Method and apparatus for establishing a profile table for host bus adapters

• US 7,103,891 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PMC-Sierra Incorporated (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Adaptec Incorporated (Steel Partners Holdings LP)
• Inventors: Lin, Yen-Chung, Lin, Shing Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, LeChi
• Application Number:
  US09/687,244
• Time in Patent Office: 2,154 Days
• Field of Search: 709/326, 709/320, 719321-327
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881

Abstract

An invention is disclosed that provides a method for facilitating communication with a Fiber Channel controller. Initially, a data structure is defined that includes a Fiber Channel attribute value, which defines a particular functionality of a Fiber Channel controller. Although the data structure can include a plurality of Fiber Channel attributes, preferably at least one Fiber Channel attribute is defined in the data structure. A user is then enabled to modify the Fiber Channel attribute value. Further, during operation of the Fiber Channel controller, a modification request can be received from a code segment to alter the Fiber Channel attribute. The functionality of the Fiber Channel controller is then altered based on the Fiber Channel attribute value.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for facilitating communication with a Fibre Channel controller, comprising the operations of:

defining a data structure having a Fibre Channel attribute value, wherein the Fibre Channel attribute value defines a functionality of a Fibre Channel controller;

enabling user modification of the Fibre Channel attribute value;

defining a Fibre Channel Hardware Interface Module (FCHIM);

receiving a modification request from a code segment to alter the Fibre Channel attribute value during operation of the Fibre Channel controller such that the code segment is configured to directly alter the Fibre Channel attribute value without translating the modification request into Fibre Channel commands to facilitate the alteration of the Fibre Channel attribute value, the code segment is an Operating System Module (OSM), the OSM being capable of providing the modification request, the FCHIM being capable of receiving the modification request; and

altering the functionality of the Fibre Channel controller based on the Fibre Channel attribute value, the FCHIM being capable of altering the functionality of the Fibre Channel controller based on the Fibre Channel attribute value.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the operation of modifying the Fibre Channel attribute value in response to receiving the modification request.

3. A profile data structure for facilitating communication with a Fibre Channel controller, the profile data structure executed by a computer, the profile data structure comprising:

a Fibre Channel value field; and

a data type value related to the Fibre Channel value field, the data type value defining the data type of the Fibre Channel value field,

wherein a value in the Fibre Channel value field is accessible by an operating system dependent code module and the operating system dependent code module is configured to directly access the value in the Fibre Channel value field without translation into Fibre Channel commands, the operating system dependent code module is an Operating System Module (OSM), the OSM being capable of receiving operating system specific commands and providing operating system independent commands, and

wherein the value in the Fibre Channel value field also is accessible by an operating system independent code module, wherein the operating system independent code module is a Fibre Channel Hardware Interface Module (FCHIM), the FCHIM being capable of receiving the operating system independent commands and providing control signals to a Fibre Channel controller, wherein the FCHIM alters the Fibre Channel controller based on the value in the Fibre Channel value field.

4. A profile data structure as recited in claim 3, wherein the Fibre Channel attribute value field relates to a Fibre Channel maximum port value.

5. A profile data structure as recited in claim 3, wherein the Fibre Channel attribute value field relates to a Fibre Channel maximum Logical Unit Number (LUN) value.

6. A profile data structure as recited in claim 3, wherein the Fibre Channel attribute value field relates to a Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop value.

7. A computer system for facilitating communication with a Fibre Channel controller, comprising:

a profile data structure executed by the computer, the profile data structure having a Fibre Channel field value;

an operating system dependent code module executed by the computer, the operating system dependent code module in communication with the profile data structure, such that the operating system dependent code module is configured to be capable of directly modifying the Fibre Channel Field value without translation into Fibre Channel commands to facilitate the modification, wherein the operating system dependent code module is an Operating System Module (OSM), the OSM being capable of receiving operating system specific commands and providing operating system independent commands; and

an operating system independent code module executed by the computer, the operating system independent code module in communication with the profile data structure, wherein the operating system independent code module is capable of altering the functionality of a Fibre Channel controller based on the Fibre Channel field value, wherein the operating system independent code module is a Fibre Channel Hardware Interface Module (FCHIM), the FCHIM being capable of receiving the operating system independent commands and providing control signals to a Fibre Channel controller.