Ascertaining configuration of a virtual adapter in a computing environment

• US 10,061,600 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Friedrich, Ralph, Higgs, Raymond M., Kuch, George P., Moore, Elizabeth A., Pandich, Johnathon R., Sczepczenski, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US15/841,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20180107498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4221 being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45545 Guest-host, i.e. hypervisor is an application program itself, e.g. VirtualBox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

A control component of a computing environment activates a virtual adapter hosted on a physical adapter of a host system of the computing environment. The virtual adapter is for use by a guest of the host system in performing data input and output. The activating activates the virtual adapter absent involvement of the guest. Based on activating the virtual adapter, the control component obtains configuration information of the activated virtual adapter from the physical adapter, the configuration information generated based on the activating. The control component ascertains a configuration of the activated virtual adapter based on the obtained configuration information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

activating a virtual adapter hosted on a physical adapter of a host system of a computing environment, the virtual adapter being for use by a guest of the host system in performing data input and output, the virtual adapter being in an initial state prior to the activating, the activating being based on a request made to the physical adapter that the virtual adapter be activated, wherein the activating activates the virtual adapter absent involvement of the guest;

based on the activating, constructing configuration information of the activated virtual adapter, the configuration information indicative of at least a unique identifier assigned to the activated virtual adapter;

providing the configuration information to a control component; and

returning the activated virtual adapter to the initial state that the virtual adapter was in prior to the activating, wherein the activating the virtual adapter, the constructing the configuration information, the providing the configuration information, and the returning the activated virtual adapter to the initial state are performed absent involvement of the guest.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, based on determining while the guest is inactive that the configuration is not an appropriate virtual adapter configuration for the guest, reconfiguring the activated virtual adapter prior to activating the guest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating activates the virtual adapter absent the guest being brought online.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial state of the virtual adapter comprises a deactivated or non-configured state, and returning the activated virtual adapter to the initial state comprises returning the virtual adapter to the deactivated or non-configured state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating, the constructing, the providing, and the returning are performed while the guest remains stopped from execution.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating, the constructing, the providing, and the returning are performed with the guest not being loaded into central electronic complex memory.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control component is a component separate from the host system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating, the constructing, the providing, and the returning are performed absent communication between the control component and the guest.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating the virtual adapter occurs prior to an initial program load of the guest.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical adapter is a hardware host bus adapter of an input-output subsystem of the host, and the physical host bus adapter hosts the virtual adapter.