US 7,606,965 B2Granted

Information handling system with virtualized I/O adapter ports

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsUgochukwu Charles Njoku, Frank W. Brice, Jr., David Craddock, Richard K. Errickson, Mark S. Farrell, Charles W. Gainey, Jr., Donald W. Schmidt, Gustav E. Sittmann, III

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Abstract

A communication port of a communications interface of an information handling system comprises a plurality of virtual ports. A first command is issued to obtain information indicating a number of images of virtual ports supportable by the communications interface. A second command is then issued requesting the communications interface to virtualize the communication port. In response to the second command, one or more virtual switches are then configured to connect to the communication port, each virtual switch including a plurality of virtual ports, such that the one or more virtual switches are configured in a manner sufficient to support the number of images of virtual ports indicated by the obtained information. Thereafter, upon request via issuance of a third command, a logical link is established between one of the virtual ports of one of the virtual switches and a communicating element of the information handling system.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An information handling system, comprising:

one or more processor nodes, each including one or more processors;
at least one primary operating system image executable as a host operating system image by said one or more processors of one of said one or more processor nodes;
one or more second-level operating system images executable by said one or more processors as guests above said at least one primary operating system;
a communications interface having at least one communication port, said communications interface configurable to include a plurality of virtual switches to connect to said communication port, each said virtual switch including a plurality of virtual ports, at least some of said virtual ports having logical links activatable to support communications in at least one direction to one of said second-level operating system images and from one of said second-level operating system images;
and
a plurality of resources allocatable to said logical links to activate said logical links,
wherein said communications interface is operable to provide information indicating a number of images of said virtual ports supportable by said communications interface, and is configurable to include one or more virtual switches connected to said communication port, each said virtual switch including a plurality of said virtual ports, such that said one or more of said virtual switches are configurable to support said number of images of virtual ports indicated by said provided information, and to activate one of said logical links upon request by one of said second-level operating system images.

4 more elements

An information handling system, comprising:

one or more processor nodes, each including one or more processors;
at least one primary operating system image executable as a host operating system image by said one or more processors of one of said one or more processor nodes;
a plurality of second-level operating system instances executable by said one or more processors above said at least one primary operating system, wherein the second level operating system instances are each executed within a separate logical partition of said one or more processor nodes;
a communications interface having at least one communication port, said communications interface configurable to include a plurality of virtual switches to connect to said communication port, each said virtual switch including a plurality of virtual ports, at least some of said virtual ports having logical links activatable to support communications in at least one direction to one of said second-level operating system images and from one of said second-level operating system images;
and
a plurality of resources allocatable to said logical links to activate said logical links, wherein said communications interface is operable to provide information indicating a number of images of said virtual ports supportable by said communications interface, and is configurable to include one or more virtual switches connected to said communication port, each said virtual switch including a plurality of said virtual ports, such that said one or more of said virtual switches are configurable to support said number of images of virtual ports indicated by said provided information, and to activate one of said logical links upon request by one of said second-level operating system images.

3 more elements

An information handling system, comprising:

one or more processor nodes, each including one or more processors;
at least one primary operating system image executable as a host operating system image by said one or more processors of one of said one or more processor nodes;
a plurality of second-level operating system instances executable by said one or more processors above said at least one primary operating system, wherein the second level operating system instances are each executed within a separate logical partition of said one or more processor nodes;
a communications interface having at least one communication port, said communications interface configurable to include a plurality of virtual switches to connect to said communication port, each said virtual switch including a plurality of virtual ports, at least some of said virtual ports having logical links activatable to support communications in at least one direction to one of said second-level operating system images and from one of said second-level operating system images;
a plurality of resources allocatable to said logical links to activate said logical links, wherein said communications interface is operable to provide information indicating a number of images of said virtual ports supportable by said communications interface, and is configurable to include one or more virtual switches connected to said communication port, each said virtual switch including a plurality of said virtual ports, such that said one or more of said virtual switches are configurable to support said number of images of virtual ports indicated by said provided information, and to activate one of said logical links upon request by one of said second-level operating system images;
and
a hypervisor operable to issue commands for allocation of said resources among said plurality of second-level operating system instances and for preventing conflicts among said resources allocated to different ones of said plurality of second-level operating system instances.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/676,555Filed 20 Feb 2007 · division
Priority: 7 Apr 2005
Published: US 2007/0140266 A121 Jun 2007
Granted: 20 Oct 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G06F 13/4022
Coupling between buses: using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network
G06F 13/102
Program control for peripheral devices: where the program performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver
G06F
Computing and data processing

Family

Application11/100,837Parent of this division · filed 7 Apr 2005
US 2007/0140266 A1Pre-grant publication · published 21 Jun 2007
US 7,200,704 B2Parent of this division
US 2006/0230219 A1Published application
US 7,606,965 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.