Facility for retrieving data from a network adapter having a shared address resolution table
First Claim
1. A method for retrieving data, said method comprising:
- providing a network adapter for a computing environment having a plurality of logical partitions, each logical partition having at least one communications stack, wherein multiple communications stacks across the plurality of logical partitions transparently share the network adapter, the network adapter coupling the plurality of logical partitions to a network;
sending a command from one communications stack of the multiple communications stacks to the shared network adapter to retrieve specific data therefrom; and
responsive to said command, extracting the specific data from a shared address resolution table at the network adapter for return to the communications stack sending the command, wherein the shared address resolution table is shared by the plurality of logical partitions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A facility is provided to allow retrieval of specific parameters by a communications stack (e.g., TCP/IP) of a multi-partitioned processing system from a shared network adapter coupling the processing system to a network. The processing system includes multiple communications stacks, each of which registers internet protocol (IP) addresses with the network adapter in an address resolution table shared by the multiple communications stacks. The facility includes query request and reply commands for selectively retrieving specific data from the shared address resolution table, wherein the specific data can include: local registered IP addresses for a communications stack issuing a query request, network address resolution entries associated with a particular HOME IP address, HOME IP addresses of one or more other communications stacks sharing the network adapter, IP addresses owned by other entities on the network, IP addresses which are in the address cache, as well as other types of data.
66 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method for retrieving data, said method comprising:
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providing a network adapter for a computing environment having a plurality of logical partitions, each logical partition having at least one communications stack, wherein multiple communications stacks across the plurality of logical partitions transparently share the network adapter, the network adapter coupling the plurality of logical partitions to a network;
sending a command from one communications stack of the multiple communications stacks to the shared network adapter to retrieve specific data therefrom; and
responsive to said command, extracting the specific data from a shared address resolution table at the network adapter for return to the communications stack sending the command, wherein the shared address resolution table is shared by the plurality of logical partitions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for retrieving data comprising:
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a network adapter for a communications environment having a plurality of logical partitions, each logical partition having at least one communications stack, wherein multiple communications stacks across the plurality of logical partitions transparently share the network adapter, the network adapter coupling the plurality of logical partitions to a network;
means for sending a command from one communications stack of the multiple communications stacks to the shared network adapter to retrieve specific data therefrom; and
means for extracting the specific data from the shared address resolution table at a network adapter, responsive to said command, for return to the communications stack sending the command, wherein the shared address resolution table is shared by the plurality of logical partitions. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system for retrieving data comprising:
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a network adapter for a communications environment having a plurality of logical partitions, each logical partition having at least one communications stack, wherein multiple communications stacks across the plurality of logical partitions transparently share the network adapter, the network adapter coupling the plurality of logical partitions to a network for facilitating data transfer between said multiple communications stacks and said network, said network adapter including an address resolution table shared by the plurality of logical partitions;
a communications stack of the multiple communications stacks being adapted to send a command to the shared network adapter to retrieve specific data therefrom; and
wherein the network adapter is adapted to extract the specific data from the shared address resolution table responsive to said command for return to the communications stack sending the command.
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28. At least one program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of retrieving data, said method comprising:
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providing a network adapter for a computing environment having a plurality of logical partitions, each logical partition having at least one communications stack, wherein multiple communications stacks across the plurality of logical partitions transparently share the network adapter, the network adapter coupling the plurality of logical partitions to a network;
sending a command from one communications stack of the multiple communications stacks to the shared network adapter to retrieve specific data therefrom; and
responsive to said command, extracting the specific data from a shared address resolution table at the network adapter for return to the communications stack sending the command, wherein the shared address resolution table is shared by the plurality of logical partitions. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification