The Xen Project, part of the Linux Foundation, recently released the Xen Project Hypervisor version 4.9. This latest version of advanced features is available for embedded, automotive and native cloud computing applications. It also improves boot configuration for easy migration between different hardware platforms, x86 new instructions accelerate machine learning calculations, and enhances existing features related to ARM® architecture and device model operation hypercall.
Xen Project continues to grow in embedded and automotive applications as more and more companies want to extend virtualization to embedded devices while continuing to take advantage of hypervisors, including cost reduction through consolidation; Abstraction, the application is separated from the hardware; the advantage of hardware isolation is to better protect the software from vulnerabilities and improve software fault tolerance. In addition, more contributions have begun to lay the foundation for the hypervisor to play its functions and advantages in the cloud native platform.
In the past few years, open source has achieved significant growth in China, and Xen Project technology is becoming a key support for cloud computing. Recently, Xen Project announced that Huawei has joined the Xen Project Advisory Committee. Huawei is one of the more and more Chinese companies that have adopted and contributed to the Xen Project software. Others include Alibaba, Fujitsu (China), Intel (China), Tencent, and Inspur.
Given that key technologies require enhanced collaboration to complete development, more and more Chinese companies are using open source software to outperform their competitors. By joining the Linux Foundation's projects, domestic companies have promoted the further growth and development of the project.
Lars Kurth, Chairman of the Xen Project Advisory Committee, said: “In the past few years, the Xen Project has achieved more and more results, especially the increase in Chinese membership and the results from China. We are seeing more and more companies participating. In this project, they focus on automotive, embedded, secure and native cloud computing. We are very happy to see the active participation of the company as more and more contributors help the Xen Project make progress in embedded, automotive and security. At the same time, it allows us to further consolidate traditional environments such as server virtualization, infrastructure as a service and desktop virtualization."
Extend the Xen Project functionality in embedded and automotive applications
â— The "empty" scheduler supports application scenarios where each virtual CPU is assigned to a physical CPU, thereby avoiding almost all scheduler overhead in automotive and embedded environments. The use of the "empty" scheduler ensures that the scheduling overhead is almost zero, significantly reducing latency and predicting performance.
â— The new ARM vwfi parameter (interrupt virtual wait) allows the Xen Project Hypervisor to perform finer control when processing WFI (interrupt wait) instructions. Setting vwfi to "native" can reduce the interrupt latency by about 60%. Xilinx? Zynq? Ultrascale+? MPSoC benchmarks show that the maximum interrupt latency is less than 2 microseconds, which is very close to the hardware limit and is small enough for most embedded applications.
â— Xen 4.9 includes a new standard ABI (including reference implementation) for sharing devices between virtual machines in many embedded, automotive and native cloud computing applications.
For embedded/automotive applications, virtual sound ABI can be added to enable audio source playback and capture, as well as volume control, mute/unmute, and more. In addition to the new virtual display ABI for complex display devices, multiple frame buffer rendering and display capabilities have been added, and multi-touch support (touch screen support) has been added to the virtual keyboard/mouse protocol.
Laid the foundation for the next generation of cloud native computing
In the Xen 4.9 application, the Xen 9pfs front end was merged upstream of the Linux kernel, and QEMU merged the 9pfs back end. It is now possible to share a file system from one virtual machine to another, which is required to add Xen Project support to many container engines (for example, CoreOS rkt).
In addition, PV Calls ABI was introduced to support forwarding of POSIX requests between clients: POSIX calls originating from DomU applications can be forwarded and implemented in Dom0. For example, client network socket calls can be executed at Dom0, implementing a new network model for cloud native applications.
Contributions to the new Xen Project hypervisor release include Amazon, AMD Aporeto, ARM, BitDefender, Citrix, EPAM, Fujitsu, Huawei, Intel, Invisible Things Lab, Nokia, Oracle, Star Lab, Suse, Xilinx, Zentific, and many other universities. And personal. The constant release of new versions is also due to the participation of more and more contributors. For example, contributors to this version of the core hypervisor increased by 25%, while contributors to hypervisors, tests, and other related components increased by 17%.
