Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for providing multiple quiesce state machines. The system includes a first controller including logic for processing a first quiesce request. The system also includes a second controller including logic for processing a second quiesce request. All or a portion of the processing of the second quiesce request overlaps in time with the processing of the first quiesce request. Thus, multiple quiesce requests may be active in the system at the same time.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for providing a shared memory translation facility. The method includes receiving a request for access to a memory address from a requestor at a configuration, the receiving at a shared memory translation mechanism. It is determined if the memory address refers to a shared memory object (SMO), the SMO accessible by a plurality of configurations. In response to determining that the memory address refers to the SMO, it is determined if the configuration has access to the SMO. In response to determining that the configuration has access to the SMO, the requestor is provided a system absolute address for the SMO and access to the SMO. In this manner direct interchange of data between the plurality of configurations is allowed.

Abstract: A measurement sampling facility takes snapshots of the central processing unit (CPU) on which it is executing at specified sampling intervals to collect data relating to tasks executing on the CPU. The collected data is stored in a buffer, and at selected times, an interrupt is provided to remove data from the buffer to enable reuse thereof. The interrupt is not taken after each sample, but in sufficient time to remove the data and minimize data loss.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a frame management function defined for a machine architecture of a computer system. In one embodiment, a frame management instruction is obtained which identifies a first and second general register. The first general register contains a frame management field having a key field with access-protection bits and a block-size indication. If the block-size indication indicates a large block then an operand address of a large block of data is obtained from the second general register. The large block of data has a plurality of small blocks each of which is associated with a corresponding storage key having a plurality of storage key access-protection bits. If the block size indication indicates a large block, the storage key access-protection bits of each corresponding storage key of each small block within the large block is set with the access-protection bits of the key field.

Abstract: A measurement sampling facility takes snapshots of the central processing unit (CPU) on which it is executing at specified sampling intervals to collect data relating to tasks executing on the CPU. The collected data is stored in a buffer, and at selected times, an interrupt is provided to remove data from the buffer to enable reuse thereof. The interrupt is not taken after each sample, but in sufficient time to remove the data and minimize data loss.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for providing quiesce filtering for shared memory. The method includes receiving a shared-memory quiesce request at a processor. The request includes a donor zone. The processor includes translation look aside buffer one (TLB1). It is determined that the shared-memory request can be filtered by the processor if there not any shared memory entries in the TLB1 and the donor zone is not equal to a current zone of the processor and the processor is not running in host mode. The shared-memory quiesce request is filtered in response to the determining.

Abstract: An instruction is provided to perform invalidation of an instruction specified range of segment table entries or region table entries. The instruction can be implemented by software emulation, hardware, firmware or some combination thereof.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a method of synchronizing translation changes in a processor including a translation lookaside buffer, the method including setting a control bit to enable blocking of all fetch requests that miss the translation lookaside buffer without changing a translation state of the current process; if there is at least one pending translation, then waiting for completion of the at least one pending translation; and resetting the control bit. A processor and a computer program product are provided.

Abstract: A measurement sampling facility takes snapshots of the central processing unit (CPU) on which it is executing at specified sampling intervals to collect data relating to tasks executing on the CPU. The collected data is stored in a buffer, and at selected times, an interrupt is provided to remove data from the buffer to enable reuse thereof. The interrupt is not taken after each sample, but in sufficient time to remove the data and minimize data loss.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a set key and clear frame management function defined for a machine architecture of a computer system. In one embodiment, a machine instruction is obtained which identifies a first and second general register. Obtained from the first general register is a frame size field indicating whether a storage frame is one of a small block or a large block of data. Obtained from the second general register is an operand address of a storage frame upon which the instruction is to be performed. If the storage frame is a small block, the instruction is performed only on the small block. If the indicated storage frame is a large block of data, an operand address of an initial first block of data within the large block of data is obtained from the second general register. The frame management instruction is performed on all blocks starting from the initial first block.

Abstract: A facility is provided for processing to distinguish between a full conventional (or total system) quiesce request within a logically partitioned computer system, which requires all processors of the computer system to remain quiesced for the duration of the quiesce-related operation, and a new early-release conventional quiesce request, which is associated with fast-quiesce request utilization. In accordance with the facility, once all processors have quiesced responsive to a pending quiesce request sequence, the processors are allowed to block early-release conventional quiesce interrupts and to continue processing if there is no total system quiesce request in the pending quiesce request sequence.

