Dynamic translational topology layer for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications

• US 7,924,873 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thompson, Belinda L., Richter, Andrew H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Blanche
• Application Number:
  US11/189,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,086 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/466
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A method for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications across different network topologies can include receiving frames passing between a first network having a first network topology and a second network having a second network topology; inspecting an incoming one of the frames to identify a remote resource in the second network and a device identifier corresponding to the remote resource, and an outgoing one of the frames to identify a socket assigned to a local resource in the first network and a device identifier for the local resource corresponding to the socket; and, transmitting data from a protocol-aware application in the first network to the remote resource in the second network in a protocol consistent with the second network topology, and further transmitting data from the remote resource in the second network to the protocol-aware application in the first network in a protocol consistent with the first network topology.

Claims

1. A system for enabling connectivity for protocol-aware applications across different network topologies comprising:

a host computing hardware platform including a network device handler configured to

couple to a protocol-aware application configured for operation in a first network having a first network topology, and

couple to a network device communicatively linked to a second network having a second, different network topology;

a first mapping comprising a mapping of remote resource identifiers for remote resources in said second network to said remote resources; and

a second mapping comprising a mapping of local resource identifiers for local resources to sockets for said local resources;

said network device handler configured to

utilize said second mapping to receive data from said protocol-aware application for transmission through said network device to selected remote resources in said second network in a protocol consistent with said second network topology; and

utilize said first mapping to receive data from said remote resources in said second network through said network device for transmission to said protocol-aware application in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

said network device handler is disposed in an operating system kernel in the host computing hardware platform.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

said network device handler is disposed in a logical partition in the host computing hardware platform.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

said first network topology is a ring topology.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein

said second network topology is a bus topology.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

said local resource identifier are media access control (MAC) addresses.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein

said local resource identifier are channel control identifiers (CCID).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein

said network device handler is configured to couple to a plurality of protocol-aware applications, and

each of the plurality of protocol-aware application are configured to operate in said first network having said first network topology.

9. A method for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications across different network topologies comprising:

receiving frames passing between a first network having a first network topology and a second network having a second network topology;

inspecting an incoming one of said frames to identify a remote resource in said second network and a remote resource identifier corresponding to said remote resource;

inspecting an outgoing one of said frames to identify a socket assigned to a local resource in said first network and a local resource identifier for said local resource corresponding to said socket;

transmitting data from a protocol-aware application in said first network to said remote resource in said second network in a protocol consistent with said second network topology; and

transmitting data from said remote resource in said second network to said protocol-aware application in said first network in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising

receiving requests from multiple protocol-aware applications in said first network to receive data in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising

registering with a host computing platform coupled to both said first network and said second network.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer usable program code stored therein for enabling connectivity for protocol aware applications across different network topologies, said computer usable program code, which when executed by a computer hardware system, causes the computer hardware system to perform

receiving frames passing between a first network having a first network topology and a second network having a second network topology;

inspecting an incoming one of said frames to identify a remote resource in said second network and a device identifier corresponding to said remote resource;

inspecting an outgoing one of said frames to identify a socket assigned to a local resource in said first network and a device identifier for said local resource corresponding to said socket;

transmitting data from a protocol-aware application in said first network to said remote resource in said second network in a protocol consistent with said second network topology; and

transmitting data from said remote resource in said second network to said protocol-aware application in said first network in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code further causes the computer hardware system to perform

receiving requests from multiple protocol-aware applications in said first network to receive data in a protocol consistent with said first network topology.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code further causes the computer hardware system to perform

registering with a host computing platform coupled to both said first network and said second network.