InfiniBand Partitioning
Partition endnodes into logical groups based on a given criteria
- Conceptually similar to VLAN 802.1Q
- Required within HCA and TCA
- Optional within Switch / Routers
- Facilitates I/O sharing
Partitions can span subnets
- Partitioning is managed by a Partition Manager (PM) per subnet
16-bit P_Key transmitted within the Base Transport Header with the upper bit defined as limited (0) or full (1) membership
- Limited members can’t talk to one another but communication is allowed between any other combination of membership types.