SHARING MULTIPLE VIRTUAL FUNCTIONS TO A HOST USING A PSEUDO PHYSICAL FUNCTION

• US 20120167085A1
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PLX Technology Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: REGULA, Jack, DODSON, Jeffrey Michael, SUBRAMANIYAN, Nagarajan
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/105 where the programme performs an input/output emulation function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

A method is provided comprising: enumerating a group of available virtual functions corresponding to the physical function; mapping the group of available virtual functions to a non-transparent port of the switch by creating a copy of a configuration space for the physical function while assigning unique vendor and device identifications for different classes of devices, wherein the mapping creates a pseudo physical function exposing a subset of the SR-IOV capability from the configuration space for the physical function; receiving a request to access the physical function from the single host; and providing the pseudo physical function to the single host for loading on the single host, in response to the receiving of the request, wherein the pseudo physical function is designed to call management functions of the single host to enable the group of available virtual functions in a local hierarchy of the single host.

Claims

1. A method for sharing virtual functions corresponding to a physical function of a single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) endpoint with a single host, the method performed by a management system of a switch, the method comprising:

enumerating a group of available virtual functions corresponding to the physical function;

mapping the group of available virtual functions to a non-transparent port of the switch by creating a copy of a configuration space for the physical function while assigning unique vendor and device identifications for different classes of devices, wherein the mapping creates a pseudo physical function exposing a subset of the SR-IOV capability from the configuration space for the physical function;

receiving a request to access the physical function from the single host; and

providing the pseudo physical function to the single host for loading on the single host, in response to the receiving of the request, wherein the pseudo physical function is designed to call management functions of the single host to enable the group of available virtual functions in a local hierarchy of the single host.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising loading a physical function driver for the physical function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the physical function driver is supplied by a vendor of the SR-IOV endpoint.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein mapping comprises:

running the physical function driver to make system calls to the management system to create virtual functions in a tree hierarchy view of the management system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to access the physical function is a configuration space access sent from the single host as a message or through an interrupt.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing includes:

looking up a host port source identification;

connecting the host port source identification to a virtual function from the group of available virtual functions; and

returning values from the virtual function.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping comprises:

setting up a plurality of the group of available virtual functions with CSR redirection.

8. A method for sharing virtual functions corresponding to a physical function of a single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) endpoint with a single host, the method performed by the single host, the method comprising:

upon enumeration, obtaining a pseudo physical function from a management system of a switch, wherein the pseudo physical function contains a mapping of a group of available virtual functions relating to the physical function, wherein the mapping exposes a subset of the SR-IOV capability from a configuration space for the physical function and was created by using a copy of the configuration space for the physical function while assigning unique vendor and device identifications for different classes of devices;

using the pseudo physical function to call management functions of the single host to enable the group of available virtual functions in a local hierarchy of the single host; and

upon invocation of one of the group of available virtual functions, applying CSR redirection via the pseudo physical function.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the management system is SR-IOV capable and has SR-PCIM components.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending any accesses of memory mapped registers of one of the group of available virtual functions to the switch to be forwarded directly to the SR-IOV endpoint, bypassing the management system of the switch.

11. A system comprising:

an SR-IOV endpoint having a first physical function with a first configuration space;

a host;

a switch coupled to the SR-IOV endpoint, the switch comprising;

SR-IOV capable management software;

a physical function driver corresponding to the physical function on the SR-IOV endpoint; and

a second configuration space being a copy of the first configuration space with different vendor and device identifications that are unique for different classes of devices.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the host comprises:

a pseudo physical function driver;

SR-IOV capable management software;

one or more virtual function drivers corresponding to virtual functions of the first physical function.

13. A switch capable of sharing virtual functions corresponding to a physical function of an SR-IOV endpoint with a single host, comprising:

an upstream port connected to a management system compatible with SR-IOV;

a processor configured to;

enumerate a group of available virtual functions corresponding to the physical function;

map the group of available virtual functions to a non-transparent port of the switch by creating a copy of a configuration space for the physical function while assigning unique vendor and device identifications for different classes of devices, wherein the mapping creates a pseudo physical function exposing a subset of the SR-IOV capability from the configuration space for the physical function;

receive a request to access the physical function from the single host; and

provide the pseudo physical function to the single host for loading on the single host, in response to the receiving of the request, wherein the pseudo physical function is designed to call management functions of the single host to enable the group of available virtual functions in a local hierarchy of the single host.

14. The switch of claim 13, wherein the switch is a PCIe switch.

15. An apparatus for sharing virtual functions corresponding to a physical function of a single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) endpoint with a single host, the apparatus comprising:

means for enumerating a group of available virtual functions corresponding to the physical function;

means for mapping the group of available virtual functions to a non-transparent port of the switch by creating a copy of a configuration space for the physical function while assigning unique vendor and device identifications for different classes of devices, wherein the mapping creates a pseudo physical function;

means for receiving a request to access the physical function from the single host; and

means for providing the pseudo physical function to the single host for loading on the single host, in response to the receiving of the request, wherein the pseudo physical function is designed to call management functions of the single host to enable the group of available virtual functions in a local hierarchy of the single host.

16. An apparatus for sharing virtual functions corresponding to a physical function of a single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) endpoint with a single host, the apparatus comprising:

means for, upon enumeration, obtaining a pseudo physical function from a management system of a switch, wherein the pseudo physical function contains a mapping of a group of available virtual functions relating to the physical function, wherein the mapping exposes a subset of the SR-IOV capability from a configuration space for the physical function and was created by using a copy of the configuration space for the physical function while assigning unique vendor and device identifications for different classes of devices;

means for using the pseudo physical function to call management functions of the single host to enable the group of available virtual functions in a local hierarchy of the single host; and

means for upon invocation of one of the group of available virtual functions, applying CSR redirection via the pseudo physical function.

17. A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for sharing virtual functions corresponding to a physical function of a single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) endpoint with a single host, the method performed by a management system of a switch, the method comprising:

enumerating a group of available virtual functions corresponding to the physical function;

mapping the group of available virtual functions to a non-transparent port of the switch by creating a copy of a configuration space for the physical function while assigning unique vendor and device identifications for different classes of devices, wherein the mapping creates a pseudo physical function exposing a subset of the SR-IOV capability from the configuration space for the physical function;

receiving a request to access the physical function from the single host; and

providing the pseudo physical function to the single host for loading on the single host, in response to the receiving of the request, wherein the pseudo physical function is designed to call management functions of the single host to enable the group of available virtual functions in a local hierarchy of the single host.