Apparatus, system and method for providing multiple logical channel adapters within a single physical channel adapter in a system area network

• US 7,283,473 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rogers, Steven L., Arndt, Richard Louis, Fuhs, Ronald Edward, Walk, Bruce Marshall, Paynton, Calvin Charles, Craddock, David F., Beukema, Bruce Leroy, Schmidt, Donald William, Gregg, Thomas Anthony, Meritt, Allan Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARK, JUNG H
• Application Number:
  US10/411,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/35 Switches specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/322 Intralayer communication protocols among peer entities or protocol data unit [PDU] definitions

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method for providing multiple logical partitions in a system area network are provided Logical partitioning support is provided for host channel adapters which allows multiple operating systems to share the resources of a single physical host channel adapter (HCA). The apparatus, system and method ensures that each operating system is unaware that the HCA hardware resources are being shared with other operating systems and further guarantees that the individual operating systems are prevented from accessing HCA hardware resources which are associated with other operating systems.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for logically partitioning resources of a host channel adapter for use in a system area network, comprising:

assigning a first logical identifier to a first set of resources of the host channel adapter to thereby define a first logical partition;

assigning a second logical identifier to a second set of resources of the host channel adapter to thereby define a second logical partition; and

providing a logical switching mechanism for routing of a data packet to one of the first set of resources or the second set of resources based on a logical identifier associated with the data packet, wherein the logical switching mechanism includes queue pair facilities maintained by a hypervisor that identify a physical port to which each queue pair in the host channel adapter is associated, and wherein the logical switching mechanism further includes port facilities maintained by a hypervisor for routing of data packets to queue pairs within the host channel adapter or to physical ports of the host channel adapter, and wherein the port facilities operate to check inbound data packets sent to a particular queue pair to ensure that the inbound data packets meet attribute requirements of the particular queue pair, and wherein the port facilities check outbound data packets to determine whether the destination is another queue pair within the host channel adapter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical switching mechanism is a logical switch that routes data packets to logical ports associated with one of the first logical partition and the second logical partition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources of the host channel adapter includes a plurality of queue pairs.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each queue pair in the plurality of queue pairs has an associated logical identifier and global identifier, and wherein the logical identifier and global identifier of a queue pair is set to a logical identifier and global identifier of a logical host channel adapter associated with a logical partition to which the queue pair is allocated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the logical switching mechanism routes the data packet by performing a lookup of a logical port based on one of a logical identifier and a global identifier in a header of the data packet.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein routing of a data packet to one of the first set of resources or the second set of resources based on a logical identifier associated with the data packet further includes:

comparing the logical identifier associated with the data packet to a logical identifier associated with a physical port; and

forwarding the data packet to a resource associated with the physical port if the logical identifier associated with the data packet matches the logical identifier associated with the physical port.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the logical identifier and global identifier associated with each queue pair is assigned by a hypervisor.

8. An apparatus for logically partitioning resources of a host channel adapter for use in a system area network, comprising:

means for assigning a first logical identifier to a first set of resources of the host channel adapter to thereby define a first logical partition;

means for assigning a second logical identifier to a second set of resources of the host channel adapter to thereby define a second logical partition; and

means for providing a logical switching mechanism for routing of a data packet to one of the first set of resources or the second set of resources based on a logical identifier associated with the data packet, wherein the logical switching mechanism includes queue pair facilities maintained by a hypervisor that identify a physical port to which each queue pair in the host channel adapter is associated, and wherein the logical switching mechanism further includes port facilities maintained by a hypervisor for routine of data packets to queue pairs within the host channel adapter or to physical ports of the host channel adapter, and wherein the port facilities operate to check inbound data packets sent to a particular queue pair to ensure that the inbound data packets meet attribute requirements of the particular queue pair, and wherein the port facilities check outbound data packets to determine whether the destination is another queue pair within the host channel adapter.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logical switching mechanism is a logical switch that routes data packets to logical ports associated with one of the first logical partition and the second logical partition.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the resources of the host channel adapter includes a plurality of queue pairs.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each queue pair in the plurality of queue pairs has an associated logical identifier and global identifier, and wherein the logical identifier and global identifier of a queue pair is set to a logical identifier and global identifier of a logical host channel adapter associated with a logical partition to which the queue pair is allocated.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the logical switching mechanism routes the data packet by performing a lookup of a logical port based on one of a logical identifier and a global identifier in a header of the data packet.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein logical switching mechanism routes the data packet to one of the first set of resources or the second set of resources based on a logical identifier associated with the data packet by:

comparing the logical identifier associated with the data packet to a logical identifier associated with a physical port; and

forwarding the data packet to a resource associated with the physical port if the logical identifier associated with the data packet matches the logical identifier associated with the physical port.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the logical identifier and global identifier associated with each queue pair is assigned by a hypervisor.

15. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for logically partitioning resources of a host channel adapter for use in a system area network, comprising:

first instructions for assigning a first logical identifier to a first set of resources of the host channel adapter to thereby define a first logical partition;

second instructions for assigning a second logical identifier to a second set of resources of the host channel adapter to thereby define a second logical partition; and

third instructions for providing a logical switching mechanism for routing of a data packet to one of the first set of resources or the second set of resources based on a logical identifier associated with the data packet, wherein the logical switching mechanism includes queue pair facilities maintained by a hypervisor that identify a physical port to which each queue pair in the host channel adapter is associated, and wherein the logical switching mechanism further includes port facilities maintained by a hypervisor for routing of data packets to queue pairs within the host channel adapter or to physical ports of the host channel adapter, and wherein the port facilities operate to check inbound data packets sent to a particular queue pair to ensure that the inbound data packets meet attribute requirements of the particular queue pair, and wherein the port facilities check outbound data packets to determine whether the destination is another queue pair within the host channel adapter.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the logical switching mechanism is a logical switch that routes data packets to logical ports associated with one of the first logical partition and the second logical partition.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the resources of the host channel adapter includes a plurality of queue pairs.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each queue pair in the plurality of queue pairs has an associated logical identifier and global identifier, and wherein the logical identifier and global identifier of a queue pair is set to a logical identifier and global identifier of a logical host channel adapter associated with a logical partition to which the queue pair is allocated.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the logical switching mechanism routes the data packet by performing a lookup of a logical port based on one of a logical identifier and a global identifier in a header of the data packet.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the logical switching mechanism routes the data packet to one of the first set of resources or the second set of resources based on a logical identifier associated with the data packet by:

comparing the logical identifier associated with the data packet to a logical identifier associated with a physical port; and

forwarding the data packet to a resource associated with the physical port if the logical identifier associated with the data packet matches the logical identifier associated with the physical port.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the logical identifier and global identifier associated with each queue pair is assigned by a hypervisor.