Virtualization for Reliable Embedded Systems

Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Electrotechnology, grade: 1,0, University of Applied Sciences Regensburg (Fakultät Elektro- und Informationstechnik), language: English, abstract: Virtualization has come a long way since its beginnings in the 1960s. Nowadays, Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM)- or hypervisor-based virtualization of servers is the de facto standard in data centers. In recent years, virtualization has also been adopted to embedded devices such as avionics systems and mobile phones. The first mass deployment of embedded virtualization can probably be seen in video game consoles, though. However, the functionalities and possibilities provided by embedded virtualization today for the most part still are where they were when virtualization was in its infancy in the mainframe era. Moreover, it is still not employed by automotive electronics at all thus far. This thesis presents advancements achieved in hardware virtualization since then as well as their possible merits for embedded virtualization. The emphasis hereby lies on increases in reliability of the resulting embedded systems. Additionally, the focus is on automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and especially the upcoming automotive domain controller architecture. This work is divided into five parts: The first one constitutes an introduction to the problem domain and highlights benefits of virtualizing embedded devices – in particular Domain Controller Units (DCUs), i. e. “server” variants of ECUs – beyond the mere partitioning into time and space. In the second part, an overview of virtualization technology centered around its basic principles is given. Against this background, complications of virtualizing Input/Output (I/O) operations with current hardware architectures and the adaption of their processors to virtualization are elaborated on. Moreover, the most prominent implications for security as well as requirements and specialties encountered in the context of embedded virtualization are discussed. The third chapter then summarizes embedded virtualization solutions found on today’s market. Besides, it details hypervisor techniques resembling the state of the art for servers. In the fourth part, concepts for enhancing reliability – in some aspects also availability – through virtualization and eventually the approach proposed for reliable embedded systems are depicted. Finally, the fifth chapter presents the demonstrator – foremost a technology preview of the latter – built as part of working on this thesis.