×

Virtual local area network well-known port routing mechanism for mult--emulators in an open system environment

  • US 5,734,865 A
  • Filed: 06/27/1995
  • Issued: 03/31/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A method which allows a local host system to share a network software facility of the local host system operating system between a number of application servers operating under the host operating system and a corresponding number of application servers operating under components of a plurality of hosted operating systems running under control of the local host operating system, the local host system being coupled to at least one remote host system through a local area network (LAN) and an internetwork, the network software facility being coupled to a network interface unit which includes interfacing hardware and software for connecting the local host system to the LAN for communicating with the remote host system using a standard communications network protocol which is characterized by assigning different station address identifier values to each host system and well-known services function identifier values to the different data communications application servers associated with local host system and hosted operating systems so that servers performing the same service function are assigned the same well-known services function identifier value for directing incoming packets sent by the remote host system to the appropriate application server, said method comprising the steps of:

  • (a) configuring a virtual network mechanism within the local host operating system to be operatively coupled to the host operating system network software facility through a plurality of network interface structures to function as a virtual LAN connected to a plurality of virtual host systems running the hosted operating system with each virtual host system operating as if it contained its own network software facility;

    (b) preallocating memory and initializing a different set of structures in preallocated memory for each of the plurality of virtual host systems which operate in conjunction with the virtual network mechanism and the plurality of hosted operating systems, each different set of structures containing a unique unit number identifying the virtual host systems associated therewith and a unique IP address designating the particular virtual host system within the virtual LAN;

    (c) mapping predetermined portions of each incoming packet by the virtual network mechanism sent by the remote host system and received from the local host communications network software facility by changing the station address identifier value of each incoming packet to specify the local host system as a destination and the particular virtual host system as a source of the packet for returning any reply packet and changing the well-known services identifier value to a virtual host identifier value so that the packet received from the virtual network mechanism is directed by the network software facility to the appropriate application server of the designated one of the plurality of hosted operating system for processing; and

    ,(d) remapping the predetermined portions of each outgoing reply packet sent by a hosted system application server through the network software facility to the particular virtual host system by restoring the remote host station address identifier and well-known service identifier values so each outgoing reply packet sent by the virtual network mechanism to the internetwork appears to the remote host system as a reply packet to the communication between the remote host system and the hosted system application server as if the server had been reached through the LAN using the originally sent station address assigned to the particular hosted operating system with the well-known services identifier value.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×