Re: support of hardware nested page table for vkernels

["Samuel J. Greear" <sjg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 7:29 AM, Jitendra Singh
<jpsingh@cs.stonybrook.edu>wrote:

>  Hi,
>
>  We are a group of two Grad students from Stony Brook University, NY. We
> are keenly interested and want to contribute in the project for supporting
> hardware nested page table for vkernels for mentioned in the GSoC 2012. In
> fact, we would even love to add support for all hardware virtualization
> features provided by AMD-V architecture and Intel-VT architecture if it
> already has not been supported.
>
>  As a matter of fact, we are already working towards providing software
> and hardware nested paging support for JOS (JOS is an Operating System
> developed at MIT for academic purposes) and also towards providing support
> for emulation of AMD-V virtualization features in GEM5 emulator.
>
>  Our past experience with Operating Systems and Virtualization includes
> design and implementation of various features of JOS form scratch (like the
> bootloader, Virtual Memory set-up, Multiprogramming and Interrupt Setup,
> IPC setup, filesystem and network driver set up). We also design and
> implemented a paravirtualized Virtual Machine Manager for JOS for one our
> course projects. Apart from this, we are working towards design and
> implementation of first ever device driver and filesystem for Shingled
> Magnetic Recording disks in LINUX.
>
>  We strongly believe that our current work towards support of AMD-V
> emulation in GEM5 and support of nested paging for JOS will give
> us significant exposure to gain considerable insights into the hardware
> Virtualization and hence would help us in adding an efficient support for
> hardware Virtualization features in DragonFly BSD.
>
>  We are looking forward to hear from you.
>
>  Thanks,
>
> Ankur Agrawal, Jitendra Pratap Singh
> MS, Computer Science
> Stony Brook University
>

This is potentially a large (difficult) enough project that it could be
split into two independent GSoC projects with no overlap, but the two of
you will have to work out how to make that happen and it is possible that
only one of the two proposals might be selected, or etc. Both proposals
(there must be two, since there are two of you -- that is not to say that
both of you can't work on it, just that you both need an independent
proposal to be an official student and paid/recognized by Google) must be
able to stand on their own and each must propose to result in something
that will be potentially commit-able and use-able on its own.

These two articles:
http://lwn.net/Articles/228404/
http://lwn.net/Articles/230658/
Give an excellent overview of the architecture of the vkernel architecture,
how it manages page tables and how it all relates to the vm subsystem in
DragonFly. I believe it should be possible to implemented (optional)
hardware nested pagetable support within the existing vmspaces kernel API,
which already implements software nested pagetables (but if it turns out
slight tweaks need to happen, that's probably OK too).

There is nothing saying you can't take this further, and one of the two of
you work on optional IO-MMU support or etc., the project ideas are simply
that, ideas.

Best,
Sam

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<div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 7:29 AM, Jitendra Singh =
<span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:jpsingh@cs.stonybrook.edu";>jpsingh@=
cs.stonybrook.edu</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote=
" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">





<div>
<div style=3D"direction:ltr;font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma"><span style=
=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">Hi,</span>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
We are a group of two Grad students from Stony Brook University, NY. We are=
 keenly interested and want to contribute in the project for supporting har=
dware nested page table for vkernels for mentioned in the GSoC 2012. In fac=
t, we would even love to add support
 for all hardware virtualization features provided by AMD-V architecture an=
d Intel-VT architecture if it already has not been supported.=A0</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
As a matter of fact, we are already working towards providing software and =
hardware nested paging support for JOS=A0(JOS is an Operating System develo=
ped at MIT for academic purposes)=A0and also towards providing support for =
emulation of AMD-V virtualization features
 in GEM5 emulator.</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
Our past experience with Operating Systems and Virtualization includes desi=
gn and implementation of various features of JOS form scratch (like the boo=
tloader, Virtual Memory set-up, Multiprogramming and Interrupt Setup, IPC s=
etup, filesystem and network driver
 set up). We also design and implemented a paravirtualized Virtual Machine =
Manager for JOS for one our course projects. Apart from this, we are workin=
g towards design and implementation of first ever device driver and filesys=
tem for Shingled Magnetic Recording
 disks in LINUX.</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
We strongly believe that our current work towards support of AMD-V emulatio=
n in GEM5 and support of nested paging for JOS will give us=A0significant=
=A0exposure to gain=A0considerable=A0insights into the hardware Virtualizat=
ion and hence would help us in adding an efficient
 support for hardware Virtualization features in DragonFly BSD.</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
We are looking forward to hear from you.</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<br>
</div>
<div style=3D"font-family:arial,sans-serif">
Thanks,</div>
<div><br>
<div style=3D"font-family:Tahoma;font-size:13px">Ankur Agrawal, Jitendra Pr=
atap Singh
<div style=3D"font-family:Tahoma;font-size:13px"></div>
<div>MS, Computer Science</div>
<div>Stony Brook University</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

</div>

</blockquote></div><br><div>This is potentially a large (difficult) enough =
project that it could be split into two independent GSoC projects with no o=
verlap, but the two of you will have to work out how to make that happen an=
d it is possible that only one of the two proposals might be selected, or e=
tc. Both proposals (there must be two, since there are two of you -- that i=
s not to say that both of you can&#39;t work on it, just that you both need=
 an independent proposal to be an official student and paid/recognized by G=
oogle) must be able to stand on their own and each must propose to result i=
n something that will be potentially commit-able and use-able on its own.</=
div>
<div><br></div><div>These two articles:</div><div><a href=3D"http://lwn.net=
/Articles/228404/">http://lwn.net/Articles/228404/</a>
</div><div><a href=3D"http://lwn.net/Articles/230658/";>http://lwn.net/Artic=
les/230658/</a>
</div><div>Give an excellent overview of the architecture of the vkernel ar=
chitecture, how it manages page tables and how it all relates to the vm sub=
system in DragonFly. I believe it should be possible to implemented (option=
al) hardware nested pagetable support within the existing vmspaces kernel A=
PI, which already implements software nested pagetables (but if it turns ou=
t slight tweaks need to happen, that&#39;s probably OK too).</div>
<div><br></div><div>There is nothing saying you can&#39;t take this further=
, and one of the two of you work on optional IO-MMU support or etc., the pr=
oject ideas are simply that, ideas.</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div>
<div>Sam</div>

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