Locally providing globally consistent information to communications layers

• US 20030225932A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Chulho, Sivaram, Rajeev, DiNicola, Paul D., Bae, Myung
• Granted Patent: US 7,302,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

Globally consistent information is locally provided to communications layers. Globally consistent information is stored in a Network Availability Matrix, which is locally accessible by a communications layer. If an event is detected, the communications layer is automatically notified by the Network Availability Matrix, and is able to use the information in the Network Availability Matrix to quickly take action.

Claims

1. A method of providing information, said method comprising:

obtaining configuration information of one or more adapters of a communications environment; and

providing locally to a communications layer of a node of the communications environment a globally consistent view of the configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing locally comprises providing within kernel space of the node the globally consistent view of the configuration information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the providing locally comprises issuing by the communications layer a local call to the kernel space of the node to obtain the globally consistent configuration information residing therein.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuration information comprises status of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuration information comprises one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a kernel level application of the node.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a user level application of the node.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing, by the communications layer, the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information to select a communications path of a network from a plurality of communications paths of the network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network is asymmetric.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing locally comprises:

determining that there is at least one change in the configuration information;

including in an information table the at least one change in the configuration information; and

forwarding the information table to a network availability matrix to locally provide the globally consistent view of the configuration information to the communications layer.

11. A method of managing events, said method comprising:

determining by a component of a communications environment that an event within the communications environment has occurred, said component including globally consistent configuration information of the communications environment; and

automatically invoking by the component a handler function registered with the component to at least inform a user of the handler function of the event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said component comprises a network availability matrix executing within kernel space of a node of the communications environment.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the user comprises a communications layer of the communications environment.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising using, by the communications layer, the globally consistent configuration information of the component to select a communications path of the communications environment, in response to the handler function being invoked.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said event comprises at least one of a network failure and a network change.

16. A system of providing information, said system comprising:

means for obtaining configuration information of one or more adapters of a communications environment; and

means for providing locally to a communications layer of a node of the communications environment a globally consistent view of the configuration information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for providing locally comprises means for providing within kernel space of the node the globally consistent view of the configuration information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for providing locally comprises means for issuing by the communications layer a local call to the kernel space of the node to obtain the globally consistent configuration information residing therein.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said configuration information comprises status of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said configuration information comprises one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a kernel level application of the node.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a user level application of the node.

23. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for employing, by the communications layer, the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information to select a communications path of a network from a plurality of communications paths of the network.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the network is asymmetric.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for providing locally comprises:

means for determining that there is at least one change in the configuration information;

means for including in an information table the at least one change in the configuration information; and

means for forwarding the information table to a network availability matrix to locally provide the globally consistent view of the configuration information to the communications layer.

26. A system of managing events, said system comprising:

means for determining by a component of a communications environment that an event within the communications environment has occurred, said component including globally consistent configuration information of the communications environment; and

means for automatically invoking by the component a handler function registered with the component to at least inform a user of the handler function of the event.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said component comprises a network availability matrix executing within kernel space of a node of the communications environment.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the user comprises a communications layer of the communications environment.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for using, by the communications layer, the globally consistent configuration information of the component to select a communications path of the communications environment, in response to the handler function being invoked.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein said event comprises at least one of a network failure and a network change.

31. A system of providing information, said system comprising:

configuration information of one or more adapters of a communications environment; and

a network adapter matrix of a node of the communications environment to provide locally to a communications layer of the node a globally consistent view of the configuration information.

32. A system of managing events, said system comprising:

a component of a communications environment to determine that an event within the communications environment has occurred, said component including globally consistent configuration information of the communications environment; and

the component to automatically invoke a handler function registered with the component to at least inform a user of the handler function of the event.

33. At least one program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of providing information, said method comprising:

obtaining configuration information of one or more adapters of a communications environment; and

providing locally to a communications layer of a node of the communications environment a globally consistent view of the configuration information.

34. The at least one program storage device of claim 33, wherein the providing locally comprises providing within kernel space of the node the globally consistent view of the configuration information.

35. The at least one program storage device of claim 34, wherein the providing locally comprises issuing by the communications layer a local call to the kernel space of the node to obtain the globally consistent configuration information residing therein.

36. The at least one program storage device of claim 33, wherein said configuration information comprises status of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters.

37. The at least one program storage device of claim 33, wherein said configuration information comprises one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters.

38. The at least one program storage device of claim 33, wherein said method further comprises employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a kernel level application of the node.

39. The at least one program storage device of claim 33, wherein said method further comprises employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a user level application of the node.

40. The at least one program storage device of claim 33, wherein said method further comprises employing, by the communications layer, the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information to select a communications path of a network from a plurality of communications paths of the network.

41. The at least one program storage device of claim 40, wherein the network is asymmetric.

42. The at least one program storage device of claim 33, wherein the providing locally comprises:

determining that there is at least one change in the configuration information;

including in an information table the at least one change in the configuration information; and

forwarding the information table to a network availability matrix to locally provide the globally consistent view of the configuration information to the communications layer.

43. At least one program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of managing events, said method comprising:

determining by a component of a communications environment that an event within the communications environment has occurred, said component including globally consistent configuration information of the communications environment; and

automatically invoking by the component a handler function registered with the component to at least inform a user of the handler function of the event.

44. The at least one program storage device of claim 43, wherein said component comprises a network availability matrix executing within kernel space of a node of the communications environment.

45. The at least one program storage device of claim 43, wherein the user comprises a communications layer of the communications environment.

46. The at least one program storage device of claim 45, wherein said method further comprises using, by the communications layer, the globally consistent configuration information of the component to select a communications path of the communications environment, in response to the handler function being invoked.

47. The at least one program storage device of claim 43, wherein said event comprises at least one of a network failure and a network change.