Creation and management of destination ID routing structures in multi-host PCI topologies

• US 20070097948A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hunter, Steven, Vega, Madeline, Freimuth, Douglas, Boyd, William, Thurber, Steven, Recio, Renato, Holland, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4004 Coupling between buses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0026 PCI express

Abstract

System and method for managing routing of data in a distributed computing system, such as a distributed computing system that uses PCI Express protocol to communicate over an I/O fabric. A physical tree that is indicative of a physical configuration of the distributed computing system is determined, and a virtual tree is created from the physical tree. The virtual tree is then modified to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree. A validation mechanism validates the changed association between the at least one source device and the at least one target device to enable routing of data from the at least one source device to the at least one target device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing routing of data in a distributed computing system, the computer implemented method comprising:

determining a physical tree indicative of a physical configuration of the distributed computing system;

creating a virtual tree from the physical tree;

enabling modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree; and

validating the changed association between the at least one source device and the at least one target device to enable routing of data from the at least one source device to the at least one target device.

2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein determining a physical tree indicative of a physical configuration of the distributed computing system, comprises:

providing a destination identification routing table in at least one of a bridge and switch in the physical tree for indicating at least one port in the at least one of a bridge and switch that is associated with the at least one target device through which data is to be routed.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein creating a virtual tree from the physical tree comprises:

creating a virtual tree for a source device of the at least one source device.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3, wherein enabling modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree, comprises:

presenting the virtual tree to a representative of the source device of the at least one source device, wherein the representative modifies the virtual tree to change an association between the at least one source device and the at least one target device in the virtual tree.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein validating the changed association between the at least one source device and the at least one target device to enable routing of data from the at least one source device to the at least one target device, comprises:

creating a validation table in the at least one of a bridge and switch that associates source devices with target devices to enable routing of data from the at least one source device to the at least one target device through the at least one of a bridge and switch.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one source device comprises one of a root complex and an Input/Output Adapter, and wherein the at least one target device comprises the other one of the root complex and the Input/Output Adapter.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one source device comprises a plurality of source devices, and wherein the creating, enabling modification of and validating steps are repeated for each of the plurality of source devices.

8. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein enabling modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree, comprises at least one of enabling transfer of at least one target device to a different source device, and enabling adding or deleting of at least one source device and/or at least one target device from the virtual tree.

9. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the distributed computing system comprises a distributed computing system that uses PCI Express protocol.

10. A managing system for managing routing of data in a distributed computing system, comprising:

a mechanism for determining a physical tree indicative of a physical configuration of the distributed computing system;

a mechanism for creating a virtual tree from the physical tree;

a modification enabling mechanism for enabling modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree; and

a validating mechanism for validating the changed association between the at least one source device and the at least one target device to enable routing of data from the at least one source device to the at least one target device.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the mechanism for determining a physical tree indicative of a physical configuration of the distributed computing system, comprises a destination identification routing table in at least one of a bridge and switch in the physical tree for indicating at least one port in the at least one of a bridge and switch that is associated with the at least one target device through which data is to be routed.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the mechanism for creating a virtual tree from the physical tree comprises a mechanism for creating a virtual tree for a source device of the at least one source device.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the validating mechanism comprises a validation table in the at least one of a bridge and switch that associates source devices with target devices to enable routing of data from the at least one source device to the at least one target device through the at least one of a bridge and switch.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one source device comprises one of a root complex and ah Input/Output Adapter, and wherein the at least one target device comprises the other one of the root complex and the Input/Output Adapter.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the mechanism for enabling modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree, comprises a mechanism for enabling transfer of at least one target device to a different source device, and a mechanism for enabling adding or deleting of at least one source device and/or at least one target device from the virtual tree.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the distributed computing system comprises a distributed computing system that uses PCI Express protocol.

17. A computer program product for managing routing of data in a distributed computing system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein;

computer usable program code configured to determine a physical tree indicative of a physical configuration of the distributed computing system;

computer usable program code configured to create a virtual tree from the physical tree;

computer usable program code configured to enable modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree; and

computer usable program code configured to validate the changed association between the at least one source device and the at least one target device to enable routing of data from the at least one source device to the at least one target device.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the computer usable program code configured to create a virtual tree from the physical tree comprises:

computer usable program code configured to create a virtual tree for a source device of the at least one source device.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the computer usable program code configured to enable modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree, comprises:

computer usable program code configured to present the virtual tree to a representative of the source device of the at least one source device, wherein the representative modifies the virtual tree to change an association between the at least one source device and the at least one target device in the virtual tree.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the computer usable program code configured to enable modification of the virtual tree to change an association between at least one source device and at least one target device in the virtual tree, comprises:

computer usable program code configured to enable transfer of at least one target device to a different source device; and

computer usable program code configured to enable adding or deleting of at least one source device and/or at least one target device from the virtual tree.