Emulated multi-tasking multi-processor channels implementing standard network protocols

• US 8,762,125 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2008
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Errickson, Richard K., Gregg, Thomas A., Houston, John S., Verdibello, Ambrose A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivas, Omar Fernandez
• Assistant Examiner(s): CALLE, ANGEL J.
• Application Number:
  US12/036,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,311 Days
• Field of Search: 703/23
• US Class Current: 703/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/105 where the programme performs an input/output emulation function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers

Abstract

A computer program product, apparatus and method for emulating channels in a multi-tasking multi-processor environment, including identifying a plurality of physical channels having an associated physical channel identifier for each of the plurality of physical channels, associating an emulated channel from a plurality of emulated channels for each of the plurality of physical channels, thereby generating a plurality of emulated channels, each of the plurality of emulated channels having a virtual channel identifier, mapping the plurality of emulated channels on a communications link, thereby generating an emulated channel path for each of the plurality of emulated channels, defining a queue pair link buffer from a plurality of queue pair link buffers for each of the emulated channels and increasing a number of queue pair link buffers.

Claims

1. A computer program product for emulating channels in a multi-tasking multi-processor environment, the computer program product comprising:

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

identifying a plurality of physical channels having an associated physical channel identifier for each of the plurality of physical channels;

generating a plurality of emulated channels;

associating an emulated channel from the plurality of emulated channels for each of the plurality of physical channels, each of the plurality of emulated channels having a virtual channel identifier;

mapping the plurality of emulated channels on a communications link, thereby generating an emulated channel path for each of the plurality of emulated channels, wherein mapping the plurality of emulated channels into the single communications link removes a one-to-one association between any one of the plurality of physical channels and the communications link;

defining a queue pair link buffer from a plurality of queue pair link buffers for each of the emulated channels, wherein communication in each of the plurality of emulated channels includes private data that includes semantic differences among each of the plurality of emulated channels, the virtual channel identifier for each of the plurality of emulated channels, source and target channel path identification;

validating the private data to determine if communication in each or the plurality of emulated channels is to be honored; and

in response to an increase of physical channel utilization, increasing a number of queue pair link buffers and mapping additional emulated channels to the communications link.

2. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1 further comprising initializing a transport layer associated with the plurality of physical channels.

3. The computer program product as claimed in claim 2 further comprising initializing an emulation layer associated with the plurality of emulated channels.

4. The computer program product as claimed in claim 3 wherein initialization of the transport layer and the emulation layer occurs via an auxiliary queue.

5. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1 further comprising validating a service associated with one or more of the plurality of the emulation channels.

6. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1 further comprising receiving a communication request.

7. The computer program product as claimed in claim 6 further comprising in response to receiving an acceptance of a connection request, sending a message that includes an identifying target queue pair.

8. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1 further comprising initializing a single connection for each channel path.

9. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8 further comprising initializing a subsequent connection request in response to a determination that a current connection request is accepted.

10. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1 further comprising periodically checking connection requests.

11. An apparatus for emulating channels in a multi-tasking multi-processor environment, the apparatus comprising:

a control unit defined with a channel in the network, the control unit performing a method comprising;

identifying a plurality of physical channels having an associated physical channel identifier for each of the plurality of physical channels;

generating a plurality of emulated channels;

associating an emulated channel from the plurality of emulated channels for each of the plurality of physical channels, each of the plurality of emulated channels having a virtual channel identifier;

mapping the plurality of emulated channels on a communications link, thereby generating an emulated channel path for each of the plurality of emulated channels, wherein mapping the plurality of emulated channels into the single communications link removes a one-to-one association between any one of the plurality of physical channels and the communications link;

defining a queue pair link buffer from a plurality of queue pair link buffers for each of the emulated channels, wherein communication in each of the plurality of emulated channels includes private data that includes semantic differences among each of the plurality of emulated channels, the virtual channel identifier for each of the plurality of emulated channels, source and target channel path identification;

validating the private data to determine if communication in each of the plurality of emulated channels is to be honored; and

in response to an increase of physical channel utilization, increasing a number of queue pair link buffers and mapping additional emulated channels to the communications link.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises:

initializing a transport layer associated with the plurality of physical channels; and

initializing an emulation layer associated with the plurality of emulated channels,

wherein initialization of the transport layer and the emulation layer occurs via an auxiliary queue.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises validating a service associated with one or more of the plurality of the emulation channels.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises in response to receiving an acceptance of a connection request, sending a message that includes an identifying target queue pair.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises initializing a single connection for each channel path.

16. A method for emulating channels in a multi-tasking multi-processor environment, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of physical channels having an associated physical channel identifier for each of the plurality of physical channels;

generating a plurality of emulated channels;

associating an emulated channel from the plurality of emulated channels for each of the plurality of physical channels, each of the plurality of emulated channels having a virtual channel identifier;

mapping the plurality of emulated channels on a communications link, thereby generating an emulated channel path for each of the plurality of emulated channels, wherein mapping the plurality of emulated channels into the single communications link removes a one-to-one association between any one of the plurality of physical channels and the communications link;

defining a queue pair link buffer from a plurality of queue pair link buffers for each of the emulated channels, wherein communication in each of the plurality of emulated channels includes private data that includes semantic differences among each of the plurality of emulated channels, the virtual channel identifier for each of the plurality of emulated channels, source and target channel path identification;

validating the private data to determine if communication in each of the plurality of emulated channels is to be honored; and

in response to an increase of physical channel utilization, increasing a number of queue pair link buffers and mapping additional emulated channels to the communications link.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising:

initializing a transport layer associated with the plurality of physical channels; and

initializing an emulation layer associated with the plurality of emulated channels,

wherein initialization of the transport layer and the emulation layer occurs via an auxiliary queue.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising validating a service associated with one or more of the plurality of the emulation channels.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising in response to receiving an acceptance of a connection request, sending a message that includes an identifying target queue pair.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising initializing a single connection for each channel path.