Remote access to a local hard drive
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system comprising:
- a Central Processing Unit (CPU);
a Network Interface Card (NIC) including;
a NIC processor, a port selector under the control of the NIC processor, the port selector having;
a first input port, a second input port, and an output port coupled to a hard drive, and an interface to a network; and
a core chipset logically coupling the CPU to the NIC, the core chipset including a client input/output (I/O) bus host, wherein the network interface is coupled to the first input port and the client I/O bus host is coupled to the second input port, such that the NIC processor is capable of selectively logically coupling the hard drive exclusively to either the network or the processor via the port selector.
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Abstract
A method and system for remotely controlling a hard drive on a local computer. A NIC includes a Port Selector under the control of a NIC processor. Access to the hard drive is selectively afforded to either the local computer or to a remote computer by the Port Selector. Preferably, the method and system permit remote access to a local hard drive even if the local computer is disabled, due to causes including, but not limited to, system failure, lost power or corrupted data on the hard drive.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a Central Processing Unit (CPU);
a Network Interface Card (NIC) including;
a NIC processor, a port selector under the control of the NIC processor, the port selector having;
a first input port, a second input port, and an output port coupled to a hard drive, and an interface to a network; and
a core chipset logically coupling the CPU to the NIC, the core chipset including a client input/output (I/O) bus host, wherein the network interface is coupled to the first input port and the client I/O bus host is coupled to the second input port, such that the NIC processor is capable of selectively logically coupling the hard drive exclusively to either the network or the processor via the port selector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 16)
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10. A method comprising:
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coupling a local computer to a Network Interface Card (NIC);
coupling a port selector in the NIC to a hard drive, the port selector having;
a first input port coupled to a network, a second input port coupled to a local client computer, and an output port coupled to the hard drive;
receiving a remote control command at a Network Interface Card (NIC) processor from a remote computer coupled to the network; and
in response to determining that the remote control command is valid, enabling the first input port and disabling the second input port, wherein the remote computer has exclusive access to the hard drive. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20)
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19. A computer program product, residing on a computer usable medium, the computer program product comprising:
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program code for coupling a local computer to a Network Interface Card (NIC);
program code for coupling a port selector in the NIC to a hard drive, the port selector having;
a first input port coupled to a network, a second input port coupled to a local client computer, and an output port coupled to the hard drive;
program code for receiving a remote control command at a Network Interface Card (NIC) processor from a remote computer coupled to the network; and
program code for, in response to determining that the remote control command is valid, enabling the first input port and disabling the second input port, wherein the remote computer has exclusive access to the hard drive.
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Specification