International Business Machines Corporation

Kristopher Craig Whitney

Charles Scott Graham

Scott Dennis Helt

Colin R DeVilbiss

Kiswanto Thayib

Nicholas J Rogness

David Andrew Jones

Jennifer Anne Dervin

Robert Dennis Miller

Kyle Alan Lucke

James Brian Cunningham

Baltazar De Leon, Iii

Mark John Anderson

Andrew T Koch

Yun Bj Wang

Steven M Howe

Thomas Paul Giordano

Brian James King

Wayne Gustav Holm

William Anton Brown

Thomas Richard Crowley

Philip M Albu

Curtis D Schemmel

Shauna Rollings

David B Murray

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques to vary on and vary off databases simultaneously across a pair of nodes in a mirroring environment. A dual vary off operation is initiated at a first node of the pair of nodes, the dual vary off operation to be performed on copies of a database respectively stored on the pair of nodes, the operation to be performed in tandem with the second node. At the first node the copy of the database stored on the first node is informed of the dual vary off operation, and an operating system of the first node is also informed of the dual vary off operation. Upon receipt at the first node of an indication from the second node that it has completed its vary off operation, the first node completes the dual vary off operation. An analogous technique is performed for a dual vary on operation.

Ability to vary on and vary off databases simultaneously across two systems

Techniques for warm cloning of computing nodes are provided. A request to clone a first computing node is received. Upon determining that a first transaction of a plurality of transactions is ongoing, a first moment in time when data associated with the first transaction was coherent on the first computing node is identified. Tracking data related to the first transaction is collected, beginning at the first moment in time. Further, a first storage associated with the first computing node is copied to a second storage associated with a second computing node, where the first transaction continues during the copying. The tracking data related to the first transaction is then transmitted to the second computing node.

Coherent cloning of active compute nodes

In embodiments, the ability to have two separate Db2 Mirror pair environments, each providing HA, which have the capability to switch application spaces between the Db2 Mirror pairs, is presented. At least one IASP is registered to a first node of a first pair of nodes at a first HA mirroring environment at a first location. The at least one IASP is replicated to a second HA mirroring environment, the second HA mirroring environment including a second pair of nodes at a second location, the second location different than the first location. The at least one IASP is registered with one node of the pair of nodes of the second mirroring environment, the at least one IASP is switched offline at the first pair of nodes of the first mirroring environment, and subsequently switched online at the second pair of nodes of the second mirroring environment.

Ability to move application spaces between two separate independent high availability (HA) environments

Virtual Network Interface Connection (VNIC) is a client-server protocol that virtualizes access to a single physical Ethernet network adapter. 'Dedicated VNIC' describes a configuration where a VNIC server is connected to a single VNIC client via a command/response queue (CRQ), allowing minimal overhead when communicating between the client and the Ethernet network adapter. A VNIC server failover mechanism includes multiple VNIC servers on a prioritized list. The top VNIC server on the prioritized list is selected to serve a VNIC client when a CRQ is opened by the client. When the selected VNIC server stops working, the VNIC server failover mechanism selects the next VNIC client in the prioritized list as the active VNIC server, and establishes a connection to the VNIC client's CRQ. In this manner, recovery of a failure in a VNIC server is done in a way that does not require any changes to the VNIC client.

Server-side failover between dedicated VNIC servers

In an embodiment, a skip read command is received that requests transfer of a requested block from a storage device and that requests non-transfer of a skipped block from the storage device. The skip read command specifies a skip mask that comprises an identification of a location of the requested block relative to a location of the skipped block at the storage device. In response to the skip read command, the requested block and the skipped block are transferred from the storage device by creating a read command that requests transfer of the requested block and the skipped block and sending the read command to the storage device. In various embodiments, the skipped block is transferred to a temporary buffer and not transferred to a destination buffer, or the skipped block is transferred to the destination buffer, but overwritten by a transfer of the requested block to the destination buffer.

Emulating a skip read command

A vendor independent partition interface between a logical partition and an adjunct partition associated with a self-virtualizing IO resource is used to effectively abstract away vender-specific interface details for the self-virtualizing IO resource. By doing so, vender-specific implementation details may be isolated from the operating systems resident in logical partitions, thus requiring only changes in vendor specific firmware in order to support new or revised self-virtualizing IO resources.

Virtualization of vendor specific network interfaces of self-virtualizing input/output device virtual functions

A method, apparatus, and computer program product dynamically allocate limited system memory for direct memory access (DMA) among a plurality of input/output (I/O) adapters in a system partition. Initially a minimum entitlement of I/O entitled memory capacity is allocated to each of the respective multiple I/O adapters. The minimum entitlement enables operation of an I/O adapter driver. Additional entitlement of I/O entitled memory capacity is selectively allocated based upon I/O demands of each I/O adapter.

Dynamically allocating limited system memory for DMA among multiple adapters

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) adapters capable of dynamically switching between being controlled by a system processor and a specialized input/output processor (IOP), are utilized. A method of fault recovery in such a system involves switching those PCI adapters under IOP control to operate under system control when an IOP fault is detected, and switching the same PCI adapters back to IOP control when correction of the fault is detected. A computer system with dynamically switchable PCI adapters has the capability of optimizing processor utilization by switching control from one processor to the other when it is determined that the processor currently controlling the PCI adapters is being over utilized, and such over utilization is likely to continue for a period of time, and the non-controlling processor has sufficient capacity that the switch would not adversely affect current system throughput.

Method for achieving higher availability of computer PCI adapters

Higher availability in a computer system is achieved by utilizing PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) adapters capable of dynamically switching between being controlled by a system processor and a specialized input/output processor (IOP). A method of fault recovery in such a computer system involves switching those PCI adapters under IOP control to operate under system control when an IOP fault is detected, and switching the same PCI adapters back to IOP control when correction of the fault is detected. A computer system with dynamically switchable PCI adapters also has the capability of optimizing processor utilization by switching control from one processor to the other when it is determined that the processor currently controlling the PCI adapters is being over utilized, and such over utilization is likely to continue for a period of time, and the non-controlling processor has sufficient capacity that the switch would not adversely affect current system throughput.

A computer system and method of managing a logical partition on a logically-partitioned multi-user computer utilize a handheld computer with a plug-in console emulation module to emulate a console through which various system administrations operations may be performed. The handheld computer is coupled to an adapter on a logically-partitioned computer via a plug-in module coupled to the handheld computer and connected to the adapter via a cable. The handheld computer is configured to emulate a console for a logical partition in the partitioned computer using program code resident in the plug-in module. The plug-in module may incorporate a network interface configured to receive a network connector, a memory, and program code resident in the memory and configured to control the handheld computer to perform the desired console emulation. As such, by incorporating both the console emulation program code and the network interface in the same module, a relatively compact, portable, cost-effective and easy-to-use mechanism for performing system administration operations on a multi-user computer may be provided.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Kristopher Craig Whitney