Server-side failover between dedicated VNIC servers

摘要

Virtual Network Interface Connection (VNIC) is a client-server protocol that virtualizes access to a single physical Ethernet network adapter. “Dedicated VNIC” describes a configuration where a VNIC server is connected to a single VNIC client via a command/response queue (CRQ), allowing minimal overhead when communicating between the client and the Ethernet network adapter. A VNIC server failover mechanism includes multiple VNIC servers on a prioritized list. The top VNIC server on the prioritized list is selected to serve a VNIC client when a CRQ is opened by the client. When the selected VNIC server stops working, the VNIC server failover mechanism selects the next VNIC client in the prioritized list as the active VNIC server, and establishes a connection to the VNIC client's CRQ. In this manner, recovery of a failure in a VNIC server is done in a way that does not require any changes to the VNIC client.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method executed by at least one processor for managing virtualized network communications in a computer system including a physical network adapter, the method comprising:
using a partition manager to define a plurality of logical partitions on the computer system and to manage resources for the plurality of logical partitions; running an application in a first of the plurality of logical partitions; running a virtual network interface (VNIC) client in the first logical partition under control of the partition manager, the VNIC client handling network communications for the application; running a first VNIC server in a second of the plurality of logical partitions under control of the partition manager having a first connection to the physical network adapter and having the ability to connect with the VNIC client when the VNIC client opens a command/response queue (CRQ); running a second VNIC server in a third of the plurality of logical partitions under control of the partition manager having a second connection to the physical network adapter and having the ability to connect with the VNIC client when the VNIC client opens the CRQ; selecting one of the first and second VNIC servers to connect with the VNIC client when the VNIC client opens the CRQ; monitoring the selected VNIC server; when the selected VNIC server is no longer functioning properly, selecting the other of the first and second VNIC servers to connect with the CRQ of the VNIC client.