Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing – Session/connection parameter setting
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-27
2004-05-18
Burgess, Glenton B. (Department: 2153)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
Session/connection parameter setting
C709S222000, C709S250000, C710S008000, C710S009000, C710S010000, C710S036000, C710S037000, C710S038000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06738818
ABSTRACT:
FIELD
The invention generally relates to computers and more particularly to a technique for assigning I/O controllers to hosts in a cluster.
BACKGROUND
A cluster may include one or more hosts connected together by an interconnection fabric. In traditional clusters, hosts have locally attached I/O controllers connected to local buses.
FIG. 1
illustrates a typical bus-based computer
100
, which includes a processor
102
connected to a host bus
103
and an I/O and memory controller (or chipset)
104
. A local I/O bus
105
is connected to an I/O bridge
108
. Several I/O devices are attached to the I/O bus, including I/O controllers
110
and
112
and a Local Area Network (LAN) Network Interface Card (NIC)
114
. The I/O controllers
110
and
112
may be connected to one or more I/O devices, such as storage devices, hard disk drives, or the like. I/O bus
105
is a traditional I/O bus, such as a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI bus) a Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus or Extended ISA (EISA) bus, etc. A traditional I/O bus provides attachment points to which I/O controllers can be attached.
A bus-based computer, such as that shown in
FIG. 1
, has a number disadvantages and drawbacks. All of the I/O controllers on the I/O bus share the same power and clock domain and share a common address space. Due to the physical and electrical load limitations, only a relatively small number of I/O controllers may be attached to an I/O bus, and must be physically located within the same cabinet. Thus, the entire I/O bus is physically attached to a single computer system. Also, in traditional clusters, I/O controllers are not directly connected to the network or cluster. Thus, the I/O controllers on the I/O bus of a computer system are directly visible (or detectable) and addressable only by that computer system or host, but are not directly visible or addressable to any other host in the cluster. For example, the I/O controllers
110
and
112
are visible only to computer
100
, and are not visible or addressable to any other host which may be connected to LAN
120
. Therefore, bus-based computer systems provide a very inflexible arrangement for I/O resources.
As a result, there is a need for a technique that provides a much more flexible arrangement for I/O devices for computer systems. In addition, under such a flexible arrangement of I/O resources, a mechanism should be provided that allows for the efficient and effective coordination and assignment between controllers and hosts.
SUMMARY
REFERENCES:
patent: 4403286 (1983-09-01), Fry et al.
patent: 4455605 (1984-06-01), Cormier et al.
patent: 4697232 (1987-09-01), Brunelle et al.
patent: 4787028 (1988-11-01), Finfrock et al.
patent: 4821179 (1989-04-01), Jensen et al.
patent: 5297262 (1994-03-01), Cox et al.
patent: 5371852 (1994-12-01), Attanasio et al.
patent: 5530897 (1996-06-01), Meritt
patent: 5787306 (1998-07-01), Michael
patent: 5835725 (1998-11-01), Chiang et al.
patent: 5881284 (1999-03-01), Kubo
patent: 5933824 (1999-08-01), DeKoning et al.
patent: 5991797 (1999-11-01), Futral et al.
patent: 6061349 (2000-05-01), Coile et al.
patent: 6105122 (2000-08-01), Muller et al.
patent: 6108684 (2000-08-01), DeKoning et al.
patent: 6148349 (2000-11-01), Chow et al.
patent: 6240467 (2001-05-01), Beardsley et al.
patent: 6263452 (2001-07-01), Jewett et al.
patent: 6308239 (2001-10-01), Osakada et al.
patent: 6424992 (2002-07-01), Devarakonda et al.
patent: 6496880 (2002-12-01), Ma et al.
patent: 6519645 (2003-02-01), Markos et al.
patent: 6587950 (2003-07-01), Shah et al.
patent: 6591309 (2003-07-01), Shah
patent: Wo98/28684 (1998-07-01), None
C. Attanasio and S. Smith, :A Virtual Multiprocessor Implemented by an Encapsulated Cluster of Loosely Coupled Computers, IBM research Report RC188442, 1992.□□.*
Zhang, Xiaolan; Chen, Bradley; and Seltzer, Margo,: “HACC: An Architecture for Cluster-Based Web Servers”, Division of Enineering and Applied Science, Harvard University, 1999.□□.
Burgess Glenton B.
Choudhary Anita
Intel Corporation
Schwegman Lundberg Woessner & Kluth P.A.
LandOfFree
Centralized technique for assigning I/O controllers to hosts... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Centralized technique for assigning I/O controllers to hosts..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Centralized technique for assigning I/O controllers to hosts... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3249900