Abstract: A system and method can support a scalable packet forwarding mechanism in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise one or more network switch instances, wherein each network switch instance is associated with one or more external ports that are adapted to receive data packets from an external network. Furthermore, the middleware machine environment can comprise a plurality of packet dispatching components, each of which is responsible for forwarding a data packet to a virtual machine on a host server that operates to process the data packet. Additionally, a link aggregation component can combine multiple external ports into a logical port, and wherein the bandwidth of the logical port is linearly scaled accordingly to a total number of the multiple external ports.

Abstract: A system and method can support flooding mechanism using a packet process proxy in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise a gateway instance that includes an external port for receiving data packets from an external network. The middleware machine environment also comprises one or more host servers, each of which is associated with one or more virtual machines. Furthermore, said host servers can provide virtual interfaces that belong to a virtual hub associated with the gateway instance. At least one said packet is a flooded packet that is specified with an unknown destination address when it is received at the external port. The gateway instance can send the flooded packet to a designated virtual interface on a host server, and a packet process proxy on the host server can forward the flooded packet to a virtual machine on another host server for processing this packet.

Abstract: A compute node with multiple transfer processes that share an Infiniband connection to send and receive messages across a network. Transfer processes are first associated with an Infiniband queue pair (QP) connection. Then send message commands associated with a transfer process are issued. This causes an Infiniband message to be generated and sent, via the QP connection, to a remote compute node corresponding to the QP. Send message commands associated with another process are also issued. This causes another Infiniband message to be generated and sent, via the same QP connection, to the same remote compute node. As mentioned, multiple processes may receive network messages received via a shared QP connection. A transfer process on a receiving compute node receives a network message through a QP connection using a receive queue. A second transfer process receives another message through the same QP connection using another receive queue.

Abstract: When an unsafe port with a loss of signal is detected, a transceiver may enable one laser in a group of lasers associated with the unsafe port and may disable the remaining lasers. Then, the transceiver may instruct a transmitter associated with the one laser to transmit an optical signal on the unsafe port using a reduced transmit power that is less than a threshold value associated with the Class 1 conditions and at a different time than enabled lasers in other groups of lasers. Alternatively, for a safe port on which valid communication is received, the transceiver may enable lasers in a group of lasers associated with the safe port. Then, the transceiver may instruct transmitters associated with the lasers in this group of lasers to transmit optical signals on the safe port using a normal transmit power for the lasers that is greater than the threshold value.

Abstract: A system and method can provide switch based subnet management packet (SMP) traffic protection in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment includes a network switch that operates to receive at least one SMP destined for a subnet management agent (SMA). The network switch can check whether the at least one SMP includes a correct management key, and prevent the at least one SMP from being forwarded to the destined SMA when at least one SMP does not include the correct management key. Furthermore, the network switch can specify a different management key for each external port and can enforce separate restrictions on ingress and egress SMP traffic at a particular external port.

Abstract: A system and method can provide a secure subnet management agent (SMA) in an Infiniband (IB) network. The system can comprise a host channel adapter (HCA) associated with a host, wherein the HCA operates to implement a SMA in its embedded firmware. The HCA can prevent a host administrator or software with root access to the host from changing the embedded firmware on the HCA and modifying one or more states associated with the SMA without being endorsed by a site administrator. Additionally, the SMA is associated with a management key, and the host is not allowed to observe the management key without being endorsed by a site administrator.

Abstract: A system and method can verify trustfulness of a fabric component in an InfiniBand (IB) fabric. A subnet manager that is responsible for authenticating the fabric component using private/public key pairs. The subnet manager can first send a first encrypted message to a fabric component in the IB fabric, wherein the first encrypted message contains a token and is encrypted using a public key associated with the fabric component. Then, the fabric component is allowed to decode the first encrypted message using a private key associated with the fabric component, and to send a second encrypted message back to the subnet manager. Finally, the subnet manager can authenticate the fabric component if the second encrypted message contains correct information.

Abstract: A system and method can support multiple domains in an InfiniBand (IB) fabric. The IB fabric can include one or more subnets, wherein each said subnet contains one or more switch nodes. Additionally, at least one said subnet can be divided into one or more sub-subnets, wherein each said sub-subnet is managed by a separate sub-subnet manager that is associated with a unique management key, and wherein said one or more sub-subnets are connected by one or more sub-subnet gateway switch nodes, wherein each sub-subnet gateway switch node belongs to one sub-subnet.

Abstract: A system and method can support packet direct forwarding in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment comprises one or more external ports on at least one network switch instance, wherein each external port can receive one or more data packets from an external network. Furthermore, the middleware machine environment comprises a plurality of host channel adapter (HCA) ports on one or more host servers, wherein each said HCA port is associated with a said host server, and each said host server can support one or more virtual machines that operate to process the one or more data packets. The at least one network switch operate to send a packet received at an external port to a designated HCA port associated with the external port. An external switch in the external network can send the data packet to the particular external port based on a packet distribution algorithm.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a middleware machine or similar platform. In accordance with an embodiment the system (referred to herein in some implementations as “Exalogic”) comprises a combination of high performance hardware, together with an application server or middleware environment, to provide a complete Java EE application server complex which includes a massively parallel in-memory grid, can be provisioned quickly, and can scale on demand. In accordance with an embodiment, the system can be deployed as a full, half, or quarter rack, or other configuration, that provides an application server grid, storage area network, and InfiniBand network, which support the execution of an application server, middleware or other functionality such as, for example, WebLogic Server, JRockit or Hotspot JVM, Oracle Linux or Solaris, and Oracle VM. Additional features of the system can include, e.g. Zero Buffer Copies, Scatter/Gather I/O, T3 Connections, and Lazy Deserialization.

