International Business Machines Corporation

Mushfiq U Saleheen

Raymond Michael Higgs

Howard M Haynie

Luke M Hopkins

Michael James Becht

Jie Zheng

Scot H Rider

Donald W Schmidt

Bruce H Ratcliff

Girish Gopala Kurup

Michael J Cadigan, Jr

Andrew R Ranck

Raymond Wong

Dan Vangor

Clinton E Bubb

Jeffrey C Hanscom

Deepankar Bhattacharjee

Ying-Yeung Li

Gabriel Martel Tarr

Andreas Kohler

Michael C Cadigan, Jr

Luke Hopkins

Christine Soong

Embodiments of the present disclosure implement hardware-based snoop logic streaming timers for input/output (I/O) communications between a host and a shared network adapter in a computing system. The disclosed embodiments describe a hardware-based snoop logic and snoop logic timer function control of input/output (I/O) processor monitoring a defined memory area to detect a completion queue entry being written to a completion queue, and implementing streaming timers and interpacket timers, based on the completion queue entry and predefined configuration information for an associated host interface connection, to provide streaming data status, interpacket arrival times, and streaming timer expiration for the associated host interface connection.

Snoop logic function streaming timers

Systems and techniques for snooping input/output (I/O) events in a computing system are described. An example technique includes obtaining a configuration comprising a plurality of snoop space profiles, each snoop space profile indicating a respective range of memory addresses that map to a respective completion queue. The technique also includes monitoring input/output (I/O) traffic exchanged across a communication interface between an I/O adapter and a processor in a computing system, based on the configuration. The technique further includes performing one or more actions to assist processing of the I/O traffic, based in part on the monitoring.

Address based hardware snoop logic with configurable snoopable space settings for hardware assist

Aspects of the invention include receiving a request for data. The request is received from a computing element implementing a first bus protocol, and the data is accessible via a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) system implementing a plurality of bus protocols. A type of the received request is determined. A bus protocol is selected from the plurality of bus protocols based at least in part on the type of the received request. The received request is translated into a format that is compatible with the selected bus protocol and transmitted to the RISC system. Data is received from the RISC system in response to transmitting the translated request.

Substitution through protocol to protocol translation

Technical solutions are described for executing a computer instruction including an asynchronous operation. An example method includes computing parameters associated with the asynchronous operation, and transmitting a command for executing the asynchronous operation by an external device. The method also includes intercepting and storing, by an interface logic controller, the parameters associated with the asynchronous operation into one or more log registers. The method also includes receiving a response to the asynchronous operation. In response to the asynchronous operation being a success, executing a next instruction by the processing element. In response to the asynchronous operation being a failure, a processing element accesses the parameters from the log registers, and restarts the asynchronous operation using the parameters from the one or more log registers.

Executing computer instruction including asynchronous operation

Technical solutions are described for a supervisory processor to pass an out-of-band communication to a target processor in a multiprocessor system. For example, a first processor in a multi-processor system includes a register configured to store a command from a second processor of the multi-processor system, and to store a response to the command from the second processor. The first processor determines that the second processor has issued the command for execution by the first processor based on a first portion of the register being set to a first state, which is a predetermined state. The first processor also, responsively, reads the command from the second processor by parsing a second portion of the register. The first processor includes executes the command and stores the response for the command in the register.

Remote command invocation using a register for storing a command and an attention bit indicating command has been issued

Embodiments are directed to a method of optimizing power consumption in an electrical device. The method includes receiving, by a processor, instructions to enter a wait state, and identifying, by the processor, a parameter associated with the instructions to enter a wait state. The method continues with initiating, by the processor, instructions to enter a low-power mode based on the parameter, initiating, by the processor, instructions to exit a low-power mode based on the parameter, and providing, via a user interface, a user with notice of a current state of the processor. The parameter includes runtime information, instructional information, and scheduled operations.

Processor power-saving during wait events

Communication between one communication bus having one set of characteristics and another communication bus having another set of characteristics is facilitated by a bridge coupling the two communication buses. The bridge includes a scoreboard to manage data communicated between the buses. In one particular example, the one communication bus is a Processor Local Bus (PLB6) and the other communication bus is an Application Specific Integrated Chip (ASIC) Interconnect Bus (AIB).

Bridging between differing communication buses

Technical solutions are described for profiling an execution of a computer program. An example method includes setting a program-counter indicator to a first state in response to updating a program counter register. The method further includes profiling the execution of the computer program by periodically sampling the program counter register according to a sampling time-interval. Sampling the program counter register includes recording a content of the program counter register in response to the program-counter indicator being in the first state. The method also includes increasing the sampling time-interval.

Lightweight profiling using branch history

Examples of techniques for transparent north port recovery of an error in an input/output device are disclosed. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method may include: detecting, by a processing device, a command timeout; sending, by the processing device, an input/output (I/O) error signal to a host processing system connected to the hardware device via a north port of the hardware device; terminating, by the host processing system, a link between the north port of the hardware device and the host processing system; enabling, by the processing device, halt command forwarding on the hardware device; halting, by the processing device, commands upon detecting the halt command forwarding; and resetting, by the processing device, the link between the north port of the hardware device and the host processing system.

Transparent north port recovery

Embodiments relate to a method for encapsulating a hardware application for virtualization. The method surrounds the hardware application with a service layer controller and ring interfaces. The ring interfaces dictates a virtual function that the hardware application is running. The method controls the hardware application so that the hardware application is reset in between each of a plurality of running jobs. The method tags, by the ring interfaces, each of a plurality of requests with an identifier signifying a virtual function that the respective request belongs to. The method ensures that there are not any outstanding requests following a quiesce of the hardware application.

Encapsulation of an application for virtualization

Embodiments relate to a computer system comprising a service layer controller. The computer system comprises a ring interface unit configured to provide access to a host system that enables access to a plurality of virtual machines (VMs). The computer system comprises a hardware application configured to be encapsulated by the service layer controller such that the hardware application communicates to the host system via interfaces controlled by the ring interface unit and service layer controller.

Embodiments relate to collecting extended error data from units within a programmable device. A pointer is accessed that points to a region of memory that contains a list of entries that references the extended error data. The list of entries is walked by adjusting a read pointer to obtain the extended error data. The referenced extended error data is moved to an event log.

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Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

Mushfiq U Saleheen