Processing operator message commands

• US 8,930,963 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Elko, David A., Goss, Steven N., Shaw, Thomas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jordan, Kimberly
• Application Number:
  US13/681,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20130081057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/22 Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

A facility is provided to enable operator message commands from multiple, distinct sources to be provided to a coupling facility of a computing environment for processing. These commands are used, for instance, to perform actions on the coupling facility, and may be received from consoles coupled to the coupling facility, as well as logical partitions or other systems coupled thereto. Responsive to performing the commands, responses are returned to the initiators of the commands.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating processing of operator message commands in a computing environment, said method comprising:

obtaining, by a coupling facility of the computing environment from a source separate from, but coupled to the coupling facility, an operator message command and a token associated with the operator message command, the operator message command to specify, by the source separate from, but coupled to the coupling facility, an action to be taken on the coupling facility to test at least one of reliability and performance of the coupling facility;

using the token associated with the operator message command to provide a buffer of the coupling facility to store the operator message command, the buffer usable in performance of the operator message command, and wherein the buffer comprises a token field for storing the token associated with the operator message command;

performing the operator message command, the performing using the buffer; and

providing a response to processing the operator message command, the response to be available to the source of the operator message command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the using the token to provide the buffer comprises:

based on determining that no buffer of one or more buffers of the coupling facility has a token field matching the token, selecting an idle buffer of the one or more buffers of the coupling facility and storing the token within the token field of the selected buffer, wherein the selected buffer having the token stored therein is the buffer to be used in performance of the operator message command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operator message command is selected for processing from a plurality of operator message commands obtained from multiple different types of sources, the multiple different types of sources comprising a processor image and a coupling facility console.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving the operator message command via a start operator message command initiated by the source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the start operator message command at a multiplexor of the coupling facility, and further comprising selecting by the multiplexor the operator message command from one or more operator message commands to be processed and to forward the selected operator message command to an operator message processor of the coupling facility to process the selected operator message command.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the performing comprises storing operator message information in the buffer resulting from processing the operator message command, the buffer provided based on processing the start operator message command, and wherein the providing the response comprises providing the operator message information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the buffer further includes, based on processing the start operator message command, a timer to indicate a length of time an operator message has been active for the buffer, an operator message request length, an operator message response length, and the operator message command.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising reading the buffer to obtain at least the operator message information, the reading based on receiving a read operator message command issued based on receiving a specific return code indicated by the start operator message command.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the buffer in an idle state, based on receiving a delete operator message command.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving the operator message command via a start operator message command initiated by the source, based on the source receiving the operator message command from one of a console coupled to the source or a program of a processor image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupling facility comprises a shareable facility having storage and processing capabilities, the coupling facility sharable amongst a plurality of processor images.