MULTIPLE PARTITION ADJUNCT INSTANCES INTERFACING MULTIPLE LOGICAL PARTITIONS TO A SELF-VIRTUALIZING INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICE

• US 20090037941A1
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: KAO, Sandy K., LUCKE, Kyle A., ARMSTRONG, William J., GRAHAM, Charles S., SWANBERG, Randal C., NAYAR, Naresh, RECIO, Renato J., OSTROWSKI, Michal
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1475 in a virtual system, e.g. with translation means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1491 in a hierarchical protection system, e.g. privilege levels, memory rings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1056 Simplification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Multiple logical partitions are provided access to a self-virtualizing input/output device of a data processing system via multiple dedicated partition adjunct instances. Access is established by: interfacing each logical partition to one or more associated partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance coupling its associated logical partition to one of a virtual function or a queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and each partition adjunct instance being a separate dispatchable state and being created employing virtual address space donated from the respective logical partition or a hypervisor of the data processing system, and each partition adjunct instance including a device driver for the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device; and providing each logical partition with at least one virtual input/output which is interfaced through the logical partition'"'"'s respective partition adjunct instance(s) to a virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

Claims

1. A method of establishing access for multiple logical partitions of a data processing system to a self-virtualizing input/output device, the method comprising:

interfacing each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to at least one associated partition adjunct instance, each partition adjunct instance coupling its associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to one of a virtual function or a queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and each partition adjunct instance comprising a separate dispatchable state and being created employing virtual address space donated from the associated logical partition or a hypervisor of the data processing system, and wherein each partition adjunct instance comprises a device driver for the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device; and

providing each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions with at least one virtual input/output which is interfaced through the logical partition'"'"'s at least one associated partition adjunct instance to the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a physical function and multiple virtual function instances associated therewith, each virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the physical function, and wherein the multiple logical partitions are interfaced to the multiple virtual function instances via multiple partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance interfacing an associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to a respective virtual function instance of the multiple virtual function instances of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interfacing comprises interfacing each partition adjunct instance to an associated virtual function of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device further comprises a physical function, and the method comprises providing a physical function partition adjunct interfaced to the physical function, the physical function partition adjunct facilitating creation of the partition adjunct instances interfacing the multiple logical partitions to the multiple virtual function instances.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a function with multiple queue pair instances associated therewith, and wherein the multiple logical partitions are interfaced to the multiple queue pair instances via multiple partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance interfacing an associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to a respective queue pair instance of the multiple queue pair instances of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interfacing comprises interfacing the multiple logical partitions to multiple queue pair instances of the self-virtualizing input/output device employing multiple partition adjunct instances, and wherein the method further comprises providing at least one function partition adjunct interfaced to at least one function of the self-virtualized input/output device, wherein the multiple queue pair instances are associated with the at least one function of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a first physical function and multiple first virtual function instances associated with the first physical function, each first virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the first physical function, and wherein a partition adjunct instance interfaced to one logical partition of the multiple logical partitions couples the one logical partition to a first virtual function instance of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device further comprises a second physical function with at least one second virtual function instance associated therewith, each second virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the second physical function, and wherein another partition adjunct instance of the multiple partition adjunct instances is interfaced to the one logical partition of the multiple logical partitions and couples the one logical partition to a second virtual function instance of the at least one second virtual function instance, wherein the one logical partition is coupled to the first virtual function instance and the second virtual function instance employing different partition adjunct instances.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interfacing further comprises establishing the at least one partition adjunct instance for each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions, the establishing comprising, for each partition adjunct instance, employing a virtual address to real address page table of the associated logical partition to map partition adjunct code and read only data for the partition adjunct instance to common physical memory pages containing common partition adjunct code and common read only data utilized by multiple partition adjunct instances, the common physical memory pages comprising common physical memory pages of one of the logical partitions of the multiple logical partitions of a hypervisor of the data processing system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the interfacing further comprises creating each associated partition adjunct instance, the creating employing virtual address space donated from its associated logical partition to the partition adjunct instance, and wherein the associated logical partition comprises a native operating system, and the partition adjunct instance created comprises a native or non-native operating system'"'"'s device driver for interfacing the associated logical partition to the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each virtual input/output provided to a logical partition is configurable by the logical partition, and wherein creating each partition adjunct instance further comprises providing native or non-native kernel services within the partition adjunct instance to run the native or non-native operating system'"'"'s device driver, respectively, for accessing the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virutalizing input/output device, the native or non-native kernel services being less than a corresponding, full native or non-native operating system.

