Abstract: Maintenance of a network resource is regulated by providing a lock data area that indicates an ownership status of the network resource, and a lock server process to maintain the lock data area. A client that is to perform maintenance on the network resource sends a command to the lock server process to modify the lock data area to indicate ownership of the network resource by the particular client. In response, the lock server process sends a response indicating whether or not ownership of the network resource by the client has been established. If ownership is indicated, the client performs the maintenance on the network resource. If ownership is not indicated, the maintenance is not performed. Provision is made for retries, and also for forcing the lock if a current owner becomes moribund.

Abstract: Maintenance of a network resource is regulated by providing a lock data area that indicates an ownership status of the network resource, and a lock server process to maintain the lock data area. A client that is to perform maintenance on the network resource sends a command to the lock server process to modify the lock data area to indicate ownership of the network resource by the particular client. In response, the lock server process sends a response indicating whether or not ownership of the network resource by the client has been established. If ownership is indicated, the client performs the maintenance on the network resource. If ownership is not indicated, the maintenance is not performed. Provision is made for retries, and also for forcing the lock if a current owner becomes moribund.

Abstract: A method of automating the verification of a fabric for interconnecting a cluster of end nodes. Switches within the fabric periodically access ports that are neighbors to ports of the switch to gather information about the neighboring port. This information is stored in the switch and is available for access by an end node fabric management process, which, after obtaining the information determines whether the information is valid, and subjects the information to a plurality of tests to determine whether the configurations of the switch and the connections made thereto are compatible and valid. If the configurations are compatible and valid, ports on the switch pertaining to the information are enabled for data transfer. If configurations are incompatible or invalid, ports on the switch are disabled.