System and method for a shared I/O subsystem

• US 20030208531A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: QLogic Corporation (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Tamarkin, Vladimir, Murphy, Philip, Matters, Todd, McCrory, Duane, Rimmer, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 7,447,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1616 where the redundant component is an I/O device or an adapter therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2002 where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant flexible arrangements for bus networks involving redundancy H04L12/40176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/742 Route cache; Operation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/358 Infiniband Switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A computer system that includes a plurality of servers, and a shared I/O subsystem coupled to each of the servers and to one or more I/O interfaces. The shared I/O subsystem services I/O requests made by two or more of the servers. Each I/O interface may couple to a network, appliance, or other device. The I/O requests serviced by the shared I/O subsystem may alternatively include software initiated or hardware initiated I/O requests. Different servers coupled to the shared I/O subsystem may use different operating systems, and each I/O interface may be used by two or more servers.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of servers; and

a shared I/O subsystem coupled to each of said servers and to one or more I/O interfaces;

wherein said shared I/O subsystem services I/O requests made by two or more of said servers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said I/O interfaces couples to a network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said I/O interfaces couples to an appliance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said I/O interfaces couples to a device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said network is a Storage Area Network.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said network is an InterProcess Communications Network.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said network is a Local Area Network.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said network is a Wide Area Network.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein said network is a Metropolitan Area Network.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein said network is a System Area Network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said I/O requests include software initiated I/O requests.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said I/O requests include hardware initiated I/O requests.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said servers uses an operating system that is different from an operating system used by one other of said servers.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said I/O interfaces is used by two or more of said servers.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said two or more of said servers uses an operating system that is different from an operating system used by one other of said two or more of said servers.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said servers are interconnected to said shared I/O subsystem by a switching fabric.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said switching fabric comprises a high speed, high bandwidth, and low latency fabric.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said switching fabric includes a plurality of dedicated circuits, and wherein each of said servers communicates with any one of said servers via said dedicated circuits.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said switching fabric uses an InfiniBand protocol.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said shared I/O subsystem is a scalable infrastructure that is independently scalable from said servers.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein said shared I/O subsystem is a scalable infrastructure that is independently scalable from said switching fabric.

22. The system of claim 2, wherein said shared I/O subsystem is a scalable infrastructure that is independently scalable from said network.

23. The system of claim 3, wherein said shared I/O subsystem is a scalable infrastructure that is independently scalable from said appliance.

24. The system of claim 4, wherein said shared I/O subsystem is a scalable infrastructure that is independently scalable from said device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein said shared I/O subsystem includes a plurality of I/O interface units.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein each of said I/O interface units has a controller that processes said I/O requests made by said servers.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of said I/O interface units comprises at least one of said I/O interfaces.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein said I/O interface units are coupled to said servers, and wherein at least one of said I/O interface units provides a redundant connection to at least one of said servers.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of said I/O interface units provides a redundant connection to at least one of a network, an appliance, and a device.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein said at least one of said I/O interfaces is coupled to at least one of said servers via said shared I/O subsystem.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said at least one of said I/O interfaces follows an InfiniBand protocol.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein said I/O units include an I/O management unit, and wherein said I/O management unit performs at least one of:

a configuration function, a management function, and a monitoring function.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said shared I/O subsystem comprises two or more of said I/O management units to provide fault tolerant operation.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of said I/O interface units includes a processing element.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of said I/O interface units includes one of said servers.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein said shared I/O subsystem includes a backplane having a plurality of I/O slots, and wherein at least one of said I/O slots has at least one of a switching unit and a PCI bus disposed therein.

37. The system of claim 25, wherein said shared I/O subsystem includes a backplane having a plurality of I/O slots, and wherein at least one of said I/O slots has at least one of said I/O interface units disposed therein.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein said switching unit provides interconnection for each of said servers coupled to said shared I/O subsystem.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein said servers are clustered via said shared I/O subsystem to provide parallel processing.

40. The system of claim 1, wherein said servers are clustered via said shared I/O subsystem to provide InterProcess Communications.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein said servers use said InterProcess Communications to provide clustered applications.

42. The system of claim 1, wherein said servers are clustered via said shared I/O subsystem to provide load balancing.

43. The system of claim 1, wherein said servers are clustered via said shared I/O subsystem to provide fault tolerant operation.

44. The system of claim 1, wherein said servers are coupled to two or more of said shared I/O subsystems to provide fault tolerant operation.

45. The system of claim 1, wherein said servers are coupled to two or more of said shared I/O subsystems to provide load balancing.

46. The system of claim 1, further comprising a switching unit for coupling at least one of said I/O interfaces to at least one of a network, an appliance, and a device.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein said switching unit uses an InfiniBand protocol.

48. The system of claim 1, further comprising two or more of said shared I/O subsystems, wherein each of said shared I/O subsystems is coupled to at least another one of said shared I/O subsystems, and wherein each of said servers is coupled to at least one of said shared I/O subsystems.

49. In a computer system comprising a plurality of servers and a shared I/O subsystem, a method comprising:

receiving, with said shared I/O subsystem, I/O requests from two or more of said servers, said I/O requests including at least one of software initiated I/O requests and hardware initiated I/O requests; and

processing said I/O requests with said shared I/O subsystem.

50. A shared I/O subsystem configured for a network having a plurality of servers, said shared I/O subsystem comprising:

one or more I/O interfaces for coupling said shared I/O subsystem to at least one of a network, an appliance, and a device;

wherein said shared I/O subsystem couples said servers and services I/O requests made by two or more of said servers.

51. In a computer system having a shared I/O subsystem for a plurality of servers, said shared I/O subsystem having one or more I/O interfaces, a method comprising:

coupling said shared I/O subsystem to each of said servers and to the I/O interfaces;

servicing, with the shared I/O subsystem, I/O requests made by two or more of said servers.

52. A computer system having a shared I/O subsystem for a plurality of servers, said shared I/O subsystem having one or more I/O interfaces, comprising:

means for coupling said shared I/O subsystem to each of said servers and to the I/O interfaces;

means for servicing, with the shared I/O subsystem, I/O requests made by two or more of said servers.