Filtering processor requests based on identifiers

• US 20040230976A1
• Filed: 05/12/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pfeffer, Erwin F., Heller, Lisa C., Slegel, Timothy J., Gaertner, Ute
• Granted Patent: US 7,530,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1036 for multiple virtual address spaces, e.g. segmentation G06F12/1045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5013 Request control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/682 Multiprocessor TLB consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30003 Arrangements for executing specific machine instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30047 Prefetch instructions; cache control instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30076 to perform miscellaneous control operations, e.g. NOP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30087 Synchronisation or serialisation instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• 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

Processing within a computing environment is facilitated by filtering requests of the computing environment. A processing unit that receives a request determines whether it is to perform the request. This determination is made by, for instance, comparing an identifier of the request with an identifier of the processing unit making the determination. If there is a mismatch, then the request is blocked. Other processing within the computing environment is also facilitated by selectively using buffer entries. The selection criteria is based, for instance, on identifier information.

Claims

1. A method of processing requests of a computing environment, said method comprising:

determining whether a request is to be blocked by a processing unit of the computing environment; and

blocking the request by the processing unit, in response to the determining indicating that the request is to be blocked.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises comparing an identifier of the request with an identifier of the processing unit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a mismatch indicates the request is to be blocked.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining further comprises deciding whether the computing environment is operating in a logical partitioned mode, wherein the determining indicates the request can be blocked, in response to the deciding indicating that the computing environment is operating in the logical partitioned mode.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining further comprises deciding whether at least one processing unit of the processing unit and a processing unit associated with the request is operating in hypervisor mode, wherein the determining indicates the request can be blocked, in response to the deciding indicating that the at least one processing unit is operating in hypervisor mode.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifier of the request comprises a logical partition identifier of a logical partition associated with the request, and the identifier of the processing unit comprises a logical partition identifier of a logical partition of the processing unit.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the computing environment comprises a plurality of zones, and wherein the identifier of the request comprises a zone identifier of a zone of the request, and the identifier of the processing unit comprises a zone identifier of a zone of the processing unit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocking comprises indicating that the request has been performed, but ignoring the request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request comprises a quiesce request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocking comprises ignoring an indication prohibiting dynamic address translation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a quiesce request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the quiesce request is associated with a purge operation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the purge operation is associated with one or more of the following instructions:

an instruction to invalidate one or more page table entries;

an instruction to set one or more storage keys; and

an instruction to perform at least one compare and swap in storage and to purge one or more entries.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising purging, by the processing unit, one or more entries of one or more buffers corresponding to the purge operation, wherein the purging is performed at a time selected by the processing unit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the purging comprises selecting by the processing unit the one or more entries to be purged, the selecting of an entry of the one or more entries being based on an identifier associated with the entry.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the selecting of the entry comprises:

comparing an identifier of the entry with an identifier of the request; and

selecting the entry, in response to a match of the identifier of the entry with the identifier of the request.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the identifier of the entry comprises a logical partition identifier of the logical partition associated with that entry.

18. A method of processing requests of a computing environment, said method comprising:

determining whether a request associated with one processing unit of a logically partitioned computing environment is to be blocked by another processing unit of the logically partitioned computing environment, wherein the determining comprises comparing a logical partition identifier of the request with a logical partition identifier of the another processing unit; and

blocking the request by the another processing unit, in response to the comparing indicating a mismatch.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the blocking comprises indicating that the request has been performed, but ignoring the request.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the blocking comprises ignoring an indication prohibiting dynamic address translation.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the request is a quiesce request associated with a purge operation, and wherein the method further comprises purging, by the another processing unit, one or more entries of one or more buffers corresponding to the purge operation, wherein the purging is performed at a time selected by the another processing unit.

22. A method of facilitating processing of a computing environment, said method comprising:

obtaining, by a processing unit of the computing environment, one or more entries from a buffer of the computing environment, wherein the obtaining comprises employing an identifier of a zone of the computing environment; and

using at least one entry of the one or more entries.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the using comprises purging the at least one entry.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein one or more other entries of the buffer are not purged.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein an entry of the one or more other entries is not purged, in response to a mismatch of the identifier indicated in a purge request and an identifier of the entry.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising executing an instruction that requests a purge of all buffer entries, and instead, purging the at least one entry, in response to the obtaining.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the using comprises employing the at least one entry in address translation.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the zone comprises a logical partition, and the identifier comprises a logical partition identifier.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the obtaining comprises selecting an entry of the buffer, in response to the identifier of the zone matching an identifier of the entry.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the buffer comprises a translation lookaside buffer.

