Fibre channel controller shareable by a plurality of operating system domains within a load-store architecture
US7493416B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 27, 2005 |
| Grant date | Feb 17, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 24, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/12
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A Fibre Channel controller shareable by a plurality of operating system domains (OSDs) is disclosed. The controller includes a programming interface, located within a system load-store memory map of each OSD by which the OSDs request the controller to perform I/O operations with remote FC devices. The programming interface includes a distinct control/status register (CSR) bank for each of OSD. The OSDs execute load-store instructions addressed to the programming interface to request the I/O operations. Selection logic selects as a target of each of the load-store transactions the distinct CSR bank for the OSD that executed the corresponding load-store instruction. An FC port obtains a distinct FC port identifier for each OSD and transceives FC frames with the remote FC devices using the distinct FC port identifier for each OSD in response to the I/O operation requests. In one embodiment, multiple blade servers share the controller via a shared I/O switch.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.