[vbox-dev] Shared memory driver (PV-like)

[Karoline Haus]

Hi I was wondering if there was a shared memory driver that I can use to talk between guest and host OS? Basically I'm looking for something like a para-virtualized driver that other virtualization solutions use. I haven't found anything like that in the VBox documentation. Does such a driver exists? Basically I want to be able to communicate between guest and host but not use any standard mechanisms like networking. Thanks for any pointers!

Karoline
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.virtualbox.org/pipermail/vbox-dev/attachments/20140130/3179ca60/attachment.html

[ramshankar venkataraman]

I'm not certain what exactly you require, but perhaps what you want is
something along the lines of HGCM and HGSMI (Host-Guest Shared Memory
Interface)? If so, take a look at src/VBox/GuestHost/HGSMI/

Regards,
Ram.

Post by Karoline Haus
Hi I was wondering if there was a shared memory driver that I can use
to talk between guest and host OS? Basically I'm looking for something
like a para-virtualized driver that other virtualization solutions
use. I haven't found anything like that in the VBox documentation.
Does such a driver exists? Basically I want to be able to communicate
between guest and host but not use any standard mechanisms like
networking. Thanks for any pointers!
Karoline
_______________________________________________
vbox-dev mailing list
vbox-dev at virtualbox.org
https://www.virtualbox.org/mailman/listinfo/vbox-dev

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.virtualbox.org/pipermail/vbox-dev/attachments/20140211/871a3eeb/attachment.html

[Knut St. Osmundsen]

Hi Karoline,

It would be easier to help you if you could explain more accurately what
you want to do.

If the question is whether a host OS process can open a shared memory
window into a guest OS process (or the other way around), then no, we
don't provide APIs for that *yet*. We have been giving this some
thought already, but haven't had the need for it yet, thus not implemented.

However, if the question is whether you can write a virtual device (like
all the src/VBox/Devices/*/Dev*.cpp files does) that talks with a guest
OS driver using shared memory, then certainly we've been doing that
since forever, just look at the VGA frame buffer
(src/VBox/Devices/Graphics/DevVGA.cpp) and the VMM devices
(src/VBox/Devices/VMMDev/VMMDev.cpp). The VGA frame buffer is specially
host memory (called MMIO2) that the guest accesses, while the VMMDev is
handed contiguous guest memory like any other DMA capable device. The
HGSMI interface that Ramshankar mentions is a variation on what the VGA
device does.

Kind Regards,
bird.

Post by ramshankar venkataraman
I'm not certain what exactly you require, but perhaps what you want is
something along the lines of HGCM and HGSMI (Host-Guest Shared Memory
Interface)? If so, take a look at src/VBox/GuestHost/HGSMI/
Regards,
Ram.

Post by Karoline Haus
Hi I was wondering if there was a shared memory driver that I can use
to talk between guest and host OS? Basically I'm looking for
something like a para-virtualized driver that other virtualization
solutions use. I haven't found anything like that in the VBox
documentation. Does such a driver exists? Basically I want to be able
to communicate between guest and host but not use any standard
mechanisms like networking. Thanks for any pointers!
Karoline
_______________________________________________
vbox-dev mailing list
vbox-dev at virtualbox.org
https://www.virtualbox.org/mailman/listinfo/vbox-dev

_______________________________________________
vbox-dev mailing list
vbox-dev at virtualbox.org
https://www.virtualbox.org/mailman/listinfo/vbox-dev

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.virtualbox.org/pipermail/vbox-dev/attachments/20140223/f9bab990/attachment.html