Using a PCI function for HSCI connections

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A PCI function can provide the external interface for a HiperSockets Converged Interface (HSCI) connection.

HSCI interfaces integrate HiperSockets connectivity with your external LAN into a single logical network. For more information about HSCI, see Device Drivers, Features, and Commands.

Traffic through an HSCI interface automatically uses the best available connection to a communication peer with the same PNET ID: HiperSockets™ if the peer can be reached through HiperSockets™, and the PCI function for other peers.

Before you begin

  • HSCI is supported as of z15® and LinuxONE III.
  • Your Linux® instance must run in LPAR or DPM partition mode.
  • Both the interface for the PCI function and for the HiperSockets device must be up, but no IP address must be assigned.
  • Preferably, the hardware configuration assigns the same PNET ID to both the PCI function and the HiperSockets device, see Managing PNET IDs.

Procedure

  1. Optional: Assure that your PCI function and your HiperSockets device do not have diverging PNET IDs.

    PNET IDs are not required for HSCI, but if both the PCI function and the HiperSockets have PNET IDs, they must match.

    For PCI functions issue the smc_rnics command or use smc_chk. For HiperSockets devices, use smc_chk.
    The following example checks the PNET IDs of a PCI function with interface name eno5 and a HiperSockets device with interface name enc8410.
    # smc_chk -i eno5
NET100
# smc_chk -i enc8410
NET100
  2. Create an HSCI interface by issuing the hsci add command with the HiperSockets interface and the PCI function interface as arguments. Specify the HiperSockets interface first.
    The created HSCI interface has a name hsci<devno>, where <devno> is the device number of the HiperSockets device.

Example

The command in this example creates an HSCI interface from a HiperSockets interface enc8410 and a PCI function interface eno5. The HiperSockets device number is assumed to be 8410.
# hsci add enc8410 eno5
Verifying net dev eno5 and HiperSockets dev enc8410
Adding hsci8410 with a HiperSockets dev enc8410 and an external dev eno5
Added HSCI interface hsci8410

What to do next

You can now assign an IP address to the HSCI interface.