Arrangement for instigating work in a channel adapter based on received address information and stored context information

• US 6,742,075 B1
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Winkles, Joseph, Bailey, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, ALAN S
• Application Number:
  US09/998,187
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 710/9, 710/39, 710/40, 710/300, 710/105, 710/112, 710/305, 710/310
• US Class Current: 710/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/14 Handling requests for interconnection or transfer

Abstract

A host channel adapter is configured for servicing a work notification, supplied by a host process to an assigned destination address accessable by the host channel adapter, based on matching the assigned destination address with a stored notification address from one of a plurality of queue pair context entries stored within the host channel adapter. The host channel adapter receives a queue pair context entry including a notification address, based on creation of a corresponding queue pair for a host process. The queue pair enables the host process to post a work descriptor and output a work notification to the host channel adapter by writing the work notification to an assigned destination address. The host channel adapter matches the assigned destination address with a stored notification address, and services the work descriptor based on the corresponding queue pair attributes specified in the identified queue pair context entry.

Claims

1. A method in a host channel adapter, the method comprising:

storing a queue pair context entry that specifies, for a corresponding queue pair, queue pair attributes including a corresponding notification address;

detecting a work notification for a work descriptor and that is written to a destination address;

identifying the queue pair context entry corresponding to the work descriptor based on a match between the destination address and the corresponding notification address; and

servicing the work descriptor based on the queue pair attributes specified in the identified queue pair context entry.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing step includes storing, as at least a portion of the queue pair attributes, a send queue memory address specifying a memory location for send work descriptors associated with the queue pair and a receive queue memory address specifying a memory location for receive work descriptors associated with the queue pair.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the servicing step includes fetching the work descriptor based on the send queue memory address specified in the corresponding identified queue pair context entry.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the detecting step includes detecting the work notification, written to the destination address, from within a prescribed range of memory mapped input/output (I/O) addresses accessable by the host channel adapter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step includes detecting the work notification, written to the destination address, from within a prescribed range of memory mapped input/output (I/O) addresses accessable by the host channel adapter.

6. A channel adapter comprising:

a queue pair attributes table configured for storing queue pair context entries specifying queue pair attributes, including notification addresses, for respective queue pairs; and

a host manager configured for detecting a work notification for a work descriptor and that is written to a destination address, the host manager configured for identifying, from the queue pair attributes table, one of the queue pair context entries as corresponding to the work descriptor based on a match between the destination address and the corresponding notification address, the host manager configured for retrieving the work descriptor based on the queue pair attributes specified in the one queue pair context entry.

7. The channel adapter of claim 6, wherein the queue pair attributes table is configured for storing, as at least a portion of the queue pair attributes for each corresponding queue pair, a send queue memory address specifying a memory location for send work descriptors associated with the corresponding queue pair and a receive queue memory address specifying a memory location for receive work descriptors associated with the corresponding queue pair.

8. The channel adapter of claim 7, wherein the host manager is configured for fetching the work descriptor based on the send queue memory address specified in the corresponding identified queue pair context entry.

9. The channel adapter of claim 8, wherein the host manager is configured for detecting the work notification, written to the destination address, from within a prescribed range of memory mapped input/output (I/O) addresses accessable by the host manager.

10. The channel adapter of claim 6, wherein the host manager is configured for detecting the work notification, written to the destination address, from within a prescribed range of memory mapped input/output (I/O) addresses accessable by the host manager.