International Business Machines Corporation

Richard John Blasiak

Anthony Matteo Gallo

Colin Beaton Verrilli

David W Cosby

Claude Basso

Natarajan Vaidhyanathan

Philippe Damon

Sonia Kiang Rovner

Brahmanand Kumar Gorti

Bernard Metzler

Laurent Frelechoux

Gail Irene Woodland

Bay Van Nguyen

Frank Andrew Smoak

Gregory Scott Burgin

System and method for maintenance and examination of timers for a computer system having connections in a networking system. Timer values in a connection table each indicate a timeout for a timer for a connection, where each connection has multiple timers, and one of the timer values is written to a global timer array for each connection such that the global timer array can be scanned to determine when timeouts occur for active connections. Sparse restart of a timer includes restarting the timer if data is communicated with a connected computer before the timeout occurs and after a predetermined time interval after timer start, and not restarting the timer if data is communicated before the timeout occurs and within the predetermined interval after timer start.

Method and system for maintaining and examining timers for network connections

A method and system for providing remote procedure calls in a multiprocessing system is disclosed. The multiprocessing system includes a general purpose processor and a plurality of network processors. Each of the plurality of network processors includes a memory. The method and system comprises accessing a reserved address in at least one of the network processors and initiating a software action by a first portion of the reserved address. The method and system further includes pointing to an address within the memory of the at least one network processor to be processed based upon data in a second portion of the reserved address, wherein the data at the address is processed. A system and method in accordance with the present invention provides an indirect software jump in a microprocessing system through providing a reserved address in memory of each of the reserved address includes two portions. A first portion of the address triggers the software event requested by the general purpose processor (for example) and a second portion of the reserved address is utilized to process the data that was loaded at that address in the processor. The indirect software jump allows a general purpose processor to execute software on a network processor indirectly for custom application services or debug operations.

Method and system for providing remote procedure calls in a multiprocessing system

A method, system, program product, and data structure for processing network communication within a communication network from a general processor to a network processor. An informational frame is encapsulated into a packet for transmission within a communication network from a general processor to a network processor having a data processor and a control processor. If the informational frame is a control frame and the control processor is congested and if the control frame only needs message routing services from the locally connected network processor, the encapsulated packet is designated as a data-type packet so that the data processor processes the control frame. The encapsulated packet is then sent from the general processor to the network processor. The data processor decapsulates the encapsulated packet, parses the control frame and processes the control frame. The data processor directs and executes a control command defined within the control frame to a target control processor of a target network processor designated within the encapsulated packet.

System and method for processing control information from a general through a data processor when a control processor of a network processor being congested

A system for controlling multicast traffic in a multiprocessing system is disclosed. The multiprocessing system includes a general-purpose processor, a plurality of network processors and a switch fabric. The system comprises a multicast identifier (MID) manager to manage a distributed database of MIDs. The distributed database includes at least one compound MID. The at least one compound MID structure further comprises a plurality of MIDs representing at least two multicast groups. The system also includes a MID processor which traverses the at least one compound MID and resolves it into its associated simple MIDs. Accordingly, the present invention provides for a system and method for efficiently controlling multicast transmissions when different types of multicast groups are to receive the multicast transmissions. In this system and method a new type of multicast identifier (MID) is provided, a compound MID. The compound MID is a single MID but references multiple MIDs. The system includes a MID manager which manages a distributed database of MIDS. Finally, the system and method includes at least one MID processor which accesses the appropriate compound MIDs and resolves them into the simple member MIDs to allow a router to provide the information to an appropriate bridge.

Method and system for managing multicast traffic

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Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Richard John Blasiak