Using KVM to run Xen guests without Xen Ryan A. Harper Michael D. Day Anthony N. Liguori IBM IBM IBM
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract on providing future extensions to improve MMU and hardware virtualization. The inclusion of the Kernel Virtual Machine (KVM) Linux has also recently gained a set of x86 virtual- driver in Linux 2.6.20 has dramatically improved ization enhancements. For the 2.6.20 kernel release, Linux’s ability to act as a hypervisor. Previously, Linux the paravirt_ops interface and KVM driver were was only capable of running UML guests and contain- added. paravirt_ops provides a common infras- ers. KVM adds support for running unmodified x86 tructure for hooking portions of the Linux kernel that operating systems using hardware-based virtualization. would traditionally prevent virtualization. The KVM The current KVM user community is limited by the driver adds the ability for Linux to run unmodified availability of said hardware. guests, provided that the underlying processor supports The Xen hypervisor, which can also run unmodified op- either AMD or Intel’s CPU virtualization extensions. erating systems with hardware virtualization, introduced Currently, there are three consumers of the a paravirtual ABI for running modified operating sys- paravirt_ops interface: Lguest [Lguest], a tems such as Linux, Netware, FreeBSD, and OpenSo- “toy” hypervisor designed to provide an example laris. This ABI not only provides a performance advan- implementation; VMI [VMI], which provides support tage over running unmodified guests, it does not require for guests running under VMware; and XenoLinux any hardware support, increasing the number of users [Xen], which provides support for guests running under that can utilize the technology.