System and method for allocating unique zone membership

• US 20030195956A1
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ciphermax Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MaXXan Systems, Inc. (Ciphermax Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bramhall, Walter, Huang, Ruotao
• Application Number:
  US10/122,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20030195956A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0637 Permissions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a method and apparatus for ensuring the unique zoning membership representation in a network environment. In one aspect, the members of a container may be evaluated to determine whether any are subordinate to or children of a target member of the same container. The subordinate or child members may be removed from the container'"'"'s configuration. Generally following the removal of any subordinate or child members of the target member, a determination may be made as to whether the target member is a child of or subordinate to any container members remaining in the container'"'"'s configuration. If the target member is determined to be subordinate to or a child of a remaining container member, the target member may be removed from the container'"'"'s configuration. Consequently, redundant member entries, unintentional communication paths and the complexities associated with creating a zoning configuration may be avoided.

Claims

1. A method for allocating unique container membership comprising:

determining whether a parent-child relationship exists between a current member and a target member of the container; and

removing each child member from a container configuration in response to the existence of a parent-child relationship between the current member and the target member.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining further comprises:

determining whether the current member is a child member of the target member; and

determining whether the target member is a child member of any container members remaining after removal of all child members of the target member.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether both the current member and the target member represent a single container member; and

removing one of the members from the container configuration in response to the single container member being represented by both the target member and the current member.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the target member from the members of the container.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating the determining and removing steps for each container on a network fabric.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising repeating the determining and removing steps for each fabric in a network.

7. A method for promoting container members within a container configuration comprising:

removing a container member from the container configuration in response to a determination that the container member is subordinate to a target member; and

removing the target member from the container configuration in response to a determination that the target member is subordinate to another container member.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising removing the container member from the container configuration in response to a determination that the target member and the container member indicate a like device.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising repeating the removing the container member step until all members of a current container have been evaluated for subordination to the target member.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the repeating the removing the target member step until the first to occur of a subordinate relationship determination or the target member has been evaluated for subordination to all members of a current container.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising repeating both of the removing steps for each container included in a fabric selected from a zoning configuration on a storage area network.

12. A method for representing members in a container configuration comprising:

selecting a fabric from a network;

selecting a container from the fabric;

selecting a target member from the container, the container having a corresponding container configuration;

for each additional member in the container, determining whether the member is a child member of the target member;

removing child members from the container configuration;

determining whether the target member is a child member of any members remaining in the container; and

removing the target member from the container configuration in response to a determination that the target member is a child member.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising removing from the container configuration each member which represents a like device to a device represented by the target member.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising repeating the determining whether the target member is a child member step and the removing the target membership until the members remaining in the container gave been exhausted or a parent to the target member has been identified, whichever is first.

15. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor;

memory operably coupled to the processor;

a communication interface operably coupled to the memory and the processor; and

a program of instructions storable in the memory and executable by the processor, the program of instructions operable to identify any subordinate members in a container and remove the subordinate members from a configuration for the container.

16. The computing device of claim 15 further comprising the program of instructions operable to first determine whether each member in the container is subordinate to a target member selected from the container.

17. The computing device of claim 16 further comprising the program instructions operable to second determine whether the target member is subordinate to any members remaining in the container.