Systems, methods and computer program products for controlling high speed network traffic in server blade environments

• US 7,843,836 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Medlin, Robert D., Elliott, John C., Lucas, Gregg S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng; Fan
• Application Number:
  US12/119,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20090279439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• 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]

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products for controlling high-speed network traffic in server blade environments. Exemplary embodiments include a method for controlling high-speed network traffic in a server blade network, the method including identifying a port under test, identifying a debug port, identifying a code state of interest from the port under test and generating a modified IDLE word in response to an identification of a code state of interest from the port under test.

Claims

1. A method for controlling high-speed network traffic, the method comprising:

identifying a port under test through which transmission of code having a plurality of code states of interest, which indicates that a data failure occurs, and through which transmission of non-data words occurs;

identifying a debug port to which code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest is routed to analyze;

identifying the code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest, from the port under test;

routing the code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest to the debug port;

generating a modified non-data word in response to an identification of a code state of interest from the port under test; and

receiving the modified non-data word in conjunction with the code state of interest at the debug port,

wherein the modified non-data word tags the code associated with the code states of interest to control analysis of the code at the debug port.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the port under test transmits non-data words for reception at the debug port.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the non-data words include modified values configured to trigger a tracing function at the debug port.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the non-data words are transmitted in a sequence configured to trigger a tracing function at the debug port.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the non-data words include in-band communication configured to enable the debug port to perform a function selected from the group consisting of:

begin transaction capture;

end transaction capture;

capturing following x transactions;

capture previous x transactions;

enable trigger on transaction conditions; and

disable trigger.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising transmitting the modified non-data word in a server blade network.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the modified non-data word is configured to trigger a data capture on the debug port.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the non-data word is configured to trigger a data capture of data related to the code state of interest on the debug port.

9. A computer program product for controlling high-speed network, comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions for causing a computer, having a processor, to implement a method, the method comprising:

Identifying in the processor a port under test through which transmission of code having a plurality of code states of interest, which indicates that a data failure occurs, and through which transmission of non-data words occurs;

Identifying in the processor a debug port to which code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest is routed to analyze;

Identifying in the processor the code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest, from the port under test;

Routing the code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest to the debug port;

Generating a modified non-data word in response to an identification of a code state of interest from the port under test; and

Receiving in the processor the modified non-data word in conjunction with the code state of interest at the debug port,

Wherein the modified non-data word tags the code associated with the code states of interest to control analysis of the code at the debug port.

10. The computer program product as claimed in claim 9 wherein the port under test transmits non-data words for reception at the debug port.

11. The computer program product as claimed in claim 10 wherein the non-data words include modified values configured to trigger a tracing function at the debug port.

12. The computer program product as claimed in claim 10 wherein the non-data words are transmitted in a sequence configured to trigger a tracing function at the debug port.

13. The computer program product as claimed in claim 10 wherein the non-data words include in-band communication configured to enable the debug port to perform a function selected from the group consisting of:

begin transaction capture;

end transaction capture;

capturing following x transactions;

capture previous x transactions;

enable trigger on transaction conditions; and

disable trigger.

14. The computer program product as claimed in claim 9 wherein the method further comprises transmitting the modified non-data word in a server blade network.

15. The computer program product as claimed in claim 14 wherein the modified non-data word is configured to trigger a data capture on the debug port.

16. The computer program product as claimed in claim 14 wherein the non-data word is configured to trigger a data capture of data related to the code state of interest on the debug port.

17. A switch module system for controlling high-speed network, the system comprising:

a port under test through which transmission of code having a plurality of code states of interest, which indicates that a data failure occurs, and through which transmission of non-data words occurs;

a debug port communicatively coupled to the port under test, and to which code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest is routed to analyze;

a processor configured to;

identify the code associated with the subset of the plurality of the code states of interest, from the port under test;

route the code associated with the plurality of the code states of interest to the debug port;

generate a modified non-data word in response to an identification of a code state of interest from the port under test; and

route the modified non-data word in conjunction with the code state of interest at the debug port,

wherein the modified non-data word tags the code associated with the code states of interest to control analysis of the code at the debug port.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the port under test is configured to transmit non-data words for reception at the debug port.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the configurable non-data words include modified values configured to trigger a tracing function at the debug port.

20. The system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the configurable non-data words are transmitted in a sequence configured to trigger a tracing function at the debug port.