, enabling interrupts in the processor so that a PNMI can be received while handling the regular interrupt, executing, a regular interrupt handler, and disabling interrupts in the processor; and if the mask flag indicates that regular interrupts are disabled, saving the interrupt vector for subsequent handling.

公开(公告)号：US09864708B2

公开(公告)日：2018-01-09

申请号：US14572511

申请日：2014-12-16

Applicant: VMware, Inc.

Inventor： Andrei Warkentin ,  Harvey Tuch

IPC: G06F12/00 ,  G11C7/00 ,  G06F13/24 ,  G06F9/455

CPC classification number: G06F13/24 ,  G06F9/45558 ,  G06F2009/45579 ,  G06F2009/45583 ,  G06F2009/45587

Abstract: In a computer system operable at multiple hierarchical privilege levels, a “wait-for-event” (WFE) communication channel between components operating at different privilege levels is established. Initially, a central processing unit (CPU) is configured to “trap” WFE instructions issued by a client, such as an operating system, operating at one privilege level to an agent, such as a hypervisor, operating at a more privileged level. After storing a predefined special sequence in a storage component (e.g., a register), the client executes a WFE instruction. As part of trapping the WFE instruction, the agent reads and interprets the special sequence from the storage component and may respond to the special sequence by storing another special sequence in a storage component that is accessible to the client. Advantageously, a client may leverage this WFE communication channel to safely and reliably detect whether an agent is present.