Adapter Interrupt Identification for Multi-Adapter Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

In computing environments with multiple adapter types, processing adapter interruptions is inefficient as all adapter event indicators must be examined to determine the events that have occurred, leading to increased processing cycles and reduced performance.

Innovation Solution

A method that allows only adapter event indicators of a specified type to be examined by identifying the types of adapters requesting an interrupt, enabling tailored processing and bypassing unnecessary processing for other adapter types.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If all adapter event indicators are examined to determine adapter events, then complete event detection is achieved, but processing cycles increase and performance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveevent detection completenessVSAvoidinterrupt processing performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the interrupt processing by dividing adapter event indicators into separate sets based on adapter type. Instead of examining all adapter event indicators uniformly, the processing is segmented into type-specific subsets, allowing the operating system to efficiently examine only relevant indicators for each interrupt type, thus maintaining complete event detection while improving processing performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by examining only the necessary subset of adapter event indicators corresponding to the specific adapter type that generated the interrupt, rather than examining all adapter event indicators. This partial examination approach maintains sufficient event detection capability while reducing unnecessary processing overhead

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Productivity

If adapter type identification is implemented, then processing can be tailored to specific adapter types, but additional processing steps are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterrupt processing efficiencyVSAvoidinterrupt handling complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-organizing adapter event indicators into type-specific sets before interrupt processing occurs. The operating system maintains predetermined mappings between adapter types and their corresponding event indicator sets, so that when an interrupt arrives, the system can immediately identify the adapter type and access the appropriate pre-organized set of indicators without requiring complex runtime analysis or reorganization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2585932B1Identification of types of sources of adapter interruptions

Publication Date: 2019.04.10 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

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AI summary

A source identification facility is provided that enables identification of the one or more types of adapters requesting an interrupt in order to facilitate processing of the interrupt. The adapter types are accessible to the operating system and are used to tailor processing by the operating system of the interrupt.