Patent ID: 7085860

Claim:
In a data processing network having a server with multiple partitions, a fabric, and a channel adapter communicating between the partitions and the fabric wherein each partition has an assigned address, a method of non-disruptively removing an assigned address comprising: sending a logout command from the channel adapter to the fabric, the logout command including an address to be removed; checking the address to be removed with a table of active addresses to determine if the address to be removed is an active address, the table of active addresses containing addresses generated and assigned to partitions by the fabric in response to address assignment requests from the partitions; changing the status of the address to be removed from active to inactive, thereby allowing the inactivated address to be reassigned by the fabric to the same or another partition that requests an address assignment; and sending an accept response from the fabric to the channel adapter indicating that the address to be removed has been removed.