Abstract: Processing within a computing environment that supports pageable guests is facilitated. Processing is facilitated in many ways, including, but not limited to, associating guest and host state information with guest blocks of storage; maintaining the state information in control blocks in host memory; enabling the changing of states; and using the state information in management decisions. In one particular example, the guest state includes an indication of usefulness and importance of memory contents to the guest, and the host state reflects the ease of access to memory contents. The host and guest state information is used in managing memory of the host and/or guests.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for providing filtering of level two guest (G2) quiesce requests. The method includes receiving a G2 quiesce interruption request at a processor currently or previously executing a G2 running under a level two hypervisor in a logical partition. The G2 includes a current zone and G2 virtual machine (VM) identifier. The quiesce interruption request specifies an initiating zone and an initiating G2 VM identifier. It is determined if the G2 quiesce interruption request can be filtered by the processor. The determining is responsive to the current G2 VM identifier, the current zone, the initiating zone and the initiating G2 VM identifier. The G2 quiesce interruption request is filtered at the processor in response to determining that the G2 quiesce interruption request can be filtered. Thus, filtering between G2 virtual machines running in the logical partition is provided.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a frame management function defined for a machine architecture of a computer system. In one embodiment, a machine instruction is obtained containing an opcode for a frame management instruction identifying a first and second general register. Clear frame information is obtained from the first general register having a frame size field indicating whether a storage frame is a small or large block of data. The second general register contains an operand address of a storage frame. If the storage frame is a small block, all bytes of the small block of data are set to zero. If the storage frame is a large block of data, an operand address of an initial first block of data within the large block is obtained from the second general register. All data of all blocks within the large block are cleared starting from the initial first block.

Abstract: Storing translation lookaside buffer (TLB) entries are in a TLB1 at the processor. The TLB1 includes entries associated with main storage accesses of programs executing in a guest mode in a current zone and entries associated with main storage accesses of firmware executing in a host mode. A quiesce interruption request is received at the processor that includes a requesting zone indicator. The processor is either executing in the host mode and has no zone or in the guest mode with the current zone. The requesting zone indicator and the contents of a programmable filtering register that indicates exceptions to filtering performed by the processor is used to determine if filtering should be performed. The quiesce interruption request may be filtered based on the requesting zone indicator even after the mode switches from the guest mode to the host mode.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and system for measuring the performance of individual logical partitions of a logically partitioned computer system. Preferably, the method and system both hardware and firmware to allow measurement samples to be collected only for user specified zones of interest. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of specifying a Zone or Zones of interest (a Zone being a logical partition), collecting measurement samples only from the one or more specified Zones of interest, and measuring the performance of each of these Zones using only the measurement samples collected from said each of the Zones.

Abstract: A system serialization capability is provided to facilitate processing in those environments that allow multiple processors to update the same resources. The system serialization capability is used to facilitate processing in a multi-processing environment in which guests and hosts use locks to provide serialization. The system serialization capability includes a diagnose instruction which is issued after the host acquires a lock, eliminating the need for the guest to acquire the lock.

Abstract: Processing within a computing environment is facilitated by filtering requests of the computing environment. A processing unit that receives a request determines whether it is to perform the request. This determination is made by, for instance, comparing an identifier of the request with an identifier of the processing unit making the determination. If there is a mismatch, then the request is blocked. Other processing within the computing environment is also facilitated by selectively using buffer entries. The selection criteria is based, for instance, on identifier information.

Abstract: Host page management assist functions are employed to manage storage of a pageable mode virtual environment. These functions enable storage to be managed by a processor of the environment absent intervention of a host of the environment. The functions include a resolve host page function; a pin function; and unpin functions.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a set key and clear frame management function defined for a machine architecture of a computer system. In one embodiment, a machine instruction is obtained which identifies a first and second general register. Obtained from the first general register is a frame size field indicating whether a storage frame is one of a small block or a large block of data. Obtained from the second general register is an operand address of a storage frame upon which the instruction is to be performed. If the storage frame is a small block, the instruction is performed only on the small block. If the indicated storage frame is a large block of data, an operand address of an initial first block of data within the large block of data is obtained from the second general register. The frame management instruction is performed on all blocks starting from the initial first block.