Patent ID: 7478185
Filing Date: 2009-01-13
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of initiating the setting of interruption initiatives within a processing environment, said processing environment comprising at least one processor, and said method comprising: directly initiating by an adapter external to the at least one processor of the processing environment a setting of an interruption initiative at one or more processors of the processing environment, wherein the directly initiating is absent use of firmware of the processing environment, wherein the directly initiating comprises sending a request directly from the adapter to a system controller that is coupled to the adapter and to the one or more processors; forwarding a command based on the request from said system controller to the one or more processors to instruct the one or more processors to set the interruption initiative at the one or more processors; setting, by a processor of the one or more processors, the interruption initiative at the processor, wherein the setting comprises setting a filter indicator in a filter pending interruption array, and an indicator in a pending interruption array (PIA) of the processor; and wherein a zone mask table (ZMT) enables processor recognition and handling of an interruption made pending, the filter pending interruption array is a hardware filter controlling the setting of one or more corresponding indicators in the pending interruption array (PIA), and wherein the setting of an indicator in the filter pending interruption array prevents subsequent repeated setting of a corresponding indicator in the pending interruption array responsive to repeated requests from the adapter.