| 1 | /* $Id: Docs-Intro.cpp 39683 2011-12-29 16:13:02Z vboxsync $ */
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| 2 | /** @file
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| 3 | * This file contains the introduction to Main for developers.
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| 4 | */
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| 5 |
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| 6 | /*
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| 7 | * Copyright (C) 2011 Oracle Corporation
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| 8 | *
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| 9 | * This file is part of VirtualBox Open Source Edition (OSE), as
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| 10 | * available from http://www.virtualbox.org. This file is free software;
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| 11 | * you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU
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| 12 | * General Public License (GPL) as published by the Free Software
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| 13 | * Foundation, in version 2 as it comes in the "COPYING" file of the
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| 14 | * VirtualBox OSE distribution. VirtualBox OSE is distributed in the
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| 15 | * hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY of any kind.
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| 16 | */
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| 17 |
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| 18 | /** @page pg_main Main API
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| 19 | *
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| 20 | * First of all, check out the "Technical background" chapter in the manual, pay
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| 21 | * attention to the "VirtualBox executables and components" chapter. It lists
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| 22 | * three processes, (1) VBoxSVC, (2) VirtualBox in manager mode and (3)
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| 23 | * VirtualBox in VM mode. This will be referred to as (1) server, (2) client
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| 24 | * and (3) VM process, respectively.
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| 25 | *
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| 26 | *
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| 27 | * @section sec_main_walk_thru_suspend IConsole::Pause Walkthru
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| 28 | *
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| 29 | * The instigator can be a client (VirtualBox in manager mode, VBoxManage
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| 30 | * controlvm, web services, ++) or the VM process it self (i.e. you select
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| 31 | * pause via the menu or the host key short cut).
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| 32 | *
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| 33 | * We will not cover the case where the guest triggers a suspend.
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| 34 | *
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| 35 | * Approximate sequence of events:
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| 36 | * - Client calls IConsole::Pause.
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| 37 | * - The COM/XPCOM routes this to the VM process, invoking Console::Pause() in
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| 38 | * ConsoleImpl.cpp. (The IConsole::Pause method in the client process is a
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| 39 | * COM/XPCOM stub method which does marshalling+IPC.)
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| 40 | * - Console::Pause validates the Console object state, the VM state and the VM
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| 41 | * handle.
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| 42 | * - Console::Pause calls VMR3Suspend to do the actual suspending.
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| 43 | * - VMR3Suspend() in VMM/VMMR3/VM.cpp calls VMMR3EmtRendezvous() to change the
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| 44 | * VM state synchronously on all EMTs (threads performing as virtual CPUs).
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| 45 | * - VMMR3EmtRendezvous() will first detect that the caller isn't an EMT and
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| 46 | * use VMR3ReqCallWait() to forward the call to an EMT.
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| 47 | * - When VMMR3EmtRendezvous() is called again on an EMT, it will signal the
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| 48 | * other EMTs by raising a force action flag (VM_FF_EMT_RENDEZVOUS) and then
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| 49 | * poke them via VMR3NotifyGlobalFFU(). Then wait for them all to arrive.
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| 50 | * - The other EMTs will call VMMR3EmtRendezvousFF as soon as they can.
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| 51 | * - When all EMTs are there, the calling back of vmR3Suspend() on each CPU in
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| 52 | * decending order will start.
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| 53 | * - When the CPU with the higest ID calls vmR3Suspend() the VM state is
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| 54 | * changed to VMSTATE_SUSPENDING or VMSTATE_SUSPENDING_EXT_LS.
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| 55 | * - When the CPU with ID 0 calls vmR3Suspend() the virtual device emulations
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| 56 | * and drivers get notified via PDMR3Suspend().
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| 57 | * - PDMR3Suspend() in VMM/VMMR3/PDM.cpp will iterate thru all device
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| 58 | * emulations and notify them that the VM is suspending by calling their
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| 59 | * PDMDEVREG::pfnSuspend / PDMUSBREG::pfnSuspend entry point (can be NULL).
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| 60 | * For each device it will iterate the chains of drivers and call their
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| 61 | * PDMDRVREG::pfnSuspend entry point as well.
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| 62 | * - Should a worker thread in a PDM device or PDM driver be busy and need some
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| 63 | * extra time to finish up / notice the pending suspend, the device or driver
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| 64 | * will ask for more time via PDMDevHlpSetAsyncNotification(),
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| 65 | * PDMDrvHlpSetAsyncNotification() or PDMUsbHlpSetAsyncNotification().
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| 66 | * PDMR3Suspend will then poll these devices and drivers frequently until all
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| 67 | * are done.
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| 68 | * - PDMR3Suspend() will return to vmR3Suspend() once all PDM devices and PDM
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| 69 | * drivers has responded to the pfnSuspend callback.
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| 70 | * - The virtual CPU with ID 0 returns from vmR3Suspend() to the rendezvous
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| 71 | * code and the EMTs are released.
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| 72 | * - The inner VMMR3EmtRendezvous() call returns and this in turn triggers the
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| 73 | * VMR3ReqCallWait() call to return (with the status code of the inner call).
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| 74 | * - The outer VMMR3EmtRendezvous() returns to VMR3Suspend().
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| 75 | * - VMR3Suspend() returns to Console::Pause().
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| 76 | * - Console::Pause() checks the result and flags provides error details on
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| 77 | * failure.
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| 78 | * - Console::Pause() returns to the COM/XPCOM marshalling/IPC stuff.
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| 79 | * - Switch back to client process.
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| 80 | * - The IConsole::Pause() call returns. The end.
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| 81 | *
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| 82 | * Summary of above: Client process calls into the VM process, VM process does a
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| 83 | * bunch of inter thread calls with all the EMT, EMT0 suspends the PDM devices
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| 84 | * and drivers.
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| 85 | *
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| 86 | * The EMTs will return to the outer execution loop, vmR3EmulationThreadWithId()
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| 87 | * in VMM/VMMR3/VMEmt.cpp, where they will mostly do sleep. They will not
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| 88 | * execute any guest code until VMR3Resume() is called.
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| 89 | *
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| 90 | */
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| 91 |
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