A Study of Inter - domain Communication Mechanisms on Xen - based Hosting Platforms

In a virtualized multi-hosting environment, communication exists on different levels of abstractions and between different entities. Guest domains on the same machine communicate with each other via shared memory and message passing while guest domains on different machines communicate with each other over the local network. S ignificant performance overhead still exists in part of the communication architecture. Within the current literature, various research groups have accomplished domain-specific solutions in response to such issues. In our paper, we conduct a comprehensive survey, with sufficient analysis, on current inter-domain communication mechanisms on Xen-based hosting platforms. Techniques proposed by recent researchers to enhance the communication performance are compared and discussed from three perspectives, which are locations, access and management of shared memory regions. In addition, we also present detailed overviews of various topics regarding virtualization. At the end of paper, we present with the readers what we have learned during the investigation and what we suggest for future research in this area.