Loading patent…
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsEdward Lewis Hauck, Noel Simen Otterness
Estimating the term…
A message tracker having a transfer monitor, a set of registers, and at least one arithmetic unit increases performance and reliability when transmitting or receiving messages within a computer system. A set of message parameters such as a current address, a remaining length, and a communicated length are stored within the set of registers. The transfer monitor observes data transfers on a multi-tenant bus in order to detect data transfers related to the message and provide an update signal. The message parameters within the registers are updated in response to the update signal. The process of detecting and updating is repeated until the entire message is transferred, and the message tracker then informs a control processor or process that communication of the message has occurred. To facilitate message coalescing, several message trackers may share a message queue that is configured to store message parameters corresponding to completed messages.
A method for tracking message communication in a computer system, the method comprising:
An apparatus for tracking message communication in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:
The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for informing comprises means for initiating an interrupt.
An apparatus for tracking message communication in a computer system, the apparatus comprising:
A system for efficient communication of messages, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements: maintaining the standby controller/processing…
Where persistent mass storage functionality or persistent mass storage control functionality is redundant: redundant storage control functionality
Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols: network security protocols
By mirroring: using a plurality of controllers
Term end not estimated
1. The Field of the Invention
The invention relates to conducting efficient communications within computing systems and networks. More specifically, the invention relates to efficient messaging among redundant RAID controllers.
2. The Relevant Art
In order that the manner in which the advantages and objects of the invention are obtained will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a representative RAID network in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a representative RAID system with dual active controllers in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 1 shows a representative RAID network 100 suitable for use with the present invention. The RAID network 100 as shown includes a number of workstations 110 and servers 120 interconnected by a local area network 130. The servers 120 maybe configured to provide specific services such as print services, storage services, Internet access, or the like.
In the depicted embodiment, the servers 120 provide storage services to the local area network 130 via one or more storage arrays 140. The servers 120 are interconnected with the storage arrays 140 through a storage network 150. In one embodiment, the storage network 150 is a local area network in which the servers 120 and the storage arrays 140 are housed within the same facility or campus. In another embodiment, the storage network 150 is a wide area network with the servers 120 and the storage arrays 140 housed in geographically disparate locations. The storage arrays 140 are preferably organized in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) configuration.
The RAID network 100 is preferably configured to bear large amounts of traffic, particularly data packets and messaging packets related to data storage, retrieval, and maintenance. The present invention provides means and methods to facilitate efficient and effective messaging within a network such as the RAID network 100.