In a multiprocessing system having a coupling facility, communicating messages between the processors and the coupling facility in either a synchronous operation or an asynchronous operation

摘要

A mechanism for communicating messages, each including a command and a response, in a network having central processing complexes (CPCs) and one or more coupling facilities. Each coupling facility has a central processor for executing instructions and a main storage. Messages are sent from a message control block in the main storage of the CPC sending the message, and the response to the message is received in a message response block of the CPC without an interrupt to the program being executed by the central processor of the CPC. Each message from a CPC to the coupling facility may include a command and an indicator bit which instructs the coupling facility to execute the command either in synchronism with or asynchronously to the execution of the sending processor. The coupling facility executes the command and returns a response which is received in a message response block of the main storage of the sending CPC without an interrupt to any program being executed by the central processor of that CPC.