Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Idan Avraham

Eric P Traut

Paul Cador Roberts

Christine M Chew

Mark F Williams

David Rudolph Wooten

Hirofumi Yamamoto

Andrew Ernest Nicholas

Aaron Sebastian Giles

Xiongjian Fu

John E Paff

Douglas A Watkins

Osama M Salem

Kenneth D Ray

Bryan M Willman

Matthew Douglas Hendel

John Charles Dunn

Constantyn Koeman

Various mechanisms are disclosed herein for the saving and restoring of virtual machine environment state. For example, virtual machine state can be either be saved or (multiple) snapshots can be taken of the virtual machine state. In the latter case, virtual processors can be allowed to run while the memory of the virtual machine state is being saved. In either case, virtual devices associated with the virtual machine environment can be quiesced such that these devices can prepare themselves to be saved. Once such virtual devices and memory are saved, they can also be restored. For example, restoration of memory can occur while virtual processors are running at the same time. And, moreover, restoration can occur in batches of pages, thus optimizing the response time for restoring saved data.

Concurrent virtual machine snapshots and restore

A method for managing software modules of at least two operating systems sharing physical resources of a computing environment, but running in different partitions separated by a virtualization boundary comprises accumulating module information in a virtualization subsystem that directs the creation and management of the partitions. The accumulated module information is used across the virtualization boundary to manage the use of the software modules. Also, a method for managing software modules comprises making at least two operating systems aware that they are being hosted in a virtualized computing environment.

Module state management in a virtual machine environment

Techniques are disclosed to provide security for graphical user interface elements being displayed in a system having a host operating system and a high assurance operating system. Graphical user interface elements associated with the high-assurance operating system may be prevented from being obscured and from any partial transparency. Additionally, a piece of secret information may be stored and displayed by graphical user interface elements associated with the high-assurance operating system. Coordinating certain elements of the graphical user interface elements associated with the high assurance operating system also helps to identify legitimate elements associated with the high assurance operating system. Public title information may be furnished to a host operating system windowing system to identify a window owned by a process running on a high-assurance operating system. Private title information associated with the same window may be used in the high assurance operating system.

Providing a graphical user interface in a system with a high-assurance execution environment

Systems and methods for enabling trusted software to monitor and control USB traffic associated with a security extension of a host controller and devices in a USB topology is disclosed. A host controller proxy receives USB-related data from a host controller driver, determines whether the data is of a security interest, and if so, sends the data to a driver for a security extension executing in the trusted execution environment. Likewise, after software executing in the trusted execution environment evaluates and appropriately addresses data sent by the HCD proxy or data retrieved from a hardware security extension, the HCD proxy receives data from the trusted execution environment for further dissemination.

Accessing a USB host controller security extension using a HCD proxy

Methods for maintaining the security of a secured execution environment on a system comprising said secured execution environment and a second execution environment are disclosed. A maintained current state for the secured execution environment is selected from among a group of possible states including a standard input mode state and a nexus input mode state. A flow of user input is directed according to the current state through a secure kernel of both the second environment and the secured execution environment.

Providing secure input to a system with a high-assurance execution environment

Protecting computer systems from attacks that attempt to change USB topology and for ensuring that the system's information regarding USB topology is accurate is disclosed. A software model is defined that, together with secure USB hardware, provides an ability to define policies using which USB traffic can be properly monitored and controlled. The implemented policy provides control over USB commands through a combination of software evaluation and hardware programming. Legitimate commands are evaluated and 'allowed' to be sent to a USB device by a host controller. Illegitimate commands are evaluated and blocked. Additionally, the USB topology is audited to verify that the system's topology map matches the actual USB topology.

Using a USB host controller security extension for controlling changes in and auditing USB topology

Provided are optimizations to the memory virtualization model employed in a virtual machine environment. An opportunistic hypervisor page mapping process is used in order to utilize large memory pages in a virtual machine environment. Using these optimizations, physical memory is being virtualized for the virtual machine in a manner that allows the operating system (OS) running within the virtual machine to take real and full advantage of large physical memory pages.

Large page optimizations in a virtual machine environment

Techniques are disclosed to provide security for user input in which a first, host operating system is used along with a second, high assurance operating system, where the first system provides at least some of the infrastructure for the second system. Two modes are presented. In a first mode, user data is passed to the host operating system. In a second mode, user data is retained in the second operating system for the use of the second operating system or processes running on the second operating system. Transitions between the nodes can be accomplished according to hypothecated user actions such as keystroke combinations, or when the user performs an action which indicates a programmatic activation of a process running in the second operating system. Where shadow graphical elements are run by the first operating system to indicate the location of graphical elements from processes running on the second operating system, this programmatic activation may be indicated by programmatic activation of a shadow graphical element.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Idan Avraham