Methods and apparatus for multiple cluster locking
View Patent ↗Methods and devices are provided for controlling lock and unlock operations within a computer system. A home cluster includes a home lock manager. The home lock manager is a master lock manager for the home cluster and for a plurality of remote clusters, the plurality of remote clusters including remote cache coherency controllers and a plurality of remote processors. Lock and unlock commands from the home lock manager are transmitted by a home cache coherency controller to the remote cache coherency controllers and forwarded to the remote processors.
1. A computer system, comprising:
a home cluster comprising a plurality of home nodes, including a plurality of home processors and a home cache coherence controller, wherein the home nodes are interconnected in a first point-to-point architecture, wherein one of the plurality of home nodes comprises a home lock manager configured to broadcast a lock command to the plurality of home processors and the home cache coherence controller; and
a first remote cluster comprising a first remote cache coherence controller and a first plurality of remote processors, wherein the first remote cache coherence controller and the first plurality of remote processors are interconnected in a second point-to-point architecture and wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is configured to receive the lock command via the home cache coherence controller and to forward the lock command to the first plurality of remote processors;
wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home configuration register that includes a home lock manager location and a first remote cache coherence controller location.
2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of home nodes has access to a configuration register that indicates a lock manager location.
3. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of remote processors has access to a configuration register that indicates a location of the first remote cache coherence controller as a first remote lock manager location.
4. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home Horus configuration register that includes a home lock manager location and a first remote cache coherence controller location.
5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the first remote cache coherence controller has access to a first remote configuration register that includes a home lock manager locations.
6. A computer system, comprising:
a home cluster comprising a plurality of home nodes, including a plurality of home processors and a home cache coherence controller, wherein the home nodes are interconnected in a first point-to-point architecture, wherein one of the plurality of home nodes comprises a home lock manager configured to broadcast a lock command to the plurality of home nodes and wherein each home node includes a home configuration register that specifies a location of the home lock manager as a recipient of home lock requests; and
a first remote cluster comprising a first remote cache coherence controller and a first plurality of remote processors, wherein the first remote cache coherence controller and the first plurality of remote processors are interconnected in a second point-to-point architecture, wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is interconnected with the home cache coherence controller and wherein each of the first plurality of remote processors includes a first remote configuration register that specifies a location of the first remote cache coherence controller as a recipient of first remote lock requests;
wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home configuration register that includes a home lock manager location and a first remote cache coherence controller location.
7. The computer system of claim 6 , wherein the first remote cache coherence controller has access to a first remote configuration register that specifies the home cache coherence controller as a recipient of first remote lock requests.
8. The computer system of claim 6 , wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home configuration register that specifies the first remote cache coherence controller as a recipient of lock commands received from the home lock manager.
9. A computer system, comprising:
a home cluster comprising a plurality of home nodes, including a plurality of home processors and a home cache coherence controller, wherein the home nodes are interconnected in a first point-to-point architecture and wherein one of the plurality of home nodes comprises a home lock manager; and
a first remote cluster comprising a first remote cache coherence controller and a first plurality of remote processors, wherein the first remote cache coherence controller and the first plurality of remote processors are interconnected in a second point-to-point architecture, wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is interconnected with the home cache coherence controller and wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is configured to act as a first remote lock manager for the first remote cluster;
wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home configuration register that includes a home lock manager location and a first remote cache coherence controller location.
10. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home configuration register that includes a home lock manager location and a first remote cache coherence controller location.
11. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the first remote cache coherence controller has access to a first remote configuration register that includes a home lock manager location.
12. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the home lock manager is configured to receive a home cluster lock request from any home node and to broadcast a lock command to all home nodes in response to the lock request.
13. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein the home cache coherence controller is configured to receive the lock command from the home lock manager and to transmit the lock command to the first remote cache coherence controller, and wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is configured to forward the lock command to all of the first plurality of remote processors.
14. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is configured to receive a first remote cluster lock request from any of the first plurality of remote processors and to forward the first remote cluster lock request to the home cache coherence controller, wherein the home cache coherence controller is configured to forward the first remote cluster lock request to the home lock manager, and wherein the home lock manager is configured to broadcast a lock command to all home nodes in response to the first remote cluster lock request.
15. The computer system of claim 9 , further comprising a second remote cluster comprising a second plurality of remote nodes interconnected in a third point-to-point architecture, the second plurality of remote nodes including a second plurality of remote processors and a second remote cache coherence controller, wherein the second remote cache coherence controller is interconnected with the home cache coherence controller and wherein the second remote cache coherence controller is configured to act as a lock manager for the second remote cluster.
16. A computer system, comprising:
a home cluster comprising a plurality of home processors and a home cache coherence controller interconnected in a first point-to-point architecture, wherein one of the plurality of home processors comprises a home lock manager;
a first remote cluster comprising a first plurality of remote processors and a first remote cache coherence controller interconnected in a second point-to-point architecture, wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is interconnected with the home cache coherence controller and wherein the first remote cache coherence controller is configured to act as a first remote cluster lock manager by relaying signals to and from the home lock manager via the home cache coherence controller; and
a second remote cluster comprising a second plurality of remote processors and a second remote cache coherence controller interconnected in a third point-to-point architecture, wherein the second remote cache coherence controller is interconnected with the home cache coherence controller and wherein the second remote cache coherence controller is configured to act as a second remote cluster lock manager by relaying signals to and from the home lock manager via the home cache coherence controller;
wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home configuration register that includes a home lock manager location and a first remote cache coherence controller location.
17. A method of controlling lock commands within a computer system, the method comprising:
receiving a lock request from a requesting home node of a plurality of home nodes in a home cluster, the home nodes comprising a plurality of home processors and a home cache coherence controller interconnected in a first point-to-point architecture;
broadcasting a lock command to all home nodes, the lock command responsive to the lock request; and
transmitting the lock command from the home cache coherence controller to a first remote cache coherence controller of a first remote cluster comprising a plurality of first remote processors interconnected in a second point-to-point architecture with the first remote cache coherence controller;
wherein the home cache coherence controller has access to a home configuration register that includes a home lock manager location and a first remote cache coherence controller location.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the requesting home node is the home cache coherence controller, further comprising the steps of:
sending a lock request from a first remote processor of the plurality of first remote processors to the first remote cache coherence controller; and
relaying the lock request from the first remote cache coherence controller to the home cache coherence controller.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the transmitting step further comprises transmitting the lock command to a second remote cache coherence controller of a second remote cluster comprising a plurality of second remote processors.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the requesting home node is the home cache coherence controller, further comprising the steps of:
sending a lock request from a second remote processor of the plurality of second remote processors to the second remote cache coherence controller; and
relaying the lock request from the second remote cache coherence controller to the home cache coherence controller.