LOCALLY PROVIDING GLOBALLY CONSISTENT INFORMATION TO COMMUNICATIONS LAYERS

• US 20080086737A1
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bae, Myung, Kim, Chulho, Sivaram, Rajeev, DiNicola, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,851 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 computer-implemented method of providing information, said computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining configuration information of one or more adapters of a communications environment, said configuration information describing one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters;

providing locally to a communications layer of a node of the communications environment a globally consistent view of the configuration information, wherein said providing locally ensures that each change of the configuration information is independently seen by the node and that proper sequencing of the changes is provided; and

storing locally at the node the globally consistent view of the configuration information.

2. The computer-implemented 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 computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said configuration information comprises status of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters, said status indicating whether said at least one adapter is accessible.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said one or more characteristics comprise at least one of an IP address, a network number, and a network identifier.

5. The computer-implemented 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.

6. The computer-implemented 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.

7. The computer-implemented 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.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the network is asymmetric.

9. The computer-implemented 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.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more adapters are network adapters employed to couple one or more nodes to one or more communications networks of the communications environment.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information is dynamically changeable.

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

at least one processing node to obtain configuration information of one or more adapters of a communications environment, said configuration information describing one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters; and

at least one processing node to provide locally to a communications layer of a node of the communications environment a globally consistent view of the configuration information, wherein said providing locally ensures that each change of the configuration information is independently seen by the node and that proper sequencing of the changes is provided.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising at least one processing node to employ the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a kernel level application of the node.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising at least one processing node to employ the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a user level application of the node.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising at least one processing node to employ, 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.

16. 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, said configuration information describing one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters; and

providing locally to a communications layer of a node of the communications environment a globally consistent view of the configuration information, wherein said providing locally ensures that each change of the configuration information is independently seen by the node and that proper sequencing of the changes is provided.

17. The at least one program storage device of claim 16, wherein said method further comprises employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a kernel level application of the node.

18. The at least one program storage device of claim 16, wherein said method further comprises employing the locally provided globally consistent view of the configuration information by a user level application of the node.

19. The at least one program storage device of claim 16, 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.

20. The at least one program storage device of claim 16, 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.