# US 8,751,603 B2 · Exploiting cluster awareness infrastructure through internet socket based applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,603 B2 - Document ID: US8751603B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/245,281 - Filed: 2011-09-26 - Published: 2013-03-28 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-09-26 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: Rajeev Mishra; Lance W. Russell; Sivakumar Krishnasamy; Krishnan Uma - Inventors: Rajeev Mishra; Lance W. Russell; Sivakumar Krishnasamy; Krishnan Uma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751603B2 ## CPC - H04L 69/321: Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers - H04L 69/085: specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Provided are techniques related generally to computer communication and, more specifically, to techniques that provide legacy applications with access to a cluster infrastructure. A pseudo interface layer provides applications with internet protocol (IP) family sockets access to cluster awareness protocols in a manner that may be transparent to both the application and the cluster awareness layer of a kernel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: a processor; a computer readable storage medium coupled to the processor; a cluster specific interface device connected to a plurality of communication channels, each channel corresponding to an underlying hardware; a pseudo interface device without an underlying communication hardware coupled to the cluster specific interface device; and logic, stored on the computer readable medium and executed on the processor, for: configuring the pseudo interface device with an interact protocol (IP) address; generating a first communication link between an application and the pseudo interlace device, wherein the first communication link is bound to the IP address; receiving at the pseudo interface device an application packet from the application on the first communication link; generating a cluster interface packet by converting the application packet to a protocol corresponding to the cluster specific interface device; generating a hardware specific packet corresponding to a particular one of the underlying hardware based upon the cluster interface packet; and transmitting the cluster interface packet via the cluster interface device to the particular hardware via the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protocol of the application packet is a different type of protocol than a protocol associated with the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, the logic further comprising logic for: receiving at the cluster specific interface device an incoming packet on a particular channel of the channels corresponding to the underlying hardware; associating the incoming packet to the first communication link; generating an application packet by converting the incoming packet into a protocol associated with the first communication link; a delivering the application packet via the first communication link. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first communication link is an internet protocol (IP) family socket. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the underlying communication hardware is one of: a physical disk; an Ethernet; an infiniBand; a fiber channel; and a storage network. ### Claim 6 A computer programming product, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable code stored thereon, said computer-readable code which when loaded onto a processor and executed performs the following: providing a cluster specific interface device connected to a plurality of communication channels, each channel corresponding to an underlying hardware; coupling the cluster specific interface device to a pseudo interface device without an underlying communication hardware; configuring the pseudo interface device with an internet protocol (IP) address: generating a first communication link between an application and the pseudo interface device, wherein the first communication link is bound to the IP address; receiving at the pseudo interface device an application packet from the application on the first communication link; generating a cluster interface packet by converting the application packet to a protocol corresponding to the cluster specific interface device; generating a hardware specific packet corresponding to a particular one of the underlying hardware based upon the cluster interface packet: and transmitting the cluster interface packet via the cluster interface device to the particular hardware via the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The computer programming product of claim 6, wherein the protocol of the application packet is a different type of protocol than a protocol associated with the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The computer programming product of claim 6, the logic further comprising logic for: receiving at the cluster specific interface device an incoming packet on a particular channel of the channels corresponding to the underlying hardware; associating the incomming packet to the first communication link; generating an application packet by converting the incoming packet into a protocol associated the first communication link; and delivering the application packet via the first communication link. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The computer programming product of claim 6, wherein the first communication is an interact protocol (IP) family socket. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The computer programming product of claim 6, wherein each of the underlying communication hardware is one of: a physical disk; an Ethernet; an infiniBand; a fiber channel; and a storage network. ### Claim 11 An operating system kernel, comprising: a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; a pseudo interface device without an underlying communication hardware coupled to the cluster specific interface device; and logic, stored on the computer readable medium for execution on a processor, for: coupling the pseudo interface device to a cluster specific interface device connected to a plurality of communication channels, each channel corresponding to an underlying hardware; configuring the pseudo interface device with an internet protocol (IP) address; generating a first communication link between an application and the pseudo interface device, wherein the first communication link is bound to the IP address; receiving at the pseudo interface device an application packet from the application on the first communication link; generating a cluster interface packet by converting the application packet to a protocol corresponding to the cluster specific interface device; generating a hardware specific packet corresponding to a particular one of the underlying hardware based upon the cluster interface packet; and transmitting the cluster interface packet via the cluster interface device to the particular hardware via the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The operating system kernel of claim 11, wherein the protocol of the application packet is a different type of protocol than a protocol associated with the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The operating system kernel of claim 11, the logic further comprising logic for: receiving at the cluster specific interface device an incoming packet on a particular channel of the channels corresponding to the underlying hardware; associating the incoming packet to the first communication link; generating an application packet by converting the incoming packet into a protocol associated with the first communication link; and delivering the application packet via the first communication link. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The operating system kernel of claim 11, wherein the first communication link is an internet protocol (IP) family socket. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The operating system kernel of claim 11, wherein each of the underlying commnication hardware is one of: a physical disk; an Ethernet; an infiniBand; a fiber channel; and a storage network. ### Claim 16 A computer operating system kernel, comprising: a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; a pseudo interface device without an underlying communication hardware coupled to the cluster specific interface device; and logic, stored on the computer readable medium for execution on a processor, for: coupling the pseudo interface device to a cluster specific interface device connected to a plurality of communication channels, each channel corresponding, to an underlying hardware; configuring the pseudo interface device with an internet protocol (IP) address; generating a first communication link between an application and the pseudo interface device, wherein the first communication link is bound to the IP address; receiving at the pseudo interface device an application packet from the application on the first communication link; generating a cluster interface packet by converting the application packet to a protocol corresponding to the cluster specific interface device; generating a hardware specific packet corresponding to a particular one of the underlying hardware based upon the cluster interface packet; and transmitting the cluster interface packet via the cluster interface device to the particular hardware via the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer operating, system kernel of claim 16, wherein the protocol of the application packet is a different type of protocol than a protocol associated with the corresponding communication channel. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The computer operating system kernel of claim 16, the logic further comprising logic for: receiving at the cluster specific interface device an incoming packet on a particular channel of the channels corresponding to the underlying hardware; associating the incoming packet to the first communication link; generating an application packet by converting the incoming packet into a protocol associated with the first communication link; and delivering the application packet via the first communication link. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The computer operating system kernel of claim 16, wherein the first communication link is an internet protocol (IP) family socket. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The computer operating system kernel of claim 16, wherein each of the underlying communication hardware is one of: a physical disk; an Ethernet; an infiniBand; a fiber channel; and a storage network.