System and method for dynamic link aggregation in a shared I/O subsystem
First Claim
1. A shared I/O subsystem for a plurality of computer systems comprising:
- a plurality of physical I/O interfaces;
a plurality of virtual I/O interfaces, wherein each of the computer systems is communicatively coupled to one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces;
a forwarding function having a forwarding table that logically arranges the shared I/O subsystem into one or more logical LAN switches, wherein each of the logical LAN switches communicatively couples one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces to at least one of the physical I/O interfaces;
wherein, for each of the logical LAN switches, the forwarding function receives a data packet from any one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces, and directs the data packet to at least one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces; and
wherein two or more of the physical I/O interfaces are aggregated to form a logical I/O interface by selectively altering entries in the forwarding table without reconfiguring the computer systems.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A shared I/O subsystem for a plurality of computer systems. The shared I/O subsystem includes a plurality of physical I/O interfaces and a plurality of virtual I/O interfaces where each of the computer systems is communicatively coupled to one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces. The shared I/O subsystem also includes a forwarding function having a forwarding table that logically arranges the shared I/O subsystem into one or more logical LAN switches. Each of the logical LAN switches communicatively couples one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces to at least one of the physical I/O interfaces. For each of the logical LAN switches, the forwarding function receives a data packet from any one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces, and directs the data packet to at least one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces. Two or more of the physical I/O interfaces may be aggregated to form a logical I/O interface by selectively altering entries in the forwarding table without reconfiguring the computer systems.
151 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A shared I/O subsystem for a plurality of computer systems comprising:
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a plurality of physical I/O interfaces;
a plurality of virtual I/O interfaces, wherein each of the computer systems is communicatively coupled to one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces;
a forwarding function having a forwarding table that logically arranges the shared I/O subsystem into one or more logical LAN switches, wherein each of the logical LAN switches communicatively couples one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces to at least one of the physical I/O interfaces;
wherein, for each of the logical LAN switches, the forwarding function receives a data packet from any one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces, and directs the data packet to at least one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces; and
wherein two or more of the physical I/O interfaces are aggregated to form a logical I/O interface by selectively altering entries in the forwarding table without reconfiguring the computer systems. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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- 11. The shared I/O subsystem of claim 11, wherein the computer systems are communicatively coupled to one of the logical LAN switches.
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14. The shared I/O subsystem of claim 14, wherein the switching fabric comprises a high speed, high bandwidth, and low latency fabric.
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15. The shared I/O subsystem of claim 15, wherein the switching fabric includes a plurality of dedicated circuits, and wherein each of the computer systems communicates with any one of the computer systems via the dedicated circuits.
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16. The shared I/O subsystem of claim 16, wherein the switching fabric uses an InfiniBand protocol.
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21. In a shared I/O subsystem comprising a plurality of physical I/O interfaces for a plurality of computer systems, a plurality of virtual I/O interfaces, and a forwarding function having a forwarding table, a method comprising:
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communicatively coupling each of the computer systems to one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces;
logically arranging, with the forwarding table, the shared I/O subsystem into one or more logical LAN switches, wherein each of the logical LAN switches communicatively couples one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces to at least one of the physical I/O interfaces, and wherein, for each of the logical LAN switches, the forwarding function receives a data packet from any one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces, and directs the data packet to at least one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces; and
aggregating two or more of the physical I/O interfaces to form a logical I/O interface by selectively altering entries in the forwarding table without reconfiguring the computer systems.
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22. A shared I/O subsystem comprising a plurality of physical I/O interfaces for a plurality of computer systems, a plurality of virtual I/O interfaces, and a forwarding function having a forwarding table, comprising:
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means for communicatively coupling each of the computer systems to one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces;
means for logically arranging, with the forwarding table, the shared I/O subsystem into one or more logical LAN switches, wherein each of the logical LAN switches communicatively couples one or more of the virtual I/O interfaces to at least one of the physical I/O interfaces, and wherein, for each of the logical LAN switches, the forwarding function receives a data packet from any one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces, and directs the data packet to at least one from the group of the physical I/O interfaces and the virtual I/O interfaces; and
means for aggregating two or more of the physical I/O interfaces to form a logical I/O interface by selectively altering entries in the forwarding table without reconfiguring the computer systems.
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Specification