VMI APIs

This page summarize the state of VMI API currently provided by the hypervisors

Xen

VMI APIs are available upstream since Xen 4.1

• https://wiki.xenproject.org/wiki/Virtual_Machine_Introspection

• VMI APIs can be found in xenctrl.h

• Accessing the VM's hardware state

  • get number of VCPUs: ✅
  • get maximum gfn: ✅
  • pause/resume: ✅
  • r/w physical memory: ✅
  • r/w virtual memory: ✅
  • r/w VCPU registers: ✅

• Intercept VM's hardware events

  • control registers: ✅
  • extended control registers: ✅
  • debug registers: ✅
  • MSR: ✅
  • singlesteps: ✅
  • interrupts: ✅
  • descriptors: ✅
  • hypercalls: ✅
  • CPUID: ✅
  • memory: ✅
  • alternate SLAT: ✅

• Utilities:

  • foreign mapping: ✅
  • exception injection: ✅

KVM

VMI APIs are currently being developed by BitDefender, and in review on the mailing list.

• https://github.com/KVM-VMI/kvm-vmi

• libkvmi.h

• kvmi.h

• Accessing the VM's hardware state

  • get number of VCPUs: ✅
  • get maximum gfn: ❌
  • pause/resume: ✅
  • r/w physical memory: ✅
  • r/w virtual memory: ❌
  • r/w VCPU registers: ✅

• Intercept VM's hardware events

  • control registers: ✅
  • extended control registers: ❌
  • debug registers: ✅
  • MSR: ✅
  • singlesteps: ❌
  • interrupts: ✅
  • descriptors: ✅
  • hypercalls: ✅
  • CPUID: ❌
  • memory: ✅
  • alternate SLAT: ❌

• Utilities:

  • foreign mapping: ✅
  • exception injection: ✅

Note:

• SLAT: Second Level Address Translation