Abstract: A plurality of address spaces are assigned to an adapter. To select a particular address space for the adapter, a requestor identifier and address space identifier provided in a request by the adapter are used. Each address space may have a different address translation mechanism associated therewith.

Abstract: Translating between a first communication protocol used by a first network component and a second communication protocol used by a second network, where translating includes: receiving, by a network engine adapter operating independently from the first and second network components, data packets from the first and second network components; and performing, by the network engine, a combined communication protocol based on the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, including manipulating data packets of at least one of the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol, thereby offloading performance requirements for the combined communication protocol from the first and second network components.

Abstract: Translating between an Ethernet protocol used by a first network component and a Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) protocol used by a second network component, the first and second components coupled through a CEE Converter that translates by: for data flow from the first network component to the second network component: receiving, by the CEE converter, traffic flow definition parameters for a single CEE protocol data flow; calculating, by a credit manager, available buffer space in an outbound frame buffer of the CEE converter for the data flow; communicating, by the credit manager to a CEE credit driver of the first component, the calculated size of the buffer space together with a start sequence number and a flow identifier; and responding, by the CEE credit driver to the CEE converter, with Ethernet frames comprising a private header that includes the flow identifier and a sequence number.

Abstract: A method for exchanging message data in a distributed computer system between a sending and a receiving hardware system. The sending hardware system includes a first memory system and a receiving hardware system which includes a second memory system with a second data buffer and a second memory region. The sending hardware system and the receiving hardware system are coupled via a non-transparent bridge unit. The method includes allocating empty memory, writing information about the empty memory, copying payload data directly from the sending hardware system to the empty memory locations, and writing information about the copied payload data to the second data buffer of the second memory system inside the receiving hardware system. A system and computer program product for carrying out the method are also provided.

Abstract: A computing system including a communication network architecture with a transport layer mechanism. The computing system is capable of supporting a multitude of different application protocols involving information and/or data exchange between an operating system instance and various firmware services. The computing system may include an operating system instance with a Generic Transport Driver supporting the application protocols in the operating system instance, a firmware service connected to a Generic Transport Facility via a Generic Firmware Service Interface and a virtual machine with a Generic Transport Passthrough. The Generic Transport Driver of the operating system instance exchanges communication protocol data with the Generic Transport Facility of the firmware component via the generic Transport Passthrough.

Abstract: A method for providing remote direct memory access (RDMA) between two computers, preferably between central processing units (CPUs) and a functional subsystem of a computer system as part of their network communication, e.g. using TCP/IP. Tasks of analyzing network protocol data and the actual RDMA operations can be offloaded to the functional subsystem with this method. Further, the functional subsystem cannot compromise the status of the first computer system as only access to certain allowed memory locations is granted by a memory protection unit during phases of actual data transfer between the functional subsystem and the CPUs.

Abstract: A configuration adaptation layer (CAL) for I/O devices such as I/O adapters is provided. This configuration adaptation layer (CAL) explicitly provides a mapping between adapter functions and adapter resources in a way such that it is senseable in-band by the computer system using the adapter, e.g., by a virtual machine monitor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus relates to hardware-to-hardware data transmission in computer systems, and in particular, it relates to method and system for operating I/O adapters attaching either one or more computing devices to an I/O periphery, to a network, or to other computing devices. It is proposed to operate a memory local to the network coupling adapter as a cache memory relative to a system memory associated with the one or more computing devices for storing transmission control information.

Abstract: A synchronization optimized queuing method and device to minimize software/hardware interaction in network interface hardware during an end-of-initiative process, including network adapter queue implementations for network interface hardware for optimized communication in a computer system. An end-of-initiative procedure to ensure that the network interface hardware has received an interrupt enable and to recheck the interrupt queue is unnecessary in the present invention.

Abstract: Mechanisms for processing of communications between data processing devices are provided. With the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, a set of techniques that enables sustaining media speed by distributing transmit and receive-side processing over multiple processing cores is provided. In addition, these techniques also enable designing multi-threaded network interface controller (NIC) hardware that efficiently hides the latency of direct memory access (DMA) operations associated with data packet transfers over an input/output (I/O) bus. Multiple processing cores may operate concurrently using separate instances of a communication protocol stack and device drivers to process data packets for transmission with separate hardware implemented send queue managers in a network adapter processing these data packets for transmission.

