Patent ID: 9614910
Date: 2017-04-04
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method using a Fibre Connection (FICON) protocol, the method comprising: receiving, by a first device coupled to a second device, an outbound exchange from the second device, wherein one or more Fibre Channel frames of the outbound exchange have a priority indicated by the second device; in response to receiving by the first device the outbound exchange from the second device, responding, by first device to the second device, with an inbound exchange, wherein one or more Fibre Channel frames of the inbound exchange have an identical priority to the priority indicated by the second device in the outbound exchange, wherein the inbound exchange and the outbound exchange comprise a first exchange pair; in response to receiving by the second device the inbound exchange with the identical priority as the priority indicated by the second device in the outbound exchange, disconnecting connection between the first device and the second device, wherein the connection is via a first physical path operated by a first port, and wherein the first port communicates the priority to a central processing complex to record the priority in a task control block; subsequent to disconnecting the connection, reconnecting the first device and second device via a second physical path operated by a second port, wherein the priority recorded in the task control block is communicated to the second port; and in response to the reconnecting, communicating via a second exchange pair comprising another outbound and inbound exchange over the second physical path operated by the second port, wherein the second port uses the recorded priority communicated to the second port to ensure that Fibre Channel frames of the second exchange pair have an identical priority to the priority indicated in the first exchange pair.