Other new features and improvements to existing features include:
â— Start Xen on the EFI platform using GRUB2 (x86): Starting with Xen Project 4.9 and GRUB2 2.02, the Xen Project Hypervisor can be launched using the legacy BIOS and the multiboot2 protocol on the EFI x86 platform. Part of the support for the multiboot2 protocol was also introduced into the network boot firmware (iPXE). This makes the Xen Project startup process more flexible; you can modify the launch configuration directly from the boot loader (without having to use a text editor), making it easier to migrate boot configurations between different platforms.
â— DMOP (Device Model Operation Hypercall): In Xen 4.9, the interface between Xen Project software and QEMU was completely rewritten and integrated. There is only one hypercall (DMOP hypercall) in Xen, which allows the privcmd driver to audit the memory range and parameters that all QEMU passes to Xen. The Linux privcmd driver supports DMOP auditing, which limits the ability of the compromised QEMU to attack the hypervisor.
â— Optional runtime patch and GICv3 support for ARM 32-bit clients: Optional runtime patches enable hypervisor to be patched for CPU errata and optimized for CPU, GICv3 support extended to 32-bit ARM platform for embedding This feature is implemented in an application.
• System Error Detection (ARM): Xen on ARM takes a big step toward reliability and serviceability, introducing system error detection and reporting, a key feature for customers with high availability systems.
â— Intel and x86 feature support: The latest version of the Xen Project Hypervisor adds support for the neural network command AVX512_4VNNIW and multiply-accumulate single-precision AVX512_4FMAPS, which can be used as a subfamily of the AVX512 instruction set. By enabling these instructions for XVM and PV clients in Xen, programs in the guest operating system can take advantage of these important instructions to speed up machine learning calculations. This Xen version further enhances VT-d release interrupt (PI) optimization, machine check exception (MCE) processing and more.
â— GCOV support: We removed the old GCOV implementation and replaced it with an updated version that supports more formats and has a more generic interface.
Xen Project users and contributors say
Aporeto Virtualization Architect Stefano Stabellini said: "PVCalls and Xen 9pfs have laid the foundation for the next generation of cloud native platforms. They support the integration of Xen Project software in container engines such as CoreOS rkt. More importantly, Xen supporting PVCalls and 9pfs Project software will provide better, simpler protection for cloud-native applications because it provides default security and costs less than traditional virtualization technologies."
ARM open source director Philippe Robin said: "Xen plays an important role in future embedded systems and next-generation data centers and cloud computing. Performance, efficiency and reliability are the basic attributes of the ARM architecture, enabling lower interrupt latency, including The features are better able to support system error detection, which further improves reliability and maintainability while maintaining the right level of performance."
Alex Agizim, chief technology officer of EPAM Automotive and Embedded Systems, said: "The native support for critical peripherals is critical to the advancement of Xen Project Hypervisor applications in embedded systems. Connecting vulnerabilities and potentially compromised software to the cloud It is essential to isolate the hardware and other mission-critical components in the equipment. Standardized PV ABI for sound, display and input provides a simple and reliable way to build a fully interactive digital cockpit solution for connected vehicles. The latest release of the Xen Project release will drive the widespread deployment of the Xen Project Hypervisor in the automotive, industrial and Internet of Things."
Imad Sousou, vice president and general manager of the Intel Open Source Technology Center, said: "Intel is committed to driving the development of open cloud and virtualization technologies, helping data centers turn a large amount of data into meaningful insights. Intel and the industry work together to ensure The open virtualization hypervisor like the Xen Project is optimized for the latest Intel® platforms for increased flexibility, security and value."
Edgar Iglesias, principal engineer at Xilinx, said: "Low interrupt latency is required in both embedded and traditional and native cloud computing environments. Xen Project Hypervisor is constantly introducing new features with new features and improvements that make it easier for us to develop for next-generation systems. New programmable technology. Congratulations to all those involved in developing Xen Project 4.9 and have developed a very reliable and critical version."
The Xen Project will host its annual Xen Project Developer and Design Summit in Budapest, Hungary from July 11th to July 13th. Developers and users of the Xen Project community will come together and they will determine the future of the project and share knowledge and best practices related to the Xen Project in embedded, automotive, cloud, and security environments.
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