Computer system, device sharing method, and device sharing program

• US 20090313391A1
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 8,156,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

The disclosed is a computer system enabling a plurality of LPARs on a plurality of physical computers to share an SR-IOV device that requires an interface between a PF and a VF. In an environment where a PCI SR-IOV device is allocated to virtual machine monitors on a plurality of physical computers through an I/O switch, a PF is allocated to a first virtual machine monitor and a plurality of VFs is allocated to an LPAR on an optional virtual machine monitor. When a second virtual machine monitor detects an event that is generated from a VF to the PF, the second virtual machine monitor communicates the detected event to the first virtual machine monitor to which the PF is allocated, and allows the first virtual machine monitor to execute the PF event. Further, when the first virtual machine monitor detects an event that is generated from the PF to a VF, the first virtual machine monitor communicates the detected event to the second virtual machine monitor to which a target VF is allocated, and allows an LPAR on the second virtual machine monitor to execute the VF event.

Claims

1. A computer system capable of connecting a plurality of physical computers to an I/O device through an I/O switch and sharing the I/O device;

wherein the plurality of physical computers each include a plurality of LPARs built on the physical computers, and a plurality of virtual machine monitors for managing the plurality of LPARs;

wherein the I/O device includes a PF (Physical Function), which can be allocated to one of the plurality of physical computers, and a plurality of VFs (Virtual Functions), which can be allocated to the plurality of LPARs;

wherein the plurality of virtual machine monitors include a first virtual machine monitor to which the PF in the I/O device is allocated, and a second virtual machine monitor to which the PF is not allocated;

wherein the first and second virtual machine monitors include VF execution means for executing a VF event for the plurality of VFs in the I/O device, which is allocated to the plurality of LPARs; and

wherein the first virtual machine monitor includes PF execution means for executing a PF event for the PF in the I/O device, which is detected by the first or second virtual machine monitor.

2. The computer system according to claim 1,

wherein the I/O device is a PCI-SIG-compliant SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) device.

3. The computer system according to claim 1,

wherein, when the second virtual machine monitor detects a PF event that is managed by the second virtual machine monitor and generated for the PF from an LPAR to which a certain VF is allocated, the second virtual machine monitor notifies the first virtual machine monitor of the PF event, allows the first virtual machine monitor to receive the notification of the PF event, and causes the PF execution means to execute the PF event.

4. The computer system according to claim 3,

wherein the first virtual machine monitor transmits an ACK to the second virtual machine monitor after receiving the notification of the PF event, and allows the second virtual machine monitor to perform an ACK reception process on the PF event.

5. The computer system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of LPARs includes a VF driver for controlling the VF allocated to the LPAR;

and wherein, when the first virtual machine monitor detects a VF event that is generated for a certain VF from the PF allocated to the first virtual machine monitor, the first virtual machine monitor notifies the second virtual machine monitor, which manages the LPAR to which the certain VF is allocated, of the VF event, allows the second virtual machine monitor to receive the notification of the VF event and transmit the VF event to the LPAR to which the certain VF is allocated, and causes the LPAR to execute the VF event by controlling the certain VF through the use of the VF driver possessed by the LPAR.

6. The computer system according to claim 5,

wherein the second virtual machine monitor, which manages the LPAR to which the certain VF is allocated, transmits an ACK to the first virtual machine monitor after receiving the notification of the VF event, and allows the first virtual machine monitor to perform an ACK reception process on the VF event.

7. The computer system according to claim 2,

wherein a PF in each of a plurality of SR-IOV devices is allocated to an optional virtual machine monitor, and wherein the first virtual machine monitor is set up for each SR-IOV device.

8. A device sharing method for use in a computer system that is configured by connecting a plurality of physical computers, which each include one or more LPARs built on each physical computer and a plurality of virtual machine monitors for managing the plurality of LPARs, to a PCI-SIG-compliant SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) device, which includes a PF (Physical Function) that can be allocated to one of the physical computers and a plurality of VFs (Virtual Functions) that can be allocated to the plurality of LPARs, through an I/O switch, the device sharing method comprising the steps of:

configuring the plurality of virtual machine monitors including a first virtual machine monitor to which the PF in the SR-IOV device is allocated and a second virtual machine monitor to which the PF cannot be allocated;

executing, in the first and second virtual machine monitors, a VF event for the plurality of VFs in the SR-IOV device, which is allocated to the plurality of LPARs; and

executing, in the first virtual machine monitor, a PF event for the PF in the SR-IOV device, which is detected by the first or second virtual machine monitor.

9. The device sharing method according to claim 8,

wherein, when the second virtual machine monitor detects a PF event that is managed by the second virtual machine monitor and generated for the PF from an LPAR to which a certain VF is allocated, the second virtual machine monitor notifies the first virtual machine monitor of the PF event, and allows the first virtual machine monitor to receive the notification of the PF event and execute the PF event.

10. The device sharing method according to claim 9,

wherein the first virtual machine monitor transmits an ACK to the second virtual machine monitor after receiving the notification of the PF event, and allows the second virtual machine monitor to perform an ACK reception process on the PF event.

11. The device sharing method according to claim 8,

wherein, when the first virtual machine monitor detects a VF event that is generated for a certain VF from the PF allocated to the first virtual machine monitor, the first virtual machine monitor notifies the second virtual machine monitor, which manages the LPAR to which the certain VF is allocated, of the VF event, allows the second virtual machine monitor to receive the notification of the VF event and transmit the VF event to the LPAR to which the certain VF is allocated, and causes the LPAR to execute the VF event by controlling the certain VF through the use of the VF driver possessed by the LPAR.

12. The device sharing method according to claim 11,

wherein the second virtual machine monitor, which manages the LPAR to which the certain VF is allocated, transmits an ACK to the first virtual machine monitor after receiving the notification of the VF event, and allows the first virtual machine monitor to perform an ACK reception process on the VF event.

13. The device sharing method according to claim 8,

wherein a PF in each of a plurality of SR-IOV devices is allocated to an optional virtual machine monitor, and wherein the first virtual machine monitor is set up for each SR-IOV device.

14. A computer readable medium storing a device sharing program to be executed in a computer system that is configured by connecting a plurality of physical computers, which each include one or more LPARs built on each physical computer and a virtual machine monitor for managing the plurality of LPARs, to a PCI-SIG-compliant SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) device, which includes a PF (Physical Function) that can be allocated to one of the physical computers and a plurality of VFs (Virtual Functions) that can be allocated to the plurality of LPARs, through an I/O switch, the device sharing program comprising:

means for executing, in the first virtual machine monitor to which the PF in the SR-IOV device is allocated and in the second virtual machine monitor to which the PF is not allocated, a VF event for the plurality of VFs in the SR-IOV device, which is allocated to the plurality of LPARs; and

means for executing, in the first virtual machine monitor, a PF event for the PF in the SR-IOV device, which is detected by the first or second virtual machine monitor.