Directed route load/store packets for distributed switch initialization

• US 9,276,760 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Flynn, William T., Kirscht, Joseph A., Walk, Bruce M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowlin, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/835,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0897 by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/252 Store and forward routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/35 Switches specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Techniques for transmitting a packet from a source switch module to a destination switch module. Embodiments retrieve path information specifying a route to the destination switch module. A packet is created that includes (i) at least a portion of the path information and (ii) a set of load/store operations to be executed by the destination switch module. Embodiments then transmit the packet to a first switch module using a first port, the first port specified in the retrieved path information. The first switch module is configured to transmit the packet based on the at least a portion of the path information in the packet, and the destination switch module is configured, upon receiving the packet, to copy the set of load/store operations into an execution buffer to be automatically executed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-readable program code that, when executed, performs an operation for transmitting a packet from a source switch module to a destination switch module, comprising:

retrieving path information specifying a route to the destination switch module;

creating a packet that includes (i) at least a portion of the path information and (ii) a set of load/store operations to be executed by the destination switch module;

transmitting the packet to a first switch module using a first port, the first port specified in the retrieved path information, wherein the first switch module is configured to transmit the packet based on the at least a portion of the path information in the packet, and wherein the destination switch module is configured, upon receiving the packet, to copy the set of load/store operations into an execution buffer to be automatically executed; and

receiving, from the destination switch module, an acknowledgement message comprising the packet, indicating that the set of load/store operations have been executed successfully.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the path information comprises an ordered listing of switch-to-switch link identifiers, and wherein each of the switch-to-switch link identifiers within the ordered listing of switch-to-switch link identifiers corresponds to a respective hop along the path from the source switch module to the destination switch module.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the packet further includes a hop counter value, configured to be incremented at each hop along the path from the source switch module to the destination switch module.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, the operation further comprising:

determining the first port by selecting one of the switch-to-switch link identifiers from the ordered listing of link identifiers, using the hop counter value as an index.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, the operation further comprising:

incrementing the hop counter value within the packet, before transmitting the packet to the second switch module.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the packet is transmitted over an Ethernet communications link, and wherein the packet does not conform to an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program that, when executed by the processor, performs an operation for transmitting a packet from a source switch module to a destination switch module, comprising;

retrieving path information specifying a route to the destination switch module;

creating a packet that includes (i) at least a portion of the path information and (ii) a set of load/store operations to be executed by the destination switch module;

transmitting the packet to a first switch module using a first port, the first port specified in the retrieved path information, wherein the first switch module is configured to transmit the packet based on the at least a portion of the path information in the packet, and wherein the destination switch module is configured, upon receiving the packet, to copy the set of load/store operations into an execution buffer to be automatically executed; and

receiving, from the destination switch module, an acknowledgement message comprising the packet, indicating that the set of load/store operations have been executed successfully.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the path information comprises an ordered listing of switch-to-switch link identifiers, and wherein each of the switch-to-switch link identifiers within the ordered listing of switch-to-switch link identifiers corresponds to a respective hop along the path from the source switch module to the destination switch module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the packet further includes a hop counter value, configured to be incremented at each hop along the path from the source switch module to the destination switch module.

10. The system of claim 9, the operation further comprising:

determining the first port by selecting one of the switch-to-switch link identifiers from the ordered listing of link identifiers, using the hop counter value as an index.

11. The system of claim 10, the operation further comprising:

incrementing the hop counter value within the packet, before transmitting the packet to the second switch module.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the packet is transmitted over an Ethernet communications link, and wherein the packet does not conform to an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.