Patent ID: 8645974

Claim:
A method of establishing access for multiple logical partitions of a data processing system to a single self-virtualizing input and output device, the method comprising: interfacing each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to at least one respective partition adjunct instance of multiple partition adjunct instances, each partition adjunct instance running above and outside of a hypervisor of the data processing system and comprising a separate dispatchable state from the hypervisor, and coupling its respective logical partition of the multiple logical partitions to a respective virtual function of multiple virtual functions or a respective queue pair of multiple queue pairs of the single self-virtualizing input and output device, and each partition adjunct instance being created employing virtual address space donated from the respective logical partition or the hypervisor of the data processing system, and wherein each partition adjunct instance of the multiple partition adjunct instances comprises a device driver for its respective virtual function or its respective queue pair of the single self-virtualizing input and output device, and wherein the multiple partition adjunct instances are independent and can access in parallel a same virtual function type of the multiple virtual functions or a same queue pair type of the multiple queue pairs of the single self-virtualizing input and output device, the single self-virtualizing input and output device being a hardware device and the multiple virtual functions or multiple queue pairs residing within the single self-virtualizing input and output device; and providing each logical partition of the multiple logical partitions with at least one virtual input and output device driver which is interfaced to the logical partition's at least one respective partition adjunct instance and through that logical partition's at least one respective partition adjunct instance to at least one respective virtual function or at least one respective queue pair of the single self-virtualizing input and output device.