Architectural Principles for Virtual Computer Systems
Robert P. Goldberg · Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · 1973
he most important new result of the thesis is the model of a process running on a virtual computer system (VCS) and the derivation of design principles from that model. The approach adopted is to consider the introduction of VCS's into the rich, complex architectures likely to be found in 4th generation systems. The model allows us to understand different properties of virtual machines and to interpret a number of proposed implementations of VCS's in terms of the model. Furthermore, the model leads naturally to an implementation of virtual machines, the Hardware Virtualizer (HV) which provides an efficient and simplified mechanism for virtual machines. A number of detailed examples illustrate how the Hardware Vitualizer might operate in an actual 4th generation system.