Apparatus, system and method for implementing a generalized queue pair in a system area network

• US 20040215848A1
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walk, Bruce Marshall, Craddock, David F., Schmidt, Donald William
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus, system and method for providing a generalized queue pair for use with host channel adapters of a system area network. With the apparatus, system and method, the hypervisor of a host channel adapter maintains a P_Key table for each logical port of the host channel adapter. When a request is received to allocate a queue pair from a requestor application associated with a logical port, a P_Key mode is set in a control register associated with the queue pair based on the type of requestor application that sent the request. Based on this P_Key mode, one or more P_Keys from a P_Key table associated with the logical port from which the request was received are written to one or more P_Key registers allocated to the queue pair. These P_Keys are then used to perform P_Key checks of incoming data packets. In addition, these P_Keys are inserted into headers of outgoing data packets. In a preferred embodiment, the P_Key modes may be a single P_Key check mode, a multiple P_Key check mode, and a P_Key check disabled mode.

Claims

1. A method of allocating a queue pair in a host channel adapter of a system area network, comprising:

receiving a request, from a requester, to allocate the queue pair;

identifying a type of the requestor;

setting a partition key mode based on the type of the requester; and

writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair based on the partition key mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the partition key mode is one of a single partition key check mode, a multiple partition key check mode, and a partition key check disabled mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair includes:

identifying a logical port from which the request was received; and

looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table associated with the logical port.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includes:

selecting a partition key from the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port based on a partition key index supplied in the request; and

writing the selected partition key to a resource of the queue pair.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includes:

determining if the queue pair is a management datagram queue pair;

selecting all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port; and

writing all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port to resources of the queue pair.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying a logical port from which the request was received and looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table are performed each time a multicast join operation is performed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the partition key mode is set in a control register associated with the queue pair.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources of the queue pair are one or more partition key registers allocated to the queue pair.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein it the type of the requester is a user application, the partition key mode is set to a single partition key check mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein if the type of the requester is a multicasting application, the partition key mode is set to a multiple partition key check mode.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein if the requester is trusted code, the partition key mode is set to a partition key check disabled mode and no partition key is written to the resources of the queue pair.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more partition keys are partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adapter.

13. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for allocating a queue pair in a host channel adapter of a system area network, comprising:

first instructions for receiving a request, from a requester, to allocate the queue pair;

second instructions for identifying a type of the requester;

third instructions for setting a partition key mode based on the type of the requester; and

fourth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair based on the partition key mode.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the partition key mode is one of a single partition key check mode, a multiple partition key check mode, and a partition key check disabled mode.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the fourth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair include:

instructions for identifying a logical port from which the request was received; and

instructions for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table associated with the logical port.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the fourth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further include:

instructions for selecting a partition key from the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port based on a partition key index supplied in the request; and

instructions for writing the selected partition key to a resource of the queue pair.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the fourth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further include:

instructions for determining if the queue pair is a management datagram queue pair;

instructions for selecting all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port; and

instructions for writing all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port to resources of the queue pair.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions for identifying a logical port from which the request was received and the instructions for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table are executed each time a multicast join operation is performed.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the partition key mode is set in a control register associated with the queue pair.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the resources of the queue pair are one or more partition key registers allocated to the queue pair.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein if the type of the requestor is a user application, the partition key mode is set to a single partition key check mode.

22. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein if the type of the requester is a multicasting application, the partition key mode is set to a multiple partition key check mode.

23. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein if the requestor is trusted code, the partition key mode is set to a partition key check disabled mode and no partition key is written to the resources of the queue pair.

24. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the one or more partition keys are partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adapter.

25. An apparatus for allocating a queue pair in a host channel adapter of a system area network, comprising:

means for receiving a request, from a requestor, to allocate the queue pair;

means for identifying a type of the requestor;

means for setting a partition key mode based on the type of the requestor; and

means for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair based on the partition key mode.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the partition key mode is one of a single partition key check mode, a multiple partition key check mode, and a partition key check disabled mode.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair includes:

means for identifying a logical port from which the request was received; and

means for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table associated with the logical port.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includes:

means for selecting a partition key from the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port based on a partition key index supplied in the request; and

means for writing the selected partition-key to a resource of the queue pair.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includes:

means for determining if the queue pair is a management datagram queue pair;

means for selecting all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port; and

means for writing all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port to resources of the queue pair.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the means for identifying a logical port from which the request was received and the means for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table operate each time a multicast join operation is performed.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the partition key mode is set in a control register associated with the queue pair.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the resources of the queue pair are one or more partition key registers allocated to the queue pair.

33. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more partition keys are partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adapter.