This document discusses hardware-assisted virtualization in embedded systems and provides examples. It begins with an overview of embedded virtualization requirements and key use cases. It then reviews Intel virtualization technology features like EPT and VT-d. Examples shown include a retail digital signage soft failover proof of concept using Xen virtualization and a medical critical OS isolation proof of concept separating real-time and standard functions. The document promotes virtualization for consolidation, isolation and robustness in embedded applications.

1. Hardware assisted Virtualization in
Embedded
Tanveer Alam
Platform Architect – Embedded Virtualization
Sponsored by:
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2. Agenda
 Embedded Virtualization
 What is embedded?
 Embedded specific requirements
 Key Embedded Use Cases
 Hardware Virtualization Features Review
 Embedded Virtualization and Retail/Digital Signage– OS Soft
Failover Proof-of-Concept Example
 Embedded Virtualization and Medical – Critical OS Isolation
Proof-of-Concept Example
 Call to Action
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3. Embedded Virtualization
Medical
Industrial
Energy
Retail Automotive
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4. Technical requirements for Embedded Virtualization
 Smaller code base – lesser points of failure
 Highly robust and reliable
 Remote management
 Certification
 Legacy code
 Consolidation + Critical function isolation/partitioning
 Real time
 Easy and fast to implement – “turnkey”
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5. Embedded Virtualization Usage Models
Legacy OS Consolidation Trusted/Open Application Integration
Legacy OS Legacy OS Embedded OS with
Media GUI, calendar,
(Single threaded: (Single threaded:
Guest OS (Phone, Video)
RTOS e.g. VxWorks) RTOS e.g VxWorks)
Application voice mail,
games etc.
Thin Hypervisor Thin Hypervisor
CPU 0 CPU 1
VT-x & VT-d enabled
Antenna VT-x & VT-d enabled
Multi-Core Intel® Architecture Multi-Core Intel Architecture
RTOS & GPOS Consolidation Performance-Critical Application Separation
Linux* X-windows User Space
Real Time Kernel Modified NetBSD*
MS Windows* SMP kernel Standard
API Real Time Process IP Stack Changes NetBSD
Hypervisor Hypervisor
CPU 0 CPU 1 CPU 0 CPU 1
NIC Chipset NIC Chipset
VT-x & VT-d enabled Multi-Core Intel Architecture VT-x & VT-d enabled Multi-Core Intel Architecture
VT-x: Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT) for IA-32, Intel® 64 and Intel® Architecture
VT-d: Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT) for Directed I/O
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6. Intel® Virtualization Technology Review - HW Virtualization
Extended Page Tables Virtual Processor ID (VPID)
(EPT)
VPID [0:15]
Guest 0
VPID [0:15]
Guest 1
Preemption Timer / Pause VT-d I/O Virtualization
Loop Exit  DMA remap
 PCIe pass-through
Guest 0  Interrupt remap
Guest 1
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7. Virtualization in Embedded : Soft Failover Proof-of-Concept
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8. Virtualization in Embedded : Soft Failover
Automatic
System
Recovery
Real-time task
Preserve Critical
pointer tracking
Data and State
and resume
Requires No
Network
Connectivity
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9. Virtualization in Embedded : Soft Failover
Xen DomU (P) Xen DomU (B)
Ryarc Player
Samba
Heartbeat Mon
Samba Xen Dom0 Host OS daemon
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10. Virtualization in Embedded : Soft Failover
Specifications:
Software Rev/Version
Linux Kernel 2.6.32.26
Fedora 14 (64 bits)
Xen pvops 4.1
Video Player Ryarc
File Share Samba
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11. Virtualization in Embedded: Medical Proof-of-Concept
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12. Virtualization in Embedded : Critical Path Isolation (Medical) PoC
RHEL* VGA
Windows* XP
RHEL* Display
HDD
SQL Database
BT Driver Waveform Display VNC* terminal Windows
*HDD
Bare Metal Hypervisor (e. g. Xen or Commercial VMM)
USB Drive
(VMM/Hypervisor)
VT-x : VMX & HW
assist
VT-d : DMA & Interrupt Remapping
RHEL* Windows*
Bluetooth Ethernet
Ethernet
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13. Virtualization in Embedded : Critical Path Isolation (Medical)
100
90
80
70
CPU Utilization
60
50 Windows
Linux/RTOS
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Running Processes
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14. Virtualization in Embedded
Call to Action
 Few Embedded Challenges: real-time, simpler
Dom0, fast path interVM comms
 Open to developing similar creative ideas using
Xen and open source in the embedded domains.
 Explore Xen community collaboration
possibilities to enable better embedded
practical solutions.
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15. References
Resource Link
Intel® HD Graphics Driver http://support.intel.com
Xen how-to guide http://wiki.xensource.com
Xen VGA pass-though (using Intel® VT-d) http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/XenPCIpassthrou
gh
Xen PCI pass-through (using Intel® VT-d) http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/XenVGAPassthro
ugh
Intel Embedded Developer Site http://edc.intel.com
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