US Patent 10884784 Systems and methods of efficiently interrupting virtual machines

The systems and methods for enabling a lightweight VMM to efficiently interrupt virtual machines are provided. In some examples, the lightweight VMM is configured to utilize a self IPI to deliver external interrupts to the virtual machines. The self IPI may be generated by writing one or more values, including an identifier of the external interrupt, to an ICR of a programmable interrupt controller. The programmable interrupt controller may retrieve the one or more values from the ICR, identify the external interrupt and process the external interrupt, which culminates in the external interrupt being written to an IDT of a virtual machine targeted for interrupt delivery by the lightweight VMM.