Method, system, and program for forwarding messages between nodes

• US 7,966,380 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hufferd, John Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza; Faruk
• Application Number:
  US12/781,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20100220740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 709212-219, 709/230, 709/238, 709/246, 370/466
• US Class Current: 709/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for forwarding a message from a transmitting node. A first message is received encoded using a first communication protocol from the transmitting node, wherein the first message includes a direct reference to a memory location in one node. A determination is made as to whether the first message is directed to a receiving node using a second communication protocol. A second message is generated that is compatible with the second communication protocol, wherein the second message causes an operation to be performed with respect to the direct reference in the first message. The second message is transmitted to the receiving node.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture comprising at least one of hardware and a computer readable storage medium having code executed to implement a first gateway and a second gateway for forwarding a message from a transmitting node to a receiving node and for performing operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, by the first gateway, a first message encoded using a first communication protocol from the transmitting node, wherein the first message includes a direct reference to a memory location in the transmitting node or the receiving node;

generating, by the first gateway, a second message compatible with a second communication protocol, wherein the second message causes the receiving node to perform an operation with respect to the direct reference in the first message;

transmitting, by the first gateway, the second message in the second communication protocol to the second gateway, wherein the receiving node is in communication with the second gateway, and wherein the receiving node uses the first communication protocol;

generating, by the second gateway, a third message compatible with the first communication protocol including the direct reference, and wherein the third message causes the receiving node to perform the operation with respect to the direct reference.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an InfiniBand protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with invalidate message, wherein the direct reference comprises an STag, wherein the second message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the operations further comprise:

adding the direct reference STag in the first message to the immediate data field of the second message.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an InfiniBand protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with invalidate message, wherein the direct reference comprises an STag, wherein the second message comprises a send without immediate data, and wherein the direct reference in the Stag of the first message is not included in the second message.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Infiniband protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the direct reference comprises an R_Key in the immediate data, wherein the second message comprises a send with invalidate message, wherein the operations further comprise:

adding the R_Key in the immediate data in the first message to a field of the second message.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Infiniband protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the direct reference comprises an R_Key in the immediate data, wherein the second message comprises a send with invalidate message, and wherein the direct reference in the R_Key of the first message is not included in the second message.

6. A system in communication with a transmitting node and a receiving node, comprising:

a first gateway and a second gateway, each having at least one of hardware and a computer readable storage medium including code to implement protocol converters;

wherein the first gateway executes the code to perform;

receive a first message encoded using a first communication protocol from the transmitting node, wherein the first message includes a direct reference to a memory location in the transmitting node or the receiving node;

generate a second message compatible with a second communication protocol, wherein the second message causes the receiving node to perform an operation with respect to the direct reference in the first message;

transmit the second message in the second communication protocol to the second gateway, wherein the receiving node is in communication with the second gateway,

wherein the receiving node uses the first communication protocol, wherein the second gateway executes the code to generate a third message compatible with the first communication protocol including the direct reference, and wherein the third message causes the receiving node to perform the operation with respect to the direct reference.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an InfiniBand protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with invalidate message, wherein the direct reference comprises an STag, wherein the second message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the first gateway further executes the code to:

add the direct reference STag in the first message to the immediate data field of the second message.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an InfiniBand protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with invalidate message, wherein the direct reference comprises an STag, wherein the second message comprises a send without immediate data, and wherein the direct reference in the Stag of the first message is not included in the second message.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Infiniband protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the direct reference comprises an R_Key in the immediate data, wherein the second message comprises a send with invalidate message, and wherein the first gateway further executes the code enabled to:

add the R_Key in the immediate data in the first message to a field of the second message.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Infiniband protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the direct reference comprises an R_Key in the immediate data, wherein the second message comprises a send with invalidate message, and wherein the direct reference in the R_Key of the first message is not included in the second message.

11. A method for forwarding a message from a transmitting node to a receiving node, comprising:

receiving, by a first gateway, a first message encoded using a first communication protocol from the transmitting node, wherein the first message includes a direct reference to a memory location in the transmitting node or the receiving node;

generating, by the first gateway, a second message compatible with a second communication protocol, wherein the second message causes the receiving node to perform an operation with respect to the direct reference in the first message;

transmitting, by the first gateway, the second message in the second communication protocol to a second gateway, wherein the receiving node is in communication with the second gateway, wherein the receiving node uses the first communication protocol; and

generating, by the second gateway, a third message compatible with the first communication protocol including the direct reference, and wherein the third message causes the receiving node to perform the operation with respect to the direct reference.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an InfiniBand protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with invalidate message, wherein the direct reference comprises an STag, wherein the second message comprises a send with immediate data message, further comprising:

adding the direct reference STag in the first message to the immediate data field of the second message.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an InfiniBand protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with invalidate message, wherein the direct reference comprises an STag, wherein the second message comprises a send without immediate data, and wherein the direct reference in the Stag of the first message is not included in the second message.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Infiniband protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the direct reference comprises an R_Key in the immediate data, wherein the second message comprises a send with invalidate message, further comprising:

adding the R_Key in the immediate data in the first message to a field of the second message.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an Infiniband protocol, wherein the second communication protocol comprises an iWARP protocol, wherein the first message comprises a send with immediate data message, wherein the direct reference comprises an R_Key in the immediate data, wherein the second message comprises a send with invalidate message, and wherein the direct reference in the R_Key of the first message is not included in the second message.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving node comprises an initiator node, wherein the transmitting node comprises a target node and wherein the first and second messages comprise a request to the initiator node to invalidate the direct reference to the memory location.