Patents by Inventor Gregory F. Pfister
Gregory F. Pfister has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 9032100Abstract: Atomic operations within an I/O device are supported by processor architectures that are not required to include specific atomic instructions, by issuing the atomic operations from an I/O hub. A descriptor that specifies the atomic operation and a target address is retrieved by, or sent to, the hub. A trigger event, which may be a programmed I/O write to the hub with an address of the descriptor, or the contents of the descriptor itself, causes the I/O hub to issue the atomic operation. When the atomic operation is complete on the I/O device interconnect, the result is returned to the hub and a host is notified. The host then retrieves the results of the atomic operation from the hub. The host notification can be performed by interrupt or by polling the hub until a status change is detected.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2008Date of Patent: May 12, 2015Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Gregory F. Pfister
-
Patent number: 8370447Abstract: A system and method for providing a memory region/memory window (MR/MW) access notification on a system area network are provided. Whenever a previously allocated MR/MW is accessed, such as via a remote direct memory access (RDMA) read/write operation, a notification of the access is generated and written to a queue data structure associated with the MR/MW. In one illustrative embodiment, this queue data structure may be a MR/MW event queue (EQ) data structure that is created and used for all consumer processes and all MR/MWs. In other illustrative embodiments, the EQ is associated with a protection domain. In yet another illustrative embodiment, an event record may be posted to an asynchronous event handler in response to the accessing of the MR/MW. In another illustrative embodiment, a previously posted queue element may be used to generate a completion queue element in response to the accessing of the MR/MW.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2012Date of Patent: February 5, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan F. Benner, Michael A. Ko, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Jacobo A. Vargas
-
Patent number: 8331381Abstract: A method of providing visibility of Ethernet components to a subnet manager in a converged InfiniBand over Ethernet (IBOE) network. If a port of an IBOE gateway corresponds to one or more InfiniBand devices, the subnet manager sends fabric management packets (FMPs) to discover the InfiniBand network and assigns physical local identifiers (LIDs) to the InfiniBand devices. If a port of the IBOE gateway corresponds to one or more Ethernet devices, the subnet manager sends FMPs to discover the Ethernet network. The subnet manager adds the Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of any responding devices to an LID routing table and assigns LIDs to the Ethernet devices. The subnet manager configures one or more virtual Host Channel Adapters (HCAs) corresponding to the one or more Ethernet MAC addresses in the LID routing table.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2007Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Aaron C. Brown, Jimmy R. Hill, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio
-
Publication number: 20120265840Abstract: A system and method for providing a memory region/memory window (MR/MW) access notification on a system area network are provided. Whenever a previously allocated MR/MW is accessed, such as via a remote direct memory access (RDMA) read/write operation, a notification of the access is generated and written to a queue data structure associated with the MR/MW. In one illustrative embodiment, this queue data structure may be a MR/MW event queue (EQ) data stricture that is created and used for all consumer processes and all MR/MWs. In other illustrative embodiments, the EQ is associated with a protection domain. In yet another illustrative embodiment, an event record may be posted to an asynchronous event handler in response to the accessing of the MR/MW. In another illustrative embodiment, a previously posted queue element may be used to generate a completion queue element in response to the accessing of the MR/MW.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2012Publication date: October 18, 2012Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan F. Benner, Michael A. Ko, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Jacobo A. Vargas
-
Patent number: 8244826Abstract: Mechanisms for providing a memory region/memory window (MR/MW) access notification on a system area network are provided. Whenever a previously allocated MR/MW is accessed, such as via a remote direct memory access (RDMA) read/write operation, a notification of the access is generated and written to a queue data structure associated with the MR/MW. In one illustrative embodiment, this queue data structure may be a MR/MW event queue (EQ) data structure that is created and used for all consumer processes and all MR/MWs. In other illustrative embodiments, the EQ is associated with a protection domain. In yet another illustrative embodiment, an event record may be posted to an asynchronous event handler in response to the accessing of the MR/MW. In another illustrative embodiment, a previously posted queue element may be used to generate a completion queue element in response to the accessing of the MR/MW.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2007Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan F. Benner, Michael A. Ko, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Jacobo A. Vargas
-
Patent number: 8165138Abstract: A method of providing a converged InfiniBand over Ethernet (IBOE) network. An IBOE switch receives a data packet. If the data packet is received by the IBOE switch from the InfiniBand network, a translation utility looks up an Ethernet media access control (MAC) address corresponding to an LID of the packet in a translation table. The translation utility generates an Ethernet packet and encapsulates an InfiniBand link layer packet before sending the packet. If the data packet is received by the IBOE switch from the Ethernet network, the translation utility removes the Ethernet header from the packet and looks up a LID corresponding to the MAC address. The translation utility calculates an outbound port number and sends the packet.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2007Date of Patent: April 24, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Aaron C. Brown, Jimmy R. Hill, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio
