Validating a Cabling Topology in a Distributed Computing System

• US 20080259816A1
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Archer, Charles J., Megerian, Mark G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,330,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/12 Symbolic schematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/16 Cables, cable trees or wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18

Abstract

Validating a cabling topology in a distributed computing system comprised of cabled nodes connected using data communications cables, each cabled node characterized by cabling dimensions, each cable corresponding to one of the cabling dimensions, includes: receiving a selection from a user of at least one cabled node for topology validation; identifying, for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path; determining, for each cabling dimension, whether the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match; and if, for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match: selecting, for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path as a representative value for the cabling dimension, calculating a product of the representative values, and determining whether the product equals the number of selected cabled nodes.

Claims

1. A method of validating a cabling topology in a distributed computing system, the distributed computing system comprised of a plurality of cabled nodes connected for data communications using a plurality of cables, each cabled node of the distributed computing system characterized by a plurality of cabling dimensions, each cable corresponding to one of the cabling dimensions, the method comprising:

receiving, in a topology validation module from a user, a selection of at least one of the cabled nodes for topology validation;

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes capable of connecting to the selected cabled node in the cabling dimension;

determining, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension, whether the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match; and

if, for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match;

selecting, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for the cabling dimension as a representative cabling dimension value for the cabling dimension,

calculating, by the topology validation module, a product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions, and

determining, by the topology validation module, whether the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions equals the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the topology validation module from the user, a topology selection for validating a rectangular mesh topology.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the method further comprises receiving, by the topology validation module from the user, a topology selection for validating a torus topology; and

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes further comprises identifying the shortest cabling path that represents a cycle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the method further comprises creating, by the topology validation module, a cabling graph for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node in dependence upon a global cabling graph for the distributed computing system; and

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes further comprises;

identifying, for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, the shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes in dependence upon the cabling graphs for cabling dimensions for the selected cabled node.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying, by the topology validation module, the user that the selected cabled nodes satisfy the cabling topology if the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions equals the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying, by the topology validation module, the user that the selected cabled nodes do not satisfy the cabling topology if the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions does not equal the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the distributed computing system is a parallel computer; and

each cabled node further comprises a plurality of compute nodes.

8. An apparatus for validating a cabling topology in a distributed computing system, the distributed computing system comprised of a plurality of cabled nodes connected for data communications using a plurality of cables, each cabled node of the distributed computing system characterized by a plurality of cabling dimensions, each cable corresponding to one of the cabling dimensions, the apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

receiving, in a topology validation module from a user, a selection of at least one of the cabled nodes for topology validation;

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes capable of connecting to the selected cabled node in the cabling dimension;

determining, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension, whether the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match; and

if, for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match;

selecting, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for the cabling dimension as a representative cabling dimension value for the cabling dimension,

calculating, by the topology validation module, a product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions, and

determining, by the topology validation module, whether the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions equals the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of receiving, by the topology validation module from the user, a topology selection for validating a rectangular mesh topology.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of receiving, by the topology validation module from the user, a topology selection for validating a torus topology; and

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes further comprises identifying the shortest cabling path that represents a cycle.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of creating, by the topology validation module, a cabling graph for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node in dependence upon a global cabling graph for the distributed computing system; and

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes further comprises;

identifying, for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, the shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes in dependence upon the cabling graphs for cabling dimensions for the selected cabled node.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of notifying, by the topology validation module, the user that the selected cabled nodes satisfy the cabling topology if the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions equals the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the distributed computing system is a parallel computer; and

each cabled node further comprises a plurality of compute nodes.

14. A computer program product for validating a cabling topology in a distributed computing system, the distributed computing system comprised of a plurality of cabled nodes connected for data communications using a plurality of cables, each cabled node of the distributed computing system characterized by a plurality of cabling dimensions, each cable corresponding to one of the cabling dimensions, the computer program product disposed upon a recordable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

receiving, in a topology validation module from a user, a selection of at least one of the cabled nodes for topology validation;

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes capable of connecting to the selected cabled node in the cabling dimension;

determining, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension, whether the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match; and

if, for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for each selected cabled node match;

selecting, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension, the number of cabled nodes in the shortest cabling path for the cabling dimension as a representative cabling dimension value for the cabling dimension,

calculating, by the topology validation module, a product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions, and

determining, by the topology validation module, whether the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions equals the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising computer program instructions capable of receiving, by the topology validation module from the user, a topology selection for validating a rectangular mesh topology.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein:

the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions capable of receiving, by the topology validation module from the user, a topology selection for validating a torus topology; and

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes further comprises identifying the shortest cabling path that represents a cycle.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein:

the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions capable of creating, by the topology validation module, a cabling graph for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node in dependence upon a global cabling graph for the distributed computing system; and

identifying, by the topology validation module for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, a shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes further comprises;

identifying, for each cabling dimension for each selected cabled node, the shortest cabling path that includes the selected cabled nodes in dependence upon the cabling graphs for cabling dimensions for the selected cabled node.

18. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising computer program instructions capable of notifying, by the topology validation module, the user that the selected cabled nodes satisfy the cabling topology if the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions equals the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

19. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising computer program instructions capable of notifying, by the topology validation module, the user that the selected cabled nodes do not satisfy the cabling topology if the product of the representative cabling dimension values for the cabling dimensions does not equal the number of selected cabled nodes for topology validation.

20. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein:

the distributed computing system is a parallel computer; and

each cabled node further comprises a plurality of compute nodes.