SUBNET MANAGEMENT IN VIRTUAL HOST CHANNEL ADAPTER TOPOLOGIES

• US 20090213753A1
• Filed: 02/25/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Errickson, Richard K., Burrow, Stephen R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,009,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/358 Infiniband Switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

A computer program product for subnet management in virtual host channel adapter topologies includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes receiving a request to add a new logical host channel adapter (HCA) to the subnet, updating a logical switch port topology control block to reflect a pointer to the new logical HCA, and updating a port topology control block of the logical HCA to reflect a pointer to the logical switch port.

Claims

1. A computer program product for subnet management in virtual host channel adapter topologies, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

receiving a request to add a new logical host channel adapter (HCA) to the subnet;

updating a logical switch port topology control block to reflect a pointer to the new logical HCA; and

updating a port topology control block of the logical HCA to reflect a pointer to the logical switch port.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a subnet management packet;

accessing the logical switch port topology control block to interpret destination information for the subnet management packet; and

routing the subnet management packet based on the destination information.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the subnet management packet is received at a hypervisor subnet management interface configured to manage the entire subnet.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein accessing the logical switch port topology control block includes interpreting the destination from pointer entries within the logical switch port topology control block.

5. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein routing the subnet management packet includes directing the subnet management packet to a node of the subnet.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein tangible storage medium includes a rewriteable non-volatile storage medium, a flash storage medium, a hard disk, an optical storage medium, a magneto-optic storage medium, or a magnetic storage medium.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the request is received from the new logical HCA.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein updating the logical switch port topology control block includes writing pointer information to a pointer field of the logical switch port topology control block configured to direct subnet management packets to the new logical HCA.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein updating the port topology control block of the logical HCA includes writing pointer information to a pointer field of the port topology control block configured to direct subnet management packets to a logical switch.

10. An apparatus for subnet management in virtual host channel adapter topologies, the apparatus comprising:

a logical switch representation of at least one physical port, wherein the logical switch representation is managed through a subnet management agent;

a logical host channel adapter (HCA) representation of at least one host channel adapter, wherein the logical HCA representation is managed by the subnet management agent; and

a logical connection between the logical switch representation and the logical HCA representation configured to enable communications between the host channel adapter and the physical port, wherein the communications are managed through a subnet management interface in communication with the subnet management agent.

11. A method for subnet management in virtual host channel adapter topologies, the method comprising:

receiving a request to add or remove a new logical host channel adapter (HCA) to the subnet;

updating a logical switch port topology control block to reflect a pointer to the new logical HCA; and

updating a port topology control block of the logical HCA to reflect a pointer to the logical switch port.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a subnet management packet;

accessing the logical switch port topology control block to interpret destination information for the subnet management packet; and

routing the subnet management packet based on the destination information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the subnet management packet is received at a hypervisor subnet management interface configured to manage the entire subnet.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein accessing the logical switch port topology control block includes interpreting the destination from pointer entries within the logical switch port topology control block.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein routing the subnet management packet includes directing the subnet management packet to a node of the subnet.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein tangible storage medium includes a rewriteable non-volatile storage medium, a flash storage medium, a hard disk, an optical storage medium, a magneto-optic storage medium, or a magnetic storage medium.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the request is received from the new logical HCA.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein updating the logical switch port topology control block includes writing pointer information to a pointer field of the logical switch port topology control block configured to direct subnet management packets to the new logical HCA.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein updating the port topology control block of the logical HCA includes writing pointer information to a pointer field of the port topology control block configured to direct subnet management packets to a logical switch.