Abstract: A system and method can support a flooding mechanism using a multicast group in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise a gateway instance that includes an external port for receiving one or more data packets from an external network. The middleware machine environment also comprises one or more host servers, each of which is associated with one or more virtual machines that can process the data packets. Furthermore, said host servers can provide virtual interfaces that belong to a virtual hub associated with the gateway instance. At least one said packet is a flooded packet that is specified with an unknown destination address when it is received at the external port. The gateway instance operates to send the flooded packet to the multicast group that operates to forward the flooded packet to one or more said host servers in the multicast group.

Abstract: A system and method can support virtual machine migration in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise one or more network switch instances with one or more external ports, each of which is adapted to receive data packets from an external network. Furthermore, the middleware machine environment can comprise a plurality of virtual interfaces on one or more host servers. Each host server is associated with one or more virtual machines that can process the one or more data packets. A virtual machine on a first host server is allowed to migrate from the first host server to a second host server and operates to receive one or more packets via a virtual interface on the second host server and process the one or more data packets.

Abstract: A system and method can support multiple domains in an InfiniBand (IB) fabric. The IB fabric can include one or more subnets, wherein each said subnet contains one or more switch nodes. Additionally, at least one said subnet can be divided into one or more sub-subnets, wherein each said sub-subnet is managed by a separate sub-subnet manager that is associated with a unique management key, and wherein said one or more sub-subnets are connected by one or more sub-subnet gateway switch nodes, wherein each sub-subnet gateway switch node belongs to one sub-subnet.

Abstract: A system and method can support multiple domains in an InfiniBand (IB) fabric. The IB fabric can include one or more subnets, wherein each said subnet contains one or more switch nodes. Additionally, at least one said subnet can be divided into one or more sub-subnets, wherein each said sub-subnet is managed by a separate sub-subnet manager that is associated with a unique management key, and wherein said one or more sub-subnets are connected by one or more sub-subnet gateway switch nodes, wherein each sub-subnet gateway switch node belongs to one sub-subnet.

Abstract: In a system having a cluster of system components interconnected by a cluster interconnect fabric, the system components include out-of-band management network interfaces to an out-of-band management network. The system is configured to use the cluster interconnect fabric and the out-of-band management network interfaces to determine the overall connectivity and status of the cluster.

Abstract: A method for allocating resources of a host channel adapter includes the host channel adapter identifying an underlying function referenced in the first resource allocation request received from a virtual machine manager, determining that the first resource allocation request specifies a number of physical collect buffers (PCBs) allocated to the underlying function, allocating the number of PCBs to the underlying function, determining that the first resource allocation request specifies a number of virtual collect buffers (VCBs) allocated to the underlying function, and allocating the number of VCBs to the underlying function. The host channel adapter further receives command data for a command from the single virtual machine, determines that the underlying function has in use at least the number of PCBs when the command data is received, and drops the command data in the first command based on the underlying function having in use at least the number of PCBs.

Abstract: A system and method can support virtual machine migration in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise one or more network switch instances with one or more external ports, each of which is adapted to receive data packets from an external network. Furthermore, the middleware machine environment can comprise a plurality of virtual interfaces on one or more host servers. Each said host server is associated with one or more virtual machines that can process the one or more data packets. A virtual machine on a first host server is allowed to migrate from the first host server to a second host server and operates to receive one or more packets via a virtual interface on the second host server and process the one or more data packets.

Abstract: A system and method can support flooding mechanism using a packet process proxy in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise a gateway instance that includes an external port for receiving data packets from an external network. The middleware machine environment also comprises one or more host servers, each of which is associated with one or more virtual machines. Furthermore, said host servers can provide virtual interfaces that belong to a virtual hub associated with the gateway instance. At least one said packet is a flooded packet that is specified with an unknown destination address when it is received at the external port. The gateway instance can send the flooded packet to a designated virtual interface on a host server, and a packet process proxy on the host server can forward the flooded packet to a virtual machine on another host server for processing this packet.

Abstract: A system and method can support packet direct forwarding in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment comprises one or more external ports on at least one network switch instance, wherein each external port can receive one or more data packets from an external network. Furthermore, the middleware machine environment comprises a plurality of host channel adapter (HCA) ports on one or more host servers, wherein each said HCA port is associated with a said host server, and each said host server can support one or more virtual machines that operate to process the one or more data packets. The at least one network switch operate to send a packet received at an external port to a designated HCA port associated with the external port. An external switch in the external network can send the data packet to the particular external port based on a packet distribution algorithm.

Abstract: A system and method can support a flooding mechanism using a multicast group in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise a gateway instance that includes an external port for receiving one or more data packets from an external network. The middleware machine environment also comprises one or more host servers, each of which is associated with one or more virtual machines that can process the data packets. Furthermore, said host servers can provide virtual interfaces that belong to a virtual hub associated with the gateway instance. At least one said packet is a flooded packet that is specified with an unknown destination address when it is received at the external port. The gateway instance operates to send the flooded packet to the multicast group that operates to forward the flooded packet to one or more said host servers in the multicast group.