31. A system of processing requests of a computing environment, said system comprising:

means for determining whether a request is to be blocked by a processing unit of the computing environment; and

means for blocking the request by the processing unit, in response to the determining indicating that the request is to be blocked.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the means for determining comprises means for comparing an identifier of the request with an identifier of the processing unit.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the identifier of the request comprises a logical partition identifier of a logical partition associated with the request, and the identifier of the processing unit comprises a logical partition identifier of a logical partition of the processing unit.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the computing environment comprises a plurality of zones, and wherein the identifier of the request comprises a zone identifier of a zone of the request, and the identifier of the processing unit comprises a zone identifier of a zone of the processing unit.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the request comprises a quiesce request associated with a purge operation.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for purging, by the processing unit, one or more entries of one or more buffers corresponding to the purge operation, wherein the purging is performed at a time selected by the processing unit.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the purging comprises selecting by the processing unit the one or more entries to be purged, the selecting of an entry of the one or more entries being based on an identifier associated with the entry.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the selecting of the entry comprises:

means for comparing an identifier of the entry with an identifier of the request; and

means for selecting the entry, in response to a match of the identifier of the entry with the identifier of the request.

39. A system of facilitating processing of a computing environment, said system comprising:

means for obtaining, by a processing unit of the computing environment, one or more entries from a buffer of the computing environment, wherein the means for obtaining comprises means for employing an identifier of a zone of the computing environment; and

means for using at least one entry of the one or more entries.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the means for using comprises means for purging the at least one entry.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the means for using comprises means for employing the at least one entry in address translation.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the zone comprises a logical partition, and the identifier comprises a logical partition identifier.

43. A system of processing requests of a computing environment, said system comprising:

a request of a logically partitioned computing environment; and

a processing unit of the logically partitioned computing environment to block the request, in response to a comparison of a logical partition identifier of the request with a logical partition identifier of the processing unit indicating a mismatch.

44. A system of facilitating processing of a computing environment, said system comprising:

a buffer; and

a processing unit to obtain one or more entries from the buffer, said processing unit using an identifier of a zone of the computing environment to obtain the one or more entries.

45. At least one program storage device readable by a machine embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of processing requests of a computing environment, said method comprising:

determining whether a request is to be blocked by a processing unit of the computing environment; and

blocking the request by the processing unit, in response to the determining indicating that the request is to be blocked.

46. The at least one program storage device of claim 45, wherein the determining comprises comparing an identifier of the request with an identifier of the processing unit.

47. The at least one program storage device of claim 46, wherein the identifier of the request comprises a logical partition identifier of a logical partition associated with the request, and the identifier of the processing unit comprises a logical partition identifier of a logical partition of the processing unit.

48. The at least one program storage device of claim 46, wherein the computing environment comprises a plurality of zones, and wherein the identifier of the request comprises a zone identifier of a zone of the request, and the identifier of the processing unit comprises a zone identifier of a zone of the processing unit.

49. The at least one program storage device of claim 45, wherein the request comprises a quiesce request associated with a purge operation.

50. The at least one program storage device of claim 49, wherein said method further comprises purging, by the processing unit, one or more entries of one or more buffers corresponding to the purge operation, wherein the purging is performed at a time selected by the processing unit.

51. The at least one program storage device of claim 50, wherein the purging comprises selecting by the processing unit the one or more entries to be purged, the selecting of an entry of the one or more entries being based on an identifier associated with the entry.

52. The at least one program storage device of claim 51, wherein the selecting of the entry comprises:

comparing an identifier of the entry with an identifier of the request; and

selecting the entry, in response to a match of the identifier of the entry with the identifier of the request.

53. At least one program storage device readable by a machine embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of facilitating processing of a computing environment, said method comprising:

obtaining, by a processing unit of the computing environment, one or more entries from a buffer of the computing environment, wherein the obtaining comprises employing an identifier of a zone of the computing environment; and

using at least one entry of the one or more entries.

54. The at least one program storage device of claim 53, wherein the using comprises purging the at least one entry.

55. The at least one program storage device of claim 53, wherein the using comprises employing the at least one entry in address translation.

56. The at least one program storage device of claim 53, wherein the zone comprises a logical partition, and the identifier comprises a logical partition identifier.