DBTIM: An Advanced Hardware Assisted Full Virtualization Architecture

Abstract

Previous full virtualization techniques are implemented in software without any hardware assist. In this paper, for the first time, we propose an advanced hardware assisted full virtualization architecture-Dynamic Binary Translation in DIMM (DBTIM). We integrate a reconfigurable dynamic binary translation chip into a DIMM. DBTIM could be inserted to the mainboard as a normal DIMM, hence easily making the host CPU virtualizable. We also implement a DBTIM prototype on FPGA. Furthermore, we propose an EDBTIM technique-Enhanced Dynamic Binary Translator in Memory, which integrates dynamic binary translator and memory on one SDRAM chip. We analyze our new approaches and compare them with other modern virtualization techniques. We demonstrate that the new techniques in this paper could provide full virtualization to all kinds of CPU architectures, including x86, with better virtualization capability, better software and hardware compatibility, better performance and lower overheads.