Accessing vendor-specific drivers for configuring and accessing a self-virtualizing input/output device

• US 8,839,240 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barrett, Patrick A., Graham, Charles S., Koch, Andrew T., Logan, Bryan M., Lucke, Kyle A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, BENJAMIN C
• Application Number:
  US12/955,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20120137288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A vendor independent interface is provided between a hypervisor and an adjunct partition associated with a self-virtualizing IO resource to effectively abstract away vendor-specific interface details for the self-virtualizing IO resource and its adjunct partition. By doing so, vendor-specific implementation details may be isolated from the configuration and management functionality in a hypervisor, thus minimizing the changes to vendor specific firmware in order to manage new or revised self-virtualizing IO resources.

Claims

1. A method of managing a self-virtualizing input/output (IO) resource in a logically partitioned data processing system comprising a plurality of logical partitions, the method comprising:

interfacing an adjunct partition associated with the self-virtualizing input/output (IO) resource with a hypervisor through a vendor-independent Adjunct Management Channel (AMC) interface,

wherein the adjunct partition includes a partition AMC device driver and the hypervisor includes a hypervisor AMC device driver configured to interface with the partition AMC device driver over the AMC interface, and wherein the AMC interface comprises a virtual interface implemented using paired virtual adapters resident respectively in the adjunct partition and the hypervisor; and

in the hypervisor, managing the adjunct partition by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to vendor-specific adjunct management program code in the adjunct partition over the AMC interface using the partition AMC device driver and the hypervisor AMC device driver to enable the adjunct partition to configure the self-virtualizing IO resource for access by the plurality of logical partitions or to allow access to the self-virtualizing IO resource by at least one of the plurality of logical partitions,

wherein the adjunct partition includes a separate dispatchable state and employs virtual address space donated from a logical partition in the plurality of logical partitions or the hypervisor of the data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjunct partition comprises a physical function adjunct partition in communication with a physical function of the self-virtualizing IO resource, the method further comprising:

interfacing the hypervisor with a virtual function adjunct partition associated with a virtual function of the self-virtualizing IO resource through the AMC interface, the hypervisor and the virtual function adjunct partition respectively including second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers configured to interface with one another over the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, managing the virtual function adjunct partition by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to vendor-specific adjunct management program code in the virtual function adjunct partition over the AMC interface using the second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjunct partition is a physical function adjunct partition, and wherein the adjunct partition includes a physical function device driver in communication with a physical function of the self-virtualizing IO resource.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

in the hypervisor, managing the self-virtualizing IO resource by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to the physical function adjunct partition through the AMC interface; and

in the physical function adjunct partition, and in response to the configuration command, sending a command to the physical function of the self-virtualizing IO resource using the physical function device driver.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising interfacing the partition AMC device driver with the physical function device driver through a device driver application programming interface (API).

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

interfacing the hypervisor with a virtual function adjunct partition associated with a virtual function of the self-virtualizing IO resource through the AMC interface, the hypervisor and the virtual function adjunct partition respectively including second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers configured to interface with one another over the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, managing the virtual function adjunct partition by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to vendor-specific adjunct management program code in the virtual function adjunct partition over the AMC interface using the second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

in the physical function adjunct partition, notifying the hypervisor that the physical function adjunct partition is ready for configuration via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, requesting adapter parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource from the physical function adjunct partition via the AMC interface;

in the physical function adjunct partition, returning requested adapter parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource to the hypervisor via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, requesting port parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource from the physical function adjunct partition via the AMC interface;

in the physical function adjunct partition, returning requested port parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource to the hypervisor via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, instructing the physical function adjunct partition to configure at least one physical port of the self-virtualizing IO resource via the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, configuring at least one virtual function for the self-virtualizing resource, including;

setting port parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource to control a number of virtual functions for at least one physical port of the self-virtualizing IO resource via the AMC interface; and

configuring the virtual function via the AMC interface.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in the hypervisor, powering off the adjunct partition via the AMC interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjunct partition is a parent adjunct partition, the method further comprising, in the parent adjunct partition, instructing a child adjunct partition to reboot via the AMC interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjunct partition is a parent adjunct partition, the method further comprising, in the parent adjunct partition, notifying the hypervisor whether a child adjunct partition is bootable via the AMC interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjunct partition is a parent adjunct partition, the method further comprising, in the hypervisor, notifying the parent adjunct partition of a power state of a child adjunct partition via the AMC interface.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating an error log, including:

in the adjunct partition, notifying the hypervisor to create an error log via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, creating the error log and returning an error log identifier to the adjunct partition via the AMC interface;

in the adjunct partition, sending a buffer identifier to the hypervisor via the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, retrieving the error log and copying the error log to a buffer identified by the buffer identifier.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the self-virtualizing IO resource comprises an SRIOV Ethernet adapter.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

program code configured upon execution by the at least one processor to manage a self-virtualizing input/output (IO) resource in a logically partitioned data processing system comprising a plurality of logical partitions by

interfacing an adjunct partition associated with the self-virtualizing input/output (IO) resource with a hypervisor through a vendor-independent Adjunct Management Channel (AMC) interface,

