International Business Machines Corporation

Richard A Lary

Manoj R Sastry

Lee G Rosenbaum

Brad Davis

Thomas E Malone

Henry J DiVincenzo

Patrick D Mason

Patrick W White

Daniel H Bax

Pat White

Service processors within a system are self-clustered. The system can also include an operating system or other software code, a management console, or both. The operating system communicates with the cluster of service processors, where the service processors are self-clustered or otherwise, such as through a memory shared by at least all the service processors. The operating system therefore need not be aware which of the service processors performs a given function. The console communicates with the cluster of service processors, where the service processors are self-clustered or otherwise, through any service processor of the cluster. The console therefore also need not be aware that the service processors have been clustered to perform functionality for the console.

Aggregating service processors as a cluster

The self-clustering of service processors within a system is disclosed. The system can also include an operating system or other software code, a management console, or both. The operating system communicates with the cluster of service processors, where the service processors are self-clustered or otherwise, such as through a memory shared by at least all the service processors. The operating system therefore need not be aware which of the service processors performs a given function. The console communicates with the cluster of service processors, where the service processors are self-clustered or otherwise, through any service processor of the cluster. The console therefore also need not be aware that the service processors have been clustered to perform functionality for the console.

The self-clustering of entities within a system is disclosed. The system can also include a host. Each entity self-discovers all the other entities, such that the entities are aggregated as a cluster. The host communicates with the cluster of entities, where the entities are self-clustered or otherwise, such as through a memory shared by all the entities. The host therefore need not be aware which of the entities performs a given function.

Entity self-clustering and host-entity communication such as via shared memory

The aggregation of hardware events in multi-node systems is disclosed. An event occurring at a remote node is forwarded to a primary node, by firmware of the remote node writing to a first register of the primary node. The event is propagated from the first register of the primary node to a second register node. In automatic response, an interrupt is generated at the primary node. An interrupt handler of the primary node, in response to generation of the interrupt, then invokes code at the primary node to handle the event occurring at the remote node.

Aggregation of hardware events in multi-node systems

Non-volatile memory access, such as firmware access by a service processor, is disclosed. The service processor asserts a controller signal to select either a first non-volatile memory, or a second non-volatile memory. The first non-volatile memory is located behind a first bridge controller and is otherwise accessible by the service processor. The second non-volatile memory is located behind a second bridge controller and is otherwise accessible only by a processor other than the service processor. The service processor then access the selected non-volatile memory, via a bus communicatively coupled to both the non-volatile memories.

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Tualatin, OR, United States of America

Richard A Lary