Generic Transport Layer Mechanism For Firmware Communication

• US 20110107347A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Themann, Jan-Bernd, Kraemer, Marco, Raisch, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A computing system including a communication network architecture with a transport layer mechanism. The computing system is capable of supporting a multitude of different application protocols involving information and/or data exchange between an operating system instance and various firmware services. The computing system may include an operating system instance with a Generic Transport Driver supporting the application protocols in the operating system instance, a firmware service connected to a Generic Transport Facility via a Generic Firmware Service Interface and a virtual machine with a Generic Transport Passthrough. The Generic Transport Driver of the operating system instance exchanges communication protocol data with the Generic Transport Facility of the firmware component via the generic Transport Passthrough.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

an operating system instance with a Generic Transport Driver supporting at least two communication protocols for applications in the operating system instance; and

a firmware service connected to a Generic Transport Facility via a Generic Firmware Service Interface, wherein the Generic Transport Driver exchanges communication protocol data with the Generic Transport Facility.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the Generic Transport Facility comprises means for accessing a firmware services directory which contains information on the available firmware services.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a virtual machine which includes a Generic Transport Passthrough such that the Generic Transport Driver of the operating system instance exchanges communication protocol data with the Generic Transport Facility of a firmware component via the Generic Transport Passthrough.

4. The computer system according to claim 3, wherein the Generic Transport Passthrough comprises a generic shadow queue service for performing address translations between an operating system instance address space and a virtual machine address space.

5. The computer system according to claim 3, wherein the Generic Transport Passthrough comprises means for accessing a Paging Facility which enables tracking and pinning of memory addresses of data required by active application queues.

6. A method for queue processing in a communication network architecture of a computing system, the method comprising the steps of:

issuing a queue request for a communication application protocol;

communicating said queue request from a Generic Transport Driver to a Generic Transport Facility via a Generic Transport Passthrough;

identifying and instantiating a matching firmware service; and

communicating completion of said queue request to the communication application protocol;

placing a command request from the communication application protocol;

communicating said command request from the Generic Transport Driver to the Generic Transport Facility via the Generic Transport Passthrough;

identifying and instantiating a matching firmware service;

processing the command; and

communicating completion of said command to the communication application protocol;

wherein said computer system comprises;

an operating system instance with the Generic Transport Driver supporting at least two communication application protocols;

a firmware service connected to the Generic Transport Facility via a Generic Firmware Service Interface; and

a virtual machine with a Generic Transport Passthrough wherein the Generic Transport Driver of the operating system instance exchanges communication protocol data with the Generic Transport Facility of the firmware component via the Generic Transport Passthrough Facility.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of allocating memory resources for queue processing.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the memory in which resources are allocated is released if the queue request is not successfully completed.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of allocating memory resources for queue processing.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the memory in which resources are allocated is released if the queue request is not successfully completed.

9. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. An article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions which, when implemented, cause a computer to carry out the steps of a method for queue processing in a communication network architecture of a computing system, the method comprising the steps of:

issuing a queue request for a communication application protocol;

communicating said queue request from a Generic Transport Driver to a Generic Transport Facility via a Generic Transport Passthrough;

identifying and instantiating a matching firmware service;

communicating completion of said queue request to the communication application protocol;

placing a command request from the communication application protocol;

communicating said command request from the Generic Transport Driver to the Generic Transport Facility via the Generic Transport Passthrough;

identifying and instantiating a matching firmware service;

processing the command; and

communicating completion of said command to the communication application protocol;

wherein said computer system comprises;

an operating system instance with the Generic Transport Driver supporting at least two communication application protocols;

a firmware service connected to the Generic Transport Facility via a Generic Firmware Service Interface; and

a virtual machine with a Generic Transport Passthrough wherein the Generic Transport Driver of the operating system instance exchanges communication protocol data with the Generic Transport Facility of the firmware component via the generic Transport Passthrough Facility.