Patent ID: 8370855
Filing Date: 2013-02-05
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method, in a plurality of data processing systems, for managing a process-to-process intra-cluster communication request, the method comprising: receiving, from a first application, a call in a first operating system in a first data processing system of the plurality of data processing systems; passing, by the first operating system, the call from the first operating system to a first host fabric interface controller in the first data processing system without processing the call; processing, by the first host fabric interface controller, the call to determine a second data processing system in the plurality of data processing systems with which the call is associated, wherein the call is processed by the first host fabric interface controller without intervention by the first operating system, wherein the determining includes using state information stored by the first host fabric interface controller to identify whether the second data processing system is connected to the first host fabric interface controller through a direct attached intra-cluster or a network attached inter-cluster; initiating, by the first host fabric interface controller, the identified intra-cluster connection or inter-cluster connection to a second host fabric interface controller in the second data processing system via a set of host fabric interfaces, a set of integrated switch/routers, and a plurality of intra-cluster buses; transferring, by the first host fabric interface controller, the call to the second host fabric interface controller in the second data processing system via the intra-cluster connection wherein the call is a request to communicate with a second application coupled to the second data processing system and wherein a second operating system in the second data processing system allocates a shared buffer in the second data processing system in response to the request without any involvement by the second application to allocate the shared buffer and wherein the first application and the second application are same types of messaging applications; and transferring, by the first host fabric interface controller, data associated with the call from a network communications buffer in the first data processing system to the shared buffer in the second data processing system.