Data processing system having a channel adapter shared by multiple operating systems

#The present application claims priority from Japanese application JP 2004-269111 filed on Sep. 16, 2004, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

#The present invention relates to a data processing system for transferring data, and more particularly to a computer system which runs a plurality of operating systems (OS's) and executes processes of OS's at the same time by using a single channel adaptor.

#Only a main frame has supported heretofore an LPAR (Logical Partition) function of running a plurality of OS's in one system under a control program. Recently, not only a main frame but also an open source server supports the LPAR function. An input/output channel adaptor is inserted into a slot of an open source server supporting the LPAR function. As a business standard specification means for connecting the channel adaptor to a host processor, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interchange) bus stipulated by PCI-SIG (Special Interest Group) has been used widely. In the case of the PCI bus, a PCI configuration register is provided as a standard component for each device such as a channel adaptor. It is difficult to share the device by a plurality of OS's, because only one control register is provided for controlling the device, and other reasons.

#FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a data processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a data processing system.

#FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the contents of a channel control register in a channel adaptor.

#Sharing a PCI I/O device by a plurality of OS's is realized by software without using a controller and a local memory for controlling the PCI I/O device.

#Channel adaptors in conformity with business standard specifications supported by an open source server include Fibre Channel defined by ANSI (American National Standards Institute), InfiniBand defined by IBTA (InfiniBand Trade Association) and the like.

#In embodiments, a channel adaptor is assumed to use Que Pair constituted of Send Queue and Receive Queue, and Completion Queue used by InfiniBand or the like as input/output process control data for executing input/output process, a virtual address, and an address translation table (TPT) for translating a virtual address to a physical address.