Abstract: According to the present invention a method and a system is provided for operating a storage area network (SAN) in a server environment in which multiple servers share one Fibre Channel adapter. A SAN Management Server manages regions in storage systems and security, a Fiber Channel Network provides a connection to storage devices, and a plurality of Operating System Images run in said server environment. Furthermore, a trusted SAN Management Client Unit is connected to said SAN Management Server and a Fiber Channel adapter is configured to authenticate said trusted SAN Management Client Unit, whereby the trusted SAN Management Client Unit is configured to issue commands in said Fiber Channel Network in place of each of said Operating System Images.

Abstract: A method for providing remote direct memory access (RDMA) between two computers, preferably between central processing units (CPUs) and a functional subsystem of a computer system as part of their network communication, e.g. using TCP/IP. Tasks of analyzing network protocol data and the actual RDMA operations can be offloaded to the functional subsystem with this method. Further, the functional subsystem cannot compromise the status of the first computer system as only access to certain allowed memory locations is granted by a memory protection unit during phases of actual data transfer between the functional subsystem and the CPUs.

Abstract: A method, module and computer program for protecting a target against attacks in a high-speed network. The method according to the invention comprises the steps of generating a question, after having received a request from an initiator identified by a sourceID associated to a certain node in the network, sending the question to the node identified by the sourceID, in case that an answer to the question is received, evaluating the answer, and in case that a proper answer has been received, enabling communication between the initiator and the target by sending a further message from the target to the initiator.

Abstract: A system and method for multicore processing of communications between data processing devices are provided. With the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, a set of techniques that enables sustaining media speed by distributing transmit and receive-side processing over multiple processing cores is provided. In addition, these techniques also enable designing multi-threaded network interface controller (NIC) hardware that efficiently hides the latency of direct memory access (DMA) operations associated with data packet transfers over an input/output (I/O) bus. Multiple processing cores may operate concurrently using separate instances of a communication protocol stack and device drivers to process data packets for transmission with separate hardware implemented send queue managers in a network adapter processing these data packets for transmission.

Abstract: A method and apparatus relates to hardware-to-hardware data transmission in computer systems, and in particular, it relates to method and system for operating I/O adapters attaching either one or more computing devices to an I/O periphery, to a network, or to other computing devices. It is proposed to operate a memory local to the network coupling adapter as a cache memory relative to a system memory associated with the one or more computing devices for storing transmission control information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus relates to hardware-to-hardware data transmission in computer systems, and in particular, it relates to method and system for operating I/O adapters attaching either one or more computing devices to an I/O periphery, to a network, or to other computing devices. It is proposed to operate a memory local to the network coupling adapter as a cache memory relative to a system memory associated with the one or more computing devices for storing transmission control information.

Abstract: In a computer system, an I/O adapter comprises at least one I/O request mailbox for receiving I/O requests and data from a CPU. The mailbox is connected to at least one I/O request queue storage for storing a plurality of I/O requests and related data or main memory addresses received by the mailbox. A credit register is provided for storing the filling state of the queue storage. A connection network is designed and operated to transfer the contents of the credit register to the CPU for checking the filling state of the queue storage, to transfer an I/O request and related data to a queue of a selected request mailbox, and to activate a doorbell apparatus for signalling to the I/O adapter to process the I/O request including an access to the main memory by the I/O adapter if required.

Abstract: According to the present invention a method and a system is provided for operating a storage area network (SAN) in a server environment in which multiple servers share one Fibre Channel adapter. A SAN Management Server manages regions in storage systems and security, a Fiber Channel Network provides a connection to storage devices, and a plurality of Operating System Images run in said server environment. Furthermore, a trusted SAN Management Client Unit is connected to said SAN Management Server and a Fiber Channel adapter is configured to authenticate said trusted SAN Management Client Unit, whereby the trusted SAN Management Client Unit is configured to issue commands in said Fiber Channel Network in place of each of said Operating System Images.

Abstract: In a computer system, an I/O adapter comprises at least one I/O request mailbox for receiving I/O requests and data from a CPU. The mailbox is connected to at least one I/O request queue storage for storing a plurality of I/O requests and related data or main memory addresses received by the mailbox. A credit register is provided for storing the filling state of the queue storage. A connection network is designed and operated to transfer the contents of the credit register to the CPU for checking the filling state of the queue storage, to transfer an I/O request and related data to a queue of a selected request mailbox, and to activate a doorbell apparatus for signalling to the I/O adapter to process the I/O request including an access to the main memory by the I/O adapter if required.

Abstract: The invention relates to a server computer comprising an adapter component (6) for receiving of a request from an operating system and having an access rights administration module (8) for assigning of access rights to the operating system and for granting of the request in case of compliance with the corresponding access rights, and a fibre channel module (14) for sending the request to the resource via a fibre channel.