Patent ID: 7761612

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system, for migrating a domain from a first data processing device to a second data processing device, comprising: configuring the domain for direct access of a first physical input/output (I/O) device; reconfiguring the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device via an I/O virtualization mechanism in response to an event requiring migration of the domain, wherein reconfiguring the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device comprises generating a virtual device in the I/O virtualization mechanism that is logically the same as the first physical I/O device and wherein reconfiguring the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device further comprises: releasing the first physical I/O device from direct access by the domain, wherein releasing the first physical I/O device from direct access by the domain comprises: quiescing, in the domain, outstanding requests to the first physical I/O device; and pausing, in the domain, I/O operations to the first physical I/O device; inserting the virtual device into an I/O path between a queue point of the domain and the first physical I/O device; and allowing I/O operations to the first physical I/O device to resume, wherein the I/O operations are routed to the virtual device rather than the first physical I/O device; and migrating the domain from the first data processing device to the second data processing device following reconfiguration of the domain for virtualized access of the first physical I/O device.