10. A data processing system comprising:

at least one processor comprising multiple logical partitions and multiple partition adjunct instances to facilitate input/output access of the multiple logical partitions;

a self-virtualizing input/output device coupled to the multiple partition adjuncts; and

wherein each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions is interfaced to at least one associated partition adjunct instance, each partition adjunct instance coupling the associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to one of a virtual function or a queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device of the data processing system, each partition adjunct instance comprising a separate dispatchable state and employing virtual address space donated from the respective logical partition or a hypervisor of the data processing system, and each partition adjunct instance comprising a device driver for a respective virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output adapter, and wherein each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions comprises at least one virtual input/output which is interfaced through the logical partition'"'"'s at least one associated partition adjunct instance to at least one virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

11. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a physical function and multiple virtual function instances associated therewith, each virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the physical function, and wherein the multiple logical partitions are interfaced to the multiple virtual function instances via the multiple partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance interfacing an associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to a respective virtual function instance of the multiple virtual function instances of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

12. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a function with multiple queue pair instances associated therewith, and wherein the multiple logical partitions are interfaced to the multiple queue pair instances via the multiple partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance interfacing an associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to a respective queue pair instance of the multiple queue pair instances of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

13. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a first physical function and multiple first virtual function instances associated with the first physical function, each first virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources of the first physical function, and wherein a partition adjunct instance interfaced to one logical partition of the multiple logical partitions couples the one logical partition to a first virtual function instance of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device further comprises a second physical function with at least one second virtual function instance associated therewith, each second virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the second physical function, and wherein another partition adjunct instance of the multiple partition adjunct instances is interfaced to the one logical partition of the multiple logical partitions and couples the one logical partition to a second virtual function instance of the at least one second virtual function instance, wherein the one logical partition is coupled to the first virtual function instance and the second virtual function instance employing different partition adjunct instances.

14. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein each partition adjunct instance employs a virtual address to real address page table of the associated logical partition to map partition adjunct code and read only data for the partition adjunct instance to common physical memory pages containing common partition adjunct code and common read only data utilized by multiple partition adjunct instances, the common physical memory pages comprising common physical memory pages of one of the logical partitions of the multiple logical partitions or of a hypervisor of the data processing system.

15. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein each partition adjunct instance employs virtual address space donated from its associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions, and wherein the associated logical partition comprises a native operating system, and at least one partition adjunct instance of the multiple partition adjunct instances comprises a non-native operating system'"'"'s device driver for interfacing the associated logical partition to the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and wherein each virtual input/output provided to each logical partition is configurable by the logical partition, and wherein the at least one partition adjunct instance further comprises non-native kernel services within the at least one partition adjunct instance to run the non-native operating system'"'"'s device driver for accessing the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device, the non-native kernel services being less than a corresponding, full non-native operating system.

16. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code logic to define a method of establishing access for multiple logical partitions to a self-virtualizing input/output device of a data processing system, the computer-readable program code logic when executing on a processor performing;

interfacing of each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to at least one associated partition adjunct instance, each partition adjunct instance coupling its associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to one of a virtual function or a queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and each partition adjunct instance comprising a separate dispatchable state and being created employing virtual address space donated from the associated logical partition or a hypervisor of the data processing system, and wherein each partition adjunct instance comprises a device driver for the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device; and

providing each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions with at least one virtual input/output which is interfaced through the logical partition'"'"'s at least one associated partition adjunct instance to the virtual function or queue pair of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a physical function and multiple virtual function instances associated therewith, each virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the physical function, and wherein the multiple logical partitions are interfaced to the multiple virtual function instances via multiple partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance interfacing an associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to a respective virtual function instance of the multiple virtual function instances of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a function with multiple queue pair instances associated therewith, and wherein the multiple logical partitions are interfaced to the multiple queue pair instances via multiple partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance interfacing an associated logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to a respective queue pair instance of the multiple queue pair instances of the self-virtualizing input/output device.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device comprises a first physical function and multiple first virtual function instances associated with the first physical function, each first virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the first physical function, and wherein a partition adjunct instance interfaced to one logical partition of the multiple logical partitions couples the one logical partition to a first virtual function instance of the self-virtualizing input/output device, and wherein the self-virtualizing input/output device further comprises a second physical function with at least one second virtual function instance associated therewith, each second virtual function instance sharing one or more physical resources with the second physical function, and wherein another partition adjunct instance of the multiple partition adjunct instances is interfaced to the one logical partition of the multiple logical partitions and couples the one logical partition to a second virtual function instance of the at least one second virtual function instance, wherein the one logical partition is coupled to the first virtual function instance and the second virtual function instance employing different partition adjunct instances.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the interfacing further comprises establishing the at least one partition adjunct instance for each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions, the establishing comprising, for each partition adjunct instance, employing a virtual address to real address page table of the associated logical partition to map partition adjunct code and read only data for the partition adjunct instance to common physical memory pages containing common partition adjunct code and common read only data utilized by multiple partition adjunct instances, the common physical memory pages comprising common physical memory pages of one of the logical partitions of the multiple logical partitions of a hypervisor of the data processing system.