ViSMA

ViSMA – Virtualization and Security aware Multi-core Architecture

Objective of the Project: The aim of the project is to carry out a research investigation for specifying the architecture of a Virtualization and Security aware Multi-core Processor. Such a processor architecture bears the combined advantage of achieving hardware consolidation and security.

Brief outline of the project with specific technology fall-outs:

In this proposal, we target to develop the model of a multi-core processor that is both hardware virtualization and security aware. Such a processor will overcome the large software overheads experienced in traditional virtualization solutions, and also close the security holes observed in current day multi-core systems. In this project we will first come up with the high level architecture of ViSMA. The ViSMA architecture will be modeled as a set of computing, communicating and storage resources. The micro-architecture will have mechanisms to expose these resources at the level of user applications and allow application level management of resources. The protection of resources will be handled in hardware by the runtime system. This will allow easy and efficient virtualization. ViSMA by virtue of its being virtualization and security aware will offer micro-architectural support for both CPU and I/O virtualization. In terms of the runtime system for ViSMA, the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) will be reduced to a thin layer of software that does not incur large overheads.


Following are the specific technology fallouts:

  1. ViSMA will be the first indigenous virtualization and security aware processor that can be used in both strategic and civilian applications.
  2. ViSMA will be an enabler for a host of embedded and high performance processing platforms


Duration of Project: 2 years; 2014-16


Funded: DEITY


Status: Completed


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