-
Patent number: 8042004Abstract: Diagnosing communications between computer systems includes sending a message from a sending node to a receiving node. The receiving node detects an error in the receiving node receiving the message and captures the data regarding the error on the receiving. A diagnostic log request is sent from the receiving node to the sending node, the diagnostic log request including a request for the sending node to log information. The sending node diagnoses the communications error in response to the diagnostic log response.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2008Date of Patent: October 18, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Albert Ing, Gregory F. Pfister, Patrick Sugrue
-
Patent number: 8032795Abstract: A method for diagnosing communications includes sending a message from a sending node to a receiving node. The sending node detects an error in the receiving node receiving the message. A force log request is sent from the sending node to the receiving node, the force log request including a request for the receiving node to log information. A force log response is received from the receiving node at the sending node, the force log response including the logged information. The sending node diagnoses the communications error in response to the force log response.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2008Date of Patent: October 4, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Stephen R. Burrow, Albert Ing, Gregory F. Pfister, Patrick J. Sugrue
-
Patent number: 8015243Abstract: A method for authenticating a requesting entity in a communications environment. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes determining a client identification of a client node associated with the requesting entity, and determining whether the requesting entity associated with the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity. A key to the requesting entity is returned from a resource provider node upon determining that the client identification of the client node indicates that the client node is permitted to access one or more resources of the provider node, and that the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2008Date of Patent: September 6, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Thomas M. Brey, Giles R. Frazier, Gregory F. Pfister, William J. Rooney
-
Patent number: 7941568Abstract: Registering memory space within a data processing system is performed. One or more open calls are received from an application to access one or more input/output (I/O) devices. Responsive to receiving the one or more open calls, one or more I/O map and pin calls are sent in order to register memory space for the one or more I/O devices within at least one storage area that will be accessed by the application. At least one virtual I/O bus address is received for each registered memory space of the one or more I/O devices. At least one I/O command is executed using the at least one virtual I/O bus address without intervention by an operating system or operating system image.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2008Date of Patent: May 10, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Richard L. Arndt, Aaron C. Brown, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Steven M. Thurber
-
Patent number: 7908457Abstract: Registering memory space for an application is performed. One or more open calls are received from an application to access one or more input/output (I/O) devices. Responsive to receiving the one or more open calls, one or more I/O map and pin calls are sent in order to register memory space for the one or more I/O devices within at least one storage area that will be accessed by the application. A verification is made as to whether the memory space to be registered is associated with the application. Responsive to the memory space being associated with the application, at least one virtual I/O bus address is received for each registered memory space of the one or more I/O devices. At least one I/O command is executed using the at least one virtual I/O bus address without intervention by an operating system or operating system image.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2008Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Richard L. Arndt, Aaron C. Brown, Bradly G. Frey, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Steven M. Thurber
-
Patent number: 7895601Abstract: Mechanisms for collective send operations on a system area network are provided. The mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments provide for the creation, modification, and removal of collective send queues (CSQs) that allow the upper level protocol (ULP) used by a consumer to send the same message to a collective set of queue pairs (QPs). In order to use the transport services of a CSQ, a consumer process posts a write work request (WR) to the CSQ. The write WR causes a write work queue element (WQE) to be generated and placed in the CSQ. A channel interface (CI) is provided that effectively copies the write WQE to all of the send queues (SQs) of the QPs in the QP set associated with the CSQ. When all the QPs complete processing of their respective write WQEs, the HCA releases all data segments referenced by the write WR.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2007Date of Patent: February 22, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan F. Benner, Michael A. Ko, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Jacobo A. Vargas
-
Patent number: 7831710Abstract: A method for communication of offline status between nodes includes detecting an impending deactivation of a physical port and sending a message from a sending node to a receiving node notifying the receiving node of the impending deactivation of the physical port. The method further includes deactivating the report of any error for the physical port and sending a response from the sending node to the receiving node verifying that deactivation of the physical port.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2008Date of Patent: November 9, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Albert Ing, Gregory F. Pfister, Patrick Sugrue
-
