Shared-Memory Optimizations for Inter-Virtual-Machine Communication

Abstract

Virtual machines (VMs) and virtualization are one of the core computing technologies today. Inter-VM communication is not only prevalent but also one of the leading costs for data-intensive systems and applications in most data centers and cloud computing environments. One way to improve inter-VM communication efficiency is to support coresident VM communication using shared-memory-based methods and resort to the traditional TCP/IP for communications between VMs that are located on different physical machines. In recent years, several independent kernel development efforts have been dedicated to improving communication efficiency between coresident VMs using shared-memory channels, and the development efforts differ from one another in terms of where and how the shared-memory channel is established. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the design choices and techniques for performance optimization of coresident inter-VM communication. We examine the key issues for improving inter-VM communication using shared-memory-based mechanisms, such as implementation choices in the software stack, seamless agility for dynamic addition or removal of coresident VMs, and multilevel transparency, as well as advanced requirements in reliability, security, and stability. An in-depth comparison of state-of-the-art research efforts, implementation techniques, evaluation methods, and performance is conducted. We conjecture that this comprehensive survey will not only provide the foundation for developing the next generation of inter-VM communication optimization mechanisms but also offers opportunities to both cloud infrastructure providers and cloud service providers and consumers for improving communication efficiency between coresident VMs in virtualized computing platforms.