Migrating domains from one physical data processing system to another

A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon, wherein the computer readable program, when executed in a data processing system, causes the data processing system to:

• configure a domain, in a first data processing device, for direct access of a first physical input/output (I/O) device;
• reconfigure the domain, in the first data processing device, for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device via an I/O virtualization mechanism in response to an event requiring migration of the domain, wherein the computer readable program causes the data processing system to reconfigure the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device by generating a virtual device in the I/O virtualization mechanism that is logically the same as the first physical I/O device, wherein the virtual device comprises a virtual device frontend provided in the domain and a virtual device backend provided in the I/O virtualization mechanism;
• and wherein the computer readable program further causes the data processing system to reconfigure the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device by;
• generating a queue point in the I/O virtualization mechanism associated with the virtual device backend;
• obtaining, by the I/O virtualization mechanism, direct access to the first physical I/O device;
• and
• routine I/O operations from the domain via the virtual device frontend to the virtual device backend, through the queue point in the I/O virtualization mechanism, to the first physical I/O device;
• and
• migrate the domain from the first data processing device to a second data processing device following reconfiguration of the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device.

A data processing system, comprising:

• a first data processing device;
• and
• a second data processing device coupled to the first data processing device, wherein:
• a domain, in the first data processing device, is configured for direct access of a first physical input/output (I/O) device;
• the domain, in the first data processing device, is reconfigured for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device via an I/O virtualization mechanism, of the first data processing device, in response to an event requiring migration of the domain, wherein the domain is reconfigured for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device by generating a virtual device in the I/O virtualization mechanism that is logically the same as the first physical I/O device, wherein the virtual device comprises a virtual device frontend provided in the domain and a virtual device backend provided in the I/O virtualization mechanism and wherein the domain is reconfigured for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device by:
• generating a queue point in the I/O virtualization mechanism associated with the virtual device backend;
• obtaining, by the I/O virtualization mechanism, direct access to the first physical I/O device;
• and
• routing I/O operations from the domain via the virtual device frontend to the virtual device backend, through the queue point in the I/O virtualization mechanism, to the first physical I/O device;
• and
• the domain is migrated from the first data processing device to the second data processing device following reconfiguration of the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device.