Dynamic translational topology layer for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications

• US 20070041400A1
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Richter, Andrew, Thompson, Belinda
• Granted Patent: US 7,924,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A method for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications across different network topologies can include receiving frames passing between a first network having a first network topology and a second network having a second network topology; inspecting an incoming one of the frames to identify a remote resource in the second network and a device identifier corresponding to the remote resource, and an outgoing one of the frames to identify a socket assigned to a local resource in the first network and a device identifier for the local resource corresponding to the socket; and, transmitting data from a protocol-aware application in the first network to the remote resource in the second network in a protocol consistent with the second network topology, and further transmitting data from the remote resource in the second network to the protocol-aware application in the first network in a protocol consistent with the first network topology.

Claims

1. A system for enabling connectivity for protocol-aware applications across different network topologies comprising:

a network device handler configured for coupling to a protocol-aware application configured for operation in a first network having a first network topology, and a network device communicatively linked to a second network having a second, different network topology; and

,

first and second mappings, said first mapping comprising a mapping of identifiers for remote resources in said second network to said remote resources, said second mapping comprising a mapping of device identifiers for local resources to sockets for said local resources;

said network device handler comprising program code enabled to utilize said second mapping to receive data from said protocol-aware application for transmission through said network device to selected remote resources in said second network in a protocol consistent with said first network topology;

said network device handler further comprising program code enabled to utilize said first mapping to receive data from said remote resources in said second network through said network device for transmission to said protocol-aware application in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said network device handler is disposed in an operating system kernel in a host computing platform.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said network device handler is disposed in a logical partition in a host computing platform.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said first network topology is a ring topology.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said second network topology is a bus topology.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said device identifer is a media access control (MAC) address.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said device identifer is a channel control identifier (CCID).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said network device handler is configured for coupling to a plurality of protocol-aware applications, each configured for operation in said first network having said first network topology.

9. A method for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications across different network topologies comprising:

receiving frames passing between a first network having a first network topology and a second network having a second network topology;

inspecting an incoming one of said frames to identify a remote resource in said second network and a device identifier corresponding to said remote resource, and an outgoing one of said frames to identify a socket assigned to a local resource in said first network and a device identifier for said local resource corresponding to said socket; and

,

transmitting data from a protocol-aware application in said first network to said remote resource in said second network in a protocol consistent with said second network topology, and further transmitting data from said remote resource in said second network to said protocol-aware application in said first network in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving requests from multiple protocol-aware applications in said first network to receive data in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising registering with a host computing platform coupled to both said first network and said second network.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications across different network topologies, said computer program product including:

computer usable program code for receiving frames passing between a first network having a first network topology and a second network having a second network topology;

computer usable program code for inspecting an incoming one of said frames to identify a remote resource in said second network and a device identifier corresponding to said remote resource, and an outgoing one of said frames to identify a socket assigned to a local resource in said first network and a device identifier for said local resource corresponding to said socket; and

,

computer usable program code for transmitting data from a protocol-aware application in said first network to said remote resource in said second network in a protocol consistent with said second network topology, and further transmitting data from said remote resource in said second network to said protocol-aware application in said first network in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising computer usable program code for receiving requests from multiple protocol-aware applications in said first network to receive data in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising computer usable program code for registering with a host computing platform coupled to both said first network and said second network.