Apparatus, system and method for implementing a generalized queue pair in a system area network

• US 7,493,409 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walk, Bruce Marshall, Craddock, David F., Schmidt, Donald William
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Karen C
• Application Number:
  US10/411,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/212, 709/238, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus, system and method for providing a generalized queue pair for use with host channel adapters of a system area network. With the apparatus, system and method, the hypervisor of a host channel adapter maintains a P_Key table for each logical port of the host channel adapter. When a request is received to allocate a queue pair from a requestor application associated with a logical port, a P_Key mode is set in a control register associated with the queue pair based on the type of requestor application that sent the request. Based on this P_Key mode, one or more P_Keys from a P_Key table associated with the logical port from which the request was received are written to one or more P_Key registers allocated to the queue pair. These P_Keys are then used to perform P_Key checks of incoming data packets. In addition, these P_Keys are inserted into headers of outgoing data packets. In a preferred embodiment, the P_Key modes may be a single P_Key check mode, a multiple P_Key check mode, and a P_Key check disabled mode.

Claims

1. A method of allocating a queue pair in a host channel adapter of a system area network, comprising:

receiving a request, from a requestor, to allocate the queue pair;

sending the request to a hypervisor of the host channel adapter, wherein the hypervisor allocates the queue pair comprising a set of one or more queue pair partition key registers;

identifying a type of the requestor;

writing a partition key mode in a set of queue pair hypervisor control registers to indicate a type of partition key checking to be performed with the queue pair based on the type of the requestor, wherein the partition key mode is one of a single partition key check mode if the requestor is a user application, a multiple partition key check mode if the requestor is an application that performs multicasting, or a partition key check disabled mode if the queue pair is being allocated for use by the hypervisor of the host channel adapter; and

writing one or more partition keys to the set of one or more queue pair partition key registers of the queue pair based on the partition key mode;

wherein the one or more partition keys are partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adapter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair includes:

identifying a logical port from which the request was received; and

looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table associated with the logical port.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includes:

selecting a partition key from the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port based on a partition key index supplied in the request; and

writing the selected partition key to a resource of the queue pair.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includes:

determining if the queue pair is a management datagram queue pair;

selecting all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port;

and writing all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port to resources of the queue pair

5. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying a logical port from which the request was received and looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table are performed each time a multicast join operation is performed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources of the queue pair are one or more partition key registers allocated to the queue pair.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the requestor is trusted code, the partition key mode is set to a partition key check disabled mode and no partition key is written to the resources of the queue pair.

8. A computer program product in a recordable type media for allocating a queue pair in a host channel adapter of a system area network, comprising:

first instructions for receiving a request, from a requester, to allocate the queue pair;

second instructions for sending the request to a hypervisor of the host channel adapter, wherein the hypervisor allocates the queue pair comprising a set of one or more queue pair partition key registers;

third instructions for identifying a type of the requestor;

fourth instructions for writing a partition key mode in a set of queue pair hypervisor control registers to indicate a type of partition key checking to be performed with the queue pair based on the type of the requestor, wherein the partition key mode is one of a single partition key check mode if the requestor is a user application, a multiple partition key check mode if the requestor is an application that performs multicasting, or a partition key check disabled mode if the queue pair is being allocated for use by the hypervisor of the host channel adapter; and

fifth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to the set of one or more queue pair partition key registers of the queue pair based on the partition key mode;

wherein the one or more partition keys are partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adapter.

9. The computer program product in the recordable type media of claim 8, wherein the fourth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair include:

instructions for identifying a logical port from which the request was received; and

instructions for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table associated with the logical port.

10. The computer program product in the recordable type media of claim 9, wherein the fourth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further include:

instructions for selecting a partition key from the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port based on a partition key index supplied in the request; and

instructions for writing the selected partition key to a resource of the queue pair.

11. The computer program product in the recordable type media of claim 9, wherein the fourth instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further include:

instructions for determining if the queue pair is a management datagram queue pair;

instructions for selecting all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port; and

instructions for writing all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port to resources of the queue pair.

12. The computer program product in the recordable type media of claim 9,wherein the instructions for identifying a logical port from which the request was received and the instructions for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table are executed each time a multicast join operation is performed.

13. The computer program product in the recordable type media of claim 8, wherein if the requestor is trusted code, the partition key mode is set to a partition key check disabled mode and no partition key is written to the resources of the queue pair.

14. A data processing system for allocating a queue pair in a host channel adapter of a system area network, comprising:

a bus;

a memory connected to the bus, wherein the memory contains computer instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer instructions to receive a request, from a requestor, to allocate the queue pair;

send the request to a hypervisor of the host channel adapter, wherein the hypervisor allocates the queue pair comprising a set of one or more queue pair partition key registers;

identify a type of the requestor;

write a partition key mode in a set of queue pair hypervisor control registers to indicate a type of partition key checking to be performed with the queue pair based on the type of the requestor, wherein the partition key mode is one of a single partition key check mode if the requestor is a user application, a multiple partition key check mode if the requestor is an application that performs multicasting, or a partition key check disabled mode if the queue pair is being allocated for use by the hypervisor of the host channel adapter; and

write one or more partition keys to the set of one or more queue pair partition key registers of the queue pair based on the partition key mode;

wherein the one or more partition keys are partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adapter.

15. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the computer instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair includes computer instructions for identifying a logical port from which the request was received and computer instructions for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table associated with the logical port.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the computer instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includescomputer instructions for selecting a partition key from the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port based on a partition key index supplied in the request and computer instructions for writing the selected partition-key to a resource of the queue pair.

17. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the computer instructions for writing one or more partition keys to resources of the queue pair further includes computer instructions for determining if the queue pair is a management datagram queue pair computer instructions for selecting all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port and computer instructionsfor writing all of the one or more partition keys in the partition key table associated with the logical port to resources of the queue pair.

18. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the computer instructions for identifying a logical port from which the request was received and the means for looking up one or more partition keys in a partition key table operate each time a multicast join operation is performed.

19. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein the one or more partition keys are partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adapter.

20. A method of allocating a queue pair in a host channel adapter of a system area network, comprising:

receiving a request, from a requestor, to allocate the queue pair;

sending the request to a hypervisor of the host channel adapter, wherein the hypervisor allocates the queue pair comprising a set of one or more queue pair partition key registers;

identifying a type of the requestor;

writing a partition key mode in a set of queue pair hypervisor control registers to indicate a type of partition key checking to be performed with the queue pair based on the type of the requestor, wherein the partition key mode is one of a single partition key check mode if the requestor is a user application, a multiple partition key check mode if the requestor is an application that performs multicasting, or a partition key check disabled mode if the queue pair is being allocated for use by the hypervisor of the host channel adapter; and

writing one or more partition keys to the set of one or more queue pair partition key registers of the queue pair based on the partition key mode, wherein a default partition key is written in the set of queue pair partition key registers for the single partition key check mode, all applicable partition keys are written in the set of queue pair partition key registers for the multiple partition key check mode, and no keys are written in the set of queue pair partition key registers for the disabled partition key check mode;

one or more partition keys assigned by a subnet manager in a system area network and stored in a partition key table associated with a port of the host channel adaptor.