Automated protocol selection for host adapter card

1. A networking system, comprising:

a host adapter card including a card connector and a controller, the card connector including four independent transceiver pairs and a predefined mechanical connector configuration, the controller including control logic for detecting whether a single-channel physical connection or a four-channel physical connection is made to the card connector and control logic for communicating over a network using a first, four-channel protocol in response to detecting the four-channel physical connection or using an alternative, single-channel protocol in response to detecting the single-channel physical connection; and

an alternative-network compatibility device including a first connector configured for releasably mating with the card connector and a second connector having a different mechanical connector configuration than the card connector, the alternative-network compatibility device including a transceiver lane from the first connector to the second connector, the transceiver lane of the alternative-network compatibility device being placed in physical connection with one of the four independent transceiver pairs of the card connector when the first connector of the alternative-network compatibility device is mated with the card connector of the host adapter card.

2. The networking system of claim 1 , further comprising

vital product data (VPD) encoded on the alternative-network compatibility device specifying a single-channel physical connection type; and

wherein the control logic on the host adapter card for detecting whether the single-channel physical connection or the four-channel physical connection is made to the card connector comprises control logic for reading the VPD from the alternative-network compatibility device and selecting the single-channel protocol in response to determining that the VPD specifies the single-channel connection type.

3. The networking system of claim 2 , further comprising:

a four-channel network cable including vital product data (VPD) specifying a four-channel connection type; and

wherein the control logic on the host adapter card for detecting whether the single-channel physical connection or the four-channel physical connection is made to the card connector comprises control logic for reading the VPD from the four-channel network cable and affirmatively selecting the default four-channel protocol in response to determining that the VPD specifies the four-channel physical connection type.

4. The networking system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to automatically invoke the first, four-channel protocol in the absence of any VPD specifying a particular protocol.

5. The networking system of claim 1 , wherein the first, four-channel protocol comprises an InfiniBand protocol and the alternative, single-channel protocol comprises an Ethernet protocol.

6. The networking system of claim 1 , wherein the connector on the host adapter card and the first connector on the alternative-network compatibility device have mating quadruple small form-factor pluggable (QSFP) configurations.

7. The networking system of claim 1 , wherein the second connector on the alternative-network compatibility device has a single channel, small-form-factor pluggable (SFP) configuration.

8. The networking system of claim 1 , wherein the controller on the host adapter card comprises an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

9. The networking system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first network operating on the first, four-channel protocol;

a first network port operably connected to the first network, the first network port having a mechanical configuration of the same type as the card connector;

a second network operating on the alternative, single-channel protocol; and

a second network port operably connected to the second network, the second network port having a mechanical configuration of the same type as the second connector of the alternative-network compatibility device.

10. The network system of claim 9 , further comprising:

a host device in electronic communication with the host adapter card; and

a peripheral device in communication with the host adapter card using either the first or second network.

11. The network system of claim 10 , wherein the host device comprises a computer and the peripheral device comprises a data storage device.

12. A computer program product including computer usable program code embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for automatically detecting whether a four-channel physical connection or a single-channel physical connection has been made to a host adapter;

computer usable program code for invoking a default four-channel protocol in response to detecting the four-channel physical connection has been made or invoking an alternative single-channel protocol in response to detecting the single-channel physical connection has been made; and

computer usable program code for communicating from the host adapter over a network using the invoked one of the default, four-channel protocol and the alternative, single-channel protocol using the same host adapter.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , further comprising:

computer usable program code for supplying Vital Product Data (VPD) to the host adapter in response to making the single-channel physical connection to indicate when the single-channel physical connection has been made; and

computer usable program code for determining when the single-channel physical connection has been made by reading and interpreting the VPD.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , further comprising:

computer usable program code for supplying Vital Product Data (VPD) to the host adapter in response to making the four-channel physical connection to indicate when the four-channel physical connection has been made; and

computer usable program code for determining when the four-channel physical connection has been made by reading and interpreting the VPD.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 , further comprising:

computer usable program code for automatically invoking the default four-channel protocol in the absence of any VPD specifying a particular protocol.