Patent number: 7818413Abstract: A system for authenticating a requesting entity in a subnet communications environment includes determining a client identification of a client node associated with the requesting entity, and determining whether the requesting entity associated with the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity. A key to the requesting entity is returned from a resource provider node upon determining that the client identification of the client node indicates that the client node is permitted to access one or more resources of the provider node, and that the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2008Date of Patent: October 19, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Thomas M. Brey, Giles R. Frazier, Gregory F. Pfister, William J. Rooney
-
Patent number: 7720907Abstract: A system for supervisor partitioning of client resources in a subnet communications environment includes a plurality of client nodes, each receiving an allocated set of resources determined by a central authority, which assigns resources to a supervisor key associated with each supervisor of the plurality of client nodes. At each of the client nodes, the allocated set of resources are partitioned using a local supervisor associated therewith, with each supervisor associating one or more resource keys with one or more resources allocated to the corresponding client node, and assigning the one or more resource keys to the one or more applications. The supervisor keys are configured so as to prevent a given supervisor from partitioning resources not allocated to the client node associated therewith. Following the partitioning, communication packets are issued from the one or more applications to a resource provider node without inspection by the corresponding supervisor.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2008Date of Patent: May 18, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Thomas M. Brey, Giles R. Frazier, Gregory F. Pfister, William J. Rooney
-
Publication number: 20090276544Abstract: Registering memory space within a data processing system is performed. One or more open calls are received from an application to access one or more input/output (I/O) devices. Responsive to receiving the one or more open calls, one or more I/O map and pin calls are sent in order to register memory space for the one or more I/O devices within at least one storage area that will be accessed by the application. At least one virtual I/O bus address is received for each registered memory space of the one or more I/O devices. At least one I/O command is executed using the at least one virtual I/O bus address without intervention by an operating system or operating system image.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2008Publication date: November 5, 2009Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Richard L. Arndt, Aaron C. Brown, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Steven M. Thurber
-
Publication number: 20090276605Abstract: Registering memory space for an application is performed. One or more open calls are received from an application to access one or more input/output (I/O) devices. Responsive to receiving the one or more open calls, one or more I/O map and pin calls are sent in order to register memory space for the one or more I/O devices within at least one storage area that will be accessed by the application. A verification is made as to whether the memory space to be registered is associated with the application. Responsive to the memory space being associated with the application, at least one virtual I/O bus address is received for each registered memory space of the one or more I/O devices. At least one I/O command is executed using the at least one virtual I/O bus address without intervention by an operating system or operating system image.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2008Publication date: November 5, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Richard L. Arndt, Aaron C. Brown, Bradly G. Frey, Gregory F. Pfister, Renato J. Recio, Steven M. Thurber
-
Publication number: 20090254680Abstract: Atomic operations within an I/O device are supported by processor architectures that are not required to include specific atomic instructions, by issuing the atomic operations from an I/O hub. A descriptor that specifies the atomic operation and a target address is retrieved by, or sent to, the hub. A trigger event, which may be a programmed I/O write to the hub with an address of the descriptor, or the contents of the descriptor itself, causes the I/O hub to issue the atomic operation. When the atomic operation is complete on the I/O device interconnect, the result is returned to the hub and a host is notified. The host then retrieves the results of the atomic operation from the hub. The host notification can be performed by interrupt or by polling the hub until a status change is detected.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2008Publication date: October 8, 2009Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Gregory F. Pfister
-
Publication number: 20090217096Abstract: Diagnosing communications between computer systems includes sending a message from a sending node to a receiving node. The receiving node detects an error in the receiving node receiving the message and captures the data regarding the error on the receiving. A diagnostic log request is sent from the receiving node to the sending node, the diagnostic log request including a request for the sending node to log information. The sending node diagnoses the communications error in response to the diagnostic log response.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2008Publication date: August 27, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Albert Ing, Gregory F. Pfister, Patrick Sugrue
-
Publication number: 20090216873Abstract: A method for communication of offline status between nodes includes detecting an impending deactivation of a physical port and sending a message from a sending node to a receiving node notifying the receiving node of the impending deactivation of the physical port. The method further includes deactivating the report of any error for the physical port and sending a response from the sending node to the receiving node verifying that deactivation of the physical port.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2008Publication date: August 27, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Albert Ing, Gregory F. Pfister, Patrick Sugrue