Obtaining multiple port addresses by a fibre channel from a network fabric
AssigneeInternationanl Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRobert J. Dugan, Giles R. Frazier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and program product for assigning or confirming multiple address identifications to a single channel adapter. A server contains multiple partitions connected to a single channel adapter which is used to send data and commands to a fabric. A request is sent to the fabric on behalf of each of the partitions, and the fabric assigns or confirms and returns to the adapter, an address identification associated to each partition on whose behalf the request was sent. The assigned or confirmed address is used to communicate between controllers connected to the fabric and the associated partition through the same channel adapter.
Claims15
A data processing system comprising:
- a server;
- multiple partitions in said server;
- a fabric;
- a channel adapter communicating messages between the partitions and the fabric;
- said channel adapter sending multiple requests to the fabric for address identifications each to be assigned to a respective partition identified by a worldwide unique partition identifier, each request sent on behalf of a respective one of said partitions;
- said fabric assigning a unique address identification in response to each request, each address identification being associated with the respective partition on whose behalf the request was sent for effecting communication with the respective partition, said assigned address identification being previously unknown to the respective partition;
- a table in the fabric storing the worldwide unique partition identifiers and their corresponding addresses;
- and
- a transmitter in said fabric returning the assigned address identification for each request, such that when a message is sent from the fabric to a partition via said channel adapter the sender of the message sees multiple channels adapters corresponding to said multiple partitions and wherein multiple addresses are assigned to the same channel adapter as assigned for said multiple partitions.
In a data processing network having a server, multiple partitions in the server, a fabric, and a channel adapter for communicating messages between the partitions and the fabric, an apparatus for assigning addresses to the channel adapter, the apparatus comprising the channel adaper and the fabric, the apparatus configured to perform a method comprising:
- sending by said channel adapter, multiple requests to the fabric for address identifications each to be assigned to a respective partition identified by a worldwide unique partition identifier, each request sent on behalf of a respective one of said partitions;
- assigning by said fabric, a unique address identification in response to each request, each address identification being associated with the respective partition on whose behalf the request was sent for effecting communication with the respective partition, said assigned address identification being previously unknown to the respective partition;
- storing in a table in the fabric, the worldwide unique partition identifiers and their corresponding addresses;
- and
- returning by a transmitter in said fabric, the assigned address identification for each request, such that when a message is sent from the fabric to a partition via said channel adapter the sender of the message sees multiple channels adapters corresponding to said multiple partitions and wherein multiple addresses are assigned to the same channel adapter as assigned for said multiple partitions.
A program product for use with a data processing network having a server, multiple partitions, a fabric, and a channel adapter communicating between the partition and the fabric, said program product comprising:
- a non-transistory computer readable medium having recorded thereon computer readable program code for performing a method of assigning address to the channel adapter, the method comprising:
- sending multiple requests from the channel adapter to the fabric for address identifications each to be assigned to a respective partition identified by a worldwide unique partition identifier, each request sent on behalf of a respective one of said partitions;
- assigning a unique address identification by the fabric in response to each request, each address identification being associated with the respective partition on whose behalf the request was sent for effecting communication with the respective partition, said assigned address identification being previously unknown to the respective partition;
- storing in a table in the fabric, the worldwide unique partition identifiers and their corresponding addresses;
- and
- returning the assigned address identification for each request, such that when a message is sent from the fabric to a partition via said channel adapter the sender of the message sees multiple channels adapters corresponding to said multiple partitions and wherein multiple addresses are assigned to the same channel adapter as assigned for said multiple partitions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.