Detecting system reconfiguration and maintaining persistent I/O configuration data in a clustered computer system

• US 7,877,471 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bailey, David Alan, Block, Timothy Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrao; Ranodhi N
• Application Number:
  US12/023,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/251, 710/100, 713/300
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40039 Details regarding the setting of the power status of a node according to activity on the bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks

Abstract

In a clustered computer system with multiple power domains, a bus number manager within each power domain manages multiple nodes independently of other power domains. A node within a specified power domain includes a non-volatile memory that includes bus numbering information for its own buses as well as bus numbering information for two of its logically-interconnected neighbors. This creates a distributed database of the interconnection topology for each power domain. Because a node contains bus numbering information about its logical neighbor node(s), the bus numbers for the buses in the nodes are made persistent across numerous different system reconfigurations. The clustered computer system also includes a bus number manager that reads the non-volatile memories in the nodes during initial program load (i.e., boot) that reconstructs the interconnection topology from the information read from the non-volatile memories, and that assigns bus numbers to the buses according to the derived interconnection topology.

Claims

1. A clustered computer system comprising:

a first power domain manager comprising a first processor coupled to a first memory, a second power domain manager comprising a second processor coupled to a second memory, and a plurality of nodes all coupled together via a plurality of buses in a loop network, wherein the first power domain manager can individually power on and power off any of a first plurality of nodes in the loop network and the second power domain manager can individually power on and off any of a second plurality of nodes in the loop network; and

a bus number manager in the first power domain manager, the bus number manager determining at least one logical neighbor for each of the first plurality of nodes, the bus number manager ignoring any nodes in the loop network that are in the second power domain in determining the at least one logical neighbor for each of the first plurality of nodes, the bus number manager writing to non-volatile memory in each of the first plurality of nodes bus numbering information for at least one bus in each node and bus numbering information for at least one bus in each logical neighbor node.

2. The clustered computer system of claim 1 wherein the bus numbering information comprises a beginning bus number and a number of buses.

3. The clustered computer system of claim 1 wherein the first power domain manager comprises a non-volatile memory including a bus number mask that indicates bus numbers in use in the first power domain.

4. The clustered computer system of claim 1 wherein the bus number manager detects a change in configuration of the first power domain and reads the bus numbering information from the non-volatile memory in at least one of the first plurality of nodes to determine an appropriate bus number for at least one bus in the first plurality of nodes.