wherein the adjunct partition includes a partition AMC device driver and the hypervisor includes a hypervisor AMC device driver configured to interface with the partition AMC device driver over the AMC interface, and wherein the AMC interface comprises a virtual interface implemented using paired virtual adapters resident respectively in the adjunct partition and the hypervisor; and

in the hypervisor, managing the adjunct partition by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to vendor-specific adjunct management program code in the adjunct partition over the AMC interface using the partition AMC device driver and the hypervisor AMC device driver to enable the adjunct partition to configure the self-virtualizing IO resource for access by the plurality of logical partitions or to allow access to the self-virtualizing IO resource by at least one of the plurality of logical partitions,

wherein the adjunct partition includes a separate dispatchable state and employs virtual address space donated from a logical partition in the plurality of logical partitions or the hypervisor of the data processing system.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the adjunct partition comprises a physical function adjunct partition in communication with a physical function of the self-virtualizing IO resource, and wherein the program code is further configured to:

interface the hypervisor with a virtual function adjunct partition associated with a virtual function of the self-virtualizing IO resource through the AMC interface, the hypervisor and the virtual function adjunct partition respectively including second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers configured to interface with one another over the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, manage the virtual function adjunct partition by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to vendor-specific adjunct management program code in the virtual function adjunct partition over the AMC interface using the second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the adjunct partition is a physical function adjunct partition, and wherein the adjunct partition includes a physical function device driver in communication with a physical function of the self-virtualizing IO resource.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the program code is further configured to:

in the hypervisor, manage the self-virtualizing IO resource by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to the physical function adjunct partition through the AMC interface; and

in the physical function adjunct partition, and in response to the configuration command, send a command to the physical function of the self-virtualizing IO resource using the physical function device driver.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program code is further configured to:

interface the hypervisor with a virtual function adjunct partition associated with a virtual function of the self-virtualizing IO resource through the AMC interface, the hypervisor and the virtual function adjunct partition respectively including second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers configured to interface with one another over the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, manage the virtual function adjunct partition by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to vendor-specific adjunct management program code in the virtual function adjunct partition over the AMC interface using the second hypervisor and partition AMC device drivers.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the program code is further configured to:

in the physical function adjunct partition, notify the hypervisor that the physical function adjunct partition is ready for configuration via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, request adapter parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource from the physical function adjunct partition via the AMC interface;

in the physical function adjunct partition, return requested adapter parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource to the hypervisor via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, request port parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource from the physical function adjunct partition via the AMC interface;

in the physical function adjunct partition, return requested port parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource to the hypervisor via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, instruct the physical function adjunct partition to configure at least one physical port of the self-virtualizing IO resource via the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, configure at least one virtual function for the self-virtualizing resource by;

setting port parameters for the self-virtualizing IO resource to control a number of virtual functions for at least one physical port of the self-virtualizing IO resource via the AMC interface; and

configuring the virtual function via the AMC interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the program code is further configured to, in the hypervisor, power off the adjunct partition via the AMC interface.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the adjunct partition is a parent adjunct partition, and wherein the program code is further configured to, in the parent adjunct partition, instruct a child adjunct partition to reboot via the AMC interface, and notify the hypervisor whether a child adjunct partition is bootable via the AMC interface.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the adjunct partition is a parent adjunct partition, and wherein the program code is further configured to, in the hypervisor, notify the parent adjunct partition of a power state of a child adjunct partition via the AMC interface.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the program code is further configured to create an error log by:

in the adjunct partition, notifying the hypervisor to create an error log via the AMC interface;

in the hypervisor, creating the error log and returning an error log identifier to the adjunct partition via the AMC interface;

in the adjunct partition, sending a buffer identifier to the hypervisor via the AMC interface; and

in the hypervisor, retrieving the error log and copying the error log to a buffer identified by the buffer identifier.

24. A program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

program code stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and configured upon execution to manage a self-virtualizing input/output (IO) resource in a logically partitioned data processing system comprising a plurality of logical partitions by;

interfacing an adjunct partition associated with the self-virtualizing input/output (IO) resource with a hypervisor through a vendor-independent Adjunct Management Channel (AMC) interface,

wherein the adjunct partition includes a partition AMC device driver and the hypervisor includes a hypervisor AMC device driver configured to interface with the partition AMC device driver over the AMC interface, and wherein the AMC interface comprises a virtual interface implemented using paired virtual adapters resident respectively in the adjunct partition and the hypervisor; and

in the hypervisor, managing the adjunct partition by communicating a configuration command from the hypervisor to vendor-specific adjunct management program code in the adjunct partition over the AMC interface using the partition AMC device driver and the hypervisor AMC device driver to enable the adjunct partition to configure the self-virtualizing IO resource for access by the plurality of logical partitions or to allow access to the self-virtualizing IO resource by at least one of the plurality of logical partitions,

wherein the adjunct partition includes a separate dispatchable state and employs virtual address space donated from a logical partition in the plurality of logical partitions or the hypervisor of the data processing system.