Locally providing globally consistent information to communications layers

• US 8,091,092 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bae, Myung M., DiNicola, Paul D., Kim, Chulho, Sivaram, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/848,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 719/310, 719/318, 719/321
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

Globally consistent information is locally provided to communications layers. Globally consistent information is stored in a Network Availability Matrix, which is locally accessible by a communications layer. If an event is detected, the communications layer is automatically notified by the Network Availability Matrix, and is able to use the information in the Network Availability Matrix to quickly take action.

Claims

1. A method of managing events, said method comprising:

determining by a component executing on a processor of a communications environment that an event within the communications environment has occurred, said component including globally consistent configuration information of the communications environment; and

automatically invoking by the component a handler function registered with the component to at least inform a user of the handler function of the event, the user comprising a communications layer of the communications environment and the component providing the globally consistent configuration information to the communications layer absent any internodal communication by the communications layer to obtain the globally consistent configuration information,

wherein said component comprises a network availability matrix executing within kernel space of a node of the communications environment, and

wherein the event comprises at least one change in the configuration information, the configuration information comprising obtained configuration information of one or more adapters of the communications environment, the configuration information describing one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters, wherein the automatically invoking the handler function to inform the user of the event ensures that each change of the at least one change in the configuration information, the globally consistent view of which is locally available to the communications layer, is independently seen by the communications layer and that proper sequencing of the at least one change is provided, and wherein the at least one change in the configuration is included in an information table which is forwarded to the component to facilitate the providing the globally consistent configuration information to the communications layer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using, by the communications layer, the globally consistent configuration information of the component to select a communications path of the communications environment, in response to the handler function being invoked.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said event comprises at least one of a network failure and a network change.

4. A computer system for managing events, said computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communications with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform;

determining by a component of a communications environment that an event within the communications environment has occurred, said component including globally consistent configuration information of the communications environment; and

automatically invoking by the component a handler function registered with the component to at least inform a user of the handler function of the event, the user comprising a communications layer of the communications environment, and the component providing the globally consistent configuration information to the communications layer absent any internodal communication by the communications layer to obtain the globally consistent configuration information,

wherein said component comprises a network availability matrix executing within kernel space of a node of the communications environment, and

wherein the event comprises at least one change in the configuration information, the configuration information comprising obtained configuration information of one or more adapters of the communications environment, the configuration information describing one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters, wherein the automatically invoking the handler function to inform the user of the event ensures that each change of the at least one change in the configuration information, the globally consistent view of which is locally available to the communications layer, is independently seen by the communications layer and that proper sequencing of the at least one change is provided, and wherein the at least one change in the configuration is included in an information table which is forwarded to the component to facilitate the providing the globally consistent configuration information to the communications layer.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises using, by the communications layer, the globally consistent configuration information of the component to select a communications path of the communications environment, in response to the handler function being invoked.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said event comprises at least one of a network failure and a network change.

7. A computer program product for managing events, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processor and storing instructions for execution by the processor for performing a method comprising;

determining by a component of a communications environment that an event within the communications environment has occurred, said component including globally consistent configuration information of the communications environment; and

automatically invoking by the component a handler function registered with the component to at least inform a user of the handler function of the event, the user comprising a communications layer of the communications environment, and the component providing the globally consistent configuration information to the communications layer absent any internodal communication by the communications layer to obtain the globally consistent configuration information,

wherein said component comprises a network availability matrix executing within kernel space of a node of the communications environment, and

wherein the event comprises at least one change in the configuration information, the configuration information comprising obtained configuration information of one or more adapters of the communications environment, the configuration information describing one or more characteristics of at least one adapter of the one or more adapters, wherein the automatically invoking the handler function to inform the user of the event ensures that each change of the at least one change in the configuration information, the globally consistent view of which is locally available to the communications layer, is independently seen by the communications layer and that proper sequencing of the at least one change is provided, and wherein the at least one change in the configuration is included in an information table which is forwarded to the component to facilitate the providing the globally consistent configuration information to the communications layer.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein said method further comprises using, by the communications layer, the globally consistent configuration information of the component to select a communications path of the communications environment, in response to the handler function being invoked.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein said event comprises at least one of a network failure and a network change.