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Bringing virtualization to the x86 architecture with the original vmware workstation
| Content Provider | CiteSeerX |
|---|---|
| Author | Devine, Scott Inc, Vmware Wang, Edward Y. |
| Abstract | This article describes the historical context, technical challenges, and main implementation techniques used by VMware Workstation to bring virtualization to the x86 architecture in 1999. Although virtual machine monitors (VMMs) had been around for decades, they were traditionally designed as part of monolithic, single-vendor architectures with explicit support for virtualization. In contrast, the x86 architecture lacked virtualization support, and the industry around it had disaggregated into an ecosystem, with different vendors controlling the computers, CPUs, peripherals, operating systems, and applications, none of them asking for virtualization. We chose to build our solution independently of these vendors. As a result, VMware Workstation had to deal with new challenges associated with (i) the lack of virtualization support in the x86 architecture, (ii) the daunting complexity of the architecture itself, (iii) the need to support a broad combination of peripherals, and (iv) the need to offer a simple user experience within existing environments. These new challenges led us to a novel combination of well-known virtualization techniques, techniques from other domains, and new techniques. VMware Workstation combined a hosted architecture with a VMM. The hosted architecture enabled a simple user experience and offered broad hardware compatibility. Rather than exposing I/O diversity to the virtual machines, VMware Workstation also relied on software emulation of I/O devices. The VMM |
| File Format | |
| Journal | ACM Trans. Comput. Syst |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | X86 Architecture Vmware Workstation Original Vmware Workstation New Challenge Virtualization Support Simple User Experience Hosted Architecture Broad Hardware Compatibility New Technique Software Emulation Virtual Machine Well-known Virtualization Technique Novel Combination Different Vendor Technical Challenge Main Implementation Technique Virtual Machine Monitor Broad Combination Single-vendor Architecture Historical Context Explicit Support |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
