System and method for supporting scalable bit map based P_Key table in a high performance computing environment

A method for supporting a bitmap based P_Key table in a high performance computing environment, comprising:

• providing a computer including one or more microprocessors;
• providing at least one subnet at the computer, the at least one subnet comprising
• a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches comprising a plurality of switch ports,
• a plurality of end nodes, the plurality of end nodes being interconnected via the plurality of switches;
• and
• a subnet manager;
• sending, by a first end node of the plurality of end nodes, a packet, the packet comprising a header comprising a partition key (P_Key), the header of the packet further comprising a destination local identifier of a second end node of the plurality of end nodes;
• routing, by a path record computed by the subnet manager, the packet through a plurality of switch ports of two or more switches of the plurality of switches, the two or more switches being at different levels of a switch topology, each of the plurality of switch ports being associated, respectively, with a bitmap set based upon instructions received from the subnet manager at each of the two or more switches, each bitmap being set, respectively, by a subnet management agent at each of the two or more switches;
• and
• indexing the P_Key of the packet header into a bitmap at each of the plurality of switch ports to determine whether to allow or disallow the packet to traverse through each of the plurality of switch ports.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions thereon for supporting a bitmap based P_Key table in a high performance computing environment, which when read and executed cause a computer to perform steps comprising:

• providing, at the computer, at least one subnet, the at least one subnet comprising
• a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches comprising a plurality of switch ports,
• a plurality of end nodes, the plurality of end nodes being interconnected via the plurality of switches;
• and
• a subnet manager;
• sending, by a first end node of the plurality of end nodes, a packet, the packet comprising a header comprising a partition key (P_Key), the header of the packet further comprising a destination local identifier of a second end node of the plurality of end nodes;
• routing, by a path record computed by the subnet manager, the packet through a plurality of switch ports of two or more switches of the plurality of switches, the two or more switches being at different levels of a switch topology, each of the plurality of switch ports being associated, respectively, with a bitmap set based upon instructions received from the subnet manager at each of the two or more switches, each bitmap being set, respectively, by a subnet management agent at each of the two or more switches;
• and
• indexing the P_Key of the packet header into a bitmap at each of the plurality of switch ports to determine whether to allow or disallow the packet to traverse through each of the plurality of switch ports.