Patent ID: 8359415
Filing Date: 2013-01-22
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method, in a data processing system, for managing input/output virtualization (IOV) management operations, comprising: creating at least one multiple root I/O virtualization management partition (MR-IMP) in the data processing system, wherein the MR-IMP is a logical partition of the data processing system that is assigned to one or more base functions (BFs) and operates to control multiple-root shared functionality of one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors via the one or more BFs; controlling IOV management operations within the data processing system using the at least one MR-IMP, wherein a multiple root I/O virtualization (MR-IOV) manager application of the MR-IMP controls access to the one or more BFs of one or more I/O virtualization enabled I/O adaptors of the data processing system; creating at least one IOV management partition (IMP) in the data processing system, wherein the IMP is a logical partition of the data processing system that is a separate logical partition from the MR-IMP, and is assigned to the one or more physical functions (PFs) of the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors and operates to manage shared resources of the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors via the one or more PFs; creating one or more client partitions on one or more root nodes of the data processing system; controlling IOV management operations within the data processing system using the at least one IMP, wherein the IMP controls access to one or more physical functions (PFs) of the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors, but is not configured to access the BFs of the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors; and associating at least one virtual function (VF) of the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors with the one or more client partitions, wherein: the one or more BFs and one or more PFs comprise physical circuit logic in the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors that is configurable based on data stored in an associated configuration space in a memory of the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors, the at least one VF is a function, within the one or more IOV enabled adaptors, that shares one or more physical adaptor resources, is provided in a sharable resource pool of the IOV enabled adaptor, and is a sink for operations from one or more system images of the data processing system, and the IMP is permitted to perform IOV management operations on the PFs of the one or more IOV enabled I/O adaptors and the one or more client partitions are not permitted to perform IOV management operations on the PFs.