APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SWITCH ZONING

• US 20080247405A1
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Clifton, John Mark, O'Leary, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles

Abstract

An apparatus for assigning a device to a network zone comprises a switch component operable to receive an attachment request, port and device name data and device operating characteristics data from the device; and a rules engine operable to acquire the device operating characteristics data from the switch component; the rules engine being operable to apply rules logic to the device operating characteristics data to select a zone for the device. The rules engine may be further operable to apply the rules logic to the port and device name data. The network zone may be a network zone of a fibre channel network.

Claims

1. A system for assigning a device to a network zone, comprising:

a switch component operable to receive an attachment request, port and device name data and device operating characteristics data from said device;

a rules engine operable to acquire said device operating characteristics data from said switch component; and

said rules engine being operable to apply rules logic to said device operating characteristics data to select a zone for said device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said rules engine is further operable to apply said rules logic to said port and device name data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

5. The system as of claim 4, wherein said network comprises a storage area network and wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises a target/initiator status for the device.

6. A method for assigning a device to a network zone, comprising:

receiving, by a switch component, an attachment request, port and device name data and device operating characteristics data from said device;

acquiring said device operating characteristics data by a rules engine from said switch component; and

applying, by said rules engine, rules logic to said device operating characteristics data to select a zone for said device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said rules engine is further operable to apply said rules logic to said port and device name data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said network comprises a storage area network and wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises a target/initiator status for the device.

11. A computer readable storage medium including computer program code for assigning a device to a network zone, wherein the computer program code when loaded into a computer system and executed thereon, cause said computer system to perform:

receiving, by a switch component, an attachment request, port and device name data and device operating characteristics data from said device;

acquiring said device operating characteristics data by a rules engine from said switch component; and

applying, by said rules engine, rules logic to said device operating characteristics data to select a zone for said device.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein said rules engine is further operable to apply said rules logic to said port and device name data.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein said network comprises a storage area network and wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises a target/initiator status for the device.

16. A method for deploying computing infrastructure for assigning a device to a network zone, comprising integrating computer program code into a machine, wherein the computer program code in combination with the machine is capable of performing:

receiving, by a switch component, an attachment request, port and device name data and device operating characteristics data from said device;

acquiring said device operating characteristics data by a rules engine from said switch component; and

applying, by said rules engine, rules logic to said device operating characteristics data to select a zone for said device.

17. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 16, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

18. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 16, wherein said rules engine is further operable to apply said rules logic to said port and device name data.

19. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 18, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

20. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 19, wherein said network comprises a storage area network and wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises a target/initiator status for the device.

21. A system for assigning a device to a network zone, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor performs operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, by a switch component, an attachment request, port and device name data and device operating characteristics data from said device;

acquiring said device operating characteristics data by a rules engine from said switch component; and

applying, by said rules engine, rules logic to said device operating characteristics data to select a zone for said device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said rules engine is further operable to apply said rules logic to said port and device name data.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises one of device type data or device vendor identification data.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said network comprises a storage area network and wherein said device operating characteristics data comprises a target/initiator status for the device