Samsung patents system letting virtual machines directly control hardware
Samsung describes a computer setup where a virtual operating system can talk directly to physical hardware like storage or network cards. It uses a special hardware interface to bypass the main operating system, allowing the virtual machine to manage the device using standard drivers.
In the filing’s own words
A virtualized system includes a processor, a host operating system (OS), at least one guest operating system, a hypervisor, at least one hardware input/output (I/O) device and at least one hardware interface device. The processor provides a function for a virtualization environment. The host operating system runs on the virtualization environment. The at least one guest operating system runs on at least one virtual machine of the virtualization environment. The hypervisor implements the virtualization environment using the function of the processor, and generates and controls the at least one virtual machine of the virtualization environment. The at least one hardware input/output device is controlled by the host operating system and the at least one guest operating system. The at least one hardware interface device supports a communication between the at least one guest operating system and the at least one hardware input/output device.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A virtualized system comprising: a processor configured to provide a function for a virtualization environment; a host operating system (OS) configured to run on the virtualization environment; at least one guest operating system configured to run on at least one virtual machine of the virtualization environment; a hypervisor configured to implement the virtualization environment using the function of the processor, and configured to generate and control the at least one virtual machine of the virtualization environment; at least one hardware input/output (I/O) device controlled by the host operating system and the at least one guest operating system; and at least one hardware interface device configured to support direct communication between the at least one guest operating system and the at least one hardware input/output device in accordance with VIRTIO specification, and to enable the at least one guest operating system to control the at least one hardware input/output device, wherein the at least one hardware interface device comprises a physical hardware device for communicating with the at least one hardware I/O device, wherein the at least one guest operating system comprises a guest virtualization driver for performing an operation of the virtualization environment, wherein the at least one virtual machine of the virtualization environment comprises at least one virtualized hardware I/O device corresponding to the at least one hardware I/O device, and wherein the at least one hardware input/output device and the at least one virtualized hardware I/O device are controlled by the at least one guest operating system through the guest virtualization driver using a same driver interface.
Facts
- Company
- Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
- Official title
- Virtualized system enabling a guest OS to control an I/O device, and method of operating the same
- Patent number
- US12769570B2
- Application number
- 17934371
- Filed
- Sep 22, 2022
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 9/45558 Physics & computingG06F 9/45545 Physics & computingG06F 2009/45562 Physics & computingG06F 2009/45579 Physics & computingMore from Samsung in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.