Sharing buffer space in link aggregation configurations

A computer program product for creating a shared buffer space across a plurality of network interface cards, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage device having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
• determining that a first network interface card is to be aggregated with at least a second network interface card into a link aggregation configuration;
• in response to said determining that the first network interface card is to be aggregated with at least the second network interface card into the link aggregation configuration,
• determining a first buffer space allocated by an operating system to the first network interface card;
• and
• creating a shared buffer space from the first buffer space and a second buffer space that was allocated by the operating system to the second network interface card wherein said creating the shared buffer space comprises,
• updating a registry to allow the first network interface card read access to both the first buffer space and the second buffer space and to allow the second network interface card read access to both the first buffer space and the second buffer space;
• indicating the first buffer space to the second network interface card and the second buffer space to the first network interface card.

An apparatus comprising:

• a set of one or more processing units;
• a plurality of network interface cards;
• a memory;
• and
• a link aggregation unit to,
• determine that a first of the plurality of network interface cards is to be aggregated with at least a second of the plurality of network interface cards into a link aggregation configuration;
• in response to determining that the first network interface card is to be aggregated with at least the second network interface card into the link aggregation configuration,
• determine a first buffer space allocated from the memory by an operating system to the first network interface card;
• and
• create a shared buffer space from the first buffer space and a second buffer space, wherein the second buffer space was allocated from the memory by the operating system to the second network interface card, wherein the link aggregation unit to create the shared buffer space comprises the link aggregation unit being configured to,
• update a registry to allow the first network interface card read access to both the first buffer space and the second buffer space and to allow the second network interface card read access to both the first buffer space and the second buffer space;
• indicate the first buffer space to the second network interface card and the second buffer space to the first network interface card, wherein the first network interface card and the second network interface card transmit data read from the shared buffer space.