System and Method for Providing Reliability of Communication Between Supernodes of a Multi-Tiered Full-Graph Interconnect Architecture

• US 20090063891A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arimilli, Ravi K., Rajamony, Ramakrishnan, Arimilli, Lakshminarayana B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,793,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0724 in a multiprocessor or a multi-core unit multiprocessors per se G06F15/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17368 non hierarchical topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/35 Switches specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and system are provided for providing reliability of communication. A first processor determines a current state of links coupled to ports of a first processor of the data processing system. Each port of the first processor comprises a plurality of links to a corresponding port on a second processor of the data processing system. The current state of the links indicates a level of error associated with each link. The first processor determines, for each link, if a level of error associated with the link exceeds a threshold. For each link whose level of error exceeds the threshold, the first processor tags the link with an error identifier in a switch associated with the ports of the first processor. The first processor reduces a level of usage for transmitting data on ports associated with links tagged with the error identifier.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for providing reliability of communication, the method comprising:

determining a current state of links coupled to ports of a first processor of the data processing system, wherein each port of the first processor comprises a plurality of links to a corresponding port on a second processor of the data processing system, and wherein the current state of the links indicates a level of error associated with each link;

determining, for each link, if the level of error associated with the link exceeds a threshold;

for each link whose level of error exceeds the threshold, tagging the link with an error identifier in a switch associated with the ports of the first processor; and

reducing a level of usage for transmitting data on ports associated with links tagged with the error identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting information identifying the links tagged with the error identifier to the second processor, wherein the second processor uses the information to reduce a level of usage for transmitting data on ports associated with links tagged with the error identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the level of usage for transmitting the data on the ports associated with the links tagged with the error identifier further comprises:

disabling the ports associated with the links tagged with the error identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the links are at least one of wired links or optical fiber links.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of error correlates to error information and wherein the error information is at least one of error correction code information or cyclic redundancy checking information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the error identifier indicates the links as permanently failed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the error identifier indicates the links as error prone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current state of links is performed on at least one of predetermined intervals, or on request from an administrator.

9. A computer program product, for providing reliability of communication, comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed in a first processor of a data processing system, causes the first processor to:

determine a current state of links coupled to ports of the first processor, wherein each port of the first processor comprises a plurality of links to a corresponding port on a second processor of the data processing system, and wherein the current state of the links indicates a level of error associated with each link;

determine, for each link, if the level of error associated with the link exceeds a threshold;

for each link whose level of error exceeds the threshold, tag the link with an error identifier in a switch associated with the ports of the first processor; and

reduce a level of usage for transmitting data on ports associated with links tagged with the error identifier.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the first processor to:

transmit information identifying the links tagged with the error identifier to the second processor, wherein the second processor uses the information to reduce a level of usage for transmitting data on ports associated with links tagged with the error identifier.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program to reduce the level of usage for transmitting the data on the ports associated with the links tagged with the error identifier further causes the first processor to:

disable the ports associated with the links tagged with the error identifier.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the links are at least one of wired links or optical fiber links.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the level of error correlates to error information and wherein the error information is at least one of error correction code information or cyclic redundancy checking information.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the error identifier indicates the links as at least one of permanently failed or error prone.

15. A data processing system for providing reliability of communication, comprising:

a first processor; and

a memory coupled to the first processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the first processor, cause the first processor to;

determine a current state of links coupled to ports of a first processor of the data processing system, wherein each port of the first processor comprises a plurality of links to a corresponding port on a second processor of the data processing system, and wherein the current state of the links indicates a level of error associated with each link;

determine, for each link, if the level of error associated with the link exceeds a threshold;

for each link whose level of error exceeds the threshold, tag the link with an error identifier in a switch associated with the ports of the first processor; and

reduce a level of usage for transmitting data on ports associated with links tagged with the error identifier.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit information identifying the links tagged with the error identifier to the second processor, wherein the second processor uses the information to reduce a level of usage for transmitting data on ports associated with links tagged with the error identifier.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions to reduce the level of usage for transmitting the data on the ports associated with the links tagged with the error identifier further comprises instructions that cause the processor to:

disable the ports associated with the links tagged with the error identifier.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the links are at least one of wired links or optical fiber links.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the level of error correlates to error information and wherein the error information is at least one of error correction code information or cyclic redundancy checking information.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the error identifier indicates the links as at least one of permanently failed or error prone.