Abstract: Systems and methods for providing multicast group (MCG) membership relative to partition membership in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, by allowing a subnet manager of a local subnet to be instructed that all ports that are members of the relevant partition should be set up as members for a specific multicast group, the SM can perform a more efficient multicast-routing process. It is also possible to limit the IB client interaction with subnet administration conventionally required to handle join and leave operations. Additionally, subnet manager overhead can be reduced by creating a spanning tree for the routing of multicast packets that includes each of the partition members added to the multicast group, instead of creating a spanning tree after each multicast group join request is received, as conventionally required.

Abstract: Systems and methods for path record handling in a fabric without host stack cooperation in a high performance computing environment. In a case where the subnet manager has determined “homogenous subnet/fabric” or “semi-homogenous subnet/fabric” status for the current topology, but is still receiving path queries, the subnet manager can use the relevant status to avoid any route evaluation and generate path record either only based on the configuration status of the requesting port in the homogenous case, or by comparing the configuration status of both ports in the semi-homogenous case.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting heterogeneous and asymmetric dual rail fabric configurations in a high performance computing environment. A method can provide, comprising at one or more computers each including one or more microprocessors, a plurality hosts, each of the plurality of hosts comprising at least one dual port adapter, a private fabric, the private fabric comprising two or more switches, and a public fabric, the public fabric comprising a cloud fabric. A workload can be provisioned at a host of the plurality of hosts. A placement policy can be assigned to the provisioned workload. Then, network traffic between peer nodes of the provisioned workload can be assigned to one or more of the private fabric and the public fabric in accordance with the placement policy.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting inter subnet control plane protocol for consistent multicast membership and connectivity across multiple subnets in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, by associating a multicast group with an inter-subnet partition, and enforcing a dedicated router port for the multicast group, multicast loop avoidance can be provided for between connected subnets. Because only a single router port is selected as being capable of handling the MC packet, no other router port in the subnet can then pass a multicast packet back to the originating subnet.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting SMA level abstractions at router ports for enablement of data traffic in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a subnet manager in a local subnet is responsible for enabling data traffic between subnets in a high performance computing environment. The SM can configure and set a data attribute at a switch port configured as a router port such that incoming data packets can be checked against the attribute to determine whether the data packet's destination is allowed or disallowed to receive inter-subnet data traffic.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for supporting scalable multi-homed routing for virtual switch based host channel adapter (HCA) virtualization in a subnet. An exemplary method can provide one or more switches, a plurality of host channel adapters, a plurality of hypervisors, and a plurality of virtual machines. The method can arrange the plurality of host channel adapters with one or more of a virtual switch with prepopulated local identifiers (LIDs) architecture or a virtual switch with dynamic LID assignment architecture. The method can further perform a multi-homed routing for the subnet, wherein at least one of the plurality of host channel adapters comprises two virtual switches, wherein the two virtual switches are treated as endpoints of the subnet, and wherein the multi-homed routing for the subnet ensures that each the two virtual switches are routed through independent paths.

Abstract: Systems and methods for unicast traffic across multiple subnets in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a local inter-subnet manager (ISM) can allocate at least one router port in the local subnet for receiving traffic for a relevant end node belonging to an inter-subnet partition (ISP) for each remote subnet that also comprises end nodes sharing a same ISP membership, and can also set up address mappings for the relevant GID(s) (e.g., GID or GUID to LID mapping).

Abstract: Systems and methods for host-side configuration of a host channel adapter (HCA). An exemplary embodiment can provide a HCA, including a control circuit with a processor and a memory, and at least one port operative to connect the HCA to a network fabric. Additionally, the HCA can include a subnet management agent (SMA) that executes on the HCA, and a software driver for the HCA that includes a control application programming interface (API) that exposes functionality to hyper-privileged software executing on a host. The hyper-privileged software can set, through the control API, configurable variables stored in the memory of the HCA. Based on the value of the set variables, the HCA can operate in one of a legacy mode or one or more other modes.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing default multicast local identifier values per subnet partition as additional subnet management agent attributes in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a single multicast local identifier can be associated with multiple multicast group identifiers when the multiple multicast group identifiers are associated with a same subnet partition. That is, a default MLID for each subnet partition (i.e. either all subnet partitions or those subnet partitions that are defined to have multicast communication) can be provided. A subnet node can have a default multicast local identifier table for storing default multicast local identifiers. A relationship between the partition key table of the node and the default multicast local identifier table of the nod can map default assigned multicast local identifiers to relevant partitions.

Abstract: Systems and methods of initiating virtual machine configuration on a subordinate node from a privileged node. An exemplary embodiment can provide a host channel adapter (HCA) including a control circuit with a processor and a memory, and a physical port operative to connect the HCA to a network fabric. Additionally, the HCA can include a subnet management agent (SMA) that executes on the HCA. The SMA can forward a request to register a virtual HCA to a subnet manager. The subnet manager can read an exposed attribute of the HCA, where the exposed attribute specifies the physical port as a privileged node, and where the value of the exposed attribute equals an assigned globally unique identifier (GUID) of the physical port. Upon receiving the request, the subnet manger can evaluate the GUID of the sending port to determine that the GUID and the value of the exposed attribute are equal.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing multicast group (MCG) membership relative to partition membership in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, by allowing a subnet manager of a local subnet to be instructed that all ports that are members of the relevant partition should be set up as members for a specific multicast group, the SM can perform a more efficient multicast-routing process. It is also possible to limit the IB client interaction with subnet administration conventionally required to handle join and leave operations. Additionally, subnet manager overhead can be reduced by creating a spanning tree for the routing of multicast packets that includes each of the partition members added to the multicast group, instead of creating a spanning tree after each multicast group join request is received, as conventionally required.

Abstract: Systems and methods for defining virtual machine fabric profiles of virtual machines. An exemplary embodiment can provide a virtual machine identifier, a virtual host channel adapter instance ID, and a virtual globally unique identifier. The virtual machine identifier, virtual host channel adapter instance ID, and virtual globally unique identifier can be mapped to each other so that the virtual host channel adapter instance ID, and virtual globally unique identifier can be retrieved through access to the virtual machine identifier. Further, a relationship can be created between a P_Key that defines an admin partition and the virtual globally unique identifier, where the relationship between the P_Key and the virtual globally unique identifier defines the virtual globally unique identifier as a member of the admin partition defined by the P_Key.

Abstract: System and method for supporting node role attributes in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a node role attribute can comprise a vendor defined subnet management attribute. When a subnet manager attempts to discover a high performance computing environment, such as an InfiniBand subnet, or a switch topology, identifying a topology is quite complex when subnet manager can only observe connectivity, without context behind the connectivity (the roles of the different nodes in the connectivity). However, when a subnet has a node role attribute enabled, the subnet manager can map the interconnect more effectively as it can discover not only the connectivity during the initial sweep, but it can also discover the role of each node discovered, thus leading to a more efficient interconnect discovery.

Abstract: Systems and methods for unicast traffic across multiple subnets in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a local inter-subnet manager (ISM) can allocate at least one router port in the local subnet for receiving traffic for a relevant end node belonging to an inter-subnet partition (ISP) for each remote subnet that also comprises end nodes sharing a same ISP membership, and can also set up address mappings for the relevant GID(s) (e.g., GID or GUID to LID mapping).

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for supporting scalable multi-homed routing for virtual switch based host channel adapter (HCA) virtualization in a subnet. An exemplary method can provide one or more switches, a plurality of host channel adapters, a plurality of hypervisors, and a plurality of virtual machines. The method can arrange the plurality of host channel adapters with one or more of a virtual switch with prepopulated local identifiers (LIDs) architecture or a virtual switch with dynamic LID assignment architecture. The method can further perform a multi-homed routing for the subnet, wherein at least one of the plurality of host channel adapters comprises two virtual switches, wherein the two virtual switches are treated as endpoints of the subnet, and wherein the multi-homed routing for the subnet ensures that each the two virtual switches are routed through independent paths.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting SMA level abstractions at router ports for enablement of data traffic in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a subnet manager in a local subnet is responsible for enabling data traffic between subnets in a high performance computing environment. The SM can configure and set a data attribute at a switch port configured as a router port such that incoming data packets can be checked against the attribute to determine whether the data packet's destination is allowed or disallowed to receive inter-subnet data traffic.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting unique multicast forwarding across multiple connected subnets in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, by enforcing that incoming (i.e., incoming on a router port of a subnet) multicast packets have SGIDs (source global identifiers) that correspond to a restricted set of source subnet numbers when entering the ingress router ports to a local subnet, it is possible to ensure that multicast packets sent from one subnet are never returned to the same subnet through a different set of connected router ports (i.e., avoid looping multicast packets).

Abstract: System and method for providing an InfiniBand network device having a vendor-specific attribute that contains a signature of the vendor. An exemplary embodiment can provide an InfiniBand compatible network device from a vendor. The vendor can further define a subnet management attribute, where the subnet management attribute has an attribute identifier in the range of attribute identifiers reserved in the InfiniBand specification. The vendor can define a signature bit string that is a fixed number of bits in length and a number of offset bits, where the number of offset bits indicates the start of the signature bit string within the attribute. The subnet management attribute can be configured with the signature bit string starting where the offset bits indicate, and the subnet management attribute can be included as an attribute of the InfiniBand compatible network device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for supporting SMP connectivity checks across virtual router in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, SMA model enhancements allow for the possibility to send a packet (i.e., SMP) that is addressed to a local router port. The SMA where the packet is addressed can receive the packet, and then apply a new attribute that defines that the requested information is on a remote node (e.g., connected by a physical link across subnets). In accordance with an embodiment, the SMA can operate as a proxy (receives a SMP and sends another request), or the SMA can modify the original packet and send it on as an inter-subnet packet.

Abstract: System and method for supporting a flexible framework for extendable SMA attributes in a high performance computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, an information attribute can provide for enhancements in a number of areas. For example, in addition to indicating which version of an interface a queried node supports, the information attribute can additionally provide a mask indicating which vendor specific SMA attributes the node supports. In this way, a subnet manager can identify a version of an interface at each node in a subnet, as well as each node's SMA attribute capabilities. In turn, this allows nodes to run different versions of an interface within a same subnet